Shared Mailbox vs Group vs Helpdesk for Your info@ Email
Most small businesses have an info@, sales@ or support@ address that several people need to read and answer. There are four common ways to set it up: a Microsoft 365 shared mailbox, a Microsoft 365 Group, a Google Group used as a collaborative inbox, or a proper helpdesk tool. They differ in cost, in how replies appear to customers, and in whether you can tell who handled what. This guide compares them using Microsoft and Google documentation as of October 2026, and explains when a growing team should move to a helpdesk.
On Microsoft 365, use a shared mailbox: it needs no licence up to 50 GB and staff can reply as info@. On Google Workspace, use a Google Group as a collaborative inbox so conversations can be assigned and marked done. Move to a helpdesk when you need ticket numbers, response times and reporting.
Shared mailbox vs Microsoft 365 Group vs helpdesk: quick comparison
Start here. The right choice depends mostly on which email platform you already use and how many enquiries arrive each day.
Microsoft 365 shared mailbox
Most small teams
No licence up to 50 GB
Replies sent as info@
Appears as a second mailbox in Outlook
Weak at showing who replied
Only people in your organisation
Best for: Microsoft 365 users with a few people answering one address.
Google Group (collaborative inbox)
Google Workspace
Included in Workspace
Take, assign and mark conversations complete
Members can reply as the group address if allowed
Web interface is basic
Best for: Google Workspace users who want light ticket-style tracking.
Helpdesk tool
Per agent per month
Ticket numbers and statuses
Response-time targets and reports
Email, chat and WhatsApp in one queue
Canned replies and automations
Best for: Teams handling many enquiries or support requests daily.
A Microsoft 365 Group is a fourth option, but it is built for team collaboration (shared files, calendar, Teams) rather than answering customers. Microsoft's group types comparison recommends shared mailboxes for company information or support addresses.
Microsoft 365 shared mailbox: costs, limits and sending as info@
Needs an Exchange Online Plan 2 licence (raises the limit to 100 GB)
Archiving or litigation hold
Needs Plan 2, or Plan 1 with Exchange Online Archiving
Who can open it
Users with their own licensed Exchange Online mailbox; delegate access through their own mailbox
External people
Not possible; Gmail users outside your business cannot be given access
Sign-in
Block sign-in for the shared mailbox account and keep it blocked
Sending
Members with permission can send as or send on behalf of the mailbox
Send as makes the reply look like it came from info@ alone. Send on behalf shows "Jane on behalf of Info". Most businesses prefer send as for customer replies.
Who replied? Tracking answers in a shared inbox
The weak point of a plain shared mailbox is coordination. Two people answer the same customer, or nobody does because each assumes the other will.
Sent items: by default, a message sent as or on behalf of a mailbox is saved in the sender's own Sent Items. Microsoft documents how admins can also save a copy in the shared mailbox, so everyone can see replies. Turn this on.
Categories or flags: agree a simple convention, such as a category with each person's name when they take an email, and move handled emails to a Done folder.
Google collaborative inbox: Google's take and assign help page shows members can take a conversation, assign it to someone, filter by "assigned to me" and mark it complete. That is a lightweight ticket system at no extra cost.
If these conventions keep breaking down, that is the sign you have outgrown a shared inbox.
How to set up a shared mailbox for info@ in Microsoft 365
This takes about 15 minutes with admin access. If info@ is currently a full user account, convert it rather than deleting it, so you keep the old email.
1
Create the shared mailbox
In the Microsoft 365 admin centre, go to Teams & groups, Shared mailboxes, and add info@ with a display name customers will recognise.
Google Workspace: Google Groups as a collaborative inbox
Google Workspace has no direct equivalent of a shared mailbox. The usual answer is a Google Group with the Collaborative Inbox feature turned on.
Create a group such as info@ in the Workspace admin console or Google Groups, and allow external senders to post to it.
Turn on Collaborative Inbox in the group's settings, then give members permission to moderate metadata so they can take and assign conversations.
Allow members to post as the group if replies should come from info@.
Teach staff to work from the Groups web interface for claiming and closing, even if emails also arrive in their Gmail.
Licence-wise, groups do not need a paid user seat. Business email plan prices for both platforms are in our business email cost guide: Google Workspace from S$9.40 and Microsoft 365 from US$7 per user per month as of October 2026.
When to move from a shared inbox to a helpdesk
A helpdesk turns each email into a ticket with a number, a status and an owner. It costs a per-agent monthly fee, so only move when the shared inbox is really failing you.
Signs you have outgrown a shared mailbox
If two or more apply, trial a helpdesk with your real email for two weeks before committing. Point info@ to forward into it rather than changing the address customers already know.
Do it yourself or get help?
Creating a shared mailbox or collaborative inbox is a short admin task, and the steps above cover it. The fiddly parts are converting an existing info@ account without losing old mail, sent-item settings and permissions for leavers.
Our Business Email Setup (S$249) includes shared mailboxes or collaborative inboxes set up properly, with MFA on every user. If you want enquiries routed automatically (for example, tagging by keyword, logging to a spreadsheet or CRM, or alerting someone on WhatsApp), our Workflow Automation service (S$390 per workflow) can add that on top.
Frequently asked questions
Not for most small businesses. Microsoft says a shared mailbox can store up to 50 GB without its own licence. It needs an Exchange Online Plan 2 licence for more storage, or a licence for archiving or litigation hold. Every person who opens it must have their own licensed mailbox.
You can, but you should not. A shared password makes multi-factor authentication impractical, gives no record of who sent what, and is rarely changed when staff leave. A shared mailbox gives each person access through their own account, at no licence cost up to 50 GB.
By default, replies are saved in the sender's own Sent Items, not the shared mailbox. Ask your admin to enable copies of sent-as and send-on-behalf messages in the shared mailbox. Add a simple convention such as categories with each person's name, or use a helpdesk if you need proper ownership tracking.
A Google Group with Collaborative Inbox turned on. Members can see messages sent to the group address, take or assign conversations, and mark them complete. If allowed in the settings, they can also reply as the group address. It does not need a paid user licence.
When emails are regularly missed or answered twice, when you need response-time or workload reports, or when enquiries also come through chat and WhatsApp. A helpdesk costs a monthly fee per agent, so a shared mailbox or collaborative inbox is usually enough for a team answering a modest daily volume.