Feature Availability

Vtiger Editions: One Pilot | One Growth | One Professional | One Enterprise | One AI

Introduction

Email is one of the primary channels for communicating with customers, prospects, and business partners. Vtiger CRM enables you to send, receive, and manage email conversations directly from the CRM, eliminating the need to switch between multiple applications. 

Why Use the Email feature in Vtiger CRM

The Email feature in Vtiger CRM lets you:

• Send, receive, and view email conversations directly from customer records. 
• Receive and send emails from different service providers such as Gmail, Hotmail, etc. instead of switching between your email inboxes and the CRM.
• Manage customer communication in one place, helping you to stay organized, save time and communicate with better context.

Vtiger Inbox

Vtiger Inbox is a centralized mailbox that allows you to manage all your email communication directly from Vtiger CRM. It supports two-way email synchronization with multiple email accounts, enabling you to send, receive, and manage emails without leaving the CRM. You can also create individual or shared group inboxes to collaborate with your team.

With Vtiger Inbox, you can:

• Create inboxes to send and receive emails directly from the CRM.
• Set up individual and group mailboxes to manage personal and shared email communication. 
• Integrate your email service providers for centralized email management.
• Synchronize multiple email accounts with two-way email sync.
• Manage active email conversations and promptly notify assignees.
• Access related CRM records directly from your email conversations with a single click.

Key Features

The key features of the Vtiger Email feature are:

• Inbox: Send, receive, and manage all your email conversations directly from Vtiger CRM. 
• Email Templates: Create reusable email templates to send consistent and professional messages quickly. 
• Email Campaigns: Send targeted emails to multiple recipients to promote products, share updates, or engage customers. 
• Email Sequences: Automate a series of follow-up emails that are sent to recipients at predefined intervals. 

Benefits

The benefits  of using the Email feature in Vtiger are:

• Send and receive emails without leaving the CRM.
• Automatically associate email conversations with Contacts, Organizations, Leads, Deals, and other CRM records.
• Access the complete communication history from a single location.
• Save time by using reusable email templates.
• Track email engagement, including email opens and link clicks.
• Improve collaboration by providing teams with complete customer communication history.
• Maintain organized and centralized customer interactions

In this article, you will learn about:

• Sending and receiving emails with Vtiger Inbox
• Managing email conversations
• Email features
• Email sending guidelines

Key Terminology

Email Features

Vtiger CRM provides several email features to help you create, manage, and automate email communication. 

Email Templates

An email template in Vtiger CRM is a predesigned email you can use to send an email. Vtiger offers more than 100 ready-to-use templates pre-loaded in the CRM. You can:

• Use or customize existing templates to your requirements. 
• Import a ready HTML code or create an email template from scratch.

To learn about Email Templates in Vtiger, click here.

Email Campaigns

Email campaigns are a sequence of marketing emails. They are designed to market a business or a product and contain promotional offers and valuable content for the subscribers. 

Vtiger CRM allows you to create two types of email campaigns:

• Regular: Regular email campaigns are promotional emails sent to your contacts. You can send them immediately or at a scheduled time.
• Autoresponder: Autoresponder email campaigns are emails you send in response to the contacts’ reaction to your previous email campaign.

To learn about Email Campaigns in Vtiger, click here.

Email Sequences

Email Sequences is an outbound sales campaign tool that enables you to send a predefined sequence of emails to your prospects. In Vtiger CRM, you can:

• Send a predefined sequence of emails to a prospect.
• Trigger emails to be sent automatically based on the previous email interactions with a prospect.
• Send follow-up emails that are triggered in an automated sequence based on the rules you create.
• Nurture contacts using these emails by sending relevant content and promoting or introducing new products and services.

To learn more about Email Sequences, click here.

Prerequisites

Before you can send and receive emails in Vtiger CRM, ensure that the following prerequisites are met:

• Ensure the Lead or Contact record stores the correct email ID.
• Connect to a supported email service provider, such as Gmail, Microsoft Outlook or Office 365, Exchange, or another IMAP-supported email provider.
• Configure the outgoing email (SMTP) settings to send emails from the CRM.
• Enable email synchronization to receive and manage emails in Vtiger Inbox.
• Configure email settings, such as email tracking, email footer, and reply-to addresses, as required.
• If you plan to send email campaigns, configure the required email authentication settings, such as SPF, DKIM, DMARC, SenderID, and CNAME records, to improve email deliverability.

Configuring the above ensures email delivery.

To learn more about this, click here.

Sending Emails with Vtiger Inbox

You can send emails directly from the CRM using Vtiger Inbox. It lets you manage all your email conversations from a single location.

The following sections explain how to send emails in Vtiger CRM.

Sending Individual Emails

You can send an email from the modules wherever the Email icon is available. For example, Contacts, Leads, Organizations, Deals, etc.

In this instance, we will use the Contacts module to show you the steps. 

Note: To send an email, the Contact's email ID should be available in the Contact record. 

Follow these steps to compose and send an email to an individual:

1. Log in to the CRM.
2. Go to the main Menu.
3. Go to Essentials.
4. Click Contacts. The Contacts List View opens.
5. Hover over a Contact record. The Email icon is displayed.
6. Click the Email icon. The Compose Email window opens.
7. Enter or select the following information:
   1. To - Select To address, CC, BCC, From, and Reply-to address.
      1. Select the required module from the drop-down to send an email. 
   2. Subject - Add the subject.
   3. Insert Links - Insert links such as Appointment link, Survey link, Landing Page link, or Dealroom link.
      1. From the Insert Links, you can:
         1. Insert Appointment Link: Insert a scheduling link to allow recipients to book an appointment with you. 
         2. Insert Survey Link: Insert a survey link to collect feedback or responses from recipients. 
         3. Insert Landing Page Link: Insert a landing page link to direct recipients to a specific webpage or campaign. 
         4. Insert Dealroom Link: Insert a Dealroom link to securely share deal-related information and collaborate with customers. 
         5. Insert FAQ’s: Insert links to relevant FAQ articles to help recipients quickly find answers to common questions. 
         6. Schedule Conference: Schedule an online meeting and insert the conference details into the email. 
         7. Insert Document Links: You can insert document links using the following options
            1. Vtiger Document: Select and insert a link to an existing document stored in Vtiger.
            2. Upload and Insert: Upload a new document and insert its link into the email. 
            3. Merge Template: Merge a Print Template from a module. For example, insert a Quote.
   4. Email Template - Select an email template, if required.
   5. Email Sequence - Select the email sequence if you are creating an email sequence for a campaign.
   6. Write with AI - Use AI to generate the email body.
   7. Email Body - Compose the content of your email. 
   8. Attach Files - Attach files you want to send from the CRM or your system.
   9. Include Signature - You can set up email signatures by going to My Preferences. By enabling or disabling the checkbox for Include Signature in the Compose Email window, you can add or remove your signature from the email.
   10. Remind me to follow up in - Set up a reminder to follow up on the emails that you have sent.
   11. Save as Draft - Save your draft emails if you do not want to send them right away.
   12. Click Send.
       1. Click the arrow button to schedule the email for a later date and time. 

Once sent, the email is delivered to the selected Contact and can be viewed in your Vtiger Inbox. 

Note: 

• You can add multiple email IDs (up to 10) in the To address field to the emails you send from Quotes or other modules to your Contacts or Leads.
• Merge tags related to personal identity, such as contact name, email ID, and phone number, will be picked up from the first contact you add an email ID for.

To learn more about Print Templates, click here.

Sending Bulk Emails

You can send an email to multiple Contacts using the Send Email option. In this instance, we will use the Contacts module to show you the steps. 

Follow these steps to send bulk email:

1. Log in to the CRM.
2. Go to the main Menu.
3. Go to Essentials.
4. Click Contacts. The Contacts List View opens.
5. Select the Contacts to whom you want to send the email.
6. Click the More icon.
7. Click Send Email. The Email Preferences page opens.
8. Enter or select the following information:
   1. Set default email address: Select Primary Email.
   2. When sending to multiple recipients: Select Include all recipients in one email.
   3. Check the Remember my preference option. 
9. Click Proceed. The Compose email window opens.
10. Enter or select the following information:
    1. To - Select To address, CC, BCC, From, and Reply-to address.
       1. Select the required module from the drop-down to send an email. 
    2. Subject - Add the subject.
    3. Insert Links - Insert links such as Appointment link, Survey link, Landing Page link, or Dealroom link.
       1. From the Insert Links, you can:
          1. Insert Appointment Link: Insert a scheduling link to allow recipients to book an appointment with you. 
          2. Insert Survey Link: Insert a survey link to collect feedback or responses from recipients. 
          3. Insert Landing Page Link: Insert a landing page link to direct recipients to a specific webpage or campaign. 
          4. Insert Dealroom Link: Insert a Dealroom link to securely share deal-related information and collaborate with customers. 
          5. Insert FAQ’s: Insert links to relevant FAQ articles to help recipients quickly find answers to common questions. 
          6. Schedule Conference: Schedule an online meeting and insert the conference details into the email. 
          7. Insert Document Links: You can insert document links using the following options
             1. Vtiger Document: Select and insert a link to an existing document stored in Vtiger.
             2. Upload and Insert: Upload a new document and insert its link into the email. 
             3. Merge Template: Merge a Print Template from a module. For example, insert a Quote.
    4. Email Template - Select an email template, if required.
    5. Email Sequence - Select the email sequence if you are creating an email sequence for a campaign.
    6. Write with AI - Use AI to generate the email body.
    7. Email Body - Compose the content of your email. 
    8. Attach Files - Attach files you want to send from the CRM or your system.
    9. Include Signature - You can set up email signatures by going to My Preferences. By enabling or disabling the checkbox for Include Signature in the Compose Email window, you can add or remove your signature from the email.
    10. Remind me to follow up in - Set up a reminder to follow up on the emails that you have sent.
    11. Save as Draft - Save your draft emails if you do not want to send them right away.
    12. Click Send.
        1. Click the arrow button to schedule the email for a later date and time.

Once sent, the email is delivered to the selected Contacts and is stored in the Vtiger Inbox.

Receiving Emails in Vtiger CRM

You can receive and manage incoming emails directly in the Vtiger Inbox after connecting your email account, such as Gmail, Outlook, or any other supported email service.

Vtiger synchronizes your mailbox and automatically displays incoming emails in the Inbox, allowing you to manage customer communication without leaving the CRM.

When you receive an email, Vtiger CRM:

• Synchronizes incoming emails with your connected mailbox.
• Automatically associates emails with the relevant CRM records, such as Contacts, Organizations, Leads, and Deals, whenever possible.
• Displays the complete email conversation in a single thread.
• Allows you to reply, reply to all, or forward emails directly from the Inbox.
• Provides quick access to the related CRM record for additional customer information.
• Keeps your email communication organized and up to date with two-way synchronization.​​​

Syncing Emails

Email sync keeps your emails synchronized between your email account and Vtiger CRM, ensuring your conversations are available in both places. 

Vtiger CRM offers two email synchronization options to help you manage your email communication effectively:

• Auto-forwarding (One-way Sync): Emails are automatically forwarded from your email client to Vtiger CRM through the Mailroom. Emails received in Vtiger CRM are not synchronized back to your email client.
• Two-way Sync: Synchronizes emails between your email client and Vtiger CRM. Emails received or sent from either platform are synchronized, allowing you to manage your email communication from both your email client and the CRM.

The following sections explain each option in detail.

Setting up My Mailbox with Auto-forwarding or One-way Sync

Auto-forwarding or one-way sync brings emails from your email client into Vtiger CRM. Emails forwarded from your email client are received by Vtiger CRM through Mailroom. 

Follow these steps to set up auto-forwarding in Vtiger CRM:

1. Log in to the CRM.
2. Click the main Menu.
3. Go to Sales.
4. Select Inbox.
5. Select the Configuration icon in the top right corner. A Mailbox Settings Dialog box opens.
6. Click My Mailbox.
7. Click +Add My Mailbox. The My Mailbox Setup window opens.
8. Choose the Forward incoming emails and CC Vtiger address on the outgoing emails option and click Go >. An Adding My Mailbox dialog box appears.
9. Select or enter the following details in the Adding My Mailbox dialog box:
   1. Address: Enter your email address.
   2. Add BCC address for replies: Enter your BCC email address (optional).
10. Click Save.

After this setup, you must verify your email address by clicking the confirmation link sent to it and setting up auto-forwarding in your email client. To learn more about auto-forwarding, click here. 

Setting up My Mailbox with 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 the CRM.
2. Click the main Menu.
3. Go to Sales.   
4. Select Inbox.
5. Select the Configuration icon in the top right corner. A Mailbox Settings Dialog box opens.
6. Select My Mailbox.
7. Select +Add My Mailbox.
8. Choose 2-way sync and click Go>. The 2-way Sync Setup window opens.
9. Enter your email address.
10. Click Proceed. The Email Client page opens. 
11. Click Allow in the window that opens to grant access to the account.
12. Choose your inbox settings in My Mailbox Setup.
    1. Folders: The folders you want to see in your inbox.
    2. Choose time period: The period from which you want to sync emails.
    3. Select other mandatory fields. Note: The information you enter in this step depends on the email client.
13. Click Save.

Note: 

• Two-way sync is available in Vtiger CRM for Gmail, Office 365, Yahoo, and IMAP accounts.
• You can connect your Gmail or Google Workspace account to 2-Way Inbox Sync. Both personal and business accounts are supported, and the configuration steps remain the same for all account types.

To learn more about email sync, click here.

Managing Email Conversations

You can manage your email conversations directly from Vtiger Inbox using the available email actions. 

• Reassign email: You can assign an email to another user by using the option displayed next to 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.
• Edit Reminder: You can create a reminder to reply to or follow up with an email by clicking the Edit Reminder option. Emails with reminders appear at the 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 with a Lock icon when you hover over them.
• Delete: This option deletes a conversation. Deleted conversations are sent to the Trash.
• 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.

Apart from the actions mentioned above, you have options such as Reply, Reply All, Forward, and Comment on an email. 

To learn more about email actions, click here.

Email Sending Guidelines

To improve your email deliverability and avoid being flagged as spam, it’s important to follow the sending guidelines set by major email providers. Below are some general best practices recommended by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Apple:

• Compliant P2 (Primary) Sender Addresses: Ensure the From or Reply‐To address is valid, reflects the true sending domain, and can receive replies. 
• Functional Unsubscribe Links: Provide an easy, clearly visible way for recipients to opt out of further messages, particularly for marketing or bulk mail. 
• Easy Unsubscription
  • One-click unsubscribe for email recipients from large senders.
  • Process unsubscription requests within two days.
• Prevent Unwanted Emails
  • Enforce a spam rate threshold to reduce inbox clutter.
  • Maintain a spam-free mailbox for users, as Google has mandated that an email sender’s spam rate should be below 0.3%
• List Hygiene and Bounce Management: Remove invalid addresses regularly to reduce spam complaints, bounces, and wasted messages. 

To learn more about email-sending guidelines, click here.

References

• Vtiger Inbox
• Email feature User Guide
• Email Sequences in Vtiger
• Email Campaigns for Marketing
• Email Templates
• Improving Email Deliverability