Email Channel

The Email Channel allows the helpdesk system to receive and process tickets from email communications. This integration enables seamless ticket creation from incoming emails and provides a complete email management solution within the ticketing system.

Connection Setup

Basic Configuration

1. Protocol

   • Description: Specifies the email protocol to be used for communication.
   • Options: IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol)
   • Expected Input: Select "IMAP" from the dropdown.

2. Host/IP

   • Description: The mail server's hostname or IP address.
   • Expected Input: A valid domain name (e.g., mail.example.com) or an IP address (e.g., 192.168.1.1).

3. Username

   • Description: The email account username used for authentication.
   • Expected Input: A valid email address or username associated with the mail server.

4. Reply To Mail

   • Description: The email address where replies should be sent.
   • Expected Input: A valid email address (e.g., support@example.com).

5. Port

   • Description: The port number used for IMAP communication.
   • Expected Input: Numeric values such as 993 (for IMAPS) or 143 (for IMAP).

6. Auth Type

   • Description: Specifies the authentication method for the email server.
   • Expected Input: Select from available authentication types such as Password-based Authentication or OAuth.

OAuth Configuration (If OAuth is Selected)

7. Azure Active Directory Tenant ID

   • Description: The unique identifier for the Azure Active Directory tenant.
   • Expected Input: A valid Tenant ID from Azure AD (e.g., a GUID-like string).

8. Redirect URL

   • Description: The URL to which the authentication service will redirect after successful authentication.
   • Expected Input: A valid URL (e.g., https://yourdomain.com/callback).

9. Refresh Token

   • Description: A token used to obtain a new access token when the current one expires.
   • Expected Input: A valid refresh token provided during OAuth setup.

10. Client ID

    • Description: The unique identifier assigned to the application in Azure AD.
    • Expected Input: A valid Client ID obtained from the Azure AD application registration.

11. Client Secret

    • Description: A secret key used to authenticate the application with the OAuth provider.
    • Expected Input: A securely stored client secret from Azure AD.

12. Scope

    • Description: The permissions requested by the application when accessing the mail server.
    • Expected Input: A valid OAuth scope (e.g., https://outlook.office365.com/.default).

13. Token Endpoint

    • Description: The URL used to obtain an access token from the OAuth provider.
    • Expected Input: A valid token endpoint URL (e.g., https://login.microsoftonline.com/{tenant_id}/oauth2/token).

Password Authentication (If Selected)

14. Password
    • Description: The password associated with the specified email account.
    • Expected Input: A secure password that matches the username provided.
    • Security Note: Ensure the password is stored securely and not exposed in logs.

Connection Settings

15. Max Tries for Connection Before Fail

    • Description: The maximum number of attempts before marking the connection as failed.
    • Expected Input: A numeric value (e.g., 3 for three attempts).

16. Cool-off Time After Fail (Minutes)

    • Description: The waiting time before retrying a failed connection.
    • Expected Input: A numeric value representing minutes (e.g., 5 for five minutes).

17. Skip Times

    • Description: Specifies time intervals to skip connection attempts.
    • Expected Input: Time intervals in a specific format (e.g., 02:00-04:00).

18. Connection Timeout (Milliseconds)

    • Description: The maximum time the system waits for a connection response before timing out.
    • Expected Input: A numeric value in milliseconds (e.g., 5000 for 5 seconds).

19. Email Sync Start Date

    • Description: The starting date from which emails should be synchronized.
    • Expected Input: A valid date selection.

20. Status

    • Description: Defines the current configuration status.
    • Options: Draft, Active, etc.
    • Expected Input: Select the appropriate status from the dropdown.

21. Test Connection

    • Description: A button to validate the entered configuration details.
    • Expected Input: Click to verify if the connection is successful.

22. Next Button

    • Description: Proceeds to the next step in the configuration process.
    • Expected Input: Click to navigate forward after entering all required fields.

Reading Settings

1. Folder Mapping

   • Purpose: Specifies the email folder from which the system should retrieve emails (e.g., "Inbox," "Support Requests").
   • Input: Select the folder from the dropdown or enter a custom folder name.

2. Allowed Domains

   • Purpose: Restricts email processing to messages sent from specific domains.
   • Input: Enter one or multiple domains (e.g., company.com, support.com).

3. Exclude Auto-Replies

   • Purpose: Filters out automatic email responses like out-of-office replies.
   • Input: Enter keywords or specific sender addresses to exclude such emails.

4. Alias to Email

   • Purpose: Maps alternative email addresses to a primary one for ticket processing.
   • Input: Enter an alias email address.

Ticket Mapping Settings

1. Template

   • Purpose: Defines published templates within the tenant.
   • Input: Select a template from the dropdown list.

2. Whitelist Ticket Types

   • Purpose: Restricts processing to specific ticket types.
   • Input: Choose from the dropdown.

3. Required Mappings

   • Use from Offer: Select an offer to create a default mail server offer.

4. Custom Field Mappings

   • Field Name: Lists only required fields of the selected template.
   • Default Value: Set a fallback value if no corresponding email data exists.
   • Restricted?: Determines if field access is limited to specific roles.
   • Action: Option to remove mapping.

5. Mapping Email Properties to Ticket Fields

   • Attachment: Determines how email attachments are handled.
   • Subject: Maps email subject to a ticket field.
   • Body: Maps email body to a ticket field.
   • Sender: Identifies and maps sender's email.
   • Importance: Maps email priority (High, Medium, Low).

6. Add Email as Attachment

   • Purpose: Enables attaching the entire email to a ticket.
   • Input: Checkbox to enable or disable.

7. Optional Mappings

   • Field Name: Additional fields for mapping.
   • Default Value: Assigned value if missing in the email.
   • Restricted?: Limits access based on roles.
   • Action: Option to remove mapping.

Final Actions

• Test Connection: Validates the settings before saving.
• Save: Confirms and stores the configurations.

Ticket Creation from Email

• Purpose: Automatically generates a ticket when an end user sends an email.
• Input: When an email is received from a configured email source, the system creates a ticket and marks its source as "Email," as shown in the provided screenshot.
• Configuration Dependency: Ensure the mail server is correctly set up to receive and process emails.

Best Practices for Email Channel Configuration

1. Security Considerations

   • Use OAuth authentication when possible for enhanced security
   • Regularly rotate credentials and tokens
   • Implement IP restrictions if supported by your mail server

2. Performance Optimization

   • Set appropriate connection timeout values to prevent system slowdowns
   • Configure reasonable retry intervals for failed connections
   • Use folder mapping effectively to process only relevant emails

3. Email Processing

   • Create clear rules for auto-reply exclusion to prevent ticket duplication
   • Set up domain filtering to reduce spam tickets
   • Configure proper field mappings to ensure accurate ticket information

4. Maintenance

   • Regularly test the email connection to ensure proper functionality
   • Monitor the email channel for any issues or performance degradation
   • Update configurations when mail server settings change