What you achieve
A connected mailbox brings customer mail into the FixControl Inbox, as work for one project. If you allow it, replies to customers go out again from that same mailbox.
Who may do this
- Connecting a new mailbox or a new Microsoft or Google account: an admin or manager of your organization.
- Connecting an existing mailbox of your organization to a project: also a Project Admin of that project (with two-factor authentication).
Three ways
| Way | When | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Forward to FixControl | Works with any mail service. No sign-in needed. | Access to the forwarding settings of your support address. Only available where FixControl has set this up for your environment. |
| Microsoft 365 / Outlook | Work or school accounts, Outlook.com and shared mailboxes. | An account that may read the mailbox. You sign in on Microsoft's own page; FixControl never sees your password. |
| Gmail / Google Workspace | Only where FixControl offers it, or where your organization already has a Gmail connection. Existing Gmail connections keep working. | A Google account that may read the mailbox. |
There is also Forwarded mail: mail you forward into a mailbox FixControl already reads, sorted by the address it was sent to. Such an address can never send replies.
If you do not see an option, or it says Signing in with {provider} is not set up on this installation yet, ask your FixControl contact to switch that sign-in on. Until then you can use forwarding.
Connecting a mailbox
- Open the project and go to Connections → Connect mailbox.
- Choose Connect a new mailbox, or Use an existing company mailbox if your organization already has the mailbox.
- Choose where the mailbox lives.
- Forward to FixControl: enter your support address. After connecting, you get a FixControl address to forward your mail to. - Microsoft 365 / Outlook or Gmail: choose Continue to Microsoft or Continue to Google, sign in and give consent. Then pick the mailbox; for a shared mailbox, enter its address.
- Decide how the mailbox works in the project:
- New mail becomes work in {project} — always on. - Allow replies through this mailbox — off by default. - Name shown to colleagues.
- Choose Connect and test.
Setting up forwarding
Copy the address FixControl shows and set up forwarding at your mail service. Keep a copy in your own mailbox: FixControl works on the forwarded copy.
- In Gmail: Settings → See all settings → Forwarding and POP/IMAP → Add a forwarding address, and paste the address. Gmail then sends a confirmation code to FixControl; it appears in the wizard. Enter the code in Gmail and choose Forward a copy of incoming mail.
- In Microsoft 365 / Outlook: add a rule that forwards incoming mail to the address, or ask your administrator to set forwarding on the mailbox. Your administrator may first need to allow forwarding to outside addresses.
Until mail has really arrived, the mailbox shows Set up, waiting for the first email. Send a test message to your support address to see it arrive.
What you see afterwards
The test checks, among other things, whether the sign-in works, whether FixControl can read messages, whether the address belongs to the sign-in, whether receiving mail is on, whether new mail lands in this project, whether mail arrived recently, and whether replies can be sent. Each check shows OK, Heads-up, Needs attention or Not needed.
Under Settings → Mailboxes you manage all of your organization's mailboxes:
- Allow replies — replies may go out from this address. Off by default.
- Receive mail — off means new mail is ignored; the mailbox stays for its history.
- Create issues automatically — only on an existing mailbox: Off — you create an issue yourself (default), Bugs and feature requests, or Every customer request. See Inbox.
- Project — which project new mail goes to.
- Activity — received in 24 hours and 7 days, open conversations and replies sent.
- Send test message — sends a test e-mail from the mailbox.
Whether a reply must be approved first and whether the AI may send by itself is set per project under Approvals & rules → Replies to customers. See Replies to customers.
What FixControl does with the mailbox
- FixControl reads new messages in the chosen mailbox and never deletes mail.
- For a forwarded mailbox, replies go out from that mailbox's FixControl address, under the mailbox's name, and only when replies are allowed.
- Attachments are shown with the message.
- You can revoke the consent at Microsoft or Google later; the connection then asks you to sign in again.
When it does not work
| What you see | What it means | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Sign-in no longer works | The consent was revoked or expired. | Choose Reconnect and sign in again. |
| No mail has arrived yet | Forwarding has not been set up or confirmed yet. | Check the forwarding settings and the confirmation code, and send a test message. |
| No mail has arrived in the last 7 days | The mailbox no longer receives, or simply no mail came in. | Send a test message. If it does not arrive, check the forwarding or the sign-in. |
| This address already receives work for {project} | A mailbox delivers work to one project at a time. | Disconnect it there first, or choose another mailbox. |
| Replies are off for this mailbox | Allow replies is off. | Switch it on under Settings → Mailboxes if replies may go out from this address. |
See also
Inbox · Replies to customers · Projects · Communication channels