SMTP/IMAP for Helpdesks: Turning Email Into Clean Ticket Threads
The essentials for threading, mapping, and a reliable outbox.
TL;DR: The essentials for threading, mapping, and a reliable outbox.
SMTP vs IMAP in 60 seconds
- SMTP sends, IMAP syncs/reads.
- Why you want both.
Threading: keep context together
- Message-ID/References
- Subject alone is not enough.
Inbox → ticket mapping
- New email = new conversation
- Replies bind to an existing thread.
Outbox best practices
- Reply-from rules
- Signatures/templates
- Deliverability basics.
Failure modes
- Bounces
- Loops
- Duplicates