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This article explains how you can set up parent-child categories, or sub categories. Where only one of the categories has an email ID associated with it, but tickets in the other (child or sub) categories will also be updated with the responses sent by the customers.
For accounts using Channels, please go to this part of the article.
You can set up just one Category with email integration enabled and have more sub categories, each of which need not have an email ID associated with them. Such that when replies are sent on tickets which belong to these non-email integrated sub categories, the customer will receive them and subsequent replies sent by the customer will come back into HappyFox and get appended to the ticket, even though it belongs to a sub category to which an email ID is not associated.
To do this, HappyFox allows you to configure and setup SMTP for outgoing emails at a per category level.
Consider the example below:
Category 1 - is an email integrated category. The email ID associated to it is tmstaff1@gmail.com. It has been configured to use it's own SMTP, as shown below:
Category 2 - is a category to which no email ID is associated and is using the SMTP of Category 1, like:
With this configuration, emails sent to tmstaff1@gmail.com will be created as tickets in Category 1 (if the forwarding rule is configured correctly). You can then move the ticket(s) from Category 1 to Category 2 manually or based on some conditions (via Smart Rules). Once the tickets are in Category 2, your helpdesk staff can work on them and send replies to the customer just as they normally would. As long as the SMTP details are correct, these replies will be delivered to the customers. When customers send a reply subsequently, the email will be parsed and appended to the same ticket, which is now in Category 2. Although they are actually sending an email to tmstaff1@gmail.com, which is the email ID associated with Category 1!
You can also customize the FROM ID for all such categories, simply as one email ID like noreply@<accountname>.happyfox.com. To change the FROM ID for a sub category, click on the text link "use custom" and specify the email ID you'd like.
Note: In the case of using Gmail IDs for the SMTP settings, a custom FROM ID will not take effect since Gmail forces the email ID associated with the SMTP account to be the FROM ID in the outgoing emails, even if something else is specified.
For accounts that have Channels (Main Menu > Channels), the below steps can be adopted to attain a similar workflow as shown above.
Let us assume the email channel tmstaff1@gmail.com is connected to a category called as Import.
To use an existing email channel for outbound emails, please select the channel from the dropdown option under Email Channel Setup. This option is available for both creating and editing a category.
After making the required changes, please Save.
To edit this for existing categories, please go to Main Menu > Manage > Categories > Click the burger menu button > Edit
With this configuration, emails sent to tmstaff1@gmail.com will be created as tickets in Import (if the forwarding rule is configured correctly). Tickets can be moved from Import to Payroll (shown in the above screenshot) manually or via Smart Rules. Once tickets are in Payroll, help-desk agents can send replies to the customer just as they normally would. Agent replies would reach the customer from tmstaff1@gmail.com and when customers reply, their email will be parsed and appended to the same ticket, which is now in Payroll. Although they are actually sending an email to tmstaff1@gmail.com, which is the email ID associated with Import!
