Overview
Spam filters quarantine messages identified as spam.
An email server may quarantine a message that is identified as spam.
One reason that spam filters block email addressed from an Application Service Provider (ASP) is that the From address uses a different domain from the mail server.
For example, if the From address is eventplanner@example.com, the email still goes out with Certain's mail server's DNS host name (mail.certain.com) in the header.
To reduce quarantined emails, the default setting in Certain Platform modifies all email sent from Certain servers so that the From address is event_information@certain.com and the display name is the Registration Contact.
The Reply-To address is also that of the event's Registration Contact.
The effect is that email recipients will see the Registration Contact's name in the From field.
If recipients click Reply, the reply will be addressed to the Registration Contact.
The receiving mail server will recognize that the From address is in the same domain as the sending mail server.
You can change this setting so emails are sent with the Event Contact's email address in the From field by navigating to Account Settings > Implementation > Security Settings > Set Email FROM value to "Use Event Registration Contact."
If you change this setting, review the information below and contact Certain Support to pass DMARC security checks.
The Email "Chain" - a filtering device
When you are logged into Certain and sending an email update to hundreds of attendees, the email transmission passes through a chain of mail servers.
The mail servers scrutinize the email at several levels.
Certain sends these emails using SendGrid.
Once SendGrid determines that the emails are safe to send, the mail servers engage with the recipients' mail servers or with an email appliance acting in lieu of those servers.
This is where another key filtering takes place.
In a Business-to-Business (B2B) situation, rarely do you directly engage with the end point mail server.
You will most likely deal with an appliance that scans for malware, checks for blacklisting, scans content, applies whitelisting settings, and eventually decides to let the email reach the endpoint mail server.
In many B2B situations, client-side filters such as Outlook's Junk folder have their own criteria and thresholds for keeping email out of the primary inbox.
In a Business-to-Consumer (B2C) situation, the top five Internet Service Providers (ISPs) cover about 80% of mailing addresses.
ISPs have their own filtering systems with requirements that push back on massive amounts of SPAM, in the order of hundreds of billions of emails in a year.
Based on the quick breakdown above, there are many opportunities for emails to not be sent, not be accepted, or be accepted but placed in the SPAM or JUNK folder.
How do you control this?
There are several aspects of email communication that affect how emails are delivered.
Some aspects are technical in nature and designed to authenticate the mail sent through Certain.
The rest concerns best practices.
Identify yourself
SPF records and Domain Keys are tools designed to prove that emails sent through Certain originate from a valid source.
Please contact Certain Support to receive an updated SendGrid Authentication email.
This email will include a list of records that will need to be added to the DNS host and will help improve deliverability by showing inbox providers that you own the domain.
Know your own environment
As you send test emails to yourself through Certain, you need to know whether your own mail server uses a SPAM firewall.
If you do not get your test email, this is the first location to check, as SPAM firewalls bounce emails.
Testing with a regular ISP email address is also a good idea, as it will allow you to establish a baseline of what another mail server accepts (or does not).
Follow best practices
There are many soft rules that apply to email communication best practices.
With all the different email filters in place, mistakes such as having an email subject that is too long may prevent delivery to a few mail servers, while still having good delivery for others.
If emails are delivered to some addresses and not others, the cause is related to content and practices.