Email Channel
Route your support email address into the same agent inbox as live chat — by simple forwarding or a direct IMAP/SMTP connection — so every channel works one way.
Where to find it
Open Support settings
Sidebar → Settings → Modules → Support → Channels
Direct link: https://app.productbridge.io/dashboard/settings/support
In-app path: Sidebar → Settings → Modules → Support → Channels section
Requires: a plan that includes the support feature, plus support:view to read conversations and support:manage to configure them.
Overview
Email is a first-class channel: messages sent to your support address become conversations in the Agent Inbox, threaded with the customer's other activity, and your replies go back out as email from the same thread. Agents don't change how they work — the channel travels with the conversation.
Add an email inbox under Settings → Support in the channels section.
Two Ways to Connect
Forwarding
The zero-credentials option. ProductBridge generates a unique inbound address for your inbox; you add a forwarding rule at your email provider so support@yourcompany.com forwards to it.
Create the inbox
In Settings → Support, add an email channel, pick Forwarding, and enter the public address customers write to (for example support@yourcompany.com).
Copy the inbound address
ProductBridge shows the generated forwarding target the moment the inbox is created — copy it.
Add a forwarding rule
In Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or your mail host, forward your support address to the generated address. New mail starts appearing as conversations right away.
IMAP / SMTP
Connect a mailbox directly with its credentials — ProductBridge reads incoming mail over IMAP and sends replies over SMTP as your address.
Gather credentials
You'll need the IMAP host and login, the SMTP host and login, and an app password if your provider requires one. Credentials are stored encrypted.
Test the connection
Use Test connection before saving — it verifies both IMAP and SMTP up front, so a typo'd password fails here rather than silently later.
Save the inbox
Once the test passes, save. Incoming mail flows into the inbox; agent replies are sent through your SMTP server.
Not sure which to pick? Forwarding is faster to set up and needs no passwords. Choose IMAP/SMTP when replies must come from your own mail server for deliverability or compliance reasons.
How Email Conversations Behave
-
The subject sticks. The original subject line is stored on the conversation and shown in the inbox; agents can edit it later from the thread's actions menu.
-
Replies warn before you send. Email threads show a caution line with the exact address your reply will go to — check the recipient before sending anything sensitive.
-
Contacts auto-link. If the sender's address matches an existing portal user, the conversation attaches to that person — their posts, votes, and previous conversations appear in the details rail. Unknown senders become new contacts.
-
Attachments work both ways. Inbound attachments appear in the thread; agents can attach images and PDFs to replies.
Limitations
-
One direction of truth. Deleting an email inbox in ProductBridge stops the flow, but re-creating a channel with a previously used address may be rejected while the old registration ages out — use a fresh address or wait briefly.
-
Forwarding depends on your provider. Delivery delays at the forwarding hop are outside ProductBridge's control; IMAP mode polls the mailbox directly and avoids that hop.