Make the Switch to a New Email Provider

If you are a CFU webmail user, now is the time to transition to a new email platform. Cedar Falls Utilities will require all users to migrate to a different email service. 

There are security, reliability and data backup concerns with the current email platform and no alternatives that meet CFU standards. There is an increasing risk that a server failure on the current platform could wipe out historical customer emails with no recovery option. 

Because of quality concerns, CFU is planning to eliminate email in 2025. The end date will be communicated when it is set. At that time, customers will lose all access to CFU email accounts and all stored messages. We want to give customers sufficient time to select and migrate to a new email service. Learn more about this decision. 

Eliminate the security and data loss risks by making the switch to a new email address now. The free email platform we recommend is Gmail. 

CFU wants to help you make the switch to a new email platform. Follow the steps below: 

 

Step One: Create A New Email Address

Pick a new email provider or use an existing free email account. We recommend Gmail.

Creating a Gmail account: Go to gmail.com and select Create Account.  You will be asked for your first name, birth date and gender. You can then select Create Your Own Gmail Address and it will ask you to create a username. Once you have a successful username, create a secure password including a capitalized letter and number or character
Step Two: Start Using Your New Email Address Immediately
Use the new email address going forward for all emails you send. This gives all recipients your new address to reply to in the future. You can also include a statement in all new emails that your old email address should not be used in the future.
Step Three: Set Up Autoreply of Your Old CFU Email

Use the autoreply function in the CFU email system to tell others. Use text like, “My email has changed to XXXXX@gmail/outlook/yahoo.com. Please use my new email for all correspondence.” or something similar to inform all email senders of your new email address. This option is available in the Menu under Preferences, in the Out of Office section. 
**Once you set up autoreply, it may take a few hours for our vendor’s system to begin sending autoreply messages.
Step Four: Set Up Forwarding to Your New Email Address
Use the forwarding feature in CFU email to forward all the emails you receive in your CFU email to your new email address. You will want to reply to all emails from your new address, do not reply from your CFU email address. Stop using CFU email completely except for the forwarding and autoreplies. The forwarding function is available under Preferences>Mail>Receiving Messages. 
**Once you set up forwarding, it may take a few hours for our vendor’s system to begin forwarding messages. 
Step Five: Transfer Your Contacts List to Your New Email Provider

Most email providers allow you to import contacts.  To do so, you’ll have to export your contacts list from your cfu.net email address into a .csv file.  If you need to do so, you can log into the Webmail via webmail.cfu.net on a computer and doing the following:

  • Click on the Preferences tab
  • Click Import/Export
  • Under the Export section, select Contacts in the Type Field.
  • In the Source Field, change the default from “All Folders” and select the Contacts Folder.
  • Click the Export button.

Then, you need to import the contacts into Gmail. Gmail contacts import instructions can be found here.
Step Six: Transfer Your Old Emails to Your New Email Provider
Transferring emails from your cfu.net email address can unfortunately be a challenging task. CFU’s email platform’s export function for emails and folders is very limited and outputs into a file type that is difficult for most email providers to interact with.  The simplest option may be to identify truly critical emails in your CFU mail account and forward them to your new email address. 

For those who feel the need to copy every email and/or folder, best practice currently is to install a free client such as Thunderbird on a computer, add both email accounts, and drag folders/messages from one account to the other. Customers may contact the Help Desk for more info on this process.
Step Seven: Notify Critical Contacts and Change Online Accounts

Identify those contacts you use frequently and are most critical and send them a direct email letting them know your email address has changed.

Monitor all the emails you receive from contacts, businesses, etc.  If you have an account set up with any of these contacts or accounts, you will want to log into your account at each of these businesses to change your contact emails and possible login credentials if they use your email address and change them to your new email address.  You might want to categorize them by the types listed below—although this is by no means a comprehensive list.  Begin to document by categories of who you will need to contact and update with the new email address you created.

  • Friends and relatives - for many of these you can look at your Contacts list in your cfu.net email account. 
  • Credit card accounts
  • Daily news
  • Financial services
  • Legal services
  • Social Security and other governmental agencies
  • Health care
  • Subscription services

You may need to log in to websites for some of the above in order to update your contact information with the organizations themselves.
Step Eight: Monitor and Update for Six Months
It will take some time for all your contacts and accounts to flow through to your new email and for you to change your contact emails with friends, family and businesses. 
Step Nine: Login to Your CFU Email Account Monthly

Check emails coming into your old CFU email address to see if any of your contacts are not using your new email address.  Notify them directly to make that change, some may take a phone call due to “noreply” type of emails you receive from businesses.

Check to make certain autoreply and forwarding are working correctly.

Logging in regularly keeps this email functioning properly until you are ready to turn it off.
You're Done! Notify CFU to Turn Off Your Email Service

You can call the Help Desk at 319-268-5221 or email support@cfu.net.

Migration Instructions Sheet PDF

For additional support please call the CFU Help Desk at 319-268-5221.