Articles in this section

FAQs About Email Deliverability

ServiceCore sends emails to your customers throughout their job and account lifecycle, from appointment reminders to invoices to portal invitations. Here are answers to the questions we hear most about how those emails get delivered and tracked.

How does ServiceCore know when an email is delivered?

When ServiceCore sends an email, the recipient's mail server sends a response back letting us know if the message was accepted, if it bounced, or if it couldn't be delivered for another reason. That response is what determines the status you see for each email.

How can I see when my emails are delivered?

There are 2 places in your ServiceCore account where you can check the status of emails sent to your customers:

  1. In "Reports", in the Log Reports section, open the Email Activity Report.

    Reports _ ServiceCore (5).png

     

  2. In "Messaging", in the "Email" tab, select the "Sent" tab.

    Sent Messages _ ServiceCore (1).png

Both locations show the same information pulled from your account's full email history. Use the date range and filter options in either location to narrow down the list.

What does "Hard Bounced" mean?

A "Hard Bounced" status means an email permanently failed to deliver. When this happens, ServiceCore stops sending future emails to that address so we don't keep hitting the same wall. Common reasons an email hard bounces:

  • The recipient's email address doesn't exist.
  • The recipient's email server has completely blocked delivery.

To learn more about hard and soft bounces, check out this article.

What does "Soft Bounced" mean?

A "Soft Bounced" status means an email hit a temporary delivery issue. ServiceCore will handle these differently than hard bounces, since a soft bounce doesn't mean the address is bad, just that something got in the way this time.

If an address keeps soft bouncing over and over, it will eventually get treated as a hard bounce. Common reasons an email soft bounces:

  • The recipient's mailbox is full.
  • The recipient's mailbox isn't configured correctly.
  • The recipient's mailbox is inactive.
  • The recipient's email server is down or offline.
  • The recipient's email server has received too many emails in a short period of time.
  • The email message is too large.
  • The domain name doesn't exist.
  • The email message got blocked due to its content.
  • The email message didn't meet the recipient server's policies.
  • The email message didn't meet the recipient server's DMARC requirements for authentication.
  • The email message didn't meet the recipient server's anti-spam requirements.
  • The email message didn't meet the recipient server's anti-virus requirements.
  • The email message didn't meet the recipient server's sender requirements.
  • The email couldn't be relayed between email servers.

To learn more about hard and soft bounces, check out this article.

What does "Spam Complaint" mean?

A "Spam Complaint" status means your customer reported the email as spam through their email program. If their email provider sends that information back to ServiceCore, the email will show a "Spam Complaint" status, and ServiceCore will reject any future attempts to send to that address.

Please Note: A spam complaint isn't the same as an email landing in a spam or junk folder. If a customer's email provider doesn't report complaints back to ServiceCore, we won't see it, even if the email did land in spam.

The best way to avoid spam complaints is to only send to customers who want to hear from you.

To learn more about spam complaints and sender reputation, check out this article.

What happens after an email is delivered?

Once a recipient's mail server accepts an email for delivery, ServiceCore doesn't have visibility into what happens next. The message may pass through spam filters or other processes on the recipient's end that we can't see.

Think of it like dropping a letter in the mail. Once it lands at your customer's mailbox, it's out of your hands, and theirs, to sort from there.

What email address do my emails come from?

All emails sent from ServiceCore come from no-reply@servicecore.com.

Why aren't my customers receiving my emails?

If a customer says they aren't seeing your emails, here are a few things to have them check:

Search for the Sender Address 

Have them search their inbox for no-reply@servicecore.com. Depending on how their inbox is set up, they may already have the emails, just not associated with your business name. 

Check for Filters or Blocked Addresses 

For Gmail users, have them check their Gmail filters and blocked addresses settings to make sure nothing's diverting your emails away from their inbox. 

Ask About Email Aliases 

If a customer's email is set up as an alias of another address, that can sometimes affect where the email lands.

Turn Off Conversation View

In Gmail, Conversation View can group emails together in a way that makes new ones easy to miss. Have them check Gmail's grouping settings if this seems like the issue. 

Check Categories and Tabs

Gmail's categories and tabs can bury emails outside the primary inbox. Have the customer check these settings if they're used. 

Try an Alternate Email Address 

Some email providers, especially government (.gov, .mil) or education (.edu) domains, have strict filtering rules. If your customer has another email address on file, try that one instead.

If none of these resolve it, you'll need to work directly with your customer to check for filtering, routing, or alias setups on their end that could be blocking the email from reaching their inbox.


If you have any questions, please reach out to our Support team through the chat widget on the bottom of this page or by sending an email to support@servicecore.com

Was this article helpful?
1 out of 2 found this helpful

Get Support

  • Submit a Request

    Send us a ticket and we’ll reply during business hours.

  • Support Hours

    We're available Monday–Friday, 7:00am–5:00pm MT.

  • Call Us

    You can call us at 1-888-691-1333.