Configuring System Emails

These are instructions on configuring integrated email within Point of Rental instead of using a third-party program such as Windows Live Mail or Microsoft Outlook. There are several store default emails that can be used for different situations. Unique email addresses can also be assigned to each operator, which is covered in this article's second part. If you still choose to use the MAPI method, such as Windows Live or another program, there is an explanation in the third part of this article on how it works. 

Suppose you're using Gmail (Google) and want to set up OAuth2. Please see our article  Email Setup with Gmail or Microsoft 365. 

Topics included in this article

• Email Hierarchy Logic

• Configuring a Store or Global email

• Configuring an email for a specific user  

• Sent Test Email

• How emails work in Point of Rental

• Troubleshooting

• Why are customers not receiving emails I send?

Email hierarchy logic

In this logic list, when the result is accurate, the program stops processing and uses those email settings to send the email.

1. Check for employee store-specific settings.
2. Check for employee global settings.
3. Check for company store-specific settings.
4. Use the company's global settings.

Configuring a Store or Global email

To begin, follow the path below in your Point of Rental system.

Expert: Configuration > Reports and Notifications > System Email Setup

Elite: Gear icon > App Configurations > Reports and Notifications > System Email Setup

1. Gather several pieces of information. These can be retrieved from your email provider (GoDaddy.com, Google, Microsoft outlook, etc...). 
   1. Email Address______________________________________
   2. Email Password_____________________________________
   3. SMTP Server_______________________________________
   4. SMTP Port_________________________________________
   5. Does your email provider use SSL?   □ Yes □ No

2. In this window, use the drop-down to select a store or type of email to configure or update. If you are configuring an email shared across all of your locations, configure the Global Default Setting.
   
   

   Global Default Setting	This is the default option. If no other default email settings are set, everyone will use this email address. It would be a generic address such as info@(businessname).com. The example in Step 3 below shows how to configure this setting.
   Your Specific Store or Stores	Select this option to configure or update an email for each store. You may use the same email account for each store. If you decide to do so, update the displaying phone and fax numbers in the signature (within the Signature area).
   Mass Email Setting	Select this option to configure or update an email used for invoices and statements. Typically, an accounting email address would be set up for this option so that your customers see their invoices sent from an “Accounting” address rather than an operator's personal address.
   System Notifications	Select this option to configure or update the emails used to send notifications. Notifications can be sent from Contracts and Sales Reps. For information on how to set these notifications, see the articles on Contract Notifications and Salesmen Notifications.
   Internet Fax Setup	Select this option to configure or update an email address used to fax contracts, invoices, or statements to your customer. To use this feature, you must be licensed for the Mass/Fax/Email module and have the 3rd party software Metrofax. Your server will not need to have a fax modem installed.
   eSign Set Up	Select this option to configure or update an email address that can be used for a specific store or all stores. This allows various types of notifications to be sent when an eSign is requested.

3. Once you have selected which email option to update, click Edit.
   
    

4. A new window will appear. Input the information you retrieved from your email provider from the first step. Below is a properly configured email account. Read through the definitions below for each area and fill in the information.
   
   
   
   

   Options
   Drop-down menu	This option is not immediately applicable and will initially be dimmed to prevent use.
   Use default email settings	By checking this box, the program will skip these settings and move to the next level in the hierarchy. This option is not available when setting up Global.
   Email Method	Use MAPI (local email) - This method is no longer supported. While someone with knowledge of MAPI can still use it, we no longer support it. Use SMTP for email - This method allows you to set up email server settings directly in the program, eliminating the need for third-party email applications. Register for OAuth2 - This option is available for Gmail/Office 365 users utilizing the SMTP email method. Use this option to register your email for OAuth2 authentication. When you select this button, you will be taken to your Gmail/Office 365 account (in a web browser) to complete the process. For more information, please see our article Gmail and Oauth2 Email Setup.
   SMTP Settings Use the questions you answered in step one to fill in the information in this area.
   Email Address	Enter the email address/account that Point of Rental will be using.
   Email Password	Enter the email address password. This is needed so Point of Rental can send emails to the email address you are configuring.
   SMTP Server	Enter the SMTP Server. Your email provider will determine this.
   SMTP Port	Enter the SMTP Port. Your email provider will determine this.
   Does your email provider use SSL?	Specifically, if your email provider is using SSL. Your email provider will determine this.
   Reply to Address	Enter an email where you want the recipient to reply. If you want it to be the same as the email address you're configuring, leave it alone. At this level, Point of Rental users typically use a tag that gets replaced with the operator’s email address (Tag = {OperatorEmail}).
   Display Name	This is how the name will display when your customer receives an email. At this level, Point of Rental users typically enter a tag to replace the email address with an operator’s name (Tag = {OperatorName})
   Blind Carbon Copy	Use this field to enter a Blind Carbon Copy email. Point of Rental is not an email application and therefore does not have a sent box.   A BCC can help determine and test whether an email was sent successfully. Point of Rental DOES NOT have a report that displays whether an email was successfully sent. Our report will only display if emails were attempted to be sent. You may enter multiple emails in this field by separating them with a semicolon and a space.  Additionally, we recommend setting up a secondary generic email box where all emails sent from Point of Rental can be sent through this BCC email; this gives management an easy way to see all email activity from Point of Rental.
   Graphic File Name	Enter the path to the logo here (PORDRIVE:\por\mylogo.jpg). Please note that the drive letter depends on where the Point of Rental program is installed. The logo will appear below the signature text. Make sure it’s a normal size (1 x 2 inches or so).
   Signature
   Text box	Place your signature here. The text in this box will be appended to the bottom of the email body. Tags such as "{OperatorName}" should be used here. Please note that any special fields used, like "OperatorName" will not appear on emails that have been emailed in mass

5.  Press Okay to save your changes.

Configuring an email for a specific user

Expert: Program Menu > Security > Employee Setup

Elite: Gear icon > Security > Employee Setup
 

1. Find and select the user you want to set up an email account with.

2. Click Email Setup, which is found at the top of their record.
   

3. This will bring up a window like the one in Email Setup in Configuration for that specific user.

4. At the top left, if you want the user to have a certain store's default email, you can select it after checking the “Use Default Email Settings” box. Otherwise, you can set them up as individual accounts like the one below.
   
    

5. Press OK to save your changes.

Send Test Email

Using this button DOES NOT test the email settings as seen on the screen. It tests the hierarchy logic outlined in section Email Hierarchy Logic  and tests the program's email settings for the account selected by the hierarchy logic. For example, testing within Company Configuration settings, only tests the company settings. It will not test the email logic using operator email settings.

 

How emails work in Point of Rental 

When you email a document through Point of Rental by using Windows Live or another program, a PDF is created and attached. Point of Rental then checks for the default mail program on the terminal from which you are sending the email. If you do not have an email program (such as Microsoft Outlook or Windows Live) configured on the terminal from which you are trying to email, nothing will send (you will get several error messages if this is the case). Point of Rental will then open up the default email program and send the email.

Troubleshooting

My customer DID NOT Receive the Email. I'm using MAPI as the email method.

Here is what to do if a customer claims they did not get the email you sent them through Point of Rental.

1. Go to the terminal from which the email was sent. If they were automatically sent at the end of the day, go to the terminal from where you closed that day.
2. Open up your email (Windows Live or Microsoft Outlook).
3. Go to the folder “Sent Items” and look for the message for that day.
4. Point of Rental did not generate the email if you do not see the message. If you do see the message, however, it means everything worked fine on your end and it is a problem on theirs. If that is the case, please look at the following possibilities in this article's last section to see the problem.

My customer DID NOT Receive the Email. I'm using the SMTP emailing method. 

Here is what to do if a customer calls claiming they did not get the email you sent them through Point of Rental.

1. Go to Program Menu > Configuration > Reports and Notifications > System Email Setup. 
2. Select Global Settings. 
3. Ensure that the SMTP for email is selected at the top of the screen.
4. Verify that the Email Address, Email Password, SMTP Server, SMTP Port, and Use SSL are exactly the same as what is set in your email provider.
5. To test the email, click the “Send Test Email” button and enter an email address. If your message went through, you will see “message sent.” If you do not see this message, that means the email was unsuccessful. Please look at the following possibilities below to see what might be the problem.

Why are customers not receiving emails I send?

• The default message that Point of Rental generates when sending a contract is, “Your invoice is attached,” and this can be flagged by other people’s email as spam. You can change this in your parameters.

• The recipient's email provider has filtered the mail as spam or junk mail based on the content or the sender's (your) IP address.

• The Junk Mail filter has identified one or more keywords that spammers repeatedly use in their messages.

• The recipient has set up 'rules' in their mail program that are too generic and therefore tagging your mail as spam.

• The recipient has flagged the sender as someone that sends spam.

• You are sending an attachment with your message and you have included wording that is considered to be spam.