Email inbox: connect your business mailbox

The CRM Inbox puts your business email next to your clients and leads. Customer emails and replies to your campaigns arrive in the CRM, linked to the person they're from, and you can read, reply and reply all without switching apps. The Inbox is included on every plan, including Free, for owners and admins.

Where is the Inbox?

Click Inbox in the sidebar. It's available to owners and admins; other team members see "The email inbox is only available to owners and admins." New emails show a pop-up ("New email from …") and an unread count on the Inbox item while you're in the CRM.

How do I connect my mailbox?

1. Go to Settings → Notifications and find the Business email inbox card. (The Inbox's Connect mailbox button takes you there too.)
2. Stay on the Connect mailbox (recommended) tab.
3. Choose your Email provider. Server settings fill in for you.
4. Enter your Email address, and your Username if it's different (usually it's your full email address).
5. Enter an App password for this mailbox. See the provider notes below for where to create one.
6. Leave Send Inbox replies from this mailbox ticked if you want replies you send from the CRM to come from your own address and appear in your mailbox's Sent folder.
7. Click Test connection, then Connect mailbox.

The test checks both reading and sending, for example "✓ Reading mail works (N messages in Inbox)" and "✓ Sending works". If sign-in fails you'll see "✗ Sign-in failed — check the username and app password (and that IMAP is enabled)." Nothing is saved until the test passes.

Provider notes

• Gmail and Google Workspace: turn on 2-Step Verification, then create an app password (Google Account → Security → App passwords) and paste it in. Your normal Google password won't work.
• Zoho Mail: pick the Canada option if your account is on zohocloud.ca, or the zoho.com option otherwise. In Zoho Mail, go to Settings → Mail Accounts → IMAP and enable IMAP access. If you use two-factor sign-in, create an app-specific password (in Zoho Accounts → Security → App passwords). Custom-domain (organization) accounts use the imappro and smtppro servers in the table. Free accounts use different servers, which you can enter under Server settings: imap.zohocloud.ca and smtp.zohocloud.ca for free @zohomail addresses on Zoho's Canadian data centre, or imap.zoho.com and smtp.zoho.com for free @zoho.com addresses.
• Outlook and Microsoft 365: Microsoft blocks password sign-in (IMAP and SMTP basic authentication) for most accounts. It only works if your Microsoft 365 admin allows it or your account still offers app passwords. Otherwise, use Forward to CRM instead (see below).
• Yahoo: create an app password under Yahoo Account Security → Generate app password.
• iCloud: create an app-specific password at appleid.apple.com → Sign-In and Security → App-Specific Passwords.
• Fastmail: create an app password under Settings → Privacy & Security → Integrations → App passwords, with IMAP and SMTP access.
• Other providers: choose Other (IMAP) and enter the IMAP and SMTP settings from your provider's help pages.

What if my provider won't let me connect?

Use the Forward to CRM tab on the same card. It shows your CRM forwarding address, which looks like [email protected], with a Copy button. Set your mailbox to forward a copy of incoming mail to that address; the card's How to set up forwarding section has steps for Gmail, Zoho Mail, Outlook and Microsoft 365, and website hosts like cPanel, GoDaddy and Namecheap. (Some Microsoft 365 organizations block forwarding outside the company; your admin can allow it.)

With forwarding, everything in the Inbox works, but replies you send from the CRM come from your Interdatum sending address with replies directed back to your business address, and they don't appear in your own mailbox's Sent folder. You can add up to 5 extra forwarding addresses.

What does the CRM do with my mailbox?

• It only reads your mailbox's Inbox folder. Nothing in your mailbox is moved, deleted or marked as read.
• The first sync imports the last 14 days of mail. After that it checks for new mail about every minute; click Check now on the card to check right away.
• Your app password is encrypted and can't be read back, only replaced.
• Disconnect stops syncing and keeps the mail that was already imported.

If your mailbox stops connecting (for example after you change your password), the card shows Needs attention, the Inbox shows "New email isn't coming in" with a Reconnect link, and the owner gets an email titled "Your email inbox needs attention".

How do I use the Inbox?

• Folders: Inbox (open conversations), Unread, Needs reply, Sent, Closed, All mail, and Filtered (mail kept aside by your inbox filter).
• Write and reply: compose a New email to a client, lead or any address, or Reply and Reply all (up to 20 people). Replies quote the last message. Tick Marketing email when it's promotional, and your business details and an unsubscribe link are added.
• Close a conversation when it's handled; a new email from the customer reopens it.
• Search by subject, sender, message text, or the linked client or lead.
• Read and unread status is shared by your team. You can mark several conversations at once as read, unread, closed or reopened.
• Keyboard shortcuts: j and k to move, Enter to open, r to reply, a to reply all, e to close, c to compose, u or Esc to go back, and / to search.
• Images from senders are hidden until you click Load images.

Emails you send from the CRM are plain text, without attachments or a signature. Attachments you receive open and download in the CRM (up to 10 MB per file). Use your regular email app when you need to attach a file.

How are replies linked to my leads and clients?

When an email arrives, Interdatum groups it with the right conversation and matches it to the campaign email it answers. It links the conversation to the client with that email address, or to the campaign lead. You'll see a Lead or Client chip in the conversation, along with the campaign name. Use Link to client or lead to link a conversation yourself.

Can the AI assistant read and answer email?

Yes, on Starter and Pro, for owners and admins. Ask in the assistant panel on any page other than Inbox (the assistant isn't available on the Inbox page itself):

• "Any emails I haven't answered?"
• "Summarize the thread with Sample Property Mgmt."
• "Reply to Dana that May 12 works and we'll confirm the time."

The assistant lists and reads conversations, and replies with an Email reply card showing who it's to, the subject and the message. Nothing is sent until you click Send reply or say yes. It treats email content as information only and never follows instructions inside an email. Conversations your inbox filter sets aside are hidden from the assistant.

Will unanswered emails show up in Needs attention?

Yes. Emails from the last 14 days that are still open and haven't had a reply appear in the dashboard's Needs attention list as "Unanswered email from …", for owners and admins.