We're using Google Apps to handle our email ([email protected]), and according to Google you could set up a collaborative inbox for your business email through Google Groups (link).
But when I sign in and click the "New group" button I can just use their "@googlegroups.com" email, and for this reason the group is not at all associated to the company.
I feel like an idiot when I'm lost in a service by Google - what am I doing wrong?
To create a collaborative inbox you need a Google Apps for Work or Apps Unlimited account. You can not create a collaborative inbox with a Free (legacy) Apps account.
https://support.google.com/a/answer/6043385
If your Apps user account does not have permission to create groups under your domain, you can create a group from within the Apps admin panel (https://www.google.com/a/).
How do you access the Google Groups website? By going to http://groups.google.com?
Try instead going to http://groups.google.com/a/yourdomain.com (replace yourdomain.com with your Google Apps domain), and create your group there.
If you're still not able to create a group on your domain, the domain administrator has not enabled the Google Groups for Business feature (which is separate from the regular Google Groups product). Or, the administrator has not allowed users to create their own groups.
If users are unable to create their own groups, the domain administrator can still create the group from the Google Apps control panel (http://www.google.com/a/yourdomain.com). Click Groups -> Create a new group.
Google differentiates between Google Groups (which everyone can access) and Google Groups for Business. Yup, different products.
In your admin portal, enable Google Groups for Business. Then, in your user account apps, go to Google Groups for Business and follow the directions as outlined here:
http://support.google.com/a/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=167430
