## Documentation Index

Access the complete documentation index at:
https://www.zoho.com/qa/books/help/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available documentation pages before proceeding.

# Emails

Emails under _Settings_ lets you take control of the emails sent from your organization. To configure your email preferences and customize email templates:

*   Go to _Settings_ in the top right corner.
*   Select **Email Notifications** under _Reminders & Notifications_.

Let’s take a look at the preferences you can configure from here.

## Sender Email Preferences

You can configure the email addresses used in the From field of emails sent from Zoho Books. However, these emails may sometimes land in your recipient’s spam folder, causing them to go unnoticed. This usually happens when the email address in the From field belongs to a domain that does not have DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) set up.

### What is DKIM?

DKIM(Domain Keys Identified Mail) is used to prevent spam and allows the recipient’s email server to verify whether an email was sent and authorized by the owner of that domain.

### Domain Classification

Zoho Books classifies domains into two categories to help you identify which email addresses, if used in the From field of emails, could cause those emails to land in the recipient’s spam folder.

To find out which category your email addresses belong to:

*   Go to _Settings_ in the top right corner.
*   Select **Email Notifications** under _Reminders & Notifications_.
*   Click **Sender Email Preferences** in the left pane.

#### Unauthenticated Domains

Domains without DKIM records configured are considered unauthenticated. If you use an email address from such a domain as the sender in Zoho Books, the email may be flagged as spam. To prevent this, Zoho Books automatically replaces the sender’s email address to [](message-service@sender.zohobooks.com)[message-service@sender.zohobooks.com](mailto:message-service@sender.zohobooks.com) when sending emails on your behalf. This ensures your emails have a better chance of reaching the recipient’s inbox instead of being marked as spam.

![Unauthenticated Domains](/books/help/images/settings/emails/unauthenticated-domains.png)

The address [](message-service@sender.zohobooks.com)[message-service@sender.zohobooks.com](mailto:message-service@sender.zohobooks.com) is used only in the From address of emails sent by Zoho Books, not in the Reply address. This means your customers will still see your name in their inbox, and when they reply, the response will be delivered directly to your email address.

To use the email addresses under this category in the From field, you must [authenticate their domains](https://www.zoho.com/in/qa/books/help/settings/emails.html#authenticate-domains).

#### Authenticated Domains

Email addresses from domains with DKIM records are trusted by Zoho Books and can be safely used in the **From** field of emails. You don’t need to worry about these emails being flagged as spam when sent from Zoho Books.

![Authenticated Domains](/books/help/images/settings/emails/authenticated-domains.png)

### Authenticate Domains

Emails listed under the **Unauthenticated Domains** section can be authenticated by adding DKIM records for their domains. To do this:

*   Go to **Settings** in the top right corner of the page.
*   Select **Email Notifications** under _Reminders & Notifications_.
*   Click **Sender Email Preferences** on the left sidebar.
*   Click **Authenticate Now** next to the domain that you want to authenticate. 
*   Copy the **Host Name** and **Value** for the **DKIM** record and add it to the DNS settings of your domain name provider. 
*   Click **Validate**

![Add SPF and DKIM Records](/books/help/images/settings/emails/authticate-dkim.png)

**Insight:** It will take a while for your newly added records to reflect on the DNS server. If your validation fails, wait for a while and try again. Also, you can continue to use Zoho Books while the records are being validated.

**Note:** If you use GoDaddy as your domain provider, the Host Name for the DKIM record will have to be slightly modified. You must remove your domain name from the record before adding it. For example, if the Host Name is 1522406527365.\_domainkey.patricia.com, you must remove your domain name from it and add 1522406527365.\_domainkey alone.

Once your DKIM record is successfully added and validated, your domain will be listed under the Authenticated Domains category. Emails sent from this domain can now be used in the From address without being replaced, and you don’t have to worry about them landing in the spam folder.

**Note:** If the Locations or Branches feature is enabled in your organisation, each transaction will be associated with a specific location or branch. Emails of such transactions will be sent to your contacts from the primary contact’s email address of the respective location or branch.

### Other Actions

You can perform a few other actions in the **Sender Email Preferences** page.

#### Mark Primary Contacts

A primary contact is the email address used for communication between your Zoho Books organization and Zoho. You’ll receive important updates about your Zoho Books subscription and usage-related emails at this address.

Also, this email address will be used as default in the **From** address of emails sent from Zoho Books, unless you change it manually while sending an email.

To mark a contact as primary, hover over an email address and click **Mark as Primary Contact**.

![Mark Primary Contacts](/books/help/images/settings/emails/mark-primary-contact.png)

#### Add New Sender Email Addresses

You will be able to add new sender email addresses and select them when you send emails from Zoho Books. To do this: 

*   Go to **Settings** in the top right corner of the page.
*   Select **Email Notifications** under _Reminders & Notifications_.
*   Click **Sender Email Preferences** on the left sidebar.
*   In this page, click **\+ New Sender** in the top right corner.

![Add New Email Sender](/books/help/images/settings/emails/new-sender.png)

*   Add a **Name** and an **Email**.

![Add New Email Sender](/books/help/images/settings/emails/add-sender.png)

*   Click **Save**.

Now, a verification email will be sent to the email address that you added. Once the email address has been verified, you will be able to use it in the _From_ field of emails sent from Zoho Books. 

**Insight:** Adding an email address this way will only enable the email address to be used for sending emails from Zoho Books and is not to be confused with [adding users to your organization](/qa/books/help/settings/users.html#add-user).

 

#### Resend Verification Emails

As mentioned in the [previous section](/qa/books/help/settings/emails.html#add-sender-address), when you add a new sender email address, a verification email will be sent to that email address. However, if the email was not received, you can resend the verification email. Here’s how:

*   Go to **Settings** in the top right corner of the page.
*   Select **Email Notifications** under _Reminders & Notifications_.
*   Click **Sender Email Preferences** on the left sidebar.

![Resend Verification Email](/books/help/images/settings/emails/resend-email.png)

*   Click **Resend Email** next to an email address that has not been verified yet.

The verification email will be sent again.

#### Edit/Delete Email Addresses

You can choose to edit or delete your users’ email addresses from Zoho Books by clicking the **Edit** or **Delete** icons, respectively, which can be found on the right side of an email address.

![Edit & Delete Email Sender Addresses](/books/help/images/settings/emails/edit-delete-senders.png)

* * *

## Email Relay

Email relays forward or relay your emails to their destination while minimizing the risk of them being flagged as spam. Using a custom SMTP allows businesses to send emails from their own domain or other public domains, reducing the likelihood of spam filters. Custom SMTP also helps authenticate senders and checks for spam, ensuring more reliable email delivery. You now have the option to set up email relay servers to send emails from Zoho Books with custom SMTP. Here’s how:

*   Go to **Settings** in the top-right corner.
*   Select **Email Notifications** under _Reminders and Notifications_,
*   Navigate to the **Email Relay** section under _Preferences_ in the left pane.
*   Click **\+ New Server**.
*   Enter the **Server Name**.
*   Select the **Port** number.
*   Enter the **Daily Mail Limit**.
*   Select an option in the **Use Secure Connection** field.
*   Select your **Mail Delivery Preference.** To apply the settings to the entire domain, select **Domain-based**. If the settings should apply only to a specific email address, select **Email-based**.
*   Choose your domain from the **Domain in this Server** field.
*   If authentication is required, select **Yes** and enter the **Username** and **Password**. If not, select **No** in the _Authentication Required_ field.
*   Click **Save**.

After saving the configuration, you need to enable the email relay that you set up. To do this, go to _Settings > Reminders and Notifications > Email Notifications > Email Relay_. Enable the toggle next to the email relay that you set up.

* * *

## Email Insights

Emails are the conventional method of communicating with customers. However, it can be a hassle to check whether your customers have viewed the emails that you have sent them. The Email Insights feature in Zoho Books lets you keep track of the notification emails sent to customers. With this, you can know when a customer has opened a notification email.  

**Scenario:** Patricia sends an invoice via email to her customer, John, and requests immediate payment for it. However, John claims that he hasn’t received the invoice yet. Since Patricia has enabled Email Insights, she is able to check whether John viewed the invoice, along with the exact date and time when he viewed it. This helps her take further actions accordingly.

### Enable Email Insights

When you enable email insights, you will be able to track notification emails for:

*   **Invoices**
*   **Retainer Invoices**
*   **Quotes**

To enable Email Insights:

*   Go to **Settings** in the top right corner of the page.
*   Select **Email Notifications** under _Reminders & Notifications_
*   Click **Email Insights** on the left sidebar.

![Enable Email Insights](/books/help/images/settings/emails/enable-email-insights.png)

*   Enable **Track the emails sent to your customers**.

**Notes:**

*   If you enable Email Insights, the emails sent from your Zoho Books organization will be tracked to know when your customer has viewed them.
*   If the email you sent has multiple recipients, the corresponding transaction will be marked as viewed when any one of them opens it.

### Track the Status of Transaction Emails

After enabling email insights, you can view the status of the notification email in the following places:

#### Transaction List Views

You can view the status of notification emails in the transaction list view for the Invoices , Retainer Invoices and Quotes modules. The status will be indicated using icons that are placed near every transaction in the list. Here’s what the icons mean:

*   ![Enail Insights Indicator](/books/help/images/settings/emails/mail-sent.svg) : Indicates that the transaction was sent via mail.
    
*   ![Enail Insights Indicator](/books/help/images/settings/emails/mail-opened.svg) : Indicates that the transaction’s notification mail was opened.
    
*   ![Enail Insights Indicator](/books/help/images/settings/emails/mail-viewed.svg) : Indicates that the transaction was viewed from the customer portal.
    

![Track Emails in List View](/books/help/images/settings/emails/track-email-1.png)

**Pro Tip:** Select **Client Viewed** in the view filter dropdown to view a list of transactions that have been viewed by your customers from the customer portal and their email inbox.

#### Transaction Details Page

In the transactions details page, you can view the status of transactions under **Comments & History** in the top right corner of the page.

![Track Emails in Details Page](/books/help/images/settings/emails/track-email-2.png)

**Insight:** If the email you sent has multiple recipients or has your users’ email addresses in the CC or BCC fields, the corresponding transaction will be marked as viewed when any one of them opens it.

### How does Zoho Books track email activity?

Zoho Books uses web beacons (the industry standard followed by email service providers for tracking emails) to track emails sent to your customers. 

A small graphic, the size of one pixel, is embedded at the bottom of HTML emails sent from Zoho Books. When a recipient opens the email and chooses to display images in it, this tiny image is downloaded from our server. This download enables Zoho Books to track when your email was opened.

**Warning:** If your customer does not choose to display images for your email, Zoho Books will not be able to track the status. Hence, in some cases, Zoho Books could display the status of your email as being unopened, even if it was opened by your customers.

* * *

## Email Templates

Email templates in Zoho Books let you create unique, customer-centric notification emails that can be sent to your customers. You can create email templates that reflect your branding and customize the email content accordingly. 

### Create Email Templates

*   Go to **Settings** in the top right corner of the page.
    
*   Select **Email Notifications** under _Reminders & Notifications_.
    
*   In the **Templates** section, select the module for which you want to create the email template.
    
    **Pro Tip:** You can also **clone** a pre-built email template, make changes to it, and then save it as a new template.
    
*   Click **+New** on the top-right corner to create a new template.
    

![Create Email Template](/books/help/images/settings/emails/new-template.png)

*   Enter a **Template Name** for the email template you are creating.

![Customize Email Template](/books/help/images/settings/emails/customize-template-1.png)

*   Add or select email addresses for the **From**, **CC** and **BCC** fields.
*   Enter the **Subject** of the email.
*   [Customize the email content](/qa/books/help/settings/emails.html#customize-template) according to your needs.
*   Mark **Set this to default** if you want to use this template as the default.
*   Click **Save**.

![Edit Signature on Email Template](/books/help/images/settings/emails/edit-signature.png)

*   To add a common signature to the different email templates of a module, click the **Edit Signature** button.
*   You can also add up to five files (each of 5MB) to each email template by clicking **Attach File(s)**.
*   To edit a template, click **Show Mail Content** or the template name.   

### Customize Email Templates

You can personalize the content of email templates to reflect your business and branding better. Here’s how:

*   Go to **Settings** in the top right corner of the page.
*   Select **Email Notifications** under _Reminders & Notifications_.
*   In the **Templates** section, select the module for which you want to create the email template.
*   Select an existing email template or [create a new one](/qa/books/help/settings/emails.html#create-template).

![Customize Email Template](/books/help/images/settings/emails/customize-template-2.png)

*   In the text box, enter the message that you want to send to your customers.
*   Use the tools available from the toolbox to format your email content.
*   To insert an image to the email template, click the **Insert Image** icon.
    *   In the pop-up that appears, select if you want to **Upload From Desktop** or **Add Image URL**.
    *   If you select _Upload From Desktop_, you can drag and drop the image or click **Upload** to add the required image.
    *   If you select _Add Image URL_, add the URL in the text box below _Image URL_ and click **Fetch URL**. If the URL is valid, the image will be displayed.
    *   After you’ve added the image, select the **Image Size** and **Image Position**.
    *   Provide the image’s **Alt Text**. This is the content that will be shown if the image does not load.
    *   Click **Save**. The image will be added to the email template.

![Add the required image and customize as per your needs](/books/help/images/settings/emails/add-image.png)

*   To add hyperlinks, select the words to be hyperlinked, click the **Create Link** icon, enter the URL, and click **Add**.
*   To make your email content dynamic, click **Insert Placeholders** and choose a placeholder from the list.
*   Click **Save** to apply your changes.

### Associate Email Templates with Customers & Vendors

Add a personal touch to the notification emails sent to different customers. In Zoho Books, you can send client-specific notification emails to customers by assigning email templates for them. Once you have [created email templates](/qa/books/help/settings/emails.html#create-template), here’s how you can associate them with a customer:

*   Go to _Sales_ or _Purchases_ on the left sidebar, and select **Customers** or **Vendors**.
*   Select the customer or vendor for whom you want to associate templates.
*   Click the **More** dropdown in the top right corner and select **Associate Templates**.
*   In the pop-up, select the templates that you want to associate with this customer/vendor.

![Associate Templates with Customers](/books/help/images/settings/emails/associate-templates.png)

*   Click **Save**.

Now, these templates will be set as default for this customer and will be used for all future emails. You can change these templates any time.

* * *