Whether delegating the task or doing it yourself, updating workers' comp email lists, or any email list, can be one of those procrastination generators. 

James Moore

I have been sending out a newsletter since 2010. Dealing with email addresses was something I ignored until my workers' comp email list blew up. Check out the first item in the list below to see what happened with my email provider.

I thought about writing this article when I received an email sent to one of my assistants who last worked for me in 2011. During the pandemic, many employees changed jobs.

Three bad things can happen if you have too many outdated email addresses:

• Your email provider (Constant Contact, iContact, MailChimp, etc.) will ban you from sending emails or restrict your email usage. This happened to me once many years ago when I ignored the updating workers' comp email task. CAN-SPAM covers any email message, not just email lists.
• You are going to receive many "remove me from your email list" messages from the recipient’s server if someone has moved on to another company.  A large number of those rejections will cause your email provider to cut your service.
• You or the company you now represent can tarnish your/their reputation quickly if you are sending loads of unwanted or blocked emails.

My recommendations for a quick fix are:

• Do not buy email lists. If you receive too many "remove me" messages, your provider will cancel your service quickly. They do not like spammers due to the above CAN-SPAM Act.
• Use an email address scrubber. Updating workers' comp email lists has never been easier. You can purchase a one-time scrub for less than $10. It's worth it. Upload your email list to the scrubber and wait for a day, maximum, and poof! You have a valid email list.
• Ask for permission. The old-school method of asking for someone’s business card and then adding them to your workers' comp email lists is great. Just make sure you let them know that you will be adding them.  Conferences are a gold mine for adding to your lists.
• Don't get upset if someone asks to be removed from your workers' comp email list. The last thing you want to do is send an unwanted email message and your recipient may still be reading your messages indirectly on LinkedIn, X or Facebook. Make sure that you are posting info to the social media outlets.
• Use your email list provider's guides. All of them have a quick-read guide.

Now that you have read this article, you can frown and roll your eyes. Remember that keeping your workers' comp email lists up to date is a form of customer service.

This blog post is provided by James Moore, AIC, MBA, ChFC, ARM, and is republished with permission from J&L Risk Management Consultants. Visit the full website at www.cutcompcosts.com.