communications - email - outlook integration

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Overview

Email is a communication tool that allows users to have a Microsoft Outlook account connected to Neostella. 

With this function, users can send and receive emails within Neostella and relate them to a Project or Lead.

Prerequisites & Permissions

Before configuring Microsoft Outlook email synchronization, ensure the following requirements are met:

  • Microsoft Outlook Account: An active Microsoft Outlook account with a valid email address.
  • Neostella Account: An active Neostella account with the required permissions to access the user profile and email integration settings.
  • Email Synchronization Enabled: Email synchronization must be enabled for your firm by the Neostella Implementation Team. This synchronization is managed through Nylas, our secure email integration provider.
  • Microsoft 365 Approval Permissions: Depending on your organization's Microsoft 365 settings, one of the following approval methods is required:
  • Administrator Approval: A Microsoft 365 administrator authorized to grant organization-wide consent, typically a Global Administrator must approve the integration.
  • Individual User Approval: If your organization allows users to authorize applications, each user can approve access when connecting their account.

Admin Configuration Steps

Follow these steps to enable and configure Microsoft Outlook email synchronization for your organization.

Step 1: Request Email Synchronization

  1. Contact your Neostella representative or the Neostella Implementation Team.
  2. Request that this email synchronization be enabled for your firm.
  3. Confirm that the integration has been activated through Nylas before proceeding.

Step 2: Confirm Microsoft 365 Approval Requirements

  1. Contact your organization's Microsoft 365 administrator.
  2. Confirm whether your organization requires administrator approval or allows individual users to authorize applications.
  3. Follow the applicable configuration process:
  • Administrator Approval Required: Continue to Step 3.
  • Individual User Approval Allowed: Skip Step 3 and proceed to Step 4.

Step 3: Grant Organization-Wide Consent

Complete this step only if your organization requires administrator approval.

  1. Sign in to Neostella using the account associated with the Microsoft 365 administrator.
  2. Open the User Profile.
  3. Select the Email tab.
  4. Click Connect to Microsoft.
  5. On the Microsoft permissions screen, select Consent on behalf of your organization.
  6. Click Accept to approve the requested permissions.

This authorization allows users within your organization to connect their Microsoft Outlook accounts without requiring separate administrator approval.

i NOTE: The first user to connect their Microsoft Outlook account, whether an administrator or a regular user, must approve the requested permissions on behalf of the organization. Once approved, all other users only need to connect their accounts without granting additional permissions.

 

Step 4: Connect Individual User Accounts


Follow the steps below to connect your Microsoft Outlook account to your Neostella account and start using the Email feature to see all emails related to your assigned projects in one place:

  1. Login to Neostella.
  2. On the upper right, look for the User Account icon and click it.
  3. Select the Account option. This will open your Neostella account information.
  4. Go to the EMAIL Tab.
  5. Click the CONNECT TO MICROSOFT button. This will display an Outlook Sign In page on a new tab. 
⚠ WARNING: If the Outlook Sign In page tab is not displayed, first check in your browser the locked pop-up window. Then click the Pop-up blocked icon in your browser's address bar (often in the top-right), and select Always allow..

 

*Reference image of the Account Section in the EMAIL Tab, displaying the CONNECT TO MICROSOFT button.

  1. Select your account and login using your Outlook Credentials.
     
  2. Once the authentication is successful, confirm the connection by confirming the button is disabled.

*Reference image of the Account Section in the EMAIL Tab, displaying the CONNECTED TO MICROSOFT button disabled, this confirms the configuration was a success.

  1. Go to Communications and select the EMAIL tab, send and received emails that match the selected criteria of the set-up will be displayed here.
i NOTE: Only emails received or sent after your account is connected will be displayed. Previous emails will not be shown. The integration only needs to be enabled once. After activation, it remains connected continuously and does not require manual reconnection.

 

How to configure Email Capture 

  1. Login to Neostella.
  2. On the upper right, look for the User Account icon and click it.
  3. Select the Account option. This will open your Neostella account information.
  4. Go to the EMAIL Tab. There are two options to import emails from your Outlook inbox with Neostella:
  1. To/From any contact in Neostella.
  2. Only tagged emails.

*Reference image of the Account Section in the EMAIL Tab, displaying the Email Capture section displaying the capture options.

  1. To/From any contact in Neostella

This option allows users to limit email synchronization to communications exchanged with people in their Neostella Contacts list.

When enabled, Neostella imports emails sent to or received from matching contacts, helping users keep relevant communications available within the platform.

When Contacts Only is enabled, email synchronization is determined by the relationship between the email participants and the contacts available in Neostella.

  • Incoming and Outgoing Emails: Emails are eligible for synchronization when the primary email address of a Neostella Contact matches an address in the To, From, or CC fields.
  • Duplicate Prevention: If an email is received by multiple firm users, it is imported only once when at least one recipient has a matching synchronization preference.
  • Non-Matching Emails: Emails that do not match the defined contact criteria are excluded from synchronization.
  1. Only Tagged Emails

This option allows users to control which Microsoft Outlook emails are imported into Neostella. When enabled, the synchronization process imports only emails containing the #SendToNeostella marker or located in a folder named SendToNeostella.

This option helps limit synchronization to relevant communications while preserving the existing context assignment rules.

The following rules determine which messages are synchronized:

  • Marker Matching: Emails must contain #SendToNeostella as a whole-word match in the subject or body. Matching is case-insensitive.
  • Folder Matching: Emails located in an Outlook folder named SendToNeostella are also eligible for synchronization.
  • Conversation History: When a message matches, earlier non-imported messages belonging to the same Microsoft conversation are also imported, including replies sent by the user from Outlook.
  • Duplicate Prevention: If an email is received by multiple firm users, it is imported only once when at least one recipient has a matching synchronization preference.
  • Non-Matching Messages: Emails that do not meet the synchronization criteria are skipped and are not stored, unless they are included as earlier messages in a qualifying conversation.
  • Context Assignment: All imported messages follow the existing context process for assignment to a Project or Lead,  without modifications.

How to Include Only Tagged Emails in the synchronization Process

When the Only Tagged Emails option is enabled, users can include relevant communications using either of the following methods:

Method 1: Add the Email Marker

  1. Open the email in Microsoft Outlook.
  2. Add #SendToNeostella to the subject or body.
  3. Send or save the email, as applicable.

The marker can also be added when replying to an existing conversation.

Method 2: Use the synchronization Folder

  1. Locate the email in Microsoft Outlook.
  2. Move it to a folder named: SendToNeostella.

Emails that meet either criterion are eligible for synchronization.

Limitations

  • Whole-word matching: SendToNeostellaed or #SendToNeostella2 does not match.
  • Only the subject and body are checked. Markers in attachments, headers, or any other Outlook categories are ignored.
  • Outbound emails sent from Outlook Sent Items are not considered as a trigger. Outbound is sent from the app.