Email Setup

Connect Jack to your email for guest communication.

Connect your property's email to Jack for automated responses and unified inbox management.

Overview

Email integration requires:

  • IMAP — For reading incoming emails
  • SMTP — For sending outgoing emails

Most email providers support both. You'll need the server settings from your email provider.

Common Provider Settings

Gmail / Google Workspace

IMAP Settings:

  • Server: imap.gmail.com
  • Port: 993
  • Security: SSL/TLS

SMTP Settings:

  • Server: smtp.gmail.com
  • Port: 587
  • Security: STARTTLS

Gmail requirement: You must create an "App Password" instead of using your regular password. Go to Google Account → Security → 2-Step Verification → App Passwords.

Microsoft 365 / Outlook

IMAP Settings:

  • Server: outlook.office365.com
  • Port: 993
  • Security: SSL/TLS

SMTP Settings:

  • Server: smtp.office365.com
  • Port: 587
  • Security: STARTTLS

Custom / Self-hosted

Contact your email administrator for IMAP and SMTP settings.

Setup Steps

  1. In Jack's dashboard, go to Settings → Apps
  2. Find Email and click Configure
  3. Enter your IMAP settings:
    • Server hostname
    • Port (usually 993)
    • Username (your email address)
    • Password (or app password)
  4. Enter your SMTP settings:
    • Server hostname
    • Port (usually 587)
    • Username and password
  5. Click Test Connection
  6. If successful, click Save and Enable

How It Works

Incoming emails

  1. Jack polls your inbox every 60 seconds
  2. New emails are imported as conversations
  3. AI processes and optionally responds
  4. Emails are marked as read (not deleted)

Outgoing emails

  1. Staff or AI drafts a response
  2. Email is sent via SMTP
  3. Copy saved to your Sent folder

Email Filtering

Configure which emails Jack processes:

  • Include folder — Monitor specific folders (default: INBOX)
  • Exclude senders — Ignore emails from certain addresses (e.g., newsletters)
  • Subject filters — Only process emails matching keywords

Tip: Create a dedicated inbox folder (e.g., "Guest Inquiries") and set up email rules to route guest emails there. Then configure Jack to only monitor that folder.

Email Threading

Jack groups related emails into conversation threads using:

  • Message-ID and In-Reply-To headers
  • Subject line matching
  • Sender email address

This means replies stay grouped with the original inquiry.

Email Signature

Configure an email signature in Settings → Email → Signature:

Best regards,
Jack | Guest Services
The Grand Hotel
+1 555-123-4567

The signature is automatically appended to outgoing emails.

Costs

Email integration uses your existing email account—no additional costs. If you need higher volume, consider a dedicated transactional email service like SendGrid or Postmark.

Security Considerations

  • Use app passwords instead of main account passwords
  • Enable 2FA on your email account
  • Consider a dedicated email address for Jack
  • Credentials are encrypted in Jack's database

Troubleshooting

Connection fails

  • Verify server hostname and port
  • Check username is the full email address
  • Use app password for Gmail/Outlook
  • Ensure IMAP is enabled in email settings

Emails not appearing

  • Check the monitored folder setting
  • Verify emails aren't filtered by exclusion rules
  • Wait up to 60 seconds for polling cycle

Sending fails

  • Verify SMTP settings separately from IMAP
  • Check for sending limits on your email provider
  • Ensure "From" address matches authenticated account