Linking activities during email import

Due to existing sales structures (e.g. sales to end customers via sales partners), the same email address may be stored with several business or contact partners (that of the respective sales partner). As a result, when importing emails, the system automatically links not only the "correct" business and contact person, but also others from the same sales partner with the same email address.

If set in the system, an unwanted automatic link can be prevented.

The function only concerns the drag&drop mail import, because per import folder or Outlook addin the information is missing, which is the "correct" business or contact person to which the mail should be linked.

Unique business and contact persons whose mail address does not exist more than once in the system will continue to be linked automatically.

This automatically links the imported mails:

• When importing mails, the subject is used to determine whether the current mail is a reply or a forwarding to a previous mail.

  • To do this, the typical prefixes in the subject line of reply or forwarding emails ("AW:", "Re:", "FWD:", etc.) are first removed.

  • The typical prefixes can be initially specified via Advanced settings (application parameters) in the Admin console and can be customized by the customer (CN entry).

  • The following procedure is used to remove the prefixes in the mail subject:

    • If there is a colon within the first 3 characters, everything up to the colon is discarded.

    • The check then starts again until the rule is no longer fulfilled.

    • Continue with the remaining string.

  • Example:
    The subject line reads "AW: Re: Re: Automatic grouping of mails"
    The algorithm removes "AW:" in the first step. In the second step "Re:". In the third step "Re:"
    "Automatic grouping of mails" remains

• The remaining subject string is used to search for previous emails in the CRM:

  • Logic: SELECT Mails WHERE Subject CONTAINS subject string AND sender is in addressee list

• If such a mail is found, the new mail is linked to its predecessor.

• If no previous mail is found, the new mail is marked as the starting point of a new conversation. There is an attribute for this in the Activity entity (meaning "conversation anchor"). A set conversation anchor means that this mail forms the head of a (possible) conversation. If the anchor is not set, this means that it is a follow-up email within a conversation.

• As the "conversation anchor" only knows two values (FALSE is the default), all old mails are considered part of a conversation.