Mailbox Module: Complete Guide to Email Management

The Mailbox module connects to Gmail or Outlook via OAuth to automatically capture, store, and organize email communications in your CRM. You can also use email forwarding. Emails are matched to individuals and organizations and appear in the activity log. This guide covers connecting Gmail or Outlook (recommended) and optional forwarding.

Introduction

What is the Mailbox Module?

The Mailbox module connects to Gmail or Outlook via OAuth so your emails are automatically synced and linked to contacts in your CRM. You can also use a unique forwarding address and BCC to capture emails. Emails are parsed, stored, and matched to individuals or organizations, and appear as activity log entries.

The recommended setup is to connect your Gmail or Outlook account in the Mailbox module; sync and matching are then handled automatically. Alternatively, you can use the provided forwarding address (e.g. BCC on outgoing emails) to capture messages. Both methods eliminate manual email logging.

Why It's Essential for Communication Tracking

Automatic email management is crucial for maintaining complete communication history. Without an automated system to track email communications, teams often struggle with incomplete activity records, difficulty finding past email conversations, and time-consuming manual logging processes. The Mailbox module addresses these challenges by providing an automated solution that captures and organizes all email communications automatically.

The module enables teams to manage emails automatically by connecting their email providers or forwarding emails, eliminating the need for manual data entry. By automatically correlating emails with contacts in the CRM, the module ensures that all communications are properly linked and accessible, providing complete visibility into customer interactions.

Key Capabilities:

• Connect Gmail or Outlook via OAuth for automatic sync (recommended)
• Optional: use a unique forwarding address and BCC to capture emails
• Automatically match emails to contacts in the CRM
• Activity log entries for all captured emails
• Real-time sync when using Gmail or Outlook

Key Benefits Overview

The Mailbox module delivers significant value through its automated communication tracking capabilities. Automatic email capture ensures that all emails are captured and stored, eliminating the risk of missed communications or incomplete activity records. Entity correlation automatically matches emails to the appropriate contacts, ensuring that all communications are properly linked and accessible.

The module's activity tracking capabilities provide complete visibility into all email communications, making it easy to review past conversations and understand customer interaction history. By eliminating manual logging, the module saves time and ensures that all communications are properly tracked.

Primary Benefits:

• Automatic email management without manual effort

• Automatic matching of emails to contacts

• Complete activity history for all communications

• Email Threading: Group related emails by thread

• Search and Filter: Full-text search capabilities

• Multi-Provider Support: Gmail, Outlook, and forwarding

Who Should Use This Module?

The Mailbox module is essential for:

• Sales Teams: Tracking customer email communications

• Support Teams: Maintaining support email history

• Account Managers: Tracking account communications

• All Teams: Anyone who needs to track email communications

• Business Owners: Maintaining complete communication history

Core Features

Connecting Gmail or Outlook (recommended)

The primary way to use the Mailbox module is to connect your Gmail or Outlook account via OAuth. After connecting, emails are synced automatically and matched to individuals or organizations in your CRM. No forwarding configuration is required.

Alternative: Email forwarding

If you prefer not to connect an account, you can use a unique forwarding address: add it to BCC when sending emails, or set up forwarding from your provider. Emails sent to that address are captured and processed by the module.

Automatic Entity Correlation

How matching works:

Emails are matched to contacts using exact email address, domain, name matching, or ticket references when available. You can also assign emails to contacts manually. The system links each email to the relevant individual or organization and records it in the activity log.

Email Parsing

Parsing Features:

• Extract email headers

• Parse email body (text and HTML)

• Extract attachments

• Parse recipient information

• Thread identification

Parsed Data:

• From, To, CC, BCC

• Subject and body

• Attachments

• Timestamps

• Thread information

Activity Logging

Activity Creation:

• Automatic activity log entries

• Linked to email logs

• Entity correlation

• Complete communication history

• Activity tracking

Activity Features:

• Email-linked activities

• Entity association

• Complete history

• Search and filter

• Activity management

Getting Started

Setting Up Mailbox Module

Step 1: Enable Mailbox Module

• Ensure Mailbox module is enabled

• Module must be activated for your business

Step 2: Connect Email Provider

• Navigate to Mailbox module configuration

• Connect Gmail or Outlook account (recommended)

• Or get your unique forwarding address for email forwarding

• Configure sync settings

Step 3: Configure Email Integration

• For Gmail/Outlook: OAuth connection handles setup automatically

• For forwarding: Set up email forwarding to your address

• Use BCC method (if using forwarding)

• Or configure automatic forwarding

Step 4: Test Email Integration

• Send test email or wait for sync

• Check emails in Mailbox module

• Verify entity correlation

• Confirm activity creation

Understanding Mailbox Module

Integration Features:

• Unique forwarding address

• Automatic email parsing

• Entity correlation

• Activity logging

• Email threading

Integration Benefits:

• Automatic logging

• Complete history

• Entity linking

• Activity tracking

• Time savings

Core Functionality

Email Forwarding Process

Forwarding Workflow:

1. Send email with forwarding address in BCC

2. Email received at forwarding address

3. Email forwarded to webhook endpoint

4. Email parsed and stored

5. Entity correlation performed

6. Activity log created

Forwarding Methods:

• BCC: Add forwarding address to BCC

• Gmail: Configure Gmail forwarding

• Outlook: Configure Outlook forwarding

• Custom: Use email service provider

Entity Correlation Process

Correlation Workflow:

1. Extract recipient emails

2. Try exact email match

3. Try domain match

4. Try name fuzzy match

5. Try ticket number match

6. Set correlation status

Correlation Methods:

• Exact email match, domain match, name match, or ticket reference when available; manual assignment is also supported

• Manual: User assignment

Email Parsing

Parsing Process:

1. Receive email at webhook

2. Parse email headers

3. Extract email body

4. Parse attachments

5. Identify thread

6. Store email data

Parsed Information:

• Email headers

• From, To, CC, BCC

• Subject and body

• Attachments

• Thread information

Activity Logging

Activity Creation:

1. Email correlated to entity

2. Activity log entry created

3. Linked to email log

4. Associated with entity

5. Available in activity history

Activity Features:

• Email-linked activities

• Entity association

• Complete history

• Search capabilities

• Activity management

Best Practices

Forwarding Best Practices

Use BCC Method:

• Add forwarding address to BCC

• Emails logged automatically

• No disruption to recipients

• Simple setup

• Reliable logging

Forwarding Tips:

• Always include forwarding address in BCC

• Use consistent forwarding method

• Test forwarding setup

• Monitor email logs

• Verify correlation

Correlation Best Practices

Maintain Accurate Contact Data:

• Keep email addresses up to date

• Use consistent email formats

• Update contact information

• Verify email addresses

• Maintain data quality

Review Correlations:

• Review correlation results

• Verify entity matches

• Manually assign if needed

• Monitor correlation accuracy

• Improve correlation settings

Email Management Best Practices

Organize Email Logs:

• Review email logs regularly

• Assign unassigned emails

• Archive old emails

• Maintain email history

• Use search and filter

Email Threading:

• Emails automatically threaded

• Review thread groups

• Maintain thread context

• Track conversation history

• Use threading for context

Integration with Other Modules

Individuals Module Integration

The Mailbox module works with the Individuals Module:

• Email Correlation: Emails automatically linked to individuals

• Activity History: Complete email history for contacts

• Communication Tracking: Track all email communications

• Contact Management: Maintain complete contact history

Organizations Module Integration

Connect emails to companies:

• Organization Correlation: Emails linked to organizations

• B2B Communication: Track company email communications

• Account History: Complete email history for accounts

• Relationship Management: Maintain account communication history

Tickets Module Integration

Link emails to support tickets:

• Ticket Correlation: Emails linked to tickets

• Support History: Complete email support history

• Ticket Threading: Email threads linked to tickets

• Support Management: Maintain ticket communication history

Opportunities Module Integration

Connect emails to sales opportunities:

• Opportunity Correlation: Emails linked to opportunities

• Sales Communication: Track sales email communications

• Deal History: Complete email history for deals

• Sales Management: Maintain opportunity communication history

All Modules Integration

The Mailbox module integrates with all CRM modules that use email communications, providing comprehensive email activity tracking across the entire system.

Use Cases

Use Case 1: Automatic Email Management

Scenario: Automatically logging customer emails

Steps:

1. Set up email forwarding

2. Add forwarding address to BCC

3. Send emails to customers

4. Emails automatically logged

5. Emails correlated to contacts

6. Activities created automatically

7. Complete email history maintained

Benefits:

• Automatic logging

• Complete history

• Entity correlation

• Activity tracking

• Time savings

Use Case 2: Support Email Tracking

Scenario: Tracking support email communications

Steps:

1. Configure email forwarding

2. Support emails forwarded

3. Emails correlated to tickets

4. Ticket activities created

5. Complete support history

6. Email threads maintained

Benefits:

• Support history

• Ticket correlation

• Activity tracking

• Complete documentation

• Support efficiency

Conclusion

The Mailbox module provides comprehensive email management, ensuring all your email communications are captured and linked to the right contacts in your CRM. By connecting your email provider or setting up email forwarding and leveraging automatic correlation, you can maintain complete communication history without manual effort.

Key Takeaways:

• Automatic Management: Emails managed automatically via Gmail, Outlook, or forwarding

• Entity Correlation: Automatic matching to contacts

• Activity Tracking: Complete activity history

• Email Threading: Group related emails

• Multi-Provider Support: Gmail, Outlook, and forwarding options

• Time Savings: No manual logging required

Next Steps:

1. Enable Mailbox module

2. Connect Gmail/Outlook or get forwarding address

3. Set up email integration

4. Test email sync or forwarding

5. Review emails in Mailbox

6. Verify entity correlation

7. Enjoy automatic email management

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Mailbox module?

The Mailbox module is a comprehensive email management system that integrates with Gmail, Outlook, or email forwarding to automatically capture, store, and organize all email communications. Emails are parsed, stored, and automatically correlated with contacts in your CRM.

How do I set up email integration?

Connect your Gmail or Outlook account in the Mailbox module configuration for automatic sync, or get your unique forwarding address and add it to BCC when sending emails, or configure email forwarding to forward emails to your address.

How does entity correlation work?

The integration matches emails to contacts using exact email match, domain match, name match, or ticket reference when available; you can also assign manually.

Can I manually assign emails?

Yes! If automatic correlation doesn't find a match or finds an incorrect match, you can manually assign emails to individuals, organizations, tickets, or opportunities.

What email data is stored?

The integration stores email headers, from/to/cc/bcc, subject, body (text and HTML), attachments, timestamps, and thread information.

How do I view emails?

Navigate to Mailbox module to view all emails. You can also view emails from individual or organization detail pages when emails are correlated.

Can I search for specific emails?

Yes! The Mailbox module provides full-text search capabilities, allowing you to search by subject, body, sender, recipient, or any email content.

How does email threading work?

Emails are automatically grouped by thread using Message-ID and In-Reply-To headers, maintaining conversation context and making it easy to follow email threads.

What happens if correlation fails?

If automatic correlation doesn't find a match, emails are stored with "pending" status. You can manually assign these emails to the correct entities.

Can I use multiple forwarding addresses?

Yes! Each user can have their own forwarding address, allowing multiple team members to log emails independently.

How do I configure Gmail forwarding?

Go to Gmail Settings > Forwarding and POP/IMAP, add your forwarding address, verify it, and enable forwarding. Note that Gmail forwards to email addresses, so you may need an intermediate service for webhook forwarding.

How do I configure Outlook forwarding?

Go to Outlook Settings > Mail > Forwarding, enable forwarding, and enter your forwarding address. Similar to Gmail, Outlook forwards to email addresses, so you may need an intermediate service.

Is there a cost for email management?

The Mailbox module supports Gmail and Outlook integrations (free) as well as email forwarding. Check with your email service provider for any forwarding costs if using the forwarding method. Gmail and Outlook integrations are free to use.