SMTP/IMAP Email Configuration

Connect your own mail server so Ascent can send outbound email through SMTP and pull inbound email through IMAP, turning incoming messages into tickets. This is the manual option for any provider that speaks standard SMTP/IMAP, including Microsoft 365 and Gmail.

Overview

The SMTP/IMAP page lets you:

• Configure an SMTP server for outbound (sent) email, with a chosen From address.
• Configure an IMAP mailbox for inbound (received) email.
• Send a test email and test the IMAP connection before saving.
• Enable scheduled email sync and choose how often Ascent checks the mailbox.
• Automatically create tickets from incoming email and thread replies onto existing tickets.
• Choose whether the organization sends through the Ascent platform email service or your own provider (Email Delivery card).
• Optionally use platform-managed inbound email instead of connecting a mailbox at all (Inbound Email card).

SMTP and IMAP are configured independently — you can set up outbound only, inbound only, or both.

Navigate to the page

Go to Admin → Integrations, then open SMTP/IMAP. The page is titled SMTP/IMAP Email Configuration.

One provider at a time. Ascent uses a single email provider per organization. If Microsoft 365 is currently connected, a Microsoft 365 is Active warning appears and saving SMTP/IMAP credentials will disable the M365 connection. You will be asked to confirm before the switch.

SMTP (Outbound)

Use the SMTP (Outbound) card to configure the server Ascent uses to send mail.

Provider presets

Choosing a Provider Preset fills in the host, port, and encryption for you. Available presets:

Preset	Host	Port	Encryption
Custom Server	(you enter it)	587	STARTTLS
Gmail	smtp.gmail.com	587	STARTTLS
Outlook.com	smtp-mail.outlook.com	587	STARTTLS
Office 365	smtp.office365.com	587	STARTTLS

Fields

Field	Description
Provider Preset	Custom Server, Gmail, Outlook.com, or Office 365.
SMTP Host	Your SMTP server address (e.g. smtp.example.com).
Port	SMTP port (preset default 587).
Encryption	TLS (Port 465), STARTTLS (Port 587), or None (Not recommended).
Username	The mailbox/login username (usually the email address).
Password	The mailbox password or provider app password.
From Email	The address outbound mail is sent from (required to save).
From Name	Optional display name shown on outbound mail.
Test Email Address	Where the Test button sends a verification email.

Configure SMTP

1. In the SMTP (Outbound) card, choose a Provider Preset or Custom Server.
2. Confirm or edit SMTP Host, Port, and Encryption.
3. Enter the Username and Password. Use the eye icon to reveal the password as you type.
4. Enter the From Email and, optionally, a From Name.
5. Enter a Test Email Address and click Test to send a verification email.
6. Click Save SMTP.

Once saved, the card shows an Enabled or Configured badge. For security, the stored password is never sent back to the browser: the field clears after saving and shows a masked placeholder. Re-enter the password whenever you save changes — the password is required on every save. To remove the server, click Disconnect.

IMAP (Inbound)

Use the IMAP (Inbound) card to configure the mailbox Ascent polls for incoming email.

Provider presets

Preset	Host	Port	Encryption
Custom Server	(you enter it)	993	TLS
Gmail	imap.gmail.com	993	TLS
Outlook.com	outlook.office365.com	993	TLS
Office 365	outlook.office365.com	993	TLS

Fields

Field	Description
Provider Preset	Custom Server, Gmail, Outlook.com, or Office 365.
IMAP Host	Your IMAP server address (e.g. imap.example.com).
Port	IMAP port (preset default 993).
Encryption	TLS (Port 993), STARTTLS (Port 143), or None (Not recommended).
Use same credentials as SMTP	When toggled on, reuses the SMTP username and password (the toggle appears once SMTP is configured, or once you have entered an SMTP username and password).
Username	The mailbox login username.
Password	The mailbox password or app password.
Mailbox (Folder)	The folder to monitor for incoming email — usually INBOX.

Configure IMAP

1. In the IMAP (Inbound) card, choose a Provider Preset or Custom Server.
2. Confirm or edit IMAP Host, Port, and Encryption.
3. Enter the Username and Password, or toggle Use same credentials as SMTP to reuse the SMTP login.
4. Set the Mailbox (Folder) to watch (default INBOX).
5. Click Test IMAP Connection to verify access.
6. Click Save IMAP.

If you enable Use same credentials as SMTP but the SMTP password field is empty, enter your password in the SMTP card before testing — Ascent reuses what you type there.

The card shows an Enabled or Configured badge once saved. Use Disconnect to remove the IMAP mailbox.

Sync Settings

The Sync Settings card controls how inbound email is processed. It only becomes active after IMAP is configured.

Setting	Description
Enable Email Sync	Automatically fetch and process incoming emails on a schedule.
Sync Interval	How often Ascent checks the mailbox: every 1, 5, 10, 15, 30, or 60 minutes.
Create Tickets from Email	Automatically create support tickets from incoming emails.
Archive Processed Emails	Mark emails as read after they are processed.

After adjusting these, click Save Settings.

How email-to-ticket works

When email sync is enabled and Create Tickets from Email is on, Ascent processes each new message in the configured mailbox:

1. Ascent checks the IMAP mailbox on the chosen Sync Interval.
2. For each new message, it tries to match the message to an existing ticket (see threading below).
3. If the message threads to an existing ticket, it is added as a reply on that ticket. Otherwise a new ticket is created.
4. Ascent links the message to a client in this order: first by matching the sender's email address to an existing contact; then, if there is none, to the organization's default client (if one is set); then to a client whose own email or website domain matches the sender's domain; and finally to a shared Unknown (Email) client if nothing else matches.
5. Processed messages are marked as read when Archive Processed Emails is on.

Reply threading

Replies are matched to the existing ticket in this order:

1. Message-ID headers — the reliable, non-guessable path. Ascent matches the message's In-Reply-To and References headers against the Message-IDs of prior ticket replies and the originating inbound message.
2. Ticket number in the subject — a fallback that looks for a bracketed ticket number in the subject (for example [Ticket #123]), used only when header threading does not match. Outbound ticket emails carry this prefix, so most clients keep it on replies.
3. Exact subject match — a last resort that matches the subject (ignoring Re:/Fwd: prefixes) against recent tickets.

Each inbound message is de-duplicated by its Message-ID, so the same email is never turned into two tickets or replies.

Status

The Status card summarizes the current configuration:

• SMTP (Outbound) — Not configured, Configured but disabled, or Configured and enabled.
• IMAP (Inbound) — the same configured/enabled states.
• Sync Status — Active or Disabled, with the last sync time and the most recent sync error if one occurred.
• From Address — the configured From name and email.

Use Refresh Status to re-check, and Delete Configuration to remove all SMTP and IMAP settings at once.

Email Delivery

The Email Delivery card at the top of the page controls which provider sends your organization's transactional email:

• Ascent platform email — send through the hosted Ascent sender with no SMTP setup required.
• Your own SMTP server or Your Microsoft 365 account — send through the provider you configure on this page.

Turn off Use Ascent platform email to send through your own provider. You can only opt out once a valid SMTP or Microsoft 365 provider is configured, so the organization is never left without a way to send.

Inbound Email (platform-managed)

The Inbound Email card offers an alternative to connecting your own IMAP mailbox: let Ascent receive email at a hosted address and turn it into tickets, with no mailbox to connect.

• Toggle Enable inbound email to route mail sent to your ingest address into tickets.
• Ascent gives you a unique ingest address you can copy, or rotate to invalidate the old one. Customers email it directly, or you forward your branded support@yourdomain to it.
• Optionally record a Branded forwarding address (the address your customers actually see) for your own reference.
• Add Verified sender domains so Ascent can authenticate your branded forwards using DKIM/DMARC alignment.
• Review Quarantined messages — mail held because it failed sender authentication (possible spoofing). You can dismiss quarantined items.

Inbound email can only be enabled after your Ascent administrator has configured platform inbound. To avoid duplicate tickets, only one inbound method runs at a time: enabling platform inbound pauses mailbox polling (Microsoft 365 / IMAP), and turning mailbox sync back on disables platform inbound.

App passwords

Many providers require an app password instead of your normal password when two-factor authentication is enabled. Generate an app password in your provider's account security settings (for example, Gmail or Microsoft account app passwords) and use it as the Password in Ascent.

Tips

• Use a dedicated support mailbox, not a personal account, so ticket email is isolated.
• Prefer STARTTLS (587) for SMTP and TLS (993) for IMAP; avoid None except for trusted internal servers.
• Send a Test email and run Test IMAP Connection before enabling sync, so credential or encryption problems surface immediately.
• Watch the Sync Status in the Status card — a recent last sync error points to a connection or authentication issue.