Managing Emails

Managing Emails

Manage filters in Zoho SalesInbox

When your Inbox is flooded with emails from various people - customers, advertisers, colleagues - finding a specific email is like looking for a needle in a haystack.You may be looking for an email from an important customer to send a response asap. Or you may be looking for a bunch of emails from a promotional email sender- just to trash them all at once.

Whatever the action you wish to apply on the email, the fact remians that it is difficult to find specific emails from your crowded Inbox.

To help you deal with this, Zoho SalesInbox allows you to create email filters. The filtered emails could be moved to a folder, assigned a label, marked as read, moved to trash and so on.

Filter based on Mail Criteria as well as CRM criteria
The primary advantage of using Zoho SalesInbox is that it allows you to filter emails based on Mail Criteria as well as CRM criteria. In a regular mail service, you will only be able to do the former.

For example, you want to see mails "sent to you" from "Tradeshow leads." You can create a filter with the following criteria:
  1. Mail criteria - To equals <your email ID>
  2. Entity Criteria - If email received from Leads, where the Lead Source is Tradeshow.
Once you have specified these criteria, you can Move them to folder - Tradeshow leads.



Similarly, there are many actions you can associate with a filter. Read the following sections to learn more about managing filters.

Create a filter
To create a filter
  1. Click Settings on the left panel.
  2. In the Email Settings screen, click Filters.
  3. You'll see a list of default filters. Click the Add icon next to Filters.
  4. Enter a name and description for the new filter, choose the criteria, and assign any further actions if needed.For example, a filter for "Top Customers", which will display emails from customers with deals worth greater than or equal to $30000.
  5. Click Save.
Alternatively, you can also create a filter while creating a new folder.
Import a filter
When you are migrating from another email service to Zoho SalesInbox, you may have already set up some email filters there. You could carry forward the same filters by importing them in Zoho SalesInbox. You need not create them manually all over again.

To import filters to Zoho SalesInbox
  1. First export your Filters file from your email service and save it to your Desktop.
  2. In the SalesInbox tab, click Settings > Filters.
  3. In the Filters page, click Import Filter.
  4. Choose the import file. Only .xml or .dat files are supported.
  5. Click Import.

Run-through Filter
When you create a new filter to categorize a set of emails into a folder, the filter is by default applied only on emals that you receive after the filter has been set up.

For example, you have created a filter for Twitter leads. So, mails from Twitter leads AFTER the filter has been set up will be categorized into the folder you have specified. What about previous emails in your Inbox that meet the same criteria?

Run-through filter is a tool, which can be used in exactly these instances. After you have created a new filter, if you also wish to apply the filter for existing emails in your Inbox, you can "run this filter" through the requried folder.

To Run-through filter
  1. Click Settings > Filters.
  2. Click on this icon on the desired filter.
  3. In the Run-through Filter screen, point your mouse to the folder through which you want run the filter and click Run through filter.
  4. After a few moments, you will see that the existing emails that meet the filter's criteria have also been categorised into the specified folder.
Edit a filter
To edit a filter
  1. Click Settings on the left panel.
  2. In the Email Settings screen, click Filters.
  3. Hover over the filter that you want to edit, and click the Edit icon that appears.
  4. Alternatively, you can click the filter to view its details, and then click the blue Edit icon on that screen.
  5. Make the necessary changes, and click Save.
Alternatively, you can also edit filters from the Folders section of the Mail Settings screen.
Delete a filter
To delete a filter
  1. Click Settings on the left panel.
  2. In the Email Settings screen, click Filters.
  3. Hover over the filter that you want to delete, and click the Delete icon that appears. (Alternatively, you can click the filter to view its details, and then click the blue Delete icon on that screen.)
  4. Click OK on the confirmation pop-up that appears.


To delete filters from a folder
  1. Click Settings on the left panel.
  2. In the Folders section of the Email Settings screen, you can view your folders and the filters set for each folder in a list.
  3. Hover over the filter you want to delete, and click the Delete icon.
  4. In the confirmation pop-up that appears, click OK.

Associate actions to a filter
There are six types of actions you can associate to a filter. You can see these actions once you have specified the criteria for the filter. The actions are as explained below.

Move to folder
When an email meets the criteria you have set for the filter, you can automatically move it to a folder. Choose which folder it should be moved to.


Assign Label
When an email meets the criteria you have set for the filter, you can automatically apply a label to the email. For example, an email from a customer with more than 200 licences may be automatically marked as an Enterprise Customer.


Mark as read
If you wish for some emails to automatically be marked as read, you can do so. For example, marketing emails from a service you are not very particular about could be automatically marked as read.

Move to trash
If you wish for some spam emails to automatically be trashed, you can do so by associating this action.

Assign task
Automate the assignment of routine follow-up tasks on receiving emails from specific customers.

Notify me if there is no reply sent for incoming emails:
Send yourself an alert if you have not replied to a valued customer's email within a certain number of minutes, hours or days.

You can also manually configure this alert for individual mails that you receive from a customer.

Email reminders can also be done the other way round. If you have sent an email to a customer and there is no reply from him/her, you can automate an alert that will remind you to follow up with the customer. Reminders for outgoing emails are currently possible only manually and cannot be automated.



Note:

  • Select the Stop processing other filters checkbox if you wish for only the filter in question to be active.

Manage Folders in Zoho SalesInbox

Folders help you classify your business email based on the source and priority. To save time and increase productivity, create folders for top customers and important potentials. The default folders available in SalesInbox are:

  1. Mine
  2. Inbox
  3. Drafts
  4. Scheduled
  5. Sent
  6. Spam
  7. Trash
  8. Unread
To help you start out, you are offered two other folders in the CRM context. You can also create additional folders as per your requirements.
  1. Deals Closing This Month
  2. Customers
Note:

  1. The folder Mine displays all emails that are directly addressed to you. That is, emails in which the To/CC fields contain your email address.
  2. The folder Inbox, on the other hand, displays emails addressed to your email aliases and email groups that you are a part of.
  3. If you wish to see all these emails in a single place, you can choose the All Messages view.
  4. The folder Scheduled contains all the emails that you have scheduled for a specific delivery time. See also: Composing, Organise and Configure Emails
  5. See also: Email Views
Create a new folder
To create a new folder

  1. In the SalesInbox tab, click Settings.
  2. In the Email Settings page, click the Add icon next to Folders on the left panel. Alternatively click the Add icon next to Folders on the left pane.
  3. In the Create Folder page, do the following:
    1. Enter the Folder Name.
    2. Choose a Sub-folder, if required.
    3. Add Suggested Filters or Add New Filter as required.
  4. Click Save. You can also create a folder while creating/editing a filter.

Rename a folder
To rename a folder
  1. Go to Folders on the left panel.
  2. Right-click on the folder, and click Rename.
  3. Rename it, and click Save.


Empty a folder
To empty a folder
  1. Go to Folders on the left panel.
  2. Right-click on the folder, and click Empty.
  3. Click OK on the confirmation pop-up.

Delete a folder
To delete a folder
  1. Click Settings on the left panel.
  2. In the Email Settings page, hover over the folder you want to delete.
  3. Click the Delete icon that appears on the right.
  4. In the confirmation pop-up, click OK.
Alternatively, you can also delete a folder by choosing Delete on right-clicking the folder from the left panel.


Manage Tasks in Zoho SalesInbox

A task is a function assigned to a filter, enabling it to notify you regarding any follow-up activity to emails passing through that filter. For example, you can set a task to remind/notify you about contacting an important customer regarding a product demo two days after you receive their email.

Create a task

You can create tasks individually so that they can be associated to a one or more filters or create a task upon creating a filter.

To create a task

  1. Click Settings on the left panel.
  2. In the Email Settings screen, click Tasks.
  3. Click the Add icon next to Tasks.
  4. In the New Mail Workflow Task screen, enter the required details and choose whether to be notified and/or reminded of the task, and when.
  5. Click Save.
    Alternatively, you can create a task by clicking on New Task when you create or edit a filter.

Note:

  • The limit to the number of tasks you can create is 100.
Assign a task

You can assign a task to a new filter or an existing filter.

To assign a task
  1. Click Settings on the left panel.
  2. Click Filters on the Email Settings screen.
  3. Click the Edit icon on the filter you want to assign a task to.
    Alternatively, you can also create a new filter and assign tasks to it.
    In the Assign Task field, select an existing task or create a new task.
  4. Click Save.

Note:

  • A maximum of 5 tasks can be assigned to one filter.
Edit a task

To edit a task

  1. Click Settings on the left panel.
  2. In the Email Settings screen, click Tasks.
  3. Click the task you want to edit.
  4. In the details view, click the blue Edit icon.
  5. Make the necessary changes, and click Save.
Delete a task

To delete a task

  1. Click Settings on the left panel.
  2. In the Email Settings screen, click Tasks.
  3. Click the task you want to delete.
  4. In the details view, click the blue Delete icon.
  5. Click OK in the confirmation pop-up.

Note:

  • Tasks in SalesInbox are not associated with tasks in Zoho CRM. SalesInbox tasks are only related to email, and the execution of follow-up activities pertaining to received mail.

Automate lead/contact creation

Often you may need to add a bunch of email senders as leads or contacts in Zoho CRM. For example, you have attended a tradeshow and you receive a bunch of emails from a lot of people who attended the tradeshow. If you wanted to add all of them as leads to CRM, you need to spend a lot of time and efforts.

In Zoho SalesInbox, this can be done in a jiffy. You can automate adding senders of emails as leads and contacts in CRM. All you need to do is create a workflow rule in order to achieve this.

Set up email workflow rules

To add an email sender as a lead/contact in Zoho CRM automatically

  1. In your Zoho CRM account, go to Setup > Automation > WorkflowAutomation.
  2. In the Workflow Rules section, click Create Rule.
  3. In the Create New Rule popup, select the Module as Emails, enter a Rule Name and Description.
  4. Click Next.
  5. The When component is pre-populated by default as When an email is received from an email address that is not in your CRM...
    This is because that is the only instance when the rule will be executed.
  6. For the Which Emails section, enter a criteria to define which emails should be filtered in order for the email senders to be added as leads/contacts.
  7. In Apply this Rule to, as Unknown.
    Only if you choose Unknown, the option to create a record will be displayed.
  8. Click Next.
  9. Click Instant Actions and click Create Record. 
    The only instant action here is to create a record.
  10. In the Create Record popup, specify the Record Type as Lead or Contact.This way, whenever you receive emails that satisy the criteria specified in the Which Emails section, the sender of those emails will be added as a lead or contact as specified here.
  11. Specify the Record Owner for leads/contacts thus created. You can select among User and Role.
    It is mandatory to select a user/s to whom these records will be assigned.
  12. You can also assign records based on the region/country. To do this, select the Assign based on country option from the dropdown list.
  13. In the Countries section, select the country and select the corresponding User/Role for that country.
  14. Click Associate.
  15. Once you have reviewed the rule and certain about the criteria and actions, click Save.


Manage Labels in Zoho SalesInbox

Labels can be assigned to emails to tag and categorize them for your convenience.

Create a label

To create a new label

  1. In the left panel of SalesInbox, click the Add icon near Label.
  2. Name the label, and assign it a color from the given options.
  3. Click Create.
Assign a label

To assign a label

  1. Choose a label from the Label list in the left panel of SalesInbox.
  2. Click on the label you want to assign, drag it to the particular email you want tagged, and then drop it.
    Alternatively, you can also assign labels as a action while creating or editing a filter as well as the Email Details page.
Edit a label

To edit a label

  1. In the left panel, under Label, go to the label you want to edit.
  2. Right-click on the label, and select Edit.
  3. Make the necessary changes, and click Update.
Remove a label

To remove a label

  1. Open the email you want to remove the label from.
  2. Just below the subject of the email, you will notice the label assigned to it.
  3. Click the Remove icon.
Delete a label

To delete a label

  1. In the left panel, go to the label you want to delete, under Label.
  2. Right-click on the label, and select Delete.
  3. Click OK in the confirmation pop-up.

    • Related Articles

    • Attaching documents to emails

      In Zoho CRM, you can upload attachments in various places. You can upload attachments in the following: Individual records in CRM In individual emails In the email templates There are file size limits based on where you upload the attachments. Also, ...

    • FAQs: Workflow for Emails

      What's workflow rules for emails and why do I need it? In Zoho CRM, workflow rules for emails allow you to automate and streamline your communication processes. Workflow rules are a set of instructions that you can define to trigger automatic actions ...

    • Managing Notes and Attachments

      File attachments are documents, such as Marketing Collateral, Sales Quotes/Orders/Invoices, SLA, and others that can be associated to the CRM modules. Notes are the electronic equivalent of paper sticky notes. You can use the notes to write ...

    • Managing Profile Permissions

      To make the process of managing profile permissions easier, the permissions have been grouped in such a way that you will have no problem customizing them as needed. You can enable or disable permission in a single click rather than having to go ...

    • Frequently asked questions on Emails in Zoho CRM

      How can I view the status of emails sent or received in my CRM account? A CRM user can view the status of emails sent or received to the customers on the record detail page under the Emails related list. What are the different email delivery status ...