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Configuring Your Inbox

Learn how to set up your inbox, forward your emails into Vtiger CRM, and get all your emails under one roof.
R
Ruba
17 Jul, 2022 - Updated 10 months ago
Table of Contents

  

Sales Inbox: Perks

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Click here to view the video on Vtiger Inbox


“Why must I use a Sales Inbox?”, you ask?

With Vtiger CRM’s Sales Inbox, you can do a lot more than just sending and receiving emails! 
  It removes some of the typical constraints of regular email clients –
  • Emails are not assigned to any user on receipt.
  • Closed conversations take up space in the inbox.
  • Setting up reply-to email IDs is difficult. 
  • Collaboration with the team must happen outside email conversations.
  • Managing separate mailboxes is tedious. 
  • Emails are not linked to CRM records directly.
 Sales Inbox puts you at ease about these problems with the following possibilities: 
 
Email assignment: Team members can view their emails in group mailboxes. These emails can be assigned to a member of the group directly from the mailbox. 
 
Marking emails as ‘Done’: When work on an email is complete, mark the email as ‘Done’ and move it out of your inbox. Emails marked as ‘Done’ go to the Done folder.
 
Reply-to email IDs: Select reply-to email IDs dynamically while composing emails! You can select any of your email IDs set up in Inbox as a reply-to email.
 
Comments in emails: Collaborate with your team members on a group mailbox through comments! Mention your team members in an email and they can view it when they open the email.
 
Email syncing: Sync emails between your CRM inbox and email client easily and view them all in the CRM! Two-way sync makes this possible.
 
Automated email linking: When an email is received, you can automatically link it to the contact that sent the email by setting up Mailroom rules.  
 

Feature Availability and Limits
​​​​​
Click here for the availability of Actions features for different editions of Vtiger CRM.

Note: 2-way sync is not available in any of the Help Desk editions.

Setting Up Your Inbox

Follow these steps to set up your inbox:
  1. Log in to your CRM account.
  2. Click the Main Menu.
  3. Go to Sales.
  4. Select Inbox
 
  1. Select the Configuration Icon on the top right corner.
 
  1. Select one of these options: 
  • My Mailbox to configure your inbox as an individual user and to receive emails to your inbox.
  • Group Mailboxes to configure a shared mailbox for your team and receive group emails. 
 
Note: You can set up a group mailbox only if you are an Admin user.
 

Setting up my mailbox

You can set up your mailbox in two ways:
  • Auto-forwarding (or one-way sync)
  • Two-way sync


Auto-forwarding or one-way sync

Auto-forwarding or one-way sync brings emails from your email client into Vtiger CRM. Emails that are forwarded from your email client come into Vtiger CRM through Mailroom
Follow these steps to set up auto-forwarding in Vtiger CRM:
  1. Log in to your CRM account.
  2. Click the Main Menu.
  3. Go to Sales.
  4. Select Inbox.
 
  1. Select the Configuration Icon on the top right corner.
 
  1. A Mailbox Settings Dialog box opens. Select My Mailbox.
  2. Select Add to My Mailbox.
 
  1. Choose Forward incoming emails and CC Vtiger address on outgoing emails’ and click Go>.
 
  1. An Adding My Mailbox dialog box appears. Enter the following details:
  • Your email address under Address.
  • Your BCC email address under Add BCC address for replies (optional)
  1. Click Save.
 
Note: After this setup, you must verify your email address by clicking the confirmation link sent to it and set up auto-forwarding in your email client. 
 To learn more about auto-forwarding, click here.


Two-way sync

Two-way sync syncs emails between your email client and Vtiger CRM. By enabling two-way sync, you can bring emails from your email client into your mailbox and emails from your mailbox into your email client. This makes accessing your emails easy for you.
 Follow these steps to set up two-way sync:
  1. Log in to your CRM account.
  2. Click the Main Menu.
  3. Go to Sales.
  4. Select Inbox.
 
  1. Select the Configuration Icon on the top right corner.
  1. A Mailbox Settings Dialog box opens. Select My Mailbox.
  2. Select Add to My Mailbox.
  1. Choose 2-way sync and click Go>.
  1. Enter your email address.
  2. Click Proceed.
  1. Choose your email address and sign in to your email client. 
  1. Choose your inbox settings:
  • The folders you want to see in your inbox.
  • The period from which you want to sync emails.
  • Other mandatory fields.
  • Note: The information you enter in this step depends on the email client you are using.
  1. Click Save.
 
Whitelist Vtiger on Google to continue using Gmail sync
To use 2-way sync between Vtiger and Gmail, you must mark Vtiger as a trusted app on Google by logging in to your Google Admin console. 
To learn about the whitelisting process, click here.
 

Adding a Group Mailbox

Follow these steps to set up your group mailbox:
  1. Log in to your CRM account.
  2. Click the Main Menu.
  3. Go to Sales.
  4. Select Inbox.
  1. Select the Settings icon on the top right corner.
  1. A Mailbox Settings Dialog box opens. Select Group Mailbox.
  2. Select +Add Group Mailbox.
  1. Enter the following details in the Adding New Group Mailbox window:
  • Address - The email ID of the group. 
  • You can enable the Mark incoming emails as private by default checkbox to ensure that private emails to group members are visible only to the receivers.  
  • Mailbox name - The group name.
  • Who should have access to this group mailbox? - The users or teams that have access to the mailbox
  • Does this account have a password? - Select the second option as Group Inboxes do not have passwords.
    • Yes (Individual accounts have passwords)
    • No (Group accounts and aliases do not have a password)
  • Add BCC address for replies - Add a BCC address.
  1. Click Save.
 
Note
  • Group Mailboxes do not have a two-way sync option. 
  • An Admin user and the CRM account owner can access and alter group mailbox settings even if they are not a member of the group.
 

Deleting a mailbox address

Deleting my mailbox address
Follow these steps to delete My Mailbox:

  1. Log in to your CRM account.
  2. Click the Main Menu.
  3. Go to Essentials.
  4. Select Inbox.
 
  1. Click the Settings icon on the top right corner.
  1. Click the My Mailbox tab in the Mailbox Settings window.
  2. Select Delete Mailbox.
 
  1. Type ‘My Mailbox’ in the textbox provided.
  2. Click Delete.
 
Note: Deleting My Mailbox erases all the mailbox emails and the emails attached to records across the CRM.

 

Deleting a group mailbox address
Follow these steps to delete a group mailbox:

  1. Log in to your CRM account.
  2. Click the Main Menu.
  3. Go to Essentials.
  4. Select Inbox.
 
  1. Click the Settings icon on the top right corner.
 
  1. Click the Group Mailboxes tab in the Mailbox Settings window.
  2. Click the Delete icon located on the right.
Transferring emails to another group mailbox address:
 
 
  1. Select an email address from the Transfer Mails drop-down to transfer your emails.
  2. Type the mailbox name in the textbox to confirm the deletion.
  3. Click Delete.
 
Note: There is another way to transfer emails from a group mailbox to another mailbox.
  1. Select an email from the mailbox by clicking the radio button on the left side of the email.
  2. Click the More icon displayed on top of all the emails.
  3. Select the mailbox to which you want to move the email.
  4. Click OK to confirm.
 

Editing or adding mailboxes: Mailbox Settings

You can edit your mailbox settings by going to Main Menu > Essentials > Inbox. You also have the option to add a mailbox under Mailbox Settings.
 

Automating tasks: Mailroom

You can automate the creation of CRM records using emails coming into your mailbox. This is possible only when auto-forwarding is set up in your email client. Vtiger CRM uses email information to create deals, leads, contacts, organizations, cases, and other records when you set up auto-forwarding in your email client and mailroom rules. 
You can access the mailroom by going to Settings > Automation > Mailroom.
 

Setting up mailroom rules from Inbox

Follow these steps to set up mailroom rules:
  1. Log in to your CRM account.
  2. Click the Main Menu.
  3. Go to Essentials.
  4. Select Inbox.
 
  1. Click the Settings icon on the top right corner.
  2. Click the Automate Tasks tab in the Mailbox Settings window.
  3. Click:
  1. Add New Action to add a new mailroom rule.
  2. The Edit icon to edit a mailroom rule.
 To learn more about the mailroom in Vtiger CRM, click here

 
Note: You can view your mailroom address under Main Menu > Essentials > Inbox. This mailroom address is used in setting up auto-forwarding in email clients.
 

Composing an Email

To compose an email, click the Compose button located on top of a mailbox. You can use the following options present in the compose email window. 

The Compose Email window

The Compose Email window has the following actionable items:
 
  1. Selecting modules for To email
You can manually enter the recipient’s email ID for To address or use the drop-down to select a CRM record to fetch the email ID.
Follow these steps to insert a To address using the drop-down:
  1. Log in to your CRM account.
  2. Click the Main Menu.
  3. Go to Sales.
  4. Select Inbox.
 
  1. Click the Compose button.
 
  1. Click the drop-down located beside the To address in the Compose Email window.
  2. Click the Magnifier icon to view records in the selected module.
  1. Click on a record to select it as the To address. 
 
  1. Setting up From and Reply To emails
Follow these steps to add From and Reply To addresses:
  1. Log in to your CRM account.
  2. Click the Main Menu.
  3. Go to Essentials.
  4. Select Inbox.
  5. Click the Compose button.
  1. Click the More button on the right side. 
  1. Click the Reply to drop-down to choose a Reply To email address. 
 
  1. Inserting links
You can insert links to appointment pages, surveys, and documents in your email by clicking the Insert Link drop-down in the Compose Email window. 



 
 
 
 
  1. Insert Appointment Link
Vtiger CRM’s Appointment Pages save you from the trouble of sending back-and-forth emails to schedule a meeting with a customer. You can create an appointment page by going to Main Menu > Sales > Appointment Pages.
You can select an appointment record by selecting Insert Appointment Link from the drop-down and insert its link in the email body. 
 
  1. Insert Survey Link
Use surveys to gather feedback and opinions. You can create a survey by going to Main Menu > Essentials > Surveys
Insert a survey link in the email body by clicking Insert Survey Link from the drop-down.
 
 
 
 
  1. Vtiger Document
This option lets you insert links to documents present in Vtiger CRM under the Documents module.
 
 
 
  1. Upload and Insert
With this option, you can upload a PDF file to Vtiger CRM’s Document module and insert a link to the file in the email body. 
The documents open in the Document Viewer when a recipient clicks the link in the email body.

To learn more about Document Viewer in Vtiger CRM, click here.
 
Note: This option only supports the uploading of PDF files.
 
  1. Merge Template
You can insert links to an email template present in the CRM. 

Follow these steps to insert a link to an email template:
  1. Log in to your CRM account.
  2. Click the Main Menu.
  3. Go to Essentials.
  4. Select Inbox.
  5. Click the Compose button.
  6. Click Insert Link in the Compose Email window.
  1. Select Merge Template
 
 
  1. Choose a module from the Select Module drop-down.
  2. Choose a template from the Select Template drop-down.
 
  1. Selecting email templates
Vtiger CRM provides a default set of pre-built email templates that save your time composing emails. You can create an email template by going to Main Menu > Tools > Email Templates.
 Follow these steps to add an email template to the email body:
  1. Log in to your CRM account.
  2. Click the Main Menu.
  3. Go to Essentials.
  4. Select Inbox.
  5. Click the Compose button.
 
  1. Click Select Email Template.
 
  1. Select the parameter you want to base your search on; for example, module name, template subject, and template description. 
 
  1. Select an email template.
 
 
  1. Including signature
You can set up email signatures by going to My Preferences
 By enabling or disabling the checkbox for Include Signature in Compose Email window, you can add or remove your signature from the email.
 
 
  1. Selecting an email sequence 
The Select Sequence drop-down allows you to select and embed an email sequence into the email body. Email sequences is an outbound sales campaign tool that enables you to send a predefined sequence of emails to a prospect.
 You can view email sequences by going to Main Menu > Sales > Email Sequences.
 
 
  1. Attaching files
You can attach files to your email from your local computer or from Documents in the CRM. 
Follow these steps to attach a file to your email:
 these steps to add an email template to the email body:
  1. Log in to your CRM account.
  2. Click the Main Menu.
  3. Go to Essentials.
  4. Select Inbox.
  5. Click the Compose button.
  6. Click the Attach Files drop-down.
  7. Choose:
  • From Computer to browse to your local computer to attach a file
  • From CRM to browse through your documents in the Documents module
 
  1. Setting a reminder
You can set a reminder for yourself to follow up with the email recipient within a specific period.
For example, if you set a reminder ‘Remind me to follow up in 3 days’, you will get a reminder notification. 
You can set up email reminder alerts and alert channels by going to Main Menu > Essentials > Actions.
 
  1. Email tracking 
When tracking is turned on for an email, you will receive notifications when the recipient opens the email, clicks a link present in the email, and replies to the email.
You can set up email tracking by going to Main Menu > Essentials > Actions, with options to select alert channels and whom to alert. 
 
  1. Scheduling emails
You can pre-compose an email and send it later by scheduling it. 


Follow these steps to attach a file to your email:
  1. Log in to your CRM account.
  2. Click the Main Menu.
  3. Go to Essentials.
  4. Select Inbox.
  5. Click the Compose button.
 
  1. Click the drop-down beside the Send button.
  2. Pick a date and time.
  3. Click Send.
The email gets scheduled for the date and time you select.
 

Inbox Features

Folders
Sales Inbox has separate folders for different email categories. 
  1. Open: Emails that have just arrived or emails that have not been opened stay in this folder. 
  2. Drafts: Emails that are composed but not sent are present in the Drafts folder.
  3. Done: Emails marked as Done are sent to this folder. When work on an email is complete or an email conversation is closed, it is marked as done. When a reply comes to a conversation in the Done folder, it is reopened and moved to the Open folder.
  4. Sent: Sent emails can be viewed in this folder. 
  5. Reminders: Emails with reminders are sent to the Reminders folder. Skip to this section to learn more about setting up reminders.
  6. Trash: Deleted emails go to Trash. Skip to the ‘Email Actions’ section to learn more about deleting emails. When a reply comes to a conversation in the Trash folder, it is reopened and moved to the Open folder.
 Filters
Use the Search bar on the top of the email list to look for an email. You can type keywords such as sender’s name, email subject, etc., to find emails.
 Mass-select
You can select all emails on the current page by clicking the Mass-select radio button and perform actions such as Mark as Done, Assign, Mark as Read, Mark as Unread, and Delete.
 Skip to this section to read more about actions possible on emails.
 What does the Assign option do
When an email arrives from a customer, you can assign it to a user, which means that the user will be responsible for following up with the customer. You can mass-select emails and assign them to any user.  
 
Note: 
  • You cannot assign emails to a group.
  • A user with no assigned email can create a record or link an email to a record. But, he cannot mark an email conversation as Read, Unread, Public, Private, or Done. He also cannot delete an email.
 







Configuration
The Settings icon is on the top-right corner of a mailbox.
By clicking the button, you can add or delete personal and group mailboxes, edit mailbox settings, and view or edit mailroom rules.
 Drop-down 
The drop-down on the top left allows you to switch between My Mailbox and group mailboxes. Click the drop-down and select a mailbox to view emails. 
 Pagination
Your search for specific emails becomes easy with the pagination in Vtiger CRM. You can find it on the top-right corner above the email list. 
Here is how you can use it:
  1. Click on the page numbers.
  2. Insert the destination page number.
  3. Click Go.
 

Email Actions

Here are the actions you can perform on an email:

Actions available on the email list

  • Edit Reminder: You can create a reminder to reply to or follow up with an email by clicking the Edit Reminder option. Emails with a reminder appear on top of the email lists in a folder.
  • Mark as Done: After an email conversion ends, you can mark it as done using the Mark As Done option. Emails marked as Done are moved to the Done folder.
  • Mark as Read: You can use the Mark as Read option to mark an email as Read. 
  • Make Private: Mark a conversation as Private by using the Make Private option displayed under the ellipsis. Private conversations are only viewable for users of the mailbox. You can identify private conversations by a Lock icon when you hover on them.
  • Delete: This option deletes a conversation. Deleted conversations are sent to Trash.
 

Actions available on an email

  • Reassign email: You can assign emails to another user by using the option displayed beside the email subject. 
  • Open contact record: This option is visible beside the reassign email option only if you have the sender’s details saved as a contact. You can use it to open the contact record.
  • Mark email as Private or Public: Use the toggle button on an email to mark it as private or public. Only members of a mailbox can view private emails, whereas public emails can be viewed by anybody when attached to a CRM record if they have access to the record.
  • Create or link record: This option helps you use the details in the email; you can create a record in the CRM or link the email to a record in the CRM.
  • Mark as Done: After an email conversion ends, you can mark it as done by using the Mark As Done option. Emails marked as Done are moved to the Done folder.
  • Mark as Unread: You can use the Mark as Unread option to mark an email as unread. 
  • Delete: This option deletes a conversation. Deleted conversations are sent to Trash.
  • Edit Reminder: You can create a reminder to reply to or follow up with an email by clicking the Edit Reminder option. Emails with a reminder appear on top of the email lists in a folder.
 Apart from the actions mentioned above, you have options such as Reply, Reply All, Forward, and Comment on an email. 


 
What is the Comment option used for
Comment is a convenient option to have on an email because you need not go offline to have an internal interaction regarding the email. 

For instance, a customer requests a discount greater than the usual discount margin. As a sales rep, you can directly mention your sales manager in the email conversation, which benefits from transparency. 
 Your manager will get a notification under the @mentions tab on the Actions page. They can reply to your comment directly from the notification in @mentions.
 To learn more about comments and @mentions in Vtiger CRM, click here.


 
Note: Email actions are available in the folders – Open, Drafts, Done, Sent, and Reminders. You cannot perform actions on emails that are in the Trash. 
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