Handling Generic Inbound Messages

In some situations a client may send an email directly to your Trackops system instead of emailing your company or replying to a case update directly.  If the client replies to a case update, in most cases this is handled through inbound case updates, however based on a number of criteria, there is the possibility of messages being delivered directly to the system without being routed through a case update at all.  In these situations, a user must address the message manually and determine the best course of action. Trackops offers an easy-to-use interface to manage these inbound messages so that you can address and route them to the correct location,. There are several common scenarios where a direct inbound message likely to happen:

  1. The sender sends an email directly to your system notifications email address.  The system notifications email address is the email address that all notifications from your system are sent from.  Typically when you reply to a notification email is is routed somewhere else (e.g. back to a case update), however it is possible for a client or third party to use the notifications email directly when sending email back to you.
  2. The sender tried to reply to a case update, but their email address is not associated with any active user in your system.  Often times this is due to them using an outside email that the system is not aware of, or the message has been forwarded to a third party who is not already set up in your system.  
  3. The sender is associated with a valid user account and has sent an inbound case update, yet the message does not appear to be related to that case update.  In this situation, we do not automatically create a case update, and instead create an inbound message for external handling.

Alerting for New Inbound Messages

When a new inbound message is received, a New Inbound Message Notice will be delivered to the general email address, which is configured in the Email Settings & Templates section of the settings.  You can configure this template to include more or less information as you see fit, and additionally opt to CC an additional email address.

If you prefer not to receive extra emails when new messages arrive, or you receive too many to make it useful, you can opt to use the Inbound Message Watcher by customizing your dashboard to include this widget.

inbound-message-watcher.png

Adding this widget to your dashboard will allow you to quickly see and address new and outstanding inbound messages. 

Viewing Inbound Messages

Important: To view a list of inbound messages, a user must be associated with a user role that has the View Inbound Messages permission enabled. 

Once you've verified the correct user roles have the appropriate permissions, click the Inbound Messages link located in the top left of the interface to view a list of inbound messages.

inbound-messages-link.png

Each message will be listed, including a status for each.  The available statuses are as follows:

  • Awaiting Review - The update has not yet been addressed and needs handling.
  • Needs Attention - There is an issue with this message, or it needs special handling.
  • Closed - The message has been handled.

Available Actions For Inbound Messages

The two most common actions for a message are to either create a case or to create a case update on an existing case.  Other options include simply marking the message as Closed if it is handled externally or deleting the message if it is not relevant any longer.

Creating a New Case

To create a case, click the Create Case button at the top of the message.  If possible the sender information will be populated into the case automatically and the body of the message will appear under the notes section of the case.  In addition, any available file attachments will automatically be copied into the files tab of that case.  Once the new case has been created, the message will be associated with that case and will automatically be marked as Closed.

Creating a New Case Update

To create a case update, the message must already be associated with a case. If it is not, you must find an existing case using the Find Case link on the message itself.  Once the case is set, the option to create a new update is now available.  Click the Create Case Update link in the top right and continue to create the update as expected.  Any file attachments from this message will be available under the Use Existing Case Files link located at the bottom of the update screen.  Once the case update has been created, the message will automatically be marked as Closed.

Marking an Inbound Message "Closed"

As described above, when creating a new case or case update from a message, it is automatically marked as closed.  However, in some situations you may wish to address the message externally or ignore it completely.  In these situations, you can simply mark the message Closed. To do this, simply click the Mark As button in the top right and select Closed from the list. 

Note: A user must have the permission to Modify Inbound Message Status to manually change the status of a message. 

Understanding and Identifying SPAM, Phishing, and Marketing Emails 

Due to the nature of inbound messages, it is possible to receive emails from anyone in the world (similar to your own email inbox).  This means that you may occasionally receive messages from people who have nothing to do with your organization or your business or messages that are trying to scam you into divulging account or financial information. 

It is best practice to always err on the side of caution when handling suspicious, spammy, or otherwise irrelevant messages you receive. 

Do not click links or download attachments in messages from senders that you do not recognize.

When you receive a SPAM, phishing, or marketing email, the best course of action is to Delete the message from the inbound message interface.  

 

 

 

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