How to transition from SMTP to Office 365 sync

If you are switching from an SMTP email provider to Office 365, you will now have the option of utilizing two-way sync between Office 365 and Front. Going forward, you can also add new Office 365 inboxes to Front with two-way sync.

The two-way sync means that both inbound and outbound emails will be synced between Front and Office 365. If you send in Front, you'll see it in Office 365; if you send in Office 365, you'll see it in Front. For Front accounts on legacy sync: Open or archived conversation status will also be synced both ways — so when you archive a conversation in Front, it's also archived in Office 365, granted that your settings have not changed the sync, explained here. 

Want more details about what exactly syncs? Learn more here.

If you want to transition shared inboxes to the Office 365 sync, you will need to be a Front admin and have the Office 365 login credentials to make the changes.

You will first remove the SMTP channel you've been using. Do not delete the inbox if you want to keep your conversation history in Front — just remove the channel. You'll then add a new channel for that email account using the new sync channel option.  See instructions below for the detailed steps.

As long as you do not delete the inbox when you remove the channel, existing conversations in Front will not be affected when you make this switch. For Front accounts on legacy sync: If you update a conversation (like archiving it) after you reconnect with sync, the conversation will sync that action at that time.

Important: Any drafts you composed using your existing channel will not be retained, so be sure to send or delete any remaining drafts before proceeding.

Step 1

Click the gear icon on the top right of Front and select company, workspace, or personal settings in the left sidebar, depending on the space you’re working with. Admins can also access user settings by following these steps.

Step 2

Remove the channel containing the SMTP channel, by following the steps here.

Removing the channel will not delete any of your email history that is already in the inbox, which means it will retain any comments and activities made to the emails in Front.

If you want to delete all history in Front and start a fresh import of emails from Office 365, then you can follow these steps to delete the inbox instead.

Step 3

After removing the SMTP channels, you can follow the steps to add an Office 365 individual inbox or shared inbox.

This feature is available on all plans.