Jobs are being logged for the wrong person

When processing email, the Email Manager uses a strict algorithm to determine which client is associated with the email, and the resultant job or action. The following flowchart demonstrates the processing logic involved.

When the Email Manager attempts to match an email address with an existing client, it will scan the email address stored against each client in the order they are specified in the System Codes administration screen.

Note! When updating an existing job, the Email Manager will only process email from staff members, linked clients of the job, or email that has come from the same domain as the primary client.

The Email Manager is logging jobs for the wrong person!

Sometimes the Email Manager may seem to be logging or actioning jobs for the wrong person. This most likely is a result of the way your HelpMaster database for clients has been configured. An understanding of the inner workings of the Email Manager’s processing logic may help correct the issue.

The basic workflow of the Email Manager goes like this:

1. When an email is processed, the SMTP style email address (someone@somewhere.com) is extracted from the email
2. Email Manager will then search through all of the HelpMaster clients and look for a match using a “like” search. A list of all clients that have the email address in their list of email addresses will be returned.
3. If only one client is returned, then this one will be selected and used as the client for the job or action.
4. However if more than one client is returned as a result of the search, the Email Manager will then try to make a match based on the first name and last name of the client (as specified in HelpMaster), and match this with the first name and last name of the friendly name of the incoming email.
   1. If a match is found on the first name / last name, then this client is used
   2. If no match can be made using the first and last names, then the first client in the list will be chosen.

Example 1 - When an email can match 2 or more clients, but the first name / last name doesn’t match

HelpMaster client #1

Name is “Brian Jones” Email address is bjones@helpmasterpro.com

HelpMaster client #2

Name is “Bill Jones” Email address is bbjones@helpmasterpro.com

Incoming email to be processed

Friendly name on email is “Bob Jones” - Note that this name does not match any of the clients listed in HelpMaster SMTP email is “bjones@helpmasterpro.com” - This email address will be found in both of the clients listed above.

The end result of this will be to use Client #1, because when no exact match can be found for either email address, or First name / Last name, then the first record in the search list will be selected.

Example 2 - When an email can match 2 or more clients, and match the first name / last name of a client

HelpMaster client #1

Name is “Brian Jones” Email address is bjones@helpmasterpro.com

HelpMaster client #2

Name is “Bill Jones” Email address is bbjones@helpmasterpro.com

Incoming email to be processed

Friendly name on email is “Bill Jones” - Note that this name does match any of the clients listed in HelpMaster SMTP email is “bjones@helpmasterpro.com” - This email address will be found in both of the clients listed above.

The end result of this will be to use Client #2, because a match can be found on the first name / last name combination.

See Also

Client options