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Email Ingestion Service

Learn how our email ingestion service automatically processes emails from your mail server to create and update cases

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Written by Nick Laffey

Time required: 8-10 minutes (technical reference)

Prerequisites:

  • Access to Captured Knowledge

  • Basic understanding of email server configuration (or access to IT team)

Expected results: After reading this article, you will understand how incoming emails are automatically processed into cases, how to troubleshoot common issues, and what information your IT team needs for firewall configuration.

Email Ingestion Service

You open your email at 8 AM and see 12 new tenant messages. By 8:05 AM, you notice that cases have already been created for each one, with AI-drafted responses waiting for your review. You didn't forward anything, copy-paste anything, or manually create any cases.

This is email ingestion at work. Our service automatically monitors your email server and transforms incoming messages into organized cases - so you can start your day focused on resolving issues instead of sorting emails.

How Email Ingestion Works

The Complete Process

1. Email Monitoring

  • Our service checks designated "input folders" on your Exchange server every 15 seconds

  • We look for new emails in folders you configure (like "Inbox" or "Support")

  • Each customer's emails are processed independently with dedicated resources

2. Email Processing

  • New emails are securely retrieved from your server

  • Email content, attachments, and metadata are analyzed

  • AI determines if the email relates to an existing case or needs a new case

3. Case Creation or Linking

  • New issues: Create a new case with an AI-suggested workflow

  • Existing issues: Link the email to the relevant existing case

  • Needs review: When the AI suggests a case link but isn't certain, or when no case matches, the email appears in the Inbound Email Monitoring review queue for your team to decide

  • Same matter, two emails at once: When two separate emails about the same matter arrive close together, CK creates a single case and proposes linking the second email to it for your review, instead of creating a duplicate

  • Property matching: Automatically associate with correct buildings and tenants

4. Workflow Generation

  • AI analyzes the email content and context

  • Suggests next actions (create ERP tickets, schedule work orders, send replies)

  • Actions appear as draft suggestions for your review

5. Email Organization

  • Processed emails are moved to designated "output folders" on your server

  • Original emails remain in your Exchange system for compliance

  • Full audit trail maintained in Captured Knowledge

Configuration Requirements

Exchange Server Setup

Input Folders

  • Configure which folders we monitor for new emails

  • Common examples: "Inbox", "Support", "Property Management"

  • You can specify multiple folders for different types of communications

Output Folders

  • Configure where processed emails are moved after ingestion

  • Examples: "Processed", "Captured Knowledge", "Archive"

  • Keeps your inbox clean while preserving originals

Access Permissions

  • Our service requires read/write access to specified folders

  • Uses secure authentication protocols (OAuth 2.0)

  • Credentials are managed securely with industry-standard encryption

Email Processing Rules

Automatic Case Matching

  • Emails are matched to existing cases using AI analysis of:

    • Property addresses and unit numbers

    • Tenant names and contact information

    • Issue themes and problem descriptions

    • Timing and temporal relationships

    • Historical context from previous communications

New Case Creation

  • Creates new cases when:

    • No existing related case is found

    • Email contains new property management issues

    • AI determines it's a distinct issue

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

Emails Not Being Processed

Possible Causes:

  • Network connectivity issues between our service and your Exchange server

  • Firewall blocking our service's IP address

  • Exchange server temporarily unavailable

  • Folder permissions changed

Solution:

  1. On-premises Exchange Server: check that our static IP address is allowed in your firewall (see IP address below). Microsoft 365 (if you set up access with our Microsoft 365 guide): check that the mailbox is still a direct member of the group you set up for Captured Knowledge

  2. Verify folder permissions haven't changed

  3. Check Exchange server status and connectivity

  4. Contact support if issues persist

Wrong Case Associations

Possible Causes:

  • Similar property addresses causing confusion

  • Email thread reused for different issues

  • Incomplete contact information

Solutions:

  1. Use the "Link to another case" feature to move emails

  2. Provide feedback using "Create new case" with specific instructions

  3. Review and update contact information for better matching

  4. See our Troubleshooting Guide for detailed steps

Delayed Email Processing

Normal Processing Time:

  • Most emails processed within 30-60 seconds

  • Complex emails or large attachments may take up to 2-3 minutes

  • AI analysis adds 10-30 seconds for workflow generation

When to Check:

  • If emails aren't appearing in cases after 5 minutes

  • If your Exchange output folder shows emails aren't being moved

  • If multiple emails from the same time period haven't been processed

Network Connectivity

Firewall Configuration

Our email ingestion service uses a fixed static IP address for all connections to your mail servers:

Static IP Address: 34.185.226.196

This matters for an on-premises Exchange Server, whose firewall must allow this address. Microsoft 365 (Exchange Online) needs no firewall rule — only if you restrict application access by IP address with Conditional Access. Setup guides: Microsoft 365 · Exchange Server (on-premises).

Important for IT Teams:

  • This IP is physically located in Frankfurt, Germany (europe-west3 region)

  • Some IP geolocation databases may incorrectly show it as US-based

  • On-premises Exchange Server: please allow this specific IP address in your firewall rules

  • All outbound connections from our service use this IP

Connection Details:

  • Region: Europe West 3 (Frankfurt, Germany)

  • Protocol: HTTPS (secure connections only)

  • Port: 443 (HTTPS)

  • Authentication: Microsoft 365 through Microsoft Graph with OAuth 2.0; Exchange Server through Exchange Web Services with a dedicated service user

Testing Connectivity If you're experiencing connection issues:

  1. Verify 34.185.226.196 is allowed in your firewall (on-premises Exchange Server)

  2. On-premises Exchange Server: check that Exchange Web Services are enabled and that our service account has the right permissions

  3. Microsoft 365 (if you set up access with our Microsoft 365 guide): check the setup with Test-ServicePrincipalAuthorization (see the Microsoft 365 setup guide)

  4. Test Exchange connectivity from your network

Performance Monitoring

Normal Operation Indicators:

  • Emails processed within 1-2 minutes of arrival

  • Cases created or updated automatically

  • Emails moved to output folders correctly

  • New cases appear with AI-suggested workflows

Performance Metrics:

  • Processing Rate: Up to 4 emails per second per customer

  • Availability: 99.9% uptime with automatic retries

  • Timeout Handling: 55-second processing limit per customer

  • Retry Logic: Automatic retries for temporary failures

Getting Help

Troubleshooting Email Ingestion

If emails aren't appearing in cases:

  1. Check your Exchange output folder - Processed emails should be moved there within a few minutes

  2. Wait 5 minutes - Processing can take 1-3 minutes for complex emails with attachments

  3. Check spam/junk folders - Some emails may be filtered before reaching monitored folders

  4. Verify folder configuration - Contact your IT team to confirm input folder settings and permissions

If emails are linked to wrong cases:

  1. Use "Link to another case" - Move the email to the correct case

  2. Use "Create new case" - Provide specific instructions to improve matching

  3. Update contact information - Ensure tenant and property details are accurate

  4. See our Troubleshooting Guide for detailed steps

If issues persist after 10+ minutes: Contact support using the information below.

When to Contact Support

  • Emails aren't appearing in cases after 10+ minutes

  • Emails consistently being linked to wrong cases (after trying troubleshooting steps above)

  • Questions about firewall configuration for our static IP address

  • Need to change input/output folder configuration

Information to Provide

When contacting support about email ingestion issues:

  1. Your Organization Name

  2. Time Range when the issue started

  3. Specific Examples: Email subject lines and when they were sent

  4. What You've Tried: Steps you've already taken to fix the issue

  5. Recent Changes: New firewall rules, email server updates, or configuration changes

Related Articles

Our email ingestion service is designed to work seamlessly in the background, automatically organizing your property management communications. Most users never need to think about it - emails just appear in the right cases with helpful AI suggestions for next steps.

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