Outbound Email SMTP

Configure the system outbound email SMTP settings in order to send outbound emails, workflow alerts, marketing campaigns, and system notifications.

System Outbound Email Configuration (SMTP)

The email SMTP settings can be entered by an administrator under Administration -> Email Configuration -> Email SMTP Configuration.

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  • Host: enter the hostname of your smtp server.
  • Port: enter the port number of your smtp server.
  • Username: enter the the user name to connect to the smtp server.
  • Password: enter the password to connect to the smtp server.
  • Extra Mail Settings: if applicable, enter ssl or tls
  • Send a test email to: enter your email address and click the Send Test Email button to send a test email to yourself to verify if your settings are correct and outbound email is properly set up.

Click Save when you are finished.

User Email Configuration

In order for users to send an email form CRM.me they will first need to configure their basic email settings.  If you have not already done this then you will be prompted to do so with a Not So Fast message in CRM.me the first time you click on an email address to compose an email.  You can also access your users Email Configuration by going to My Profile -> Configuration -> Email.

Custom Outbound Email Settings (SMTP)

Its also possible to set custom outbound email settings on a user by user basis.  This allows users to use their own personal SMTP account for outbound email from the system instead of it using the default System SMTP account that is set in the Administration area.  This option is especially useful if you are using Google Apps or Office365 or any other solution that restricts users from sending email on behalf of another by default. 

Each area of the form in the screenshot here is explained below:

  • From Name: Emails your users sends from CRM.me will come from the name you enter here
  • From Address: Emails your users sends from CRM.me will come from this email address
  • Reply To Name: When someone responds to an email you send from CRM.me this is the Name that their response will go to
  • Reply To Address: When someone responds to an email you send from CRM.me this is the Email address that their response will go to
  • Select Outbound Email Settings: Check this to specify Custom SMTP settings for this user only
  • Email Signature: Here you can set up a default Email Signature that will be appended by default to any email you compose in CRM.me
Tip
Why would I set a different Reply To address?  You may want to set a different reply to address on your emails if you want all customer responses to go to a shared inbox or support desk address.

Custom Outbound Email Settings?

By default your user is set to use the Global Outbound Email settings but you can change this on the Select Outbound Settings picklist to use either Personal SMTP details or a Personal Sendgrid account (if you have the Sendgrid integration enabled).  Every user has access to set their own custom Outbound Email Settings, its also possible for administrative users to set these up for other users. 

  • Outbound Host: enter the hostname of your smtp server.
  • Outbound Port: enter the port number of your smtp server.
  • Outbound Username: enter the the user name to connect to the smtp server.
  • Outbound Password: enter the password to connect to the smtp server.
  • Outbound Security: if applicable, enter ssl or tls
  • Send a test email to: enter your email address and click the Send Test Email button to send a test email to yourself to verify if your settings are correct and outbound email is properly set up.

 

FAQ and Tips

Q. I get a "Client does not have permissions to send as this sender" message when testing my SMTP details

A. you may get this message if you are using an Exchange or Office365 account for SMTP services from CRM.me.  The message occurs if attempting to send using an email address which does not have Send As permission for the account being used in your SMTP configuration.  For example, if I use the Sales@mycompany.com account for SMTP and I attempt to send an email from CRM.me from the email address Ross@mycompany.com then the message may fail with the above error because Ross@mycompany.com does not have Send As permission on the Sales@mycompany.com account.  Send As permission can be set at the Exchange level for exchange users.

If you are getting this error when testing the SMTP details for the first time then its because you have not changed CRM.mes Default From Email Address in the System Configuration area.  By default this is set to notification@CRM.mealerts.com which will not have Send As permission over the Exchange account you are using for SMTP.  Change your Default From Email Address in the System Configuration area to an email address that does and now your tests should send successfully.

Q. Using a Google Apps account for System Outbound Email Configuration (SMTP)

A. CRM.me will allow you to use your Gmail or Google apps account for outbound email, however entering details of a Google account will display a warning advising you that Google policies don't allow for masking of the accounts email address.  CRM.me relies on masking of the email address in a number of places therefore using a Google account for SMTP can have unwanted effects to how emails are sent from the application, for example:

If you use myname@gmail.com in CRM.me's Email SMTP Configuration then all email sent from CRM.me will show as coming from myname@gmail.com regardless of who sent the email because the from mask is stripped by Google and replaced with that of the account (myname@gmail.com).  Google also strip masking of the Return path address which can result in bounce email messages from campaigns being returned to myname@gmail.com rather than the designated Bounce address you have configured, this may result in incorrect bounce statistics on your email campaigns.

Q. Using Office365 for System Outbound Email Configuration (SMTP)

A. If you are planning to use an Office365 account for all outbound CRM.me SMTP traffic then its important that you understand Microsoft prevent users from sending on behalf of others unless they have permissions to do so.  For example, if I use my Ross@onmicrosoft.com account for all outbound SMTP traffic and then John (john@onmicrosoft.com) attempts to send an email from CRM.me then his email may not be sent due to Microsoft's default security policies.  In order for John to send an email using my ross@onmicrosoft.com SMTP account he would first need permission to send as my user at the Exchange level.

Alternatively John could set up his own personal SMTP settings in his own Custom SMTP settings in his My Profile >> Email Configuration area and CRM.me will use those for any emails he sends.

Q. Error Message: Expected response code 250 but got code "550", with message "550 5.7.1 Client does not have permissions to send as this sender

A. Some SMTP providers including Office365, Exchange and Amazon will prevent messages being sent from an email address other than that of the account specified in your System Outbound Email Configuration (SMTP).  For example, if I use my Office365 Ross@email.com account for CRM.me system SMTP configuration then only emails with a From address of Ross@email.com will be able to send emails from CRM.me using the system settings by default, unless those addresses have permission to send emails on my behalf.  This is a security restriction put in place by your email system or email provider.

You may receive this error when sending a test message from CRM.me, that is because CRM.me's default From Email Address is set to notification@CRM.mealerts.com which probably does not have permission to send on behalf of the account you are using, this is also the default address for all notifications and alert emails sent from CRM.me.  You can change CRM.mes default From Email Address in the Administration > Global Configuration area.

Q. Error Message: Failed to authenticate on SMTP server with username "myname@gmail.com" using 2 possible authenticators

A. If you receive the above message when attempting to send a test email then the issue is that Gmail has blocked access from your server IP address believing the  sign-in attempt to be a hijacker trying to access your account.

Check your Gmail inbox, you have likely received an email from Google saying "Google Account: sign-in attempt blocked". If you do wish to use your Gmail account for outbound SMTP then you should open that email and follow the instructions to change your settings at https://www.google.com/settings/security/lesssecureapps so that your account is no longer protected by modern security standards.

Its worth pointing out that we do not recommend using a Gmail or Google Apps account for your System Outbound SMTP settings.

 

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