ACD email overview

AI-generated summary

Genesys Cloud routes incoming email messages through its Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) system using the same routing and evaluation methods as calls and chats, considering skills, language, priority, and agent utilization. Accounts support a maximum of two email domains with up to 1,000 associated email addresses per domain, with each address assigned to a queue and configurable with associated language, skill, and priority settings. The system attempts to route callbacks, email replies, and message replies to the last agent who handled the interaction if that agent is available and not fully utilized; otherwise, it routes to the next available agent. When preferred agent routing is enabled for email and messaging interactions, Genesys Cloud disables last-agent routing, though scheduled callbacks remain unaffected. This behavior applies only to emails sent directly to queues, not those routed through Architect email flows. Agent utilization can be configured to specify the maximum number of concurrent email interactions per agent and determine which media types can interrupt email handling. Email routing setup requires creating an email domain in the Admin interface and adding email addresses to it, enabling agents to receive interactions through ACD. Genesys Cloud ACD email domains follow the format yourAccountName.myGenesysCloud.com. Message and attachment size limits vary by integration type: SMTP and AWS email integrations support a maximum encoded message size of 40 MB (approximately 29 MB net size after base64 encoding), while Microsoft Graph email integrations support 40 MB maximum for both incoming and outgoing encoded messages with an additional 150 MB size limitation. Larger documents are shareable via links to Genesys Cloud Documents, and organizations can request increases to maximum size limits through their account representatives with appropriate business justification. Amazon SES excludes certain attachment types per its developer guidelines. Genesys Cloud threads emails together to provide agents with full conversation context when customers reply to existing messages within 30 days, using "In reply to" and "References" headers to ensure accurate message association. New messages from customers initiate separate conversations rather than threading with previous exchanges. The platform employs Amazon SES for email reception and transmission, which provides spam detection and virus scanning capabilities. Genesys Cloud disconnects emails identified as potential viruses and never delivers them to agents, while spam-flagged emails are processed according to organizational configuration settings established during email address setup. Disconnect reasons appear in interaction detail views when messages are disconnected. Genesys Cloud enforces specific email rate limits for both inbound and outbound communications. For inbound email, the system supports a maximum of 50 email addresses in each of the To, Cc, and Bcc fields. Outbound email from agents is limited to 50 combined email addresses across all three fields. In email flows, the system terminates the flow when the email is transferred to a queue or when the connection is disconnected. Organizations implementing email routing should reference email routing scenarios documentation for specific configuration considerations and best practices.

Genesys Cloud routes incoming email messages through ACD just like it routes calls and chats, using the same routing and evaluation methods. When routing email messages, Genesys Cloud considers skills, language, priority, and agent utilization.

Your Genesys Cloud account can have a maximum of two email domains with up to 1000 associated email addresses per domain. You assign each email address to a queue, and can configure it to have an associated language, skill, and priority. Genesys Cloud ACD routes each incoming message to a member of the queue. Configured routing and evaluation methods help to determine the best available agent to handle the interaction.

Notes:

Genesys Cloud tries to route callbacks, email replies, and message replies to the last agent who handled it. The agent must be on queue and not fully utilized on those interactions or the utilization labels that the interactions might have. If the agent is not available, Genesys Cloud routes the interaction to the next available agent. For more information about how to determine if an agent is fully utilized, see Configure agent utilization.
For email and messaging interactions, and inbound callbacks, when you use preferred agent routing, Genesys Cloud no longer attempts to route the interaction to the last agent who handled it. Scheduled callbacks, however, are unaffected by preferred agent routing. For more information, see Advanced routing overview.

Agent utilization

You can configure agent utilization to specify the maximum number of email interactions that agents in your organization can handle at one time. You can specify which other media types can interrupt email interactions. For example, if an agent is handling an email and a call comes in, you might want to interrupt the agent to take the call. For more information about agent utilization, see Agent utilization and Configure agent utilization.

Message and attachment size limits

SMTP email integrationsClick to expand

Keep the following notes in mind:

Genesys Cloud uses base64 to encode messages and attachments.
- The current maximum outgoing encoded message size, including attachments, is 40 MB. After the base64 encoding to the email body and file attachments, the net email size is about 29 MB.
- You can send links to larger documents stored in Genesys Cloud Documents.
- For more information about sharing a file from Documents, see About Documents and Share a file.
If your organization uses a custom SMTP server integration, Genesys Cloud adheres to the maximum allowable size that you set on your SMTP server--up to 40 MB. You must set this value when you configure your SMTP server in Genesys Cloud.

Note: You can request for an increase in the maximum allowed size limit. Contact your account representative with a business justification for an upgraded limit.

AWS email integrationsClick to expand

Keep the following notes in mind:

Genesys Cloud uses base64 to encode messages and attachments.
- The maximum outgoing encoded message size, including attachments, is 40 MB.
- Outgoing messages that exceed 40 MB including attachments return an error.
- You can send links to larger documents stored in Genesys Cloud Documents.
- For more information about sharing a file from Documents, see About Documents and Share a file.
Amazon SES accepts most attachment types. For a list of exclusions, see Amazon SES Developer Guide Appendix: Unsupported attachment types.
The maximum incoming message size, including attachments: 40 MB per message (after base64 encoding).

Microsoft Graph email integrationsClick to expand

Genesys Cloud uses base64 to encode messages and attachments.

The current maximum incoming and outgoing encoded message size, including attachments, is 40 MB. After the base64 encoding to the email body and file attachments, the net email size is about 29 MB.
You can send links to larger documents stored in Genesys Cloud Documents.
For more information about sharing a file from Documents, see About Documents and Share a file.

Note: You can request for an increase in the maximum allowed size limit. Contact your account representative with a business justification for an upgraded limit. Microsoft has a size limitation of 150 MB for Graph.

Message threads

To provide agents with as much context as possible for customer replies, Genesys Cloud threads emails together. When a customer replies to an existing email from their email client, Genesys Cloud threads the email with the previous message. The agent receives the full email thread history. However, when a customer sends a new message from their client, Genesys Cloud starts a new conversation and does not thread the email. Genesys Cloud threads email messages together when it receives a reply within 30 days.

Genesys Cloud threads email messages based on the “In reply to” header and the “References” header. This process ensures that messages that originate from certain email clients and contain the same subject and sender information but are unrelated, are no longer associated with each other.

Spam and viruses

Email can be true spam or incorrectly marked as spam. Genesys Cloud employs Amazon SES to receive and send email. Amazon SES has various measures in place to detect spam emails and also to detect emails that could contain viruses.

When you configure email addresses for the organization, you can determine how to handle emails that Genesys Cloud detects as spam. Such configuration gives you better control over how to process email messages that Genesys Cloud identifies as spam. For more information, see Add email addresses to the domain in Manage ACD email routing.

Amazon SES provides both spam detection and virus verdicts to Genesys Cloud. If the Amazon verdict indicates that the email could contain a virus, Genesys Cloud disconnects the message and never delivers it to an agent. If the Amazon verdict indicates that the email is spam, Genesys Cloud processes those emails based on the settings you choose when you set up spam routing during email address configuration. For more information, see Malware and antispam protection best practices.

Note: If Genesys Cloud disconnects the email message, the disconnect reason appears on the interaction’s detail view. For more information, see .

Email routing and preferred agent routing

Genesys Cloud attempts to route email replies to the last agent who handled the email. The agent must be on queue and not be fully utilized on email interactions. If the agent is not available, Genesys Cloud routes the interaction to the next available agent. For more information about how to determine if an agent is fully utilized, see Configure agent utilization.

For email and messaging interactions, and inbound callbacks, when you use preferred agent routing, Genesys Cloud no longer attempts to route the interaction to the last agent who handled it. Scheduled callbacks, however, are unaffected by preferred agent routing. For more information, see Advanced routing overview.

Note: Currently, this behavior only works if you send the email directly to a queue, not if you use Architect email flows.

Set up email routing

Setting up email routing is simple. You create your email domain in the Admin interface and then add email addresses to it. Then, your agents can begin to receive email interactions through ACD. Genesys Cloud ACD email domains are in the format yourAccountName.myGenesys Cloud.com. For more information about setting up your company’s email domain, see Manage ACD email routing.

Email rate limitsClick to expand

Genesys Cloud supports the maximum number of email recipients as follows:

Inbound email

To field: 50 email addresses
Cc field: 50 email addresses
Bcc field: 50 email addresses

Outbound email from an agent

50 email addresses combined for To, Cc, and Bcc fields

Example:

25 To addresses + 20 Cc address + 5 Bcc adresses = Maximum allowed amount

26 To addresses + 20 Cc address + 5 Bcc adresses = Exceeds allowed amount

In email flows, an email flow ends when the system transfers the email to a queue or is disconnected.

For specific scenarios to consider when setting up email routing for your Genesys Cloud account, see Email routing scenarios.

[NEXT] Was this article helpful?

Get user feedback about articles.