Mail Access

Your Virtual Assistant needs to know how to access your mail account on your behalf to give you interactive speech access to your emails and eventually, your contacts and calendar. Once access to your mail server has been configured, you will be able to:

• Listen to your emails and reply to them using your own voice.
• Forward emails to your contacts and colleagues.
• Send new voice emails to any contact in your voice directory.
• Delete and archive emails.
• Access voice mail and faxes and manage them as emails.

If you are using Google or Microsoft mail systems, the Virtual Assistant can also access your calendar and contacts. This will provide you access to additional features such as:

• Synchronizing your contacts with your voice directory to call them, send them text messages or filter their calls.
• Review your calendar appointments for today or any date in the next two months.
• Schedule new meetings and invite contacts and colleagues as participants using your own voice.
• Synchronize your call forwarding status with your calendar events (available, in-meeting, out-of-office, or not available).

Note that your Virtual Assistant acts as a voice bridge that connects your existing email account to your phone system in order to give you voice access to your emails, contacts and calendar. It does not give you an email account.

Setup Your Mail Access Connection

From the Mail Access page, you can set up your mail access connection based on your type of email system.

Click one of the following for connexion instructions:

• Office 365 Connection.
• Google G Suite Mail Connection.
• Google Gmail Connection.
• Microsoft Exchange Mail Connection (or Outlook Web App - formerly Outlook Web Access).
• Hosted Mail Connection for known email service providers such as GoDaddy, Yahoo!, etc.
• Manually Configure Mail Access Connection for any other type of email service provider.

The Mail Access page is used to configure the mail access connection to your email server, if you subscribed to this feature. Your emails will be read by the Virtual Assistant using voice commands over the phone, but the Web Portal will not display your emails.

Microsoft Office 365 Mail Access Connection

Complete these steps to configure your Microsoft Office 365 mail access connection:

1. Get the required information
2. Prepare your Office 365 email account for the mail access connection
3. Configure the mail access connection

Required Information

To complete the Office 365 mail access setup, your email login credentials are required:

• Username: This is the username you use to login to your email account with other mail clients such as Outlook. You may have to enter your mail server domain name.
• Password: This is the password you use to access your emails. This confidential information is automatically encrypted and securely saved by the Virtual Assistant.
• Exchange URL: For example https://outlook.office365.com/EWS/Exchange.asmx.

Configure your Office 365 Connection

Login to the Web Portal and follow the instructions below to enable the Virtual Assistant to access your emails on the Office 365 server:

• Click Settings > Mail Access in the main menu.
• Enter or update your username and password at the top of the page.
• Select the Exchange radio button.
• Enter the URL to the server in the Exchange URL field. Example: https://outlook.office365.com/EWS/Exchange.asmx.
• Click Submit to launch the Mail Access Connection validation process.

The system uses the information that you provide to connect to your email account. The results of each validation step are displayed including any errors. If the connection is successful, you will receive a test email message confirming that your mail access connection setup is successful.

If the connection fails, verify that you have properly entered your account information and try again. You may need to manually configure the mail access parameters or choose the I don't know option to have the system try a variety of mail access parameters and protocols to attempt establishing a valid mail access connection. You can also see Troubleshooting Mail Access Connection for details.

Google G Suite Mail Access Connection

These instructions are for members of an organization that uses Google G Suite for its emails, contacts, calendar, docs and drive. If you are using Google Gmail, see Google Gmail Mail Access Connection for details.

If you are using a corporate email account on Google G Suite, then your mail access connection can be greatly simplified if your corporate email administrator has already installed and connected the Virtual Assistant application from the Google Application Marketplace. Contact your Company account administrator to prepare your Google G Suite account for the mail access connection.

Prepare your Google G Suite Account for the Mail Access Connection

The domain administrator of the Google G Suite corporate email account must complete the following steps to authorize the Virtual Assisstant connection:

1. Login to your Google G Suite corporate email account as the domain administrator.
2. On your Google admin console, click Applications then click Google G Suite Marketplace. See https://support.google.com/a/answer/172482?hl=en for details.
3. Once in the Google Marketplace, search for "Business Phone with Voice Assistant".
4. Select the Virtual Assistant application then click Install. See https://apps.google.com/marketplace/u/0/app/doaliljldkmjcaijmhpedmlabcpngafb?pann=adm.
5. Follow the Google G Suite instructions to install the application. Make sure to enable the newly installed Virtual Assistant application for all users.

Configure Your Google G Suite Mail Access Connection

Login to the Web Portal and follow the instructions below to enable the Virtual Assistant to access your Google G Suite account:

• Click Settings > Mail Access in the main menu.
• Select the Google Apps radio button.
• Click Submit to launch the connection process.
• Since your account has already been set up to use the Virtual Assistant application, you will automatically be offered the option to click Connect to establish your mail access connection without having to enter your email password.
• Clicking Connect triggers Google G Suite to ask for your permission to authorize the Virtual Assistant to access your emails, calendar, contacts and drive.
• Click Accept to grant the requested access permissions to the Virtual Assistant.
• That's it. Your mail access connection is established. Your Web Portal can access and sync your contacts, and your Virtual Assistant is now able to access your emails, calendar and contacts.

Your personal contacts on the Google G Suite Server are now synced with your personal contacts on the Virtual Assistant. Syncing also applies to contact groups including the Voice Directory group that contains contacts that can be called by the Virtual Assistant. To build and update your Voice Directory using contacts from your Google G Suite Server, see Sync Contacts.

Google Gmail Mail Access Connection

These instructions are for Google Gmail users. If you are part of an organization that uses Google G Suite for its emails, contacts, calendar, docs and drive, see Google G Suite Mail Connection for details.

As a Google Gmail user, setting your mail access connection is greatly simplified.

Configure the Gmail Mail Access Connection

Login to the Web Portal and follow the instructions below to enable the Virtual Assistant to access your emails on Google Gmail:

• Click Settings > Mail Access in the main menu.
• Enter or update your username and password at the top of the section.
• Select the Settings radio button.
• Select Google G Mail from the Mail Access Protocol dropdown list.
• Based your email address domain (gmail.com), the Web Portal will automatically offer you the option to click Connect in order establish your mail access connection. You will not be required to enter your email password.
• Clicking Connect triggers Google Gmail to ask for your permission to authorize the Virtual Assistant to access your emails, calendar, contacts and drive.
• Click Accept to grant the requested access permissions to the Virtual Assistant.
• That's it. Your mail access connection is established. Your Web Portal can access and sync your contacts, and your Virtual Assistant is now able to access your emails, calendar and contacts.

Your personal contacts on the Google Gmail Server are now synced with your personal contacts on the Virtual Assistant. Syncing also applies to contact groups including the Voice Directory group that contains contacts that can be called by the Virtual Assistant. To build and update your Voice Directory using contacts from your Google Gmail Server, see Sync Contacts.

Microsoft Exchange & Outlook Web App Mail Access Connection

In order to make your Exchange mailbox accessible by phone using your Virtual Assistant, you must ensure that your Exchange Server supports Outlook Web App (formerly Outlook Web Access) and that you have the permission to access your email account using this protocol. Ask your Exchange administrator or go to Microsoft online support regarding Outlook Web App.

To configure the mail access connection to your Exchange account:

1. Get the required information
2. Prepare your Exchange account for the mail access connection
3. Configure the mail access connection

Required information

To setup a mail access connection to your Microsoft Exchange account, you will need the following information:

• Username to access your Exchange mail account.
• Your email Password
• The URL of your Exchange mail server: Example: https://webmail.companyname.com/exchange or http://206.200.104.1/exchange.

Configure the Exchange Server Mail Access Connection

Follow the instructions below to configure the mail access connection to your Microsoft Exchange account:

• Click Settings > Mail Access in the main menu.
• Enter or update your username and password at the top of the section.
• Select the Settings radio button.
• Select Exchange Server 2007 or Outlook Web Access from the Mail Access Protocol dropdown list.
• Enter the Exchange Server URL in the Incoming Server field. Example: https://webmail.companyname.com/exchange or http://206.200.104.1/exchange.
• Click Submit to launch the Mail Access Connection validation process.

The system uses the information that you provide to connect to your email account. The results of each validation step are displayed including any errors. If the connection is successful, you will receive a test email message confirming that your mail access connection setup is successful.

If the connection fails, verify that you have properly entered your connection information (Exchange server URL, username and password) and try again. Alternatively, follow these instructions to verify if the credentials are correct:

• Enter your Exchange server URL in the browser's address bar (ex: https://webmail.companyname.com/exchange).
• Press Enter.
• If the screen does not display a form to enter your username and password, it means that you do not have the correct server URL. Otherwise, enter your username (ex: john.smith) and password (ex: myPa$$word).
• Click OK.
• If the credentials you entered are correct, you should now have access to your email. Otherwise, check your username and password. They are probably the cause of the connection failure.

You may need to manually configure the mail access parameters or choose the I don't know option to have the system try a variety of mail access parameters and protocols to attempt establishing a valid mail access connection. You can also see Troubleshooting Mail Access Connection for details.

The Virtual Assistant has a special conduit to access and import your personal contacts from the contact folder of the Microsoft Exchange Server. To build and update your voice directory using contacts from your Exchange Server, see Import Contacts.

Hosted Mail Access Connection

The Virtual Assistant has a list of known email service providers (GoDaddy, Yahoo!, etc.) with their mail access details. If your emails are hosted on a known email service provider, the only information you will need to provide is your username and password to enable the Virtual Assistant to connect to your mail account.

To configure the mail access connection to your hosted email account:

1. Get the required information
2. Prepare your email account for the mail access connection
3. Configure the mail access connection

Required Information

To setup a connection to your hosted email account, you will need the following information:

• Your email Username
• Your email Password

Prepare your email account for the mail access connection

To set the mail access connection to your account on some email service providers, you may need to enable the POP3 or IMAP access protocol as well as set other security options. Here are links to instructions from popular email access providers:

• Yahoo!:
  • Enable POP3: https://help.yahoo.com/kb/SLN22038
  • IMAP settings: https://help.yahoo.com/kb/SLN4075
• GoDaddy:
  • POP settings: https://www.godaddy.com/help/setting-up-your-email-address-with-pop-4715
  • IMAP settings: https://www.godaddy.com/help/setting-up-your-email-address-with-imap-4714

Configure the Hosted Mail Access Connection

To configure the mail access connection to your hosted email service provider:

• Click Settings > Mail Access in the main menu.
• Enter or update your username and password at the top of the section.
• Select the Hosted Mail radio button.
• Select your email service provider from the dropdown list of known email service providers. If your provider is not in the list, you may need to Manually Configure Mail Access Connection.
• Click Submit.

The system uses the information that you provide to connect to your email account. The results of each validation step are displayed including any errors. If the connection is successful, you will receive a test email message confirming that your mail access connection setup is successful.

If the connection fails, verify that you have properly entered your account information and try again. You may need to manually configure the mail access parameters or choose the I don't know option to have the system try a variety of mail access parameters and protocols to attempt establishing a valid mail access connection. You can also see Troubleshooting Mail Access Connection for details.

Manually Configure Mail Access Connection

Your email account may not be managed on a known email server or service provider. In such case, the only way to configure your mail access connection is to manually enter its detailed access parameters. You may also choose the I don't know option to have the system try a variety of mail access parameters and protocols to attempt establishing a valid mail access connection.

To configure the mail access connection to your email account:

1. Get the required information
2. Configure the mail access connection

Required Information

To manually setup a mail access connection, you will need the following information:

• Your email Username
• Your email Password
• Your mail access protocol: POP3 or IMAP
• Any mail access authentication (SSL) required: Yes or no
• Incoming server address (POP3 or IMAP): Example: mail.companyname.com or https://webmail.companynamea.com.
• Incoming port number: Usually 110 (non-SSL) or 995 (SSL) for POP, and 143 (non-SSL) or 993 (SSL) for IMAP
• Outgoing server address (SMTP): Example: mail.companyname.com or https://webmail.companynamea.com.
• Outgoing port number: Usually 25 (non-SSL) or 465 (SSL) for both POP and IMAP.

See Detailed Connection Fields for a description of each field.

Configure the Mail Access Connection Manually

Follow the instructions below if your emails are managed on an unknown email server or service provider or if you need to manually configure your mail access connection:

• Click Settings > Mail Access in the main menu.
• Enter or update your username and password at the top of the section.
• Select the Settings radio button.
• Enter the required information in the various fields. See Detailed Connection Fields for details.
• Click Submit.

The system uses the information that you provide to connect to your email account. The results of each validation step are displayed including any errors. If the connection is successful, you will receive a test email message confirming that your mail access connection setup is successful.

If the connection fails, verify that you have properly entered your account information and try again. You may need to choose the I don't know option to have the system try a variety of mail access parameters and protocols to attempt establishing a valid mail access connection. You can also see Troubleshooting Mail Access Connection for details.

POP3 and IMAP servers DO NOT host contacts. You must therefore store and manage your voice directory contacts on the Web Portal where you can import your existing contacts from CSV files. See Import Contacts for details.

Detailed Mail Access Connection Fields

• Mail Access Protocol: This is the protocol used to access your email account remotely. Example: POP3, IMAP or OWA. See Types of Mail Access Protocols for details.
• SSL: The POP3 or IMAP connection may use SSL (Secure Socket Layer) to encrypt emails for added security. See Email Encryption - SSL for details.
• Incoming Server: The address of the server that receives and stores your incoming emails. Example: mail.companyname.com or https://webmail.companyname.com.
• Incoming Port: The port number used by POP3 or IMAP protocols to receive your incoming emails. Usually 110 (non-SSL) or 995 (SSL) for POP3, and 143 (non-SSL) or 993 (SSL) for IMAP.
• Outgoing Server (also called SMTP): The address of the SMTP server that sends your outgoing emails. Example: mail.companyname.com or https://webmail.companyname.com.
• Outgoing Port: The port number used by the SMTP server to send your outgoing emails. Usually 25 (non-SSL) or 465 (SSL).
• My outgoing server requires authentication: Check this box if your outgoing SMTP mail server requires you to enter a username and password. This is usually the case for SSL connections.
  • Use same credentials as incoming server: Check this box if the authentication for outgoing emails uses the same username and password as the ones used for incoming emails.
  • Use different credentials: Check this box if the outgoing SMTP mail server uses a different username and password to authenticate you.
    • Username: Enter the username needed by the SMTP mail server to authenticate you
    • Password: Enter the password needed by the SMTP mail server to authenticate you

Types of Mail Access Protocols

Before configuring your mail access connection, it is important that you understand the two protocols (methods) commonly used to access email accounts: POP3 and IMAP.

• POP3: From the abbreviation Post Office Protocol, POP3 downloads emails from a server to a single computer or device, then deletes it from the server by default. Because of this, it can appear that mail is missing or disappearing from your inbox if you access it from a different computer. In addition, sent mail is stored locally on the client, not on the mail server. It is recommended to configure your POP3 email account to keep a copy of your emails on the server.
• IMAP: From the abbreviation of Internet Messaging Access Protocol, IMAP allows you to check your emails from multiple devices, such as a laptop, home computer or other mobile device. Sent mail remains on the server so you can see it from any device.

POP3 and IMAP sometimes add an extra layer of protection by encrypting emails for security and privacy purposes. See Email Encryption - SSL for details. If you have the choice between IMAP and POP3, it is better to use IMAP.

Email Encryption - SSL

When sending and receiving emails, you may prefer to add an extra level of security by encrypting your emails using SSL. Secure Socket Layer (SSL) is a protocol that transmits information over the internet in an encrypted form for security purposes. POP3/SMTP over SSL encrypts all data exchanged between your mail client and the mail server with a digital security certificate to protect your password and messages.

Troubleshooting Mail Access Connection

See Troubleshooting Mail Access for details.

Mail Access Connection FAQ

See Mail Access FAQ for details.