In the early days of a business, communication is simple. You are the CEO, the salesperson, and the support tech. But as you scale, “[email protected]” becomes a high-traffic intersection. If you don’t have a system in place, emails fall through the cracks, customers get double-replied to, and your team’s internal peace of mind evaporates.

As a Google Workspace specialist, the most common question I get is: “Should I just buy another user license for our ‘Info’ email, or is there a better way?”

The answer depends entirely on your workflow. Today, we’re diving deep into the two primary ways to handle shared communication in Google Workspace: Google Groups and the Delegated Mailbox.

Phase 1: Understanding the “Why” (Shared Mailbox vs. Groups)

Before we click a single button in the Admin Console, we need to choose your weapon. Google Workspace handles “shared” addresses differently than Microsoft 365. You essentially have three paths:

1. Google Groups for Business (The Collaborative Inbox)

A Group is an email address (e.g., [email protected]) that distributes incoming mail to multiple members.

• Best for: High-volume incoming mail where multiple people need to see everything.
• The Perk: It’s free. You don’t need to pay for an extra user license.
• The Limitation: It doesn’t “feel” like a traditional inbox unless you enable the “Collaborative Inbox” features.

2. Delegated Mailboxes (The “Shared Inbox”)

This involves creating a standard User Account (e.g., [email protected]) and “delegating” access to other team members.

• Best for: Executive assistants or small teams (2–3 people) managing a single, high-stakes identity.
• The Perk: You get the full Gmail interface, including Sent mail, Drafts, and Labels.
• The Limitation: You have to pay for a user license, and there are technical limits on how many people can access it at once before Google flags it for suspicious activity.

3. Aliases (The Solo Solution)

An alias is just a secondary name for your email.

• Best for: Solopreneurs.
• The Limitation: You can’t have a team help you manage it.

Phase 2: How to Set Up a Collaborative Inbox (Google Groups)

For 80% of businesses, a Google Group is the right choice. It’s cost-effective and scalable. Here is the step-by-step specialist guide to doing it right.

Step 1: Create the Group

1. Log into your Google Admin Console.
2. Navigate to Directory > Groups.
3. Click Create group. Enter your name (e.g., “Customer Support”) and the email address ([email protected]).

Step 2: Configure Access Settings

This is where most people mess up. If you don’t change the default settings, people outside your company won’t be able to email the group!

• Access Type: Set this to Custom or Public (meaning anyone on the internet can send an email to it).
• Who can post: Ensure “External” is checked if this is a customer-facing email.
• Who can join: Set this to “Invited users only” to keep it secure.

Step 3: Enable “Collaborative Inbox”

To make the Group act like a shared mailbox:

1. Go to groups.google.com.
2. Select your group and click Group Settings.
3. Under “Enable additional Google Groups features,” select Collaborative Inbox.
4. Now, your team can assign “tickets” to themselves, mark threads as “complete,” and add tags—all without a paid license.

Phase 3: Setting Up a Delegated Mailbox (The “Assistant” Model)

If your needs require a “Sent” folder that everyone can see, or if you need to integrate with specific Chrome extensions, delegation is the way to go.

Step 1: Create the User

1. In the Admin Console, go to Users > Add new user.
2. Create the account (e.g., [email protected]). Note: This will add a charge to your monthly Google Workspace bill.

Step 2: Enable Delegation

1. Log into the new account (info@).
2. Click the Gear Icon (Settings) > See all settings.
3. Go to the Accounts and Import tab.
4. Find Grant access to your account and click “Add another account.”
5. Enter the email addresses of the team members who need access.

Step 3: Accept the Invite

The team members will receive an email. Once they click “Confirm,” they can switch to the shared mailbox by clicking their profile picture in the top-right corner of Gmail. It will appear in the dropdown menu—no password sharing required.

Phase 4: Pro-Tips for Managing a Shared Environment

Setting it up is only half the battle. You need “Rules of the Road” to prevent digital clutter.

Use Labels as Status Indicators

In a delegated mailbox, create a set of shared labels:

• 01_In Progress (Yellow)
• 02_Waiting for Reply (Blue)
• 03_Done (Green)

This allows anyone who hops into the inbox to see exactly where a conversation stands at a glance.

The “Send Mail As” Configuration

If you are using a Group, you likely want to reply as the group address, not your personal address.

1. In your personal Gmail, go to Settings > Accounts.
2. Under Send mail as, click “Add another email address.”
3. Enter the Group address. You’ll need to verify it via a code sent to the group.
4. Pro Tip: Select “Reply from the same address the message was sent to” so you don’t accidentally send a professional reply from your personal [email protected] account.

Comparison Table: Which one do you need?

Feature	Google Groups (Free)	Delegated Mailbox ($)
Cost	Included in your plan	Requires a paid license
Sent Items	Harder to track globally	Shared “Sent” folder
Assign Tasks	Yes (Collaborative Inbox)	No (Manual labels only)
Max Users	Hundreds	Recommended < 10
Mobile Access	Via Groups Web Interface	Via Gmail App (Switch Account)

When to Upgrade to a Third-Party Tool?

Sometimes, Google Workspace’s native tools aren’t enough. If your “info@” address is receiving 100+ emails a day and you have a team of five or more, you might find Google’s tools a bit thin.

At that point, look into Shared Inbox software (like Front, Zendesk, or Hiver). These tools sit on top of Google Workspace and add features like “Internal Comments” (chatting with teammates behind an email thread) and collision detection (seeing a red dot when someone else is currently typing a reply).

Final Thoughts

Setting up a professional shared mailbox isn’t just a technical task—it’s a productivity strategy.

• Use Groups if you want to save money and need a “Help Desk” vibe.
• Use Delegation if you need a high-touch, perfectly synced inbox for an executive or a small, tight-knit team.

Stop sharing passwords. It’s a security nightmare and a recipe for getting your account locked. Use the tools Google gave you!