OTOBO - Email Sending and Receiving

OTOBO - Email Sending and Receiving

Introduction

Email remains the most important channel for business communication. For companies that support customers across various departments – from support to sales – the efficient management of email addresses is essential. OTOBO makes it easy to maintain an unlimited number of email addresses for different teams and purposes, ensuring that emails are always sent from the correct address. This increases the professionalism and efficiency of communication.

An example could be:

• support@example.org for customer support requests,
• hr@example.org for HR matters,
• sales@example.org for sales inquiries.

OTOBO facilitates the management of these and other email addresses by providing a central platform where outgoing and incoming emails are effectively assigned. This ensures that communication errors, such as sending a reply from an incorrect address, are avoided.

Managing Email Addresses

Adding an Email Address

To add a new email address to your OTOBO system, navigate to the Email Addresses module within the Communication & Notifications group and follow these steps:

1. Select Add system address in the left sidebar.
2. Fill in the necessary information.
3. Click Save to register the new address.

::: warning Deleted email addresses cannot be completely removed from the system; they can only be deactivated to prevent potential communication issues. :::

Editing an Email Address

Editing existing email addresses is a simple process:

1. Select the address to be edited from the list view.
2. Adjust the required fields.
3. Save the changes using Save or Save and finish.

Important Information on Email Settings

When adding or editing email addresses, the following settings are relevant:

• Email address: The address to be registered.
• Display name: The name displayed in sender information; it can contain any desired character.

Sender Information in Email Articles

OTOBO optimizes email management by allowing seamless switching between different email addresses, depending on the role or department in which the agent is operating. This reduces the risk of miscommunication and ensures that your customers always receive relevant information from the correct department.

Queue Settings for Email Addresses

When configuring email addresses in OTOBO, besides the actual address and the display name, two settings require special attention:

• Queue: Here you define which queue the email address is assigned to. This setting determines which email address is used as the default for outgoing messages from a specific queue. This assignment ensures that customer messages are always mapped to the correct teams.

::: info The choice of queue can be overridden by Postmaster filters or specific configurations in the mail account settings (e.g., distribution based on the selected queue). :::

• Validity: This determines whether an email address is active in the system. For regular operation, this field should be set to valid. By setting it to invalid or invalid-temporarily, the address can be deactivated without deleting it, which can be helpful, for example, during temporary changes in team structure. An email address should only be deactivated if it is no longer assigned to any queue.

• Comment: Here you can store additional information or notes about an email address. This field is primarily for internal documentation and ensures better clarity and understanding within your team.

Receiving/Fetching - Email with IMAP/POP

OTOBO offers robust features for managing email mailboxes, which facilitate communication between different teams and departments. With support for all common email protocols, OTOBO meets your needs for flexible and reliable email communication.

Automatic Email Fetching

• Automatic email fetching: OTOBO fetches incoming emails automatically - by default every 10 minutes, provided the OTOBO daemon is running. This automatic fetching ensures that your team is always up to date on new customer inquiries.

::: warning Please note that OTOBO deletes emails from the mail server after fetching them. If you wish to keep copies of the emails on the mail server, you should set up appropriate forwarding rules on your mail server. :::

Adding an Email Account

To add a new email account:

1. Click on Add email account.
2. Fill in all required fields.
3. Confirm with Save.

Setting up Microsoft - OAuth2

Editing an Email Account

To edit an existing email account:

1. Select the account to be edited from the list.
2. Make the desired changes.
3. Save your changes.

The Importance of Filters

In OTOBO, filter fields support efficient management of email addresses and accounts, especially in environments with a large number of entries. They allow you to find the required information quickly and easily.

OTOBO combines powerful email management features with ease of use. The setup and management of various email addresses and mailboxes make OTOBO a valuable tool for any company that values efficient and well-organized communication.

Optimizing Email Management

OTOBO offers comprehensive support for common email protocols to optimize communication with your customers. The variety of supported protocols allows you to configure an email account according to your specific requirements:

• IMAP / IMAPS / IMAPTLS: Ideal for organizations that want to manage emails on the server to access them from different devices.
• POP3 / POP3S / POP3TLS: Suitable for users who want to store their emails locally.

For setting up an email account in OTOBO, the following configurations are required:

• Username & Password: Your access credentials for the email account.

• Host: The server name or IP address of your mail server.

• IMAP folder: Specify the folder that OTOBO should use for fetching emails. Other folders remain untouched.

• Trusted & Distribution: The “Trusted” option allows the execution of actions based on X-OTOBO headers in incoming emails. These should only be activated for known and trusted senders.

  When distributing emails, you offer two strategies: distribution based on the To: field of the email or direct assignment of all emails to a selected queue. This ensures efficient assignment of incoming messages to the responsible teams or departments.

• Validity & Comment: These fields allow you to control the active use of the email account and provide additional notes or descriptions for internal use. Setting up OAuth2

AI Classification of Email Tickets in OTOBO

The AI classification of email tickets in OTOBO allows you to automatically categorize incoming emails. By using machine learning algorithms, OTOBO can analyze the emails and, based on the content, move them to the correct queue and assign the correct priority. OTOBO AI Ticket Classification

Email Sending - SMTP

Step 1: SMTP Settings in OTOBO

First, you must configure the SMTP settings in OTOBO. These settings allow OTOBO to send emails via your preferred SMTP server.

System configuration: Access the system configuration via the Admin area in OTOBO. Search for email settings: Go to the email settings by searching for Core::Sendmail in the search bar. Enter SMTP server details: Configure the following keys according to your mail server:

• SendmailModule::Host: The hostname of your SMTP server, e.g., smtp.mydomain.com.
• SendmailModule::Port: The port your SMTP server uses, usually 587 for SMTP over TLS.
• SendmailModule::Auth: Set this to Yes if your SMTP server requires authentication.
• SendmailModule::User: Username for authentication on the SMTP server.
• SendmailModule::Password: Password for the user above.

::: info Ensure that SendmailModule::TLS is set to Yes if your SMTP server requires TLS/SSL. ::: Example configuration:

SendmailModule::Host: smtp.mydomain.com
SendmailModule::Port: 587
SendmailModule::Auth: Yes
SendmailModule::User: myemail@mydomain.com
SendmailModule::Password: mySecurePassword
SendmailModule::TLS: Yes

Step 2: Troubleshooting

If problems occur when sending emails, you should check the OTOBO log files and possibly the logs of your SMTP server. In some cases, configuration issues or network restrictions can prevent successful email sending.

By following these steps, you can ensure that your OTOBO system is correctly configured for sending emails via SMTP, which ensures a reliable communication bridge between your ticket system and the users.

Filtering and Forwarding Emails

Postmaster filters in OTOBO are a powerful tool for the automatic preprocessing of incoming emails. They enable efficient sorting and assignment of incoming messages based on specific criteria such as sender, subject, or specific headers. This functionality ensures that emails are forwarded to the correct queue or team to optimize customer service.

The following steps guide you through the process of adding, editing, and deleting Postmaster filters in OTOBO, as well as setting up specific configurations for these filters.

Managing Postmaster Filters

• To add a new Postmaster filter, select the Add PostMaster filter option from the sidebar and fill in the required fields.
• To edit, open an existing filter from the list and modify the fields as needed.
• To delete a filter, select the corresponding trash icon next to the filter and confirm your action.

::: info For effective filtering and management, it is helpful to use the filter function to search for specific Postmaster filters. :::

Settings for Postmaster Filters

The main components of a Postmaster filter are its name, the “Stop after match” option, and the defined filter condition.

• Name: The unique name of the filter that describes its functionality. Keep in mind that filters are executed in alphabetical order, which should be considered when naming.
• Stop after match: Indicates whether the evaluation of further Postmaster filters should be aborted after the successful application of this filter. This is useful to ensure that an email is not processed by multiple, potentially conflicting filters.

Defining Filter Conditions

The power of the Postmaster filter lies in its conditions. These conditions check specific mail headers or content for certain values or patterns using regular expressions.

• Search header field for value: Here you define which specific criteria in the mail header or body should be filtered. For example, emails with a specific subject line could be assigned directly to a team.

In addition to the standard header, it is possible to use X-OTOBO headers as a filter condition. These offer special functionalities, such as counting attachments (“X-OTOBO-AttachmentCount”), which allows for flexible and customized filtering.

With these configuration options, Postmaster filters in OTOBO can be used specifically to control and organize email traffic efficiently. By precisely pre-sorting and assigning emails, you can ensure that your team can react quickly and effectively to customer inquiries, leading to improved customer service.

Managing Email X-OTOBO Headers

The X-OTOBO headers offer a flexible solution for advanced management and automation of emails in OTOBO. By specifically setting these headers in your emails, you can directly control a variety of ticket properties before they are processed in the system. This enables efficient and automated processing of incoming emails, which leads to a significant increase in productivity.

Some of the most useful X-OTOBO headers include:

• X-OTOBO-AttachmentCount and X-OTOBO-AttachmentExists: Determines whether attachments are present and how many. This can be useful to optimize the processing workflow for requests with and without attachments.

• X-OTOBO-CustomerNo and X-OTOBO-CustomerUser: Allows the direct assignment of a ticket to a specific customer or customer account, which enables fast and direct support.

• X-OTOBO-DynamicField-<DynamicFieldName>: Uses dynamic fields to store specific information of the ticket, thus enabling deeper personalization and categorization of ticket management.

• X-OTOBO-Ignore: Offers the possibility to completely ignore certain emails and not deliver them to the system. This can be particularly helpful for autoreply loops or irrelevant email traffic.

• X-OTOBO-Queue: Defines in which queue a ticket should be sorted. This enables direct and efficient assignment of tickets based on the content or purpose of the email.

• X-OTOBO-State and X-OTOBO-Priority: Controls the initial state and priority of a ticket upon its creation, making the workflow for subsequent processing customizable.

• X-OTOBO-Loop: Prevents an automatic reply and thus offers protection against looping in email communication.

These headers offer powerful control within OTOBO but require a certain level of care. They should only be used by trusted sources to avoid unintended effects on ticket management. The trust level for processing these headers is defined within the mail account settings and should be configured accordingly.

The X-OTOBO headers transform email-based communication within OTOBO by providing precise and automated control over the entire workflow. By configuring these headers, companies can optimize their processes and achieve improved customer satisfaction.

S/MIME and PGP in OTOBO

Secure communication is essential in today’s digital world, especially when it comes to protecting sensitive data. OTOBO supports the use of S/MIME certificates and PGP keys to secure email communication. These features are particularly relevant for meeting data protection and data security requirements – such as those prescribed by the GDPR.

Managing S/MIME Certificates

The management of S/MIME certificates in OTOBO is accessible through the S/MIME certificates module under the Communication & Notifications group. S/MIME certificates allow you to sign and encrypt emails, which ensures the authenticity and confidentiality of communication.

To use S/MIME in OTOBO, it is first necessary to activate S/MIME support. Subsequently, you can add certificates and associated private keys to complete the setup requirements for secure email communication.

PGP Keys

Similar to S/MIME, OTOBO also supports the use of PGP keys to encrypt email communication. PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) is a widely used encryption program that supports privacy-friendly communication by ensuring both the authentication of senders and the integrity and confidentiality of the message.

Management Process

1. Add S/MIME certificate/PGP key: You can add new certificates/keys by selecting the corresponding files from your file system. This enables digital signing and encryption of outgoing emails.

2. Add private keys: For decrypting incoming emails, it is necessary to store the corresponding private keys for your S/MIME certificates/PGP keys in OTOBO.

3. Delete certificates/keys: If necessary, you can remove inserted certificates or keys from the system. This might be necessary if certificates expire or need to be replaced.

Please Note

• For both S/MIME and PGP, it is important to ensure the correct handling of certificates/keys to guarantee the security of communication.
• The use of S/MIME and PGP can help meet compliance requirements and strengthen customer trust by improving the security and privacy of communication.
• The setup and management of encryption (both S/MIME and PGP) should be done by experts to ensure that the measures are implemented effectively and securely.

The integration of encryption capabilities in OTOBO offers a robust solution for companies to manage their communication in a secure way and minimize the risks associated with data breaches.

OTOBO Email Log

The communication log in OTOBO is a powerful tool that allows you to track, analyze, and monitor all communication processed by the system. This module is particularly useful for managers, system administrators, and support teams to gain insights into email processing and to diagnose potential disruptions or errors in communication.

Overview

The overview screen of the communication log provides a dashboard-like interface that gives you a quick overview of the health of your communication system:

Key Widgets and Their Functions

1. Account status: Identifies potential problems with email accounts used for sending or receiving messages. Problems could range from incorrect login credentials to connection issues.

2. Communication status: Informs about the presence of errors in account connections or message processing. This can be an indicator of problems with the mail server or configuration.

3. Communication state: Indicates whether there is currently activity in the system, i.e., whether emails are being sent, received, or processed.

4. Average processing time: Provides statistics on how long it takes on average to complete a communication. This metric helps to evaluate the efficiency of the system.

Filtering and Analyzing Data

You have the option to filter communication by creation time and search for keywords. This enables targeted analysis of communication that meets specific criteria. Additionally, you can sort the results of the overview table by columns to organize the data according to your needs.

Detailed View

By clicking on a row in the overview table, you reach the detailed view for the respective communication:

In the detailed view, you get an insight into the specific parameters and the history of the communication. This includes information such as sender, recipient, the time of communication, and any error messages that occurred during the process.

Benefits of the Communication Log

• Transparency: The communication log contributes to transparency by offering a detailed insight into internal communication flows.
• Troubleshooting: It enables efficient troubleshooting and diagnosis of communication problems.
• Optimization: Based on the insights gained, processes can be optimized and system performance improved.

The communication log is a fundamental component in OTOBO that enables proactive monitoring and management of communication. It helps to ensure a highly available and efficient support system and thus supports excellent service quality.

Analysis/Management of the Email Log

Capturing and analyzing detailed logs of communication processes is essential for any system administrator or manager responsible for monitoring the smooth operation of a helpdesk system like OTOBO. The communication log in OTOBO offers a granular view of all communication activities, divided into two main types: Connection and Message. This structure allows for precisely tracking and analyzing the flow and processing of incoming and outgoing messages.

Connection

Logs of the type Connection record all interactions related to the connection to email accounts, mail servers, or other communication services. These logs provide information about the success or failure of connection attempts, including error messages and other diagnostic information. This type of log is of great importance when connection problems need to be investigated, e.g., when difficulties occur while fetching emails from an external server.

Message

In contrast, the log type Message deals with all processes concerning the handling of specific messages. This includes reading, interpreting, and forwarding messages based on defined rules or filters, adding tickets, and applying X-OTOBO headers. These logs give administrators and support staff a deep insight into the system’s operation and help to identify and solve problems at the level of individual messages.

Priority-Driven Log Filtering

An important aspect of using the communication log in OTOBO is the ability to filter log entries by their priority. This is particularly useful when you are specifically looking for errors or critical events that require immediate attention. The priority system ranges from the informative level to critical errors, with Error representing the highest priority level. By selecting a specific priority in the filter, you receive all log entries of this and every higher priority level, which significantly facilitates troubleshooting and general system monitoring.

The effective use of the communication log in OTOBO makes it possible to achieve an excellent level of transparency and control over the entire communication flow. You not only gain insights into the processing status and potential problems in communication but also have the opportunity to take proactive measures for troubleshooting and system optimization. This is a decisive factor for maintaining an efficient and reliable support service and contributes significantly to customer satisfaction.