Day 2: First Steps

Demo Tour

We invite you to take a tour of HelpSpace. We have created a demo tour that shows you our customer support application click by click. This will give you a quick impression and make it easy for you to find your way around HelpSpace later on.

First tour through the navigation and functions

To navigate forward and backward, click on the arrow-buttons ← and → on the bottom
or on your keyboard. Alternatively, click on the purple circles to go to the next step.

Settings

To navigate forward and backward, click on the arrow-buttons ← and → on the bottom
or on your keyboard. Alternatively, click on the purple circles to go to the next step.

Create an Email Channel

To receive your customers' emails in HelpSpace, you need to create an email channel. To accomplish this, you need to store information with your DNS provider and forward the emails to HelpSpace with your email provider. Our step-by-step guide will show you how to set everything up.

1. Start configuration

Easily set up email forwarding in HelpSpace by following the step-by-step wizard during account creation. Your unique inbound email address will be provided in the wizard. Example:

xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx@xxxx.inbound.helpspace.io

If you missed this during account creation, you can still access your inbound email address by going to your HelpSpace workspace and navigating to Settings → Channels. Here, you can create a new channel or locate your existing channel with the inbound email address.

2. Set up support email

Configure your support email address, such as support@your-domain.com. We will lead you through some simple steps and explain why it's important.

1. Set up an email forwarder at your email provider (inbound).

2. Add DNS records at your domain provider (outbound).

If you are unsure about how to complete these steps, please reach out to your IT administrator for assistance. By properly configuring your support email address, you can ensure that you can effectively receive and respond to customer inquiries.

3. Set up an email forwarder at your email provider (inbound)

To ensure that all inbound messages sent to a specific email address are seamlessly routed to your HelpSpace workspace, set up a forwarder in your email provider.

Simply direct the forwarder to your dedicated HelpSpace inbound address, which can be found in Settings → Channels → Channel in your workspace.

xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx@xxxx.inbound.helpspace.io

This process may take a few minutes to take effect, depending on your email provider. Once the forwarder is set up, all incoming emails will be visible in your HelpSpace workspace.

Follow these step-by-step instructions for setting up email forwarding in

• Google Gmail

• Microsoft Outlook

• Microsoft 365

3a. Google Gmail

• Go to Gmail

  • Go to the settings gear icon in the top-right corner of your Gmail account.

  • Click on See all settings.

  • Select the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.

  • Click on Add a forwarding address.

  • Enter your dedicated HelpSpace inbound address xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx@xxxx.inbound.helpspace.io and click Next.

  • Click Proceed and then OK to confirm the forwarding address.
    

• Go to your HelpSpace workspace

  • Go to Tickets → Unassigned and check for the Gmail’s confirmation email  

  • Copy the confirmation code or click on the confirmation link 
    

• Go back to Gmail settings page from above

  • Enter the confirmation code and click on Verify

  • Enable Forward a copy of incoming mail to and choose the email address you just added.

  • Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.

3b. Microsoft Outlook Web

• Go to Microsoft Outlook Web

• Go to Settings → View all Outlook settings

• Section Forwarding 

• Click Enable forwarding 

• Enter the forwarding email address: xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx@xxxx.inbound.helpspace.io 

• Choose what you would like to do with Outlook’s copy

• Click Save 

3c. Microsoft 365 Admin Center

In the Microsoft 365 admin center, you have two options to forward emails to HelpSpace.

1. Active teams & groups

2. Active users

If you decide to go via active groups, you don't need an additional user subscription.

Active Groups

• Login to Microsoft 365 admin center 

  • Step 1:

    • Go to Users > Contacts

    • Click on Add a contact 

    • Enter Display name 

    • Enter Email: xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx@xxxx.inbound.helpspace.io 

    • Click Save 

  • Step 2:

    • Go to Teams & groups > Active teams & groups 

    • Click Add a group 

    • Choose group type Distribution  

    • Click Next 

    • Enter Name 

    • Click Next 

    • Enter Group email address, e.g., support@your-domain.com 

    • Enable Allow people outside of my organization to send email to this distribution 

    • Click Next 

    • Click Create group 

    • Click Close 

    • Open the group you just created

    • Click Members 

    • Click view all and manage members 

    • Click Add members 

    • Select the user you from above 

    • Click Save 

    • Click Close 

Active Users

• Login to Microsoft 365 admin center 

  • Go to Users > Active users

  • Click Select a user (or create a new user)

  • Click Mail 

  • Click Manage email forwarding 

  • Check Forward all emails sent to this mailbox

  • Enter Email: xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx@xxxx.inbound.helpspace.io  

  • Click Save 

Depending on your account, you might have to add a policy to automatically forward messages to external recipients. In Microsoft 365 Defender you create this policy.

• Login to Microsoft 365 admin center 

  • Go to Users > Contacts

  • Click on Add a contact 

  • Enter Display name 

  • Enter Email: xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx@xxxx.inbound.helpspace.io 

  • Click Save 

• Login to Microsoft 365 Defender

  • Go to E-Mail & Collaboration

  • Go to Policies & rules

  • Select Threat policies

  • Select Anti-spam

  • Click Create policy

  • Click Outbound

  • Enter the name of your policy

  • In the field Users, you select the contact above

  • Follow the process and finish the configuration

Note

The email address on your mail server must be the same as the HelpSpace email channel address. Optional, you add an alias email address in HelpSpace, if you want to receive messages from additional addresses - or you create additional channels.

4. Add DNS records at your domain provider (outbound)

Implementing DKIM and Return-Path records is crucial in ensuring that emails sent from your domain through HelpSpace are not marked as spam.

• Go to Settings → Channels and select your channel.

• Click on the Change configuration button here

• Click Next when the email address is displayed

• You are at the sender verification.

  • Click on DKIM records and copy the details

  • Click on Return-Path and copy the details

• Add the DKIM record with your domain provider

  • Set the type in the drop-down menu to "TXT".

  • Then copy the DKIM hostname and value into the TXT field.

• Adding the Return-Path record with your domain provider:

  • For your Return-Path domain, create a CNAME record in the DNS

  • Then, copy the Return-Path details into the corresponding fields.

• Delay time of DNS changes

  • Depending on your provider, DNS changes can take up to 48 hours, but are usually completed within a few minutes. We recommend waiting 30 minutes.

Note

What is an DKIM record?

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is a method to validate the authenticity of email messages. When each email is sent, it is signed using a private key and then validated on the receiving mail server (or ISP) using a public key that is in DNS. This process verifies that the message was not altered during transit.

Emails that are signed with DKIM appear more legitimate to your recipients and are less likely to go to Junk or Spam folders.

What is the Return-Path record?

The Return-Path is the address where bounces and other email feedback are sent. The Return-Path for emails sent through HelpSpace will be displayed during the channel setup process.

If you have a DMARC policy for your domain, you should set up a custom Return-Path to achieve SPF alignment. While you are adding the DKIM record, you should also add the Return-Path record at the same time.

The Return-Path record enables us to provide important delivery feedback to your support team. Common bounce messages for instance are Mailbox out of space or Mailbox not found. Without Return-Path record, this messages will not reach your team.

Create Users

Create a user for everyone in your support team to work together effectively.

• Go to Settings → Users

• Click on Create User in the top-left corner.

• A dialog will appear where you can enter the details of the user

  • Full name

  • User name

  • E-mail address

  • password

  • Roles
    You can select multiple roles and the associated rights will be added cumulatively.

    Roles	Superadmin	Admin	Team Agent	Autor
    Tickets	✔	✔	✔	no
    Docs	✔	✔	no	✔
    Tasks	✔	✔	optional *	optional *
    Reports	✔	✔	no	no
    Einstellungen	✔	✔	no	no
    Fakturierung	✔	no	no	no

    * optional: if a user is a member of a task board.

    The Superadmin role is automatically assigned to the user who creates the workspace when they log in and cannot be changed.

  • Language
    We offer many languages, so there are no language barriers.

    • English

    • German

    • French

    • Italian

    • Dutch

    • Polish

    • Portuguese

    • Spanish

    • Chinese