Why are HelpScout emails not getting replies and potentially going to spam?

Key findings

• Authentication Issues: Despite configuring recommended SPF and DKIM records, issues can arise if the email service provider (like HelpScout) uses shared domains for authentication, leading to a lack of proper alignment with your own sending domain. A common problem observed is DKIM verification failures.
• Shared IP and Domain Reputation: Using shared IPs on a platform like HelpScout means your sending reputation is tied to other users. While not always the primary cause, poor practices by other users could inadvertently impact your deliverability. Maintaining a strong domain reputation is critical.
• Content Engagement: Even if emails land in the inbox, non-engagement can stem from unappealing or unmotivating content. This is a separate, but equally important, factor that must be considered alongside technical deliverability issues.
• Third-Party Platform Challenges: SaaS providers sometimes require specific DNS records but may not fully align your domain in the email headers, which can lead to authentication failures. This is a common hurdle with third-party sending platforms.

Key considerations

• Switching Mail Servers: Consider migrating from HelpScout's default mail servers to a dedicated service like Google Workspace to leverage your own domain's authentication and potentially improve deliverability. This can lead to better branding and control over your email reputation.
• Thorough Authentication Review: Perform a deep dive into your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup. Ensure that all aspects of your email authentication are correctly configured for your sending domain, especially when using a third-party service. Consult resources on preventing emails from going to junk.
• Inbox Placement Testing: Actively test your email placement across various major mailbox providers (e.g., Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo) to determine if messages are reaching the primary inbox, promotions tab, or spam folder.
• Content Optimization: Review and refine your email content to ensure it is clear, concise, and compelling, encouraging recipients to reply or engage. Even with good deliverability, poor content can hinder replies.
• Diagnosing Missing Emails: If emails are not reaching the inbox at all, understand why emails go to spam and how to troubleshoot these issues, which might include analyzing email headers for clues.

Key opinions

• Deliverability is Suspect: Many marketers immediately suspect poor email deliverability to be the primary reason for low engagement and unreceived replies from HelpScout.
• Authentication Uncertainty: Despite configuring recommended SPF, DKIM, and DMARC settings, marketers are often uncertain if their authentication is truly set up optimally, especially with third-party platforms.
• Google Workspace Recommendation: A common suggestion from experienced HelpScout users is to switch to sending emails via Google Workspace for better control over authentication and branding.
• Combined Issues: Marketers recognize that a lack of replies can stem from a combination of deliverability problems (emails not reaching the inbox) and content issues (emails not motivating engagement).
• Impact on Customer Success: The inability to reach customers through support emails directly impacts customer satisfaction and can contribute to churn, highlighting the criticality of solving this issue.

Key considerations

• Engaging HelpScout Support: The first step for many is to reach out to HelpScout's support for insights into their platform's delivery performance, although the actionable advice provided can sometimes be limited.
• Conducting Inbox Testing: Marketers suggest performing inbox tests with representative B2B mailbox providers (like O365 and Google Workspace) to see where emails are actually landing, including the promotions tab or spam.
• Reviewing Sender Reputation: It is important to review your sending reputation where possible, particularly if using a shared IP, as this can directly impact how recipients' mail servers view your emails.
• Optimizing Content: Even with successful inbox placement, improving the clarity and call-to-action of your email content can significantly boost reply rates. This is especially true for important product emails.
• Header Analysis: For failed or suspicious emails, analyzing the full email source and headers provides critical diagnostic information about delivery path and authentication results.

Key opinions

• Authentication Setup is Key: Experts strongly suspect that underlying authentication issues, particularly with DKIM, are a primary cause for HelpScout emails not reaching the inbox despite SPF passing.
• Shared IP and Domain Practices: It's common for SaaS providers to use shared IPs and shared domains for SPF/DKIM, which can sometimes lead to reputation challenges, although direct problems are not always guaranteed.
• Customer Behavior for Support Emails: Customers contacting support are generally expected to actively check their spam folders for replies, implying that if replies are genuinely missed, it's likely a technical deliverability failure rather than just a lack of attention.
• Importance of Own Authentication: Using a service like Google Workspace for sending HelpScout emails allows senders to utilize their own domain's authentication, which is crucial for better control and reputation management.

Key considerations

• Detailed Header Analysis: To effectively troubleshoot, experts require full email headers from a sample message to analyze authentication results (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and identify anomalies. This is crucial for diagnosing common DMARC issues.
• Verifying DKIM: Specifically, sending a test email to a Gmail account and checking its DKIM signature is recommended to confirm if a DKIM issue truly exists, as a DKIM failure can significantly impact deliverability.
• Manual Inbox Testing: Beyond automated tools, manual testing by sending emails to diverse test addresses at representative mailbox providers can provide real-world insight into inbox placement. This is part of a proven deliverability test checklist.
• Beware of CNAME Wildcards: A wildcard CNAME record on a domain can complicate email authentication and potentially lead to deliverability problems, as noted by some experts.

Key findings

• SPF Purpose: SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is designed to verify the sending IP address against a list of authorized IPs published in the domain's DNS records, aiming to detect and prevent forged sender addresses.
• DKIM Function: DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) uses cryptographic signatures to ensure that an email message has not been altered during transit and that it genuinely originates from an authorized sender.
• DMARC Role: DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) provides a policy framework for email senders to instruct recipient mail servers on how to handle emails that fail SPF or DKIM authentication.
• Alignment Importance: For DMARC to pass, the domain in the visible 'From' header must align with the domain used for either SPF or DKIM authentication. Failure to align is a common reason for emails going to spam.

Key considerations

• Addressing DKIM Failures: Documentation emphasizes that failing DKIM signatures can directly lead to emails being flagged as suspicious or routed to the spam folder by receiving mail servers. Troubleshooting is vital to boost deliverability rates.
• Custom Domain Authentication: Many email service providers (ESPs) advise using custom domain authentication (instead of shared domains) to build and maintain a stronger, independent sender reputation.
• Content Encoding Standards: Technical specifications for email content recommend using standard encoding formats, such as quoted-printable or base64, to ensure message integrity and avoid unintended deliverability problems caused by formatting issues.
• Proactive DMARC Implementation: It is recommended to implement DMARC with a monitoring policy first (`p=none`) to gather insights into authentication failures before moving to stricter policies, helping to fix common DMARC issues.