How to set up "Reply to emails" decision in campaigns ?

How to Configure the "Replies to Email" Decision in Your Automation Campaigns

The "Replies to email" decision in Webmecanik Automation allows you to trigger specific actions as soon as a contact replies to one of your messages (for example: pausing an automated follow-up sequence, assigning a score, or alerting a sales representative).

For this decision to work, Automation must be able to connect to the mailbox receiving the replies via the IMAP protocol. Here are the steps to configure this feature from start to finish.

Step 1: Retrieve Your IMAP Credentials (Gmail, Outlook, iCloud)

For security reasons, email providers block direct connections using standard passwords. You must generate an app-specific password dedicated to Webmecanik.

1. Configuration for Gmail (Google Workspace)

1. Enable 2-Step Verification on your Google account.

2. Go to your Google Account settings > Security.

3. In the "Signing in to Google" section, look for App passwords.

4. Generate a password for Webmecanik and copy the provided 16-character code.

5. In Automation, enter:

   • IMAP Host: imap.gmail.com

   • Port: 993

   • Encryption: SSL

2. Configuration for Outlook / Office 365

1. Enable two-step verification on your Microsoft account.

2. Go to the Advanced Security Options page of your Microsoft account.

3. Under the App passwords section, click Create a new app password.

4. In Automation, enter:

   • IMAP Host: outlook.office365.com

   • Port: 993

   • Encryption: SSL (or TLS)

3. Configuration for iOS / iCloud Mail

1. Log in to appleid.apple.com.

2. In the Sign-In and Security section, click App-Specific Passwords.

3. Click Generate an app-specific password and follow the instructions.

4. In Automation, enter:

   • IMAP Host: imap.mail.me.com

   • Port: 993

   • Encryption: SSL

Step 2: Configure IMAP Settings in Automation

Go to the contact responses configuration section in your Webmecanik Automation instance. You will need to toggle on custom connection settings and fill in the required fields.

Fields to complete:

• Folder to check: INBOX (or the specific folder name where replies land).

• Monitored address: The professional email address you use to send your campaigns and receive replies (e.g., contact@yourcompany.com).

• IMAP Host / Port / Encryption: This information depends on your email provider (retrieved in Step 1).

• IMAP Username: Generally, this is your full email address.

• IMAP Password: The app-specific password generated previously.

Step 3: Activate Tracking with Support

Once you have successfully tested the connection in your Automation interface and saved your changes, this feature is not yet active.

📩 Required Action: You must submit a ticket to our technical team at support@webmecanik.com so we can activate email tracking in the background on your instance.

Step 4: Usage in Your Emails (The BCC Field)

When creating and sending emails from Webmecanik Automation, you must fill in the BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) field with the specific email address you are monitoring.

This action allows Automation to link the original outgoing email to the contact's future reply, validating the decision within your campaign.

Step 5: Setting Up the Decision

Once all these steps are completed, you will unlock the decision: "Replies to email", which you can simply insert into your marketing campaign.

⚠️ ATTENTION: Best Practices and Limitations (Mailjet)

This method involves systematically sending a copy of your emails in BCC to your own inbox.

• Limited sending volume: You must use this feature exclusively for highly targeted campaigns with a very low volume of emails.

• Risk of blocking: If you send too high a volume, the email delivery service (Mailjet) may pre-block the BCC address. This block is a security measure designed to protect the reputation of your sending domain name.

We highly recommend using this decision for "Nurturing" or "B2B Prospecting" campaigns on a small scale rather than for mass newsletters.