Set up an email inbox

An email inbox connects a mailbox like support@yourcompany.com to ADS Helpdesk so every message becomes a ticket. This guide covers the full setup and how to choose between forwarding and IMAP.

Create the inbox

1. Go to Admin → Inboxes → New → Email.
2. Enter an inbox name (for example Support) and the support email address customers write to.
3. Choose a receive method, Email forwarding or IMAP polling.
4. Choose your inbox type, Google Workspace / Gmail, Microsoft 365 / Outlook, or Other for any custom domain.
5. Continue to add agents, then finish on the Connect & test step.

Receive method: forwarding vs IMAP

Email forwarding (recommended), ADS Helpdesk gives the inbox a unique helpdesk address. You set your mailbox to forward to it, and messages convert into tickets instantly. No mailbox password is stored. Full walkthrough: Forward Gmail or Outlook into ADS Helpdesk.

IMAP polling, ADS Helpdesk signs into your mailbox and pulls new mail on a schedule. Choose this if you can't set up forwarding. You'll provide:

• Host & port: Gmail uses imap.gmail.com port 993; Microsoft 365 uses outlook.office365.com port 993. Keep SSL enabled.
• Username & password: use an app password if your provider requires one (Gmail and many Microsoft tenants do).
• Initial sync scope: From setup time onward (recommended), backfill a recent window, or import all unseen.

Click Test inbound to confirm ADS Helpdesk can connect.

Sending email (outbound)

Outbound works out of the box: replies send from the platform sender (for example support@adshelpdesk.com) and customer replies route back to your inbox automatically, no configuration required.

To send from your own address instead, enable Use customer SMTP sender and provide a from name, from email, and SMTP host/port/credentials with SSL or STARTTLS. Custom sending is available on Pro and Max, see Use your own sending domain.

Test before you go live

On the Connect & test step, ADS Helpdesk shows a pass/fail checklist (details, agents, inbound, outbound). Use Send outbound test (and Test inbound for IMAP) until every check passes.

Note: The free Starter plan includes one email inbox for 90 days. Upgrade to add more, see Plans & billing.

Troubleshooting

• No tickets arriving (IMAP): re-check host, port, SSL, and credentials, and confirm IMAP access is enabled on the mailbox.
• No tickets arriving (forwarding): confirm the forwarding rule points at the exact helpdesk address and that any verification step was completed.
• Outbound failing: verify SMTP credentials, or switch off the custom sender to use the platform default.