Set up email sending

By default, Lychee sends emails for your team from the Lychee address. The reply line shows the sales associate. When you verify a domain that you own, Lychee sends these emails from the address of the sales associate at your domain. This rule applies to customer messages, presentation recaps, and reports.

You find domains in Settings → General → Email Setup. Only the business owner can use this page. You find the override for each employee in Settings → Access → Employees.

Before you start

You must be able to add DNS records for the domain. Usually, you add them at your registrar or at the host of your website. If a different person manages your DNS records, this guide tells you which two records to give to that person.

Step 1 — Add the domain

1. Open Settings → General → Email Setup. On the Domains card, select Add.
2. Type the domain. For example, type example.com. Do not type an email address.
3. Select Create.

Lychee registers the domain with its email provider in the background. Then Lychee gets the DNS records that you need. The record values can be empty at first. In that case, close the dialog. Wait a short time. Then open the domain again.

Step 2 — Add the DNS records

Click the status icon in the row of the domain. The verification dialog opens. It shows two records. Each record has a hostname and a value. Click the hostname or the value to copy it.

• DKIM: a TXT record. This record is the signature that proves the mail came from you. You must verify it before Lychee can send as your sales associates.
• Return-Path: a CNAME record. This record sends bounced mail through your own domain. Mailbox providers then treat your mail significantly better.

Add the two records at your DNS provider. Then click Verify next to each record. If the verification fails, usually the DNS change is not yet available on the internet. DNS changes can take from a few minutes to a few hours. Do not remove the record. Verify it again at a later time.

A green check mark next to a record shows that the record is complete. Add the two records.

Step 3 — Enable sending on behalf

When you verify DKIM, the Behalf switch in the row of the domain becomes available. Set the switch to on.

This switch changes the sender:

• Off (or DKIM not verified): Lychee sends the mail from the Lychee address to the sales associate. Lychee sends a copy to all other recipients. Thus, replies still go to the correct persons.
• On: Lychee sends the mail as the sales associate, from their address at your domain. Lychee sends the mail directly to the recipients. Lychee sends a copy to the sales associate.

Step 4 — Select the default domain

The Default card at the top of the page sets the domain for all persons. The list shows only verified domains.

Lychee makes the sending address of a sales associate from two parts. The first part is the local part of their login email. The second part is a domain. Lychee selects the domain in this order:

1. The default email of that employee, if you set one.
2. If not, your default domain.
3. If not, the domain of their login email.

For example, a sales associate signs in as jane@old-shop.com. When yourshop.com is your default domain, that sales associate sends as jane@yourshop.com. Their login address does not change. Only the address that customers see changes.

All three conditions must be true. Lychee sends as the sales associate only when these conditions are true for the domain that Lychee selected for that sales associate:

• You added the domain on this page.
• Behalf is on.
• You verified DKIM.

If one condition is false, Lychee sends the mail from the Lychee address. Lychee does not tell you about this change. The mail still goes to the recipients, but the sender is not the one that you wanted.

Step 5 — Override it for individual employees

Some businesses have more than one brand or storefront. These businesses may want employees to send from different domains. In Settings → Access → Employees, open an employee. Then set Default email. The list shows your verified domains. It also shows the address that Lychee will use. Thus, you can see the result before you save. None removes the override. The employee then uses the default domain of the business.

What this changes

• Customer emails that a sales associate sends come from that sales associate.
• Presentation recaps: the presenter sends the recap to the groups that your rules name. Without this setup, Lychee sends the recap to the presenter and sends copies to those groups. See Configure presentations.
• Deliverability becomes better when you verify Return-Path. Bounces and complaints then go through your own domain.