Enhanced 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

Follow the steps below in 8x8 Configuration Manager to set up a custom outgoing SMTP email server, configure an email channel, and configure a user email channel:

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, see our content on how to define a custom SMTP server for administrators.

To set up a custom outgoing SMTP email server:

  1. Log in to the 8x8 Configuration Manager.
  2. From the menu, go to Security > SMTP Server.
  3. To add a custom SMTP server, click + SMTP Server.
  4. Enter a Name for your custom SMTP server such as [AcmeJets SMTP Server].

  5. You can set the server as Default now or later once you save the new SMTP server.

    Note: You cannot delete the default server unless you set another server as default.

  6. Enter the Server Name such as [smtp.gmail.com].
  7. The Port number is populated in the field based on the type of Connection Security you select. If you do not select any connection security, the port number is 25, for STARTTLS, the port number is 587 , and for SSL/TLS the port number is 465.

  8. Select the Connection Security:

    • None
    • STARTTLS
    • SSL/TLS

  9. Select the Authentication Method:

    • None
    • Password, transmitted insecurely (PLAIN): Offers a less secure (PLAIN) password authentication method without encryption.
    • Password, transmitted insecurely (LOGIN): Offers a less secure (LOGIN) password authentication method without encryption.
    • Encrypted password (CRAM-MD5): Offers a secure password authentication method with encryption.

    Note: Outlook does not support CRAM-MD5 or PLAIN authentication methods, whether using an app password (the more secure option) or a user password (the less secure option).

  10. Enter the SMTP server account’s User Name and Password.

  11. Enter a working email address to test the SMTP server connection and click Test.
    A message appears to show the test was successful.

  12. Click Save.
    The default server is marked under the SMTP servers. If you have not selected your new SMTP server as default, you can select it here under the Set as default column.

    When you change the default server, all email channels and agents that are not configured to override the default server with their individual configurations, will change to the new default server.
    Check your inbox to see if the test message has been successfully delivered.

  13. To see the channels and users currently using the server, click the number under Used by Users or Used by Channels lists.

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 specific account's user name and password

To create and configure a custom outgoing email channel, go to Channels > Emails. For details, see our content on email channel properties.

To configure a custom outbound server for the email channel:

  1. Log in to the 8x8 Configuration Manager.

  2. Go to Channels > Email.

    A new column is added to show the Outgoing Mail Server. You can sort or filter your channel list.

  3. Click Add new email channel.
  4. Enter a Channel Name [AcmeJets Email Channel]. 8x8 Agent Console displays the channel name when the agent receives an email.
  5. Enter an Email Address for the channel.
  6. Select an Email Script for your channel or create one if you do not have any. If no email script is selected, the default email script will be used.
  7. Enter or select the Incoming Mail Configuration such as incoming mail server [imap.gmail.com], protocol [pop3], and port number [110].
  8. Enter the User ID and Password. Confirm the password by typing it again.

  9. For Outgoing Mail Configuration, the default server of the tenant is automatically selected. You can select the VCC Internal or a custom SMTP server from the list.

    Note: To ensure delivery of emails sent by agents, 8x8 Contact Center recommends admins to use a custom SMTP server and select to override the server configurations. The channel’s user name and password is required for this option.

  10. Select Override Server Configuration check box. This option gives you the ability to direct your emails via the specific email channel address. If not selected, it will direct your emails via the custom SMTP server address.
  11. Enter the channel’s User ID and Password.
  12. Click Test connection. A message appears to show the connection to the outgoing mail server was successful. Check your inbox to see if the test message has been successfully delivered.
  13. Click Ok.
  14. Click Save. The outgoing email channel is now configured and the emails sent via this channel originate from the configured address in your outgoing mail server.

    In Agent Console, when sending an email to the customers, the agent can select this outgoing email channel.

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.

We 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. For details, see our content on configuring agent accounts.

To configure a custom outbound sever for the users:

  1. Log in to the 8x8 Configuration Manager.
  2. Go to Users and select a user from the list.
  3. Enter an Email Address for the user if there is none already.
  4. The Outgoing Mail Server is automatically populated with the tenant's default SMTP server. You can change the SMTP server.
  5. Select Override Server Configuration check box. This option gives you the ability to direct your emails via the user specific email address. If you do not choose to override, the emails are directed via the custom SMTP server address and not the default server configured for this specific user. To ensure the secure email delivery sent by the user, we recommend you to choose override.
  6. Enter other information such as Current Country, Software Language, Agent Group, and Role.

Click Save.

Note: You can view the outgoing email server for each user under the users > User list. To show this column, open Users, right-click the header bar of the Users list and select Columns > Outgoing Mail Server.

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.