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System Mailbox
The System Mailbox receives and stores email for you to collect and then read. In some cases it also keeps a copy of any sent emails. This mailbox is an external to ActionStep and can be provided by any email provider that supports POP3 (Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook365/Exchange, your ISP etc.). Think of this mailbox as a post office or letter box - ActionStep collects all mail from this Mailbox to deliver to the relevant email users / actions / matters etc. within the ActionStep system. This mailbox can be either a single address (example.address@email.com) or a catchall address (*@email.com). Actionstep does not provide Mailbox hosting but we can recommend providers if you need help.
Collecting Email
ActionStep collects emails from the System Mailbox using the POP3 protocol to connect to the email server* (eg pop.gmail.com, pop3.live.com, pop3.xtra.co.nz etc.). By default ActionStep collects ALL messages waiting in the Inbox folder of the System Mailbox. When the messages are collected they are deleted from the Mailbox. ActionStep then delivers the email to the relevant locations within the system.
A username and password are required for this connection – usually the same details you would use to log into this mailbox from the Internet.
Sending Email
All outgoing email from ActionStep leaves the local system via an SMTP server (eg smtp.gmail.com, smtp.hotmail.com, smtp.xtra.co.nz etc.). This server can either be provided by the same service that provides the Mailbox or you can use the ActionStep SMTP servers.
Email Settings
Go to Workflow Admin > Email > Email Preferences (or Email Settings via the Initial Setup Wizard):
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Mailbox Type
Choose between the single address mailbox or a catch-all mailbox.
Fallback Address
Emails that are incomplete, invalid or otherwise unreadable are delivered to this address. The Fallback Address should not be on the same domain (@yourdomain.com) as the catchall address as both addresses will clash.
Default Sender
This is the email address of the mailbox on your domain that ActionStep connects to and downloads messages from. This is also the address that recipients will see as the FROM address when you send messages from within ActionStep, unless you override the From option in your email settings or when composing a message. Note that automatic email messages sent from ActionStep will always show this address as the From address.
POP/POP3 (Incoming) Settings
Common POP Settings
A drop down list of common settings for reference.
Server Address
The address of the server where your Mailbox is stored. Your email provider can give you these details.
| Info | ||
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Username
The username you use to connect to your Mailbox.
Password
The password you use to connect to your Mailbox.
Check POP Settings
Once all details are entered this button tests that the system can connect to your Mailbox with the provided credentials. If the button turns green your settings are correct and you will be able to collect email from your Mailbox. If the button turns red, you are missing something or the credentials you have provided are not correct.
SMTP (Outgoing) Settings
Common Settings
A drop down list of common settings for reference.
Server Address
The address of your SMTP server. When using the ActionStep SMTP servers the server address will be set to 'localhost'. All other fields will be populated automatically. You can proceed to the Check SMTP Settings button.
Server Port
SMTP Server Port. ActionStep does not allow connections on port 25 to your SMTP server due to security and spam-related issues. Most providers offer alternative ports to use but if yours doesn't please use the ActionStep Servers in the Common Settings drop down box.
Authentication Type
Your email provider supplies this.
Username
The username you use to connect to the SMTP server – supplied by your email provider.
Password
The password you use to connect to the SMTP server – supplied by your email provider.
Check SMTP Settings
Once all details are entered this button tests that the system can connect to your SMTP server with the provided credentials. If the button turns green your settings are correct and you will be able to send email from ActionStep. If the button turns red you are missing something or the credentials you have provided are not correct.
Advanced Settings
Catch-all Header
This sets the Delivered-To field in all incoming emails from a catch-all mailbox. This should only be used if you are having issues with catch-all emails. See your IT provider before changing this.
Internal Routing
This setting tells the system to ignore the external (SMTP) email servers if delivering to an internal address. It is recommended that this is set to Route Internal Emails Directly (skip SMTP) to speed up delivery and save potential load on the SMTP servers.
Other SMTP Notes
You can either use the ActionStep SMTP servers or your own, but we recommend that you use the ActionStep SMTP servers (localhost) and update your SPF settings (see below). Using localhost is a lot easier than configuring your own mail servers for open-relay, etc.
If you use your own, make sure that your server does not re-write the headers when sending the messages, otherwise you may lose some of the reply-to address information, which could mean that the reply does not come back to ActionStep correctly. You will also need to allow send-on-behalf-of for the account used to connect to the SMTP server.
For example, let's say we are connecting to matters@abc.com to send a message from Action ID 1234. ActionStep will specify the sender as a1243@abc.com. If the SMTP server objects to this, it may re-write the headers to say the message comes from matters@abc.com and thus when the reply is received ActionStep will not know where to place it and will put it into the Unassigned mailbox.
Email Aliases
Here you can setup the email aliases and their corresponding users within ActionStep:
Spam Filter Settings
If you use ActionStep's SMTP servers to send mail then you need to register these IP addresses in the SPF settings of your DNS configuration to prevent the messages being marked as spam. Update your SPF or Sender-ID record to include the following directives:
| No Format |
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v=spf1 a mx ptr include:_spf.actionstep.com ~all |
If you already have an existing SPF record, simply amend it with:
| No Format |
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include:_spf.actionstep.com |
Alternatively you can use your own SMTP server by adding it to the email configuration in ActionStep Admin (recommended).
Email Size Limits
The mail size limit will depend on the route that the message takes through the Internet and the capabilities of the mail servers on each end. Most mail servers will handle messages up to 10MB and, even though ActionStep can handle larger messages, our recommendation is to stay within this limit to avoid unpredictable results. This applies to email sent from, and received into, ActionStep.
| Tip |
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Keep email messages under 10MB to avoid unpredictable results. |
Setting Up a Wildcard Mailbox on Gmail / Google Apps
To setup a wildcard / catch-all address:
- Log in to your control panel.
- From the Service settings drop-down menu, select Email.
- Standard Edition Administrators: In the Catch-all address section, select the Forward the mail to: radio button..
- Non-Standard Edition Administrators: In the Email Routing section, select the Route to catch-all address: radio button.
- Enter the email address to which the mail should be forwarded. You must choose an email address on your domain.
- Click Save changes to activate the new address.
To disable your catch-all address:
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Table of Contents
Outbound Email
Sending mail out of Actionstep is relatively simple. All you need to do is specify the SMTP settings and Actionstep takes care of the rest.
Inbound Email
There are three ways to get mail into Actionstep:
- POP Mailbox on your domain. You can create a new mailbox on your existing domain and enter the connection details into Actionstep. Actionstep will then connect to this mailbox every 5 minutes (or whenever a user clicks "check for new mail") and download all messages in this mailbox.
Mailgun Wildcard: As an alternative to a POP email address on your domain Actionstep can create a Mailgun subdomain for you (typically <matter ID>@<your organization key>.actionstep.com). Any email sent to this subdomain will be instantly received by Actionstep (rather than waiting 5 minutes). You can select this option when you first signup for Actionstep.
Info This option takes 48 hours after signing up for your new system before it becomes available due to verification.
Outlook / Gmail Plugins: If you have one of our plugins installed in Outlook or Gmail then you can instantly copy the email and attachments to Actionstep from within those applications. Note: the plugins use the API to connect directly so you do not require a POP or Mailgun subdomain if you use this method exclusively. See Google Gadget or Installing the Office Plugin.
Choosing an Email Setup Type
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POP Mailbox on Your Domain
The POP mailbox is a mailbox that Actionstep uses to send and receive email. We recommend creating a new mailbox in your existing email system* - treat this like adding a new employee to your team - with an email address that makes sense to you (actions@yourfirm.com, matters@yourfirm.com etc.). The new mailbox can be provided by any email provider that supports POP3 (Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook365/Exchange, your ISP etc.). Actionstep collects all mail from this mailbox to deliver to the relevant email users / actions / matters etc. within the Actionstep system. This mailbox can be either a single address (example.address@email.com) or a catchall address (*@email.com). A catchall address is definitely the recommended way to do this and will enable many more email features within Actionstep.**. Actionstep does not provide Mailbox hosting but we can recommend providers if you need help.
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*Please note: It is not a good idea to use an existing mailbox as Actionstep removes all email from the mailbox as part of the process. This can cause confusion and problems that can be easily managed/avoided by creating a new mailbox for Actionstep. |
**If you are unsure of your mailbox type assume it is a single address mailbox.
*** For directions on how to configure a gmail / Google Apps catch-all mailbox click here.
How to Find your POP Settings
Your POP settings are set by your email provider.
Gmail Example
The gmail.com settings can be found by clicking on the settings icon and selecting Settings - Forwarding and POP/IMAP then clicking Configuration Instructions at the bottom of the screen. On the next screen select POP then Other and you will see the page below. These are the settings we need to enter into the Actionstep Email Preferences page.
Entering the POP and SMTP settings into Actionstep
| Info |
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Please note that you will need account authority (permission to change subscription settings) within the system to access this page |
Step 1: Go to Admin > Email > Email Setup.
You will then see the following screen. This is the screen where we set all the global Actionstep email settings.
Step 2:
a) Click on the drop down list on the left hand side and choose an email provider.
Outbound Only: Use this option if you only want to send email from Actionstep but not receive mail in Actionstep. You will need to enter your email address, server name, port number, username and password. In addition you will need to ensure your SPF settings in your email system are set correctly to prevent your outbound email potentially being marked as spam. More on this below under the heading "Spam Filter Settings." You can choose whether to use Actionstep's servers for outbound email or your own SMTP settings. If using your own SMTP settings you will need to add this information, and may also need to change your default port if using port 25 for SMTP (which is the default - check with your IT provider if unsure).
Microsoft Office 365: If you are using Microsoft Office 365, you will only need to enter your login/email address and password.
Microsoft Exchange Server: If you are using Microsoft Exchange Server, you will only need to enter your login/email address, server address, and password.
Gmail/Google Apps: If you are using Gmail/Google Apps you will only need to enter your login/email address and password. (Note that Gmail/Google Apps only works with the business version of these products). You will also be asked to select whether this is a wildcard/catchall account (this is recommended - more on this below).
Other email provider: If you are using a different email provider to those listed above, you will need to enter the email address, server name, port number, username, password, and select whether it is a wildcard/catchall account (more on this below).
b) In all of the above options apart from the Outbound Only option, you will need to select the box to confirm that you understand that Actionstep will download (then delete) any emails already in this mailbox.
Step 3: Although not required, you can then add your Default User Email Signature & Mandatory Disclaimer.
Step 4 (required): The last thing you need to do before saving your settings is to choose where failed emails are forwarded to. By default this will select the email address you used to sign up for your database.
| Tip |
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If after saving your settings, you navigate away from this page, and return to find that all of your settings have gone, it will be because there was an error in connecting to your external email. Please contact support@actionstep.com should you have any queries regarding this. |
Signature and Disclaimer
Division Signature: This is the signature that will appear at the bottom of all emails unless a user already has a unique signature set in their email preferences.
Division Disclaimer: This is the legal disclaimer attached to all outgoing emails.
Other Settings on the Email Setup Page Video
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| If you have issues with your Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP) you can use the Actionstep SMTP servers (available in the Known Configuration section). When using the Actionstep SMTP servers you will need to update your SPF record in your DNS listings. For details on what to change see Spam Filter Settings below. |
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Spam Filter Settings
If you use Actionstep's SMTP servers to send mail then you need to register these IP addresses in the SPF settings of your DNS configuration to prevent your outgoing emails being marked as spam. Update your SPF or Sender-ID record to include the following:
| No Format |
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v=spf1 a mx ptr include:_spf.actionstep.com ~all |
If you already have an existing SPF record, simply amend it with:
| No Format |
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include:_spf.actionstep.com |
If your SPF record contains an "~all" then make sure the addition is before the all. The "~all" should always be at the end.
Spam Settings Video
Widget Connector url https://vimeo.com/221689866
Email Aliases
Here you can setup the Email Aliases and their corresponding users within Actionstep:
Email Size Limits
The mail size limit will depend on the route that the message takes through the Internet and the capabilities of the mail servers on each end. Most mail servers will handle messages up to 10MB and, even though Actionstep can handle larger messages, our recommendation is to stay within this limit to avoid unpredictable results. This applies to email sent from, and received into, Actionstep.
| Tip |
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Keep email messages under 10MB to avoid unpredictable results. |
Anchor gmail_wildcard gmail_wildcard
Setting Up a Wildcard Mailbox on Gmail / Google Apps
| gmail_wildcard | |
| gmail_wildcard |
| Info |
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To setup a Gmail Wildcard account you must have a Google for Work account. |
To create a catch-all address for delivering messages addressed to non-existent recipients:
- Sign in to the Google Admin console
- From the dashboard, click Apps, then click Google Apps > Gmail > User settings.
- (Free edition) In the Catch-all address section, select the Forward the mail to: radio button. (Other editions) In theEmail routing section, select the Route to catch-all address: radio button.
- Enter the user name to which mail addressed to unknown users will be forwarded. The user name must be a valid account in your domain. Do not include the domain name; Google Apps automatically adds @your-domain to the address.
- Click Save changes.
To disable your catch all account:
- Sign in to the Google Admin console
- From the dashboard, click Apps, then click Google Apps > Gmail > User settings.
- (Free edition) In the Catch-all address section, select the Discard radio button. (Other editions) In the Email routing section, select the Discard radio button.
- Click Save changes.
Wildcard and Microsoft Exchange
The Wildcard capability when using a Microsoft Exchange Server account depends on whether you are using standalone Exchange (hosted or on-premise) or if Exchange is part of Office365.
Standalone Exchange
The procedure for setting up a wildcard mailbox on standalone Exchange servers will depend on the version of Exchange and local settings. This needs to be setup by the qualified IT individual who manages your Exchange server.
Office 365 Exchange
A wildcard mailbox is not supported as a standard feature in Office 365 however you can achieve the same effect by setting up a relay rule.
Requirements:
Available for Office 365 Medium Business, the Enterprise plans and the new “Business” plan.
Info It will notwork on the Small Business plan due to no support for transport rules
- All your mailboxes must be on Office 365
- The MX records must point to Office 365
Basic Procedure:
- Create a Distribution List & add all users as members (allusers@domain.com)
- Create a Dedicated Mailbox to Catch emails e.g. actions@domain.com
- Set the DomainType to “InternalRelay” (Doing this will make the Rules to take precedence)
- Create a Rule as below:
- If the Sender "Outside the Organization"
- Except if the recipient is member of allusers@domain.com
| Tip | ||
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http://www.yourithelp.co.uk/office-365-create-catchall-wildcard-address-office-365/ |
Other Catch-All / Wildcard Settings
If you have a wildcard/catch-all mailbox on another mail server then you will need to enter the server-specific settings.
Catch-All Header
Note the catch-all header depends on which headers the mail server will use to determine where the wildcard message was addressed to. Actionstep uses this field to try to allocate the message to the correct action in Actionstep so it is important you set this field correctly.
Most mail servers use the "Delivered-To" or "Envelope-To" headers but some use the "Received For" header. You should check you mail server documentation to see which header it uses and set this field accordingly.
Known limitations of a Google hosted Catch-all / Wildcard mailbox
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If you are using a Google hosted catch-all mailbox configured to Actionstep, it will consolidate copies of emails sent to the catch-all account under different aliases. This means that even though multiple users are CC’d into an email, only one user may receive a copy. This is a currently an issue with Gmail that we are unable to resolve from our end. |