You have done everything right. The enquiry came in, you replied quickly, worked out a fair price and sent the quote. Then nothing. A day, two days, a week. You assume they went with someone cheaper.
Often the real reason is far more frustrating: they never opened your email. When the quote arrived, it did not come from Your Cleaning Company. It came from something like [email protected]. To a busy customer scanning their inbox, that looks like spam, a receipt or a marketing email. So they skipped it.
That is why sending emails from your own domain matters so much, and why ProCleanerUK lets you connect your own business email for every customer message.
The inbox decides in seconds
People decide which emails to open in a couple of seconds, based mainly on who the email is from. Imagine a customer has asked three companies for a quote:
- One arrives from [email protected]
- One arrives from [email protected]
- One arrives from [email protected]
Which one do they open first? Which one might they never open at all? The third company may have had the best price and the best service, but it never got the chance.
Why your own domain wins more work
- Recognition: customers recognise your business name immediately.
- Trust: emails from a proper business address look established and professional.
- Replies reach you: when customers reply to a quote or invoice, the reply lands in your own inbox, not a no-reply black hole.
- Consistent branding: every quote, invoice, reminder and confirmation reinforces your brand, not your software provider’s.
- Better deliverability: emails sent through a properly set up business domain are less likely to be treated as spam.
Every email, from you
Once you connect your own email, all of the messages ProCleanerUK sends on your behalf come from your address:
- Quotes and quote reminders
- Booking confirmations and appointment reminders
- Invoices and overdue payment reminders
- Running late alerts
- Review requests
- Marketing funnels and Buddy marketing emails
- Price increase notices
Two ways to connect your email
Your own SMTP server
If your email is hosted with a provider that supports SMTP, such as your web host or email provider, you can enter your server details in ProCleanerUK’s email integration settings: the host, port, username, password and the “from” address you want customers to see. A built-in test lets you check everything is working before you switch it on.
Microsoft 365
If your business uses Microsoft 365 or Outlook, you can connect your Microsoft account so emails are sent from your Microsoft mailbox.
If you do not connect your own email, ProCleanerUK still sends your emails through its own reliable system, so nothing stops working. Connecting your own domain simply makes them look like they come from you.
Tips for better email delivery
Using your own domain is the first step. A few extra steps help your emails land in inboxes rather than spam folders:
- Use a proper business domain: an address like [email protected] rather than a free Gmail or Hotmail address.
- Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC: these are records on your domain that prove your emails are genuine. Your email provider or web host can help you set them up.
- Keep your customer list clean: remove addresses that bounce.
- Respect unsubscribes: ProCleanerUK adds unsubscribe links to marketing emails automatically and stops marketing to anyone who opts out.
- Do not overdo marketing: Buddy limits each customer to one marketing email a day, which helps keep your reputation healthy.
The NCSC guidance on email security explains SPF, DKIM and DMARC in more detail.
What is SMTP, in plain English?
SMTP is simply the system that sends email. When you connect your own SMTP server, ProCleanerUK hands your emails to your own email provider to send, rather than sending them itself. To the customer, the email looks exactly like one you sent from your own inbox, because technically it is.
Setting it up, step by step
- Find your SMTP details: your email provider or web host will list them, usually under “email settings” or “outgoing mail server”.
- Go to email integration settings in ProCleanerUK and choose your own SMTP server.
- Enter the details: host, port, username, password and the “from” email address you want customers to see.
- Run the test: the built-in test sends a check through your server and tells you if anything is wrong.
- Switch it on: from then on, your system emails go out from your address.
As a guide, Microsoft 365 commonly uses smtp.office365.com on port 587, although connecting your Microsoft account directly is usually easier. Google Workspace uses smtp.gmail.com on port 587, typically with an app password rather than your normal password. Always check your own provider’s current settings.
If the test fails
- Check the port: 587 is most common, but some providers use 465.
- Check the username: it is usually your full email address.
- Use an app password if needed: accounts with two-step verification often need a special app password for SMTP.
- Check SMTP is allowed: some providers turn SMTP off by default and need it switched on in your account settings.
- Ask your provider: they can confirm the exact settings for your account.
Make the wording yours too
A recognisable sender gets the email opened. Good wording gets it read. ProCleanerUK’s email templates let you change the wording of your quotes, reminders, invoices and notices, so every message sounds like your business. Keep them short, friendly and clear, with your name and phone number at the bottom.
It matters even more for invoices
Quotes are only half the story. Invoices from an unfamiliar address are more likely to be ignored, flagged as suspicious or lost, which slows down payment. Customers are rightly cautious about payment emails from addresses they do not recognise. Invoices from your own domain get opened, trusted and paid faster.
Choosing the right address
Think about which address customers should see. A general address such as office@ or hello@ usually works better than a personal one, because replies reach whoever is looking after the inbox, and nothing is lost when someone is on holiday or leaves. Use a name customers will recognise in the sender field too, such as “Bright Cleans” rather than just the email address. If you send a lot of marketing, some businesses use a separate address for marketing and another for quotes and invoices, so important messages are never affected by marketing replies.
A real-world difference
Consider what happens across a month. If you send 40 quotes and a quarter of them are never opened because the sender looked unfamiliar, that is 10 customers who never saw your price. Winning even two or three of them back each month, simply because your emails now come from your own name, could easily mean hundreds of pounds of extra regular work. The same applies to invoices: emails people recognise get paid faster, which helps your cash flow.
Connecting Microsoft 365
If your business uses Microsoft 365 or Outlook for email, you can connect your Microsoft account directly in ProCleanerUK rather than entering SMTP details. You sign in with your Microsoft account and give permission for ProCleanerUK to send on your behalf. Emails then go out from your Microsoft mailbox, and sent messages are handled by Microsoft just like any email you send yourself.
Combine it with text messages
For important messages, email and text together work best. ProCleanerUK connects with SMS providers such as Twilio and ClickSend, so reminders, invoices and running late alerts can go by text as well, with two-way texting so customers can reply. Read about SMS invoice reminders.
Small detail, big difference
It is easy to think the “from” address is a small detail. But it affects whether quotes get opened, whether invoices get paid and whether your business looks like a professional company or a one-person operation. Fixing it takes a few minutes and can make a real difference to how much work you win.
For more on winning quotes, see closing more quotes and emailing your customers.
Connect your own email
Start your 28-day free trial and connect your business email in a few minutes, or book a free demo and we will help you set it up.
FAQs
Can ProCleanerUK send emails from my own email address?
Yes. Connect your own SMTP server or your Microsoft 365 account, and quotes, invoices, reminders and marketing emails come from your address.
What details do I need for SMTP?
Your SMTP host, port, username, password and the “from” address. Your email provider can give you these, and there is a built-in test to check the connection.
What if I do not connect my own email?
Emails are still sent through ProCleanerUK’s own email system, so everything keeps working. Connecting your own domain makes them more recognisable to customers.
Will replies come back to me?
Yes. When customers reply to emails sent from your address, the replies go to your own inbox.
How do I stop my emails going to spam?
Use a proper business domain, set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC with your email provider, keep your list clean and respect unsubscribes.