In this lesson we will cover:
– Creating a new email rule
– Email rule types (including asset/user matching)
– Integration email rule types
– Setting email visibility using a rule
Associated Admin Guide
Creating Email Rules
In the Halo platform, you can set Email Rules to specify different outcomes based on criteria for emails that come into the system. There are several different types of Email Rules that you can use in HaloPSA, which are configured via heading to Configuration > Email and clicking into 'Email Rules':
Fig 1. Email Rules
You will then be presented with a list of the Email Rules that exist within Halo. You can create as many email rules as required and they are evaluated by the email processing service in Sequence order.
Fig 2. A list of configured email rules
To create a new Rule please click 'New' found at the top right-hand side of the screen:
Fig 3. Creating a new Email Rule
You will then be taken to the New Email Rule screen where you can populate the information relevant to your new Email Rule:
Fig 4. the new Email Rule Screen
The email matching occurs in the "Matching" dropdown of an email rule. This must be filled in with information to match onto, failing to match on anything will catch every email and apply this rule. If you don't set one of the following:
- From Address
- To Address
- Subject
- Body
You will be telling Halo to match onto emails that contain anything for any of these fields, meaning that your tickets will all be processed by this email rule (if sequencing allowed for it, i.e. the catch all email rule is high up on the list of the sequence).
The checkbox 'Scan the full email body' can be enabled if you would like the whole email chain to be scanned for the matching criteria when a new email comes in. When disabled only the subject/body of the new email will be checked.
You can also set the matching criteria to be based on an attachment name, rather than the email subject or body. To do this enable 'Match on Attachment Name', then enter the match type and the name of the attachment you would like the rule to match to.
Email Rule Types
You will see an option to specify the 'Email Rule Type'. Below outlines what some of the core Email Rule types do:
Ignore Email
Any incoming email that matches the specified criteria will be ignored by the system. Meaning that if no criteria is set, then all emails will be ignored.
Help Request
This Rule allows for information from incoming emails to be mapped to existing fields within Halo, along with specifying a ticket type for tickets raised via these emails. Once a ticket type has been specified, you will be able to create ticket field mappings via clicking the '+' highlighted:
Fig 5. Field mappings for Email Rules
You will be presented with a window to specify the field to map, match type and start/end tags (the information contained between these tags is what the field will be populated with, if matched). For example if you would like to match onto the agent Aidan Kelly and Category Adobe Licenses (Both of these must already exist in your Halo) then your email must contain this in the body:
- Agent[Aidan Kelly]
- Category[Adobe Licenses]
And then the field mappings should be:
Fig 6. Field mapping for email rule
Fig 7. Field mapping for agent field
You can also specify Asset Matching for this Email Rule type, which works in a similar fashion to the field mappings:
Fig 8. Asset matching in Email Rules
When matching onto assets in Halo by tag, you must specify a start and end tag. The asset matching email rules do not need to be created per asset. The values set on emails will be what the system matches on. For example if your email comes in and has a string in the body such as
- Asset Number[BC-WS-1]
and that also matches onto an asset in your Halo as it is the Asset Tag (Also referred to as Asset Number) , you could set the asset matching to be like this:
Fig 9. Asset matching setup
If you have an email body come in that contains i.e. an asset field of Type: Asset, you can also match on this (Asset fields are created within Configuration > Asset Management > Fields). Say the asset field is called: "Uniquely Identifying Number" we can match onto it. In this example we will match onto it using the Match Type "End of line (CR)" this refers to the value given after the start tag and before the next line break.
The email body contains:
UIN:134264368 (where there is a line break after the 8)
Therefore the email rule will be configured this way:
Fig 9. Asset matching setup using a unique identifier field
The same can be done for user fields to help match onto users.
Fig 10. User matching
Service Status
This Email Rule allows for the service status monitoring (topic 5) via incoming alert emails.
Alert via Email
Halo also allows for incoming alert emails from 3rd parties to raise and update tickets. The 'Alert Email' Rule allows for tickets of a specified type to be raised, fields to be matched and also allows for tickets to be closed based on the presence of a string in the email.
Fig 11. Closure string for Alert-type Email Rules
Supplier Email Update
This option is no longer required, as the system can match onto suppliers based off of the native config of suppliers.
Apply Template
It should also be noted that Halo provides the ability to have incoming emails raise a ticket with a given template. This is configured by using this email rule and selecting the template you would like to use.
Check Ticket Details
This email rule type can be used to have an automatic email sent back out to the user when the criteria in this rule is met. This is used to provide users with automatic ticket updates when they email in requesting an update on a particular ticket.
For information on how to use and configure this functionality see our lesson on Automatic Ticket Updates via Email here.
Email Rule types for integrations
Halo has specific alert email rule types for:
- N-Able N-Central
- SCOM
- Datto RMM
- Ninja RMM
- Huntress
ConnectWise Automate – Used to have an alert email rule type, the integration now has inbuilt functionality for setting up alerts.
For further information on configuring these integrations and their associated alerts, please visit the respective guides:
- N-Able N-Central Integration
- SCOM Integration
- Datto RMM Integration
- Ninja RMM Integration (API v2)
- Ninja RMM Integration (API v1 Legacy)
Visibility
The visibility of emails can also be set at the email rule level. If you wish to have the first user email come in as a private email (This will mean no users can see the action), you can tick on this check box for certain email rules:
