Enhance outgoing email settings for channels and agents via SMTP
As an 8x8 Contact Center agent, when you email customers via email channel, you want to ensure that customers receive the emails without being blocked by your outbound email servers, or the spam filters of the customer’s email servers.
To ensure the delivery of emails sent by agents, 8x8 Contact Center now supports an enhanced configuration for outbound mailing systems, only available for custom SMTP servers. This enhancement allows specific configuration for each and every channel or agent, so that emails actually get signed and sent using the individual accounts. When sending out emails, the “From” section in the email header must match the actual address used for sending out that email, which implies using correct accounts and credentials, and the actual sender. When an agent sends an email via a channel, it uses the channel address. When an agent sends an email via their own address, it uses the agent's individual email address.
Prior to this release, emails were sent from a unique address and user account configured on the SMTP server. The email address on the email header did not match the email address used to send the email, causing emails to be blocked by spam filters.
Features
- Prevents the agent’s emails from being blocked by the outbound email servers.
- Prevents the agent's emails from going to the customer's spam and junk folder, or being blocked by spoofing filters.
- Uses one or more custom SMTP servers specifically configured for each email channel or agent.
- Uses the channel email address when agents send emails via a channel.
- Uses the agent email address when agents send email via agent's email.
Set up custom SMTP servers and configure email channels
Setting up a custom outgoing SMTP email server involves four steps. The first three steps are performed by 8x8 Contact Center administrators in the 8x8 Configuration Manager application. The fourth step is performed by the agents in 8x8 Agent Console to complete the setup and utilize their custom email server for sending emails:
Step 1: Set up a custom outgoing SMTP email server
SMTP servers control the email delivery process of your contact center. You may use the 8x8 default VCC Internal SMTP Server, or configure a custom server. Having a default server ensures that all outgoing emails originating from email channels or agents will be using the default server and a single default account. Having a custom SMTP server, however, allows email channels and agents to use distinct accounts for outgoing emails, as configured individually.
For details on server set up, see how to define a custom SMTP server.
Step 2: Configure a custom outbound server for the email channel
An email channel can be set up to use either the VCC Internal server or a custom server. A channel that is configured to use the VCC Internal server cannot override the server's default configuration and uses the email address of the server. Whereas a channel that is configured to use a custom server can override the default server configuration. In this case, a user name and password is required for the channel.
We can configure email channels in three ways:
- Using the VCC Internal server
- Using a custom server
- Using a custom server but overriding with the individual agent username and password
To create and configure a custom outgoing email channel, go to Channels > Emails.
For details on setting up a custom outbound server for the email channel, see our content on configure email channel properties.
Step 3: Configure a custom outbound server for the users
You can also configure an outgoing mail server for each user in 8x8 Configuration Manager and under Users > General. A user’s outgoing mail server can be either a VCC Internal server or a custom server. If you use the VCC Internal server, you cannot override the server's default configuration, therefore, using the email address of the server. The emails sent by this user originate from the tenant’s default address. This configuration is NOT recommended.
Whereas a user that is configured to use a custom server configuration, such as [AcmeJets SMTP Server], overrides the default server configuration. The emails sent by this user originate from the address of the new server. By overriding the server’s default configuration, you make it more specific to the agent.
8x8 Contact Center administrators can configure users outgoing mail servers in three ways:
- Using the VCC Internal server
- Using a custom server
- Using a custom server but overriding with the specific account's user name and password
To create and configure a custom outgoing mail server for each user, go to Users > General.
Step 4: Complete configuration in Agent Console (by agents)
This final step is performed by agents in 8x8 Agent Console. If an 8x8 Contact Center administrator has configured the user’s outbound email servers to override the server configuration, the user is required to enter their individual email address and password in the Profile page. For details, see our content for agents on how to configure workplace email.
If there is no password set up, a message prompts notifying the agent that there is no email password configured for your email account. To send an email from the custom email server, the agent must select their individual email address to send emails from.
Note: This step is necessary only when the user's outbound server is set to a custom SMTP server and configuration override. For default configuration, the agent is not prompted for their email credentials.
