If you have one, you might want to add your existing team mailbox (e.g. support@company.com) to your Helprace account. This way, messages sent to your existing team address would also be converted into tickets, and you can reply to them through that address in Helprace.

Adding a team mailbox

1. Login to your Helprace admin panel as an admin or owner (agents do not have access to these settings).
2. Go to  Settings > TICKETS > Mailboxes. 
3. Click Add a Team Mailbox.
4. Add a name which will be displayed in the email From and Reply to fields along with the email.
5. Insert your existing team address and click Next. (please avoid using a personal email here, here's why).
6. Set up auto-forwarding so that emails coming to your team mailbox (e.g. support@company.com) get passed on to your built-in mailbox (e.g. support@company.helprace.com).
   If you're unsure how to do that, check the collection of tutorials below.
7.  Your email provider might need to confirm that the address you're forwarding to is yours. You'll find a confirmation email as a ticket in your Helprace Admin Panel (it might also be in Suspended Tickets). Follow the instructions in that email to confirm the address.
8. Hit Send Test Email and Helprace will send a message to your team mailbox to make sure it arrives to your Helprace account.

We also recommend you to create an SPF record for Helprace to help with delivery of your team's emails to your users. Learn more

Email auto-forwarding tutorials for specific mailboxes

• Gmail
• Outlook.com / Office365
• Microsoft Exchange 2007
• Microsoft Exchange 2010
• Microsoft Exchange Online
• Apple Mail
• iCloud
• Bluehost
• cPanel
• Dreamhost
• FatCow
• GoDaddy
• HostGator
• InMotion Hosting
• Media Temple
• Rackspace
• Register.com / Web.com
• SiteGround
• Zoho Mail

If your mailbox provider is not listed here, try searching their documentation for "Automatically forward messages", "email forwarding", or "email forwarder".

Why should I use DMARC?

Simply put, DMARC adds an additional layer of domain-based authentication for emails sent from your domain. Used jointly with SPF and DMARC, it tells the receiving mail server how to handle emails that do not pass SPF or DKIM validation.

Thanks to clear instructions on how to handle potential spoof emails, your customer's email server has fewer reasons to treat your messages as junk or spam.

Check Postmark's guide on DMARC if you wish to learn more technical details about how DMARC works.

Setting up DMARC

Make sure you have access to your domain control panel. You would need to create or update DNS records in order to setup DMARC.

You'll also need to have SPF and DKIM set up properly for DMARC to work.

Open your Helprace Admin Panel.

Go to  Settings > TICKETS > Mailboxes.

Open a mailbox.

Expand the DMARC section. You'll see a suggested TXT type record there.

Open your domain control panel and add the suggested record there, e.g.:

_dmarc.acme.com TXT v=DMARC1; p=none; sp=none

Replace "acme.com" with the domain of your mailbox (e.g. if your mailbox is support@mycompany.com, the domain would be mycompany.com).

The record may include additional data at the end (as long as it has a valid (v=DMARC1; p=none; sp=none) like in the example above).

In some domain control panels you don't need to specify the domain. You can use "_dmarc" instead of "_dmarc.acme.com".

Instead of filling out a text line, you may be required to fill in a form. In that case:

• Type / Record Type: TXT Record
• Host / Hostname: _dmarc
• Text / Value / Content: v=DMARC1; p=none; sp=none
• Time to Live / TTL: 3600

Once you've updated your DNS records, you can go back to the mailbox and click Test button to ensure that DMARC configuration is valid. It should turn to a green checkmark if everything is working properly. Please note, it can take up to 24 hours for DNS changes to propagate (usually this happens within an hour).

If you don't think you have access to your site DNS settings, pass this information on to your website administrator or the IT guy. They will know what to do.

Why should I use DKIM?

While DKIM is not required, emails signed with DKIM appear more legitimate to your recipients, so they are less likely end up in Junk/Spam folders. DKIM and SPF are also required for DMARC, a newer standard that helps reduce email spoofing even further.

Check Postmark's guide on DKIM if you wish to learn more technical details about how DKIM works.

Setting up DKIM

Make sure you have access to your domain control panel. You would need to create or update DNS records in order to setup DKIM.

Open your Helprace Admin Panel.

Go to  Settings > TICKETS > Mailboxes.

Open a mailbox.

Expand the DKIM section.

Add both CNAME records you see there to your domain control panel, e.g.:

helprace1._domainkey.acme.com CNAME helprace1._domainkey.helprace.com

helprace2._domainkey.acme.com CNAME helprace2._domainkey.helprace.com

Replace "acme.com" with the domain of your mailbox (e.g. if your mailbox is support@mycompany.com, the domain would be mycompany.com).

In some domain control panels you don't need to specify the domain. You can use "helprace1._domainkey" instead of "helprace1._domainkey.acme.com" in that case.

Instead of a single line input shown above, you may need to fill out a form with multiple fields. In that case:

First record:

• Type / Record Type: CNAME Record
• Host / Hostname: helprace1._domainkey
• Target Name / Points To: helprace1._domainkey.helprace.com
• Time to Live / TTL: 3600 
  (optional; usually specified in seconds, it affects how soon the change is propagated)

 Second record:

• Type / Record Type: CNAME Record
• Host / Hostname: helprace2._domainkey
• Target Name / Points To: helprace2._domainkey.helprace.com
• Time to Live / TTL: 3600

Please make sure you add both records, "helprace1" and "helprace2". This is required for proper settings rotation.

If you're unsure how to add a CNAME record, try searching your ISP documentation for "Create a CNAME record" or "Editing DNS records".

Once you've added your new CNAME records, you can go back to the mailbox and click Test to ensure that DKIM configuration is valid. It should turn to a green checkmark if everything is working properly. Please note, it can take up to 24 hours for DNS changes to propagate (usually this happens within an hour).

If you don't think you have access to your site DNS settings, pass this information on to your website administrator or the IT guy. They will know what to do.

Are SPF and DKIM required if I'm using a custom SMTP?

Yes. In case of SMTP failure we fall back to our mail server for sending your emails. For proper email delivery, it's important to have an SPF record that includes Helprace as permitted sender. It would also be nice to have DKIM set up.

This article will help you understand why these records are important, and why you should create an SPF record for Helprace.

• Why SPF is important?
  • "via helprace.com"
  • Is SPF required if I'm using custom SMTP?
• Setting up SPF
  • Updating existing SPF record
  • Adding a new SPF record
• DNS tutorials for specific ISPs

Why SPF is important?

When a users's mail server receives a message from your domain name, it compares the SPF record to the sender's server information. If the information doesn't match, the email message is considered unauthorized.

Without an SPF record specifying Helprace as an approved sender, your email may be marked as spam or junk and fail to reach the user. A properly added SPF record virtually guarantees that your email won't be caught in the spam filter.

Check Postmark's guide on SPF if you wish to learn more technical details about how SPF works.

"via helprace.com"

If you're sending your emails via Helprace without setting up a valid SPF record, you might have noticed that your outgoing emails have a "via helprace.com" mark. You need to configure SPF to prevent that "via" from showing up when your customers are looking at your emails.

Are SPF and DKIM required if I'm using custom SMTP?

Yes. In case of SMTP failure we fall back to our mail server for sending your emails. It would be important for proper email delivery to have an SPF record that includes Helprace as a permitted sender. It would also be nice to have DKIM set up.

Setting up SPF

Make sure you have access to your domain control panel. You would need to create or update DNS records in order to set up SPF.

Open your Helprace Admin Panel.

Go to  Settings > TICKETS > Mailboxes.

Click on your team's custom mailbox.

Expand the SPF section. You'll see a suggested SPF record there.

Open your domain control panel and apply the suggested SPF record there. If you're unsure how to do that, check the DNS tutorials at the end of this article. Depending on whether you already have an SPF record you would need to update it or add a new record.

Updating existing SPF record

If you have an existing SPF record in your domain control panel, e.g.

v=spf1 a mx include:acme.com ~all

you can update it to include the domain (add only text in bold):

v=spf1 a mx include:acme.com include:spf.helprace.com ~all

Please ensure that no more than 10 domains are included in SPF record simultaneously. Otherwise it would result in error.

Adding a new SPF record

If you don't have an SPF record for your domain yet, add the suggested record, e.g.:

v=spf1 a mx include:spf.helprace.com ~all

Instead of a single line input shown above, you may have a form with multiple fields. In that case:

• Type / Record Type: TXT Record
  (SPF records are added to your domain's DNS as a TXT record; SPF type record is deprecated)
• Host: @
  (@ is a placeholder for your domain)
• Text / Value / Content: v=spf1 a mx include:spf.helprace.com ~all
  (your suggested SPF record)
• Time to Live / TTL: 3600 
  (optional; usually specified in seconds, it affects how soon the record propagates)

Once you've updated your DNS records, you can go back to the mailbox and click Test button to ensure that your SPF configuration is valid. It should turn to green checkmark if everything is working correctly. Please note, it can take up to 24 hours for DNS changes to propagate (usually this happens within an hour).

To check the syntax of an SPF record you have created/edited, go to SPF Syntax Validator
To check the effectiveness of your SPF record, go to SPF Policy Tester

DNS tutorials for specific ISPs

• Bluehost
• Dreamhost
• GoDaddy - Adding a new SPF record
• GoDaddy - Updating existing SPF record
• HostGator
• Hover
• Media Temple
• Namecheap
• Rackspace
• Site5
• Volusion

If your ISP is not listed here, try searching your ISP documentation for "Edit SPF records", "Create an SPF TXT record", or "Editing DNS records".

If you don't think you have access to your site DNS settings, pass this information on to your website administrator or the IT guy. They will know what to do.

In case you wish to send emails via your custom SMTP, you can configure this in every mailbox's settings.

Setting up

1. Go to  Settings > TICKETS > Mailboxes.
2. Click on a desired custom mailbox.
3. Enable the Custom SMTP option.
4. Fill in your SMTP server details and click "Test".
5. Typical ports for SMTP are:
   • Non-secure: 25
   • SSL: 465
   • TLS: 587
6. If everything is OK, you'll see the Success message.
7. Otherwise check with your SMTP administrator if the credentials are correct.

To ensure that all your emails are delivered we fall back to Helprace mail servers if we're unable to send emails via your custom SMTP.

Using Gmail SMTP?

An additional step is required is you're using Gmail. In Google Mail you need to allow "less secure" apps access in order for your SMTP settings to work.

1. Login to Gmail (make sure you're logged to the right account).
2. Enable the "Allow less secure apps" option on this page:
   https://myaccount.google.com/lesssecureapps

Please note that this option is not available if you have two-factor authentication (2FA) enabled for your Google account.

Are SPF and DKIM required if I'm using custom SMTP?

Yes. In case of SMTP failure we fall back to our mail server for sending your emails. It would be important for proper email delivery to have an SPF record that includes Helprace as a permitted sender. It would also be nice to have DKIM set up.

Technically, you can add a personal email as an inbox in Helprace. In most cases you would want to use a shared email (one that you intend to share with your team), such as support@example.com, sales@example.com or billing@example.com. There are multiple reasons for doing so, including:

• Customers send inquiries to a shared email, agents receive notifications to their personal email (they can respond to notifications and their response will be added to the ticket and sent to the customer).
• This would prevent notifications intended for agents from being sent back to Helprace and stacking up in the Suspended Tickets folder.

So, if you want to add a new inbox, simply use a shared email account, one that's not used by any agent.

In case you're adding a shared email and still getting the warning, check the People page to see which agent has that email assigned to their account and change it. Then proceed with adding the shared email as an inbox.

1. Login to your Helprace admin panel as an admin or owner (agents do not have access to these settings).
2. Go to  Settings > TICKETS > Mailboxes. 
3. Click + (Add a Team Mailbox).
4. Add a name which will be displayed in the email From and Reply to fields along with the email.
5. Insert your existing team address and click Next. (please avoid using a personal email here, here's why).
6. Set up auto-forwarding so that emails coming to your team mailbox (e.g. support@outlook.com) get passed on to your built-in mailbox (e.g. support@company.helprace.com). For that:
   1. Copy your Helprace email address and head over to your Outlook.com account.
   2. After logging in to Outlook.com click the gear icon on the upper-right and select "Options".
      
      
   3. Click on the Forwarding link on the left pane.
      
      
   4. You might see this message if your account is not yet verified. Proceed with a simple verification before you can enable forwarding. Click "Verify your account" and follow the instructions.
      
      
   5. Now that you're seeing the email forwarding options, paste your Helprace support email address (copied on step #3) and click "Save".
      
      
7. Now go back to your Helprace admin panel and hit Send Test Email and Helprace will send a message to your team mailbox to make sure it arrives to your Helprace account.

That would be it!

We also recommend you to create an SPF record for Helprace to help with delivery of your team's emails to your users. Learn more