Email channel pages
Configuring a mailbox
Connect your support address and configure routing, tone, and handoff
How it works
- A customer emails your support address, for example
help@yourbrand.com. - Your provider forwards the email to a PolyAI virtual mailbox. The email is screened for spam and viruses, then matched to its conversation thread.
- The agent reads the email and decides whether it can answer base don the information available to it in the knowledge base. The decision also considers the type of request, not just confidence: sensitive requests such as complaints, refunds and regulated matters are always passed to your team.
- If the agent can answer, it replies from your own email address, in your configured tone, with your signature.
- If not, the customer receives a note in the same thread that a member of the team will respond, and your chosen handoff inbox receives the case: the customer’s details, the original subject line, a summary of the conversation, a suggested reply, and the full email thread attached.
Features
Autonomous replies to standard questions. The agent answers the repetitive share of your inbox, such as order status, policy questions and document requests, without a person reading them. What it is allowed to answer is defined during setup. Handoff with a drafted reply. Emails the agent doesn’t answer arrive at your handoff inbox as a prepared case with a summary and a suggested reply, so your team edits and sends rather than starting from scratch. Conversation threading. Replies continue the same conversation. Context is retained for two weeks, so a customer who replies days later continues where they left off. Your tone and signature. A style prompt tailors tone, format and etiquette for email, and a global signature is applied to outgoing replies. One brain, multiple channels. Email uses the same agent brain, including your knowledge base and configuration as your voice and chat channels, so customers receive the same answer everywhere. Safety and review. Inbound email is screened for spam and viruses, safety filters apply to content in both directions, and every email is visible in Conversation Review with the routing decision that was taken. Provider agnostic. Works with any provider that supports standard email forwarding and DNS records, including Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and helpdesk platforms. Handed-off emails can be routed to a helpdesk address such as Zendesk or Salesforce.Current limitations
- Email is inbound only: conversations start with the customer.
- Emails with attachments are passed to your team rather than answered autonomously.
- Automatic replies such as out-of-office responses are filtered and not answered.
Related pages
Configuring a mailbox
Connect your support address and configure the agent
Knowledge base
Define what the agent can answer autonomously
Conversation review
Review agent decisions and email threads