How to Configure Agency Email Settings

Each Agency Email in eCourtDate has its own edit page, split into **Settings**, **Outbound**, and **Inbound** tabs, where you control how that address sends mail and what happens when mail arrives.

### Overview

Opening an Agency Email for editing gives you three tabs of configuration plus a live preview panel. The **Settings** tab holds the name, address, gateway, and primary flag. The **Outbound** tab controls the look of the messages you send, along with reply-to, CC, BCC, and the default subject. The **Inbound** tab controls the automatic response and the forwarding rules applied to mail your agency receives.

- **What it does:** Gives you per address control over outbound formatting, reply routing, and inbound forwarding.
- **Why it matters:** Replies reach a monitored inbox, outbound mail carries consistent agency branding, and incoming mail lands with the right staff without manual routing.
- **Who uses it:** Agency administrators who manage messaging settings.
- **Expected outcome:** One Agency Email that formats outbound mail the way your agency wants and routes inbound mail automatically.

### Prerequisites

Before you configure an Agency Email, make sure you have:

- Admin access to **Admin** > **Settings** in your eCourtDate agency
- At least one Agency Email already created
- The reply-to, CC, BCC, and forwarding addresses your agency wants to use
- Roles, groups, or organizations already set up if you plan to forward inbound mail by role, group, or organization

### How-To Steps

#### Step 1: Open the Agency Email

1. Go to **Admin** > **Settings** in the top navigation.
2. Click the **Agency Emails** tab.
3. Click the **Edit** button in the row for the address you want to configure.

#### Step 2: Review the Settings tab

1. Confirm **Email Name** holds the sender name you want on outbound mail.
2. Check that **Email Address** shows the message "Email is verified and ready to use."
3. Select a gateway in **Gateway** if your agency has email gateways configured.
4. Check **Primary** to make this address the default sender for outbound email.
5. Scroll to **Audit Logs** to see who changed this address and when.

#### Step 3: Set the outbound look

1. Click the **Outbound** tab.
2. Select a layout in **Layout**, such as **default**, **html**, **branded**, or **minimal**.
3. Click a swatch under **Theme** to set the header, body, and footer colors.
4. Enter the line you want at the top of outbound mail in **Header**.
5. Enter the address of a hosted image in **Logo URL**.
6. Write your signature block in **Signature**.
7. Write your footer content in **Footer**.

#### Step 4: Route replies and copies

1. Enter a monitored address in **Reply-To** (leave it blank to use the Agency Email address itself).
2. Enter a comma separated list of addresses in **Carbon Copy (CC)**.
3. Enter a comma separated list of addresses in **Blind Carbon Copy (BCC)**.
4. Enter a fallback subject line in **Default Subject**.
5. Click **Save**.

#### Step 5: Configure inbound handling

1. Click the **Inbound** tab.
2. Enter the message you want sent back to every sender in **Auto Response**.
3. Enter a comma separated list of addresses in **Auto Forward to Emails**.
4. Select a chatbot in **Auto Forward to a Chatbot** to hand inbound mail to that chatbot.
5. Check **Auto Forward to Assigned Users** to forward inbound mail to the staff member assigned to the client.
6. Click role names under **Auto Forward to Users by Role** to turn forwarding on for those roles.
7. Click group names under **Auto Forward to Clients by Group** to forward by client group.
8. Click organization names under **Auto Forward to Clients by Organization**, up to a maximum of four.
9. Click **Save**.

#### Step 6: Preview and test your changes

1. Review the **Email Preview** panel on the right side of the page.
2. Click **Expand Preview** to open the preview in a larger window.
3. Click **Download Preview** to save the preview as an email file you can open in your mail client.
4. Enter an address in the preview panel and click **Send Test**.

### What to Expect

Some controls save as soon as you change them, including **Layout**, **Theme**, **Gateway**, **Primary**, **Auto Forward to Assigned Users**, and the **Auto Forward to Clients by Group** and **Auto Forward to Clients by Organization** buttons. Single line text fields save when you press Enter inside them. **Auto Response**, **Signature**, **Footer**, and the **Auto Forward to Users by Role** buttons save only when you click **Save**, and a confirmation reading "Agency Email updated" appears. Saved settings apply to new mail sent from or received by that address. The **Email Stats** card reports **Delivery Rate**, **Outbound**, **Inbound**, and **Failed** counts for the address, and **View Outbound** and **View Inbound** open the matching message lists. The tab you are viewing is added to the page address, so you can bookmark or share a link that opens straight to the **Outbound** or **Inbound** tab.

### Best Practices

- **Point Reply-To at a monitored inbox.** Replies go to whatever you enter in **Reply-To**, so use an address your team actually watches.
- **Keep the Auto Response short.** It goes back to every sender, so acknowledge the message and set a response expectation in a sentence or two.
- **Set your agency colors first.** The **Theme** swatches fall back to the **Primary Color** and **Secondary Color** you set in **Admin** > **Settings**, so configure those before picking a theme.
- **Forward by role instead of by address.** **Auto Forward to Users by Role** keeps working when staff change, while a fixed list in **Auto Forward to Emails** has to be edited by hand.
- **Send yourself a test after every change.** Use **Send Test** in the **Email Preview** panel to confirm the layout, theme, signature, and footer render the way you expect.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Which Agency Email do outbound messages use?**

A: The one with **Primary** checked on its **Settings** tab. That address is used for outbound emails unless a different email is specified in a message or template.

**Q: How many organizations can one Agency Email forward to?**

A: Four. Once you have selected four, the remaining buttons under **Auto Forward to Clients by Organization** are disabled and the page shows "Maximum of 4 organizations selected."

**Q: Do I have to click Save after every change?**

A: Not for every control. **Layout**, **Theme**, **Gateway**, **Primary**, and the group and organization forwarding buttons save immediately. **Auto Response**, **Signature**, **Footer**, and the role forwarding buttons need **Save**.

**Q: Can I send to more than one CC or BCC address?**

A: Yes. **Carbon Copy (CC)**, **Blind Carbon Copy (BCC)**, and **Auto Forward to Emails** each accept a comma separated list of addresses.

**Q: Where can I see how much mail this address handles?**

A: The **Email Stats** card on the right side of the edit page shows **Delivery Rate**, **Outbound**, **Inbound**, and **Failed** totals for that address.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** The Agency Email will not send.

**Symptoms:** The **Settings** tab shows "Email is not verified. Please retry verification."

**Solution:**

1. Click **Retry Verification** on the **Settings** tab.
2. Open the verification email sent to that address and follow its link.
3. Click the refresh icon next to **Retry Verification** to check the status again.

**Issue:** You cannot forward inbound mail by role.

**Symptoms:** The **Inbound** tab shows the warning "No roles found." in place of the role buttons.

**Solution:**

1. Go to **Admin** > **Users** and click the **Roles** tab.
2. Create at least one role.
3. Return to the **Inbound** tab and click the role names you want to forward to.

**Issue:** No groups appear under Auto Forward to Clients by Group.

**Symptoms:** The **Inbound** tab shows the warning "No groups found."

**Solution:**

1. Go to **Admin** > **Settings**.
2. Enter your groups as a comma separated list in **Default Groups** and save.
3. Return to the **Inbound** tab and click the group names you want to forward to.

> **Important:** If you continue to experience issues after following these troubleshooting steps, sign in to eCourtDate, click the **?** button in the bottom right corner, and select **New support ticket**.

### Related Articles

- [How to Manage Agency Emails](/how-to-manage-agency-emails)
- [How to Configure Email Gateways](/how-to-configure-email-gateways)
- [How to Create a Custom Domain](/how-to-create-a-custom-domain)
- [How to Create a Chatbot](/how-to-create-a-chatbot)
- [How to Manage Roles Assigned to a User](/how-to-manage-roles-assigned-to-a-user)
- [How to manage organizations](/how-to-manage-organizations)