6.1 Email Service Options (LC Email Recommended) & Setup

To send emails out from the Close Master platform, it needs to connect to an underlying Email Service Provider (ESP) that handles the actual delivery of the messages. Your account, provided by The Close Agency, most likely utilizes LC Email.

• LC Email (LeadConnector Email - Default & Strongly Recommended):
  • What it is: This is Close Master's own integrated email sending service, managed seamlessly within the platform. Behind the scenes, it leverages reputable, high-volume email infrastructure providers (like Mailgun or SendGrid), but the management and configuration are simplified for you within Close Master. This is generally the easiest and most recommended option for users of Close Master provided by an agency like The Close Agency.
  • How to Check/Select: Navigate to Settings → Email Services. In the main configuration area, ensure that "LC Email" or "LeadConnector" is selected under the "Select Provider" or similar dropdown menu.
  • Sending Method & CRUCIAL Deliverability Step: By default, emails sent via LC Email might go through shared servers. However, for significantly better email deliverability, building your agency's unique sending reputation (vital for avoiding spam folders), and meeting new sender requirements from Google/Yahoo, setting up a Dedicated Sending Domain is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED and practically essential.
    • Dedicated Sending Domain: This involves authenticating a subdomain of your main agency domain (e.g., mail.youragency.com) specifically for sending emails through Close Master. This tells receiving servers that Close Master (LC Email) is authorized to send emails on behalf of your brand. Detailed setup steps involving adding specific DNS records (SPF, DKIM, MX, CNAME) at your domain registrar are covered in section 6.4 and 22.6. This is a critical step for successful email marketing.
  • Benefits of LC Email + Dedicated Domain: Simplest integrated setup, seamless connection with Close Master features (tracking, workflows), built-in compliance tools, usually cost-effective usage-based pricing, allows building your own sender reputation.
  • Pricing Model: LC Email usage typically consumes credits from your Sub-Account Wallet (Settings → Company Billing → Usage tab). You are usually charged based on the volume of emails sent (e.g., a small fee per 1000 emails, such as ~$0.675/1k - check your specific account rates provided by The Close Agency). You need to maintain a sufficient balance in your Wallet for emails to send successfully. Optional services like Email Validation may incur additional small per-email costs if enabled.
  • Warm-Up & Sending Limits: When you first set up a new Dedicated Sending Domain, it starts with a "cold" reputation. Email providers impose initial sending limits on new domains/IPs. You need to gradually "warm up" your domain by sending smaller volumes of high-quality, engaging emails to known good recipients over a period of days/weeks, slowly increasing the volume. This builds a positive sending reputation. Abruptly sending large volumes from a new domain is a major red flag and will likely lead to spam placement or blocking. (See 6.4).
• Other Options (Mailgun, SendGrid, Generic SMTP - Generally Not Recommended for End-Users):
  • While Close Master technically supports connecting your own separate Mailgun or SendGrid accounts, or even generic SMTP providers (including potentially Gmail/Google Workspace or Outlook/Microsoft 365), these options are significantly more complex to set up and manage.
  • They require obtaining API keys, configuring DNS records manually (like SPF, DKIM, MX), potentially setting up webhooks for tracking, and for generic SMTP like Gmail/Outlook, often involve generating "App Passwords" and dealing with much stricter sending limits imposed by those platforms.
  • CRUCIAL Warning: Using generic SMTP connections (like your personal Gmail or standard Outlook account) is absolutely NOT suitable or recommended for sending bulk email marketing (like newsletters, property alerts to large lists, or automated workflow sequences). These services are designed for person-to-person email and have very low daily sending limits and aggressive spam filtering for bulk-like sending patterns. Attempting bulk sends via generic SMTP will quickly lead to account suspension and extremely poor deliverability.
  • Stick with LC Email combined with a properly configured Dedicated Sending Domain unless The Close Agency has specifically set up and manages an external ESP (like Mailgun/SendGrid) connection for your account due to unique circumstances. Never use free email addresses (like @gmail.com, @yahoo.com) as your primary business sending address.