Shared Inbox vs Alias: How to Set Up info@, sales@ and support@

Option 1: an alias

An alias is an extra address that delivers into an existing mailbox. Mail sent to sales@yourcompany.com arrives in, say, priya@yourcompany.com’s inbox. There is no separate login and usually no extra cost.

• Pros: free on most providers, nothing new to check, quick to set up and change.
• Pros: easy to move — when someone changes role, point the alias at a different mailbox.
• Cons: role mail mixes with personal work mail unless you add a filter or folder rule.
• Cons: replies may go out from the person’s own address unless their mail app is set to send as the alias.
• Best for: small teams where one person owns each role.

Option 2: a separate mailbox

A separate mailbox gives the role address its own storage, folders and login. Whoever handles support logs into support@ in webmail or adds it as a second account in their mail app.

• Pros: role mail is fully separate, with its own history that survives staff changes.
• Pros: replies naturally come from support@, which looks consistent to customers.
• Cons: on per-user plans it usually costs a full licence.
• Cons: if several people use it, they share one password, which makes it hard to know who replied and harder to revoke access when someone leaves.
• Best for: a role handled by one person or a rotating owner, where history matters.

Option 3: a shared mailbox or shared inbox tool

In suites like Microsoft 365, a shared mailbox can be opened by several users with their own logins, each acting on behalf of the shared address. Dedicated shared-inbox and helpdesk tools go further, with assignment, internal notes and status tracking.

• Pros: several people can work the same queue without sharing a password.
• Pros: helpdesk tools prevent two people answering the same customer.
• Cons: needs a suite or extra tool that supports it, often at extra cost.
• Cons: more setup and admin than an alias.
• Best for: support teams with several agents and real ticket volume.

How small teams usually set it up

• info@ — an alias to the founder or office manager. Low volume, mostly routing.
• sales@ — an alias to the sales lead, or delivered to whoever owns new leads this quarter.
• support@ — a separate mailbox once more than one person answers, or a helpdesk tool when volume grows.
• billing@ or accounts@ — a separate mailbox, so invoices and payment history stay with the business, not a person.
• noreply@ — used only by systems that send notifications; ideally not a mailbox anyone reads.
• A catch-all, if you want mail to mistyped addresses delivered somewhere rather than bounced — use it with care, as catch-alls attract spam.

Making replies come from the role address

If you use an alias, configure “send as” in your mail app so replies come from sales@ rather than your personal address. In Outlook, Apple Mail and Thunderbird you can add the alias as an extra identity on the same account and choose it in the From field. Without this, customers reply to a person, and the role address loses its purpose.

Keep SPF, DKIM and DMARC in place for the domain so mail from any of these addresses is authenticated.

How this works on HavitoMail

On HavitoMail, aliases on your own domains deliver into a mailbox you choose, and each domain can also have a catch-all. Because the Pro plan is flat — 20 mailboxes for $19 a year — making support@ or billing@ a separate mailbox does not add per-user cost, so you can choose the cleanest setup rather than the cheapest. HavitoMail does not offer multi-user delegation or helpdesk-style assignment, so if several agents need to work one queue with individual logins, pair it with a helpdesk tool or choose a suite that offers shared mailboxes.