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Connecting email: customer emails in “Conversations”
The “Mail” channel connects to your existing mailbox: CHBT fetches incoming emails over IMAP and sends operator replies over SMTP from the same address. Your mail stays with your provider, and you don't need to change MX or DNS records. Below: where to get the connection details, how to get an “app password” from popular email providers, how to test the connection, and what to do if an email doesn't arrive.
Step 1. App password (not your regular password)
For IMAP/SMTP, almost all email services require an app password — a separate key for external programs, not your regular sign-in password. Your regular password won’t work, and the connection will return “invalid login or password.”
- Yandex Mail: enable IMAP in “All settings” → “Email clients,” then create an app password in “Account management” → “App passwords” → “Mail.”
- Mail.ru: “Password and security” → “Passwords for external apps” → create one for “Mail.”
- Gmail: turn on 2-Step Verification, then create an “App password” in your Google security settings. Gmail’s regular password is disabled for IMAP.
- Your own domain / corporate email: get the login, password, and IMAP and SMTP server addresses from your administrator.
Step 2. Connecting in the dashboard
- Open the bot → “Channels” → the “Mail” card → “Connect”.
- Choose a provider (Yandex, Mail.ru, Gmail) — the IMAP and SMTP server addresses are filled in automatically. For your own domain, enter them manually.
- Enter the mailbox address (which is also the login) and the app password from step 1.
- Click “Check and connect”. CHBT checks sign-in over IMAP and SMTP and creates the channel.
The default ports are IMAP 993 and SMTP 465 (SSL); most mailboxes don't need them changed. After you connect, new emails start arriving in “Conversations” within a minute.
How it works in “Conversations”
An incoming email appears in the shared “Conversations” inbox alongside messenger chats. If the person already has a contact with this email address (for example, they messaged you in Telegram and left their email), the email is attached to the same contact card, so the history stays in one place.
An operator's reply from “Conversations” is sent to the customer as a regular email from your mailbox. We set the Re: and In-Reply-To headers, so the customer sees the correspondence as a single thread rather than separate emails. Which channels are combined and why it's worth bringing them together is covered in the announcement of the omnichannel update.
Email not arriving: what to check
- App password. The most common cause is pasting your regular password instead of an app password (see step 1).
- IMAP is disabled. In Yandex and Gmail, IMAP access must be enabled separately in the mail settings.
- The first email. When you connect, CHBT doesn't pull in your entire existing mailbox — only emails that arrive after connecting appear in “Conversations”. Send a test email from another address.
- Folder. Emails are read from the “Inbox” folder (INBOX). If you have filters that sort mail into folders, the emails you need may not end up in the Inbox.
- Delay. Mail is checked about once a minute — it's not an instant messenger, so a short delay is normal.
Limits and plan
Currently the channel passes along only the text of emails: attachments aren't supported yet, either incoming or in replies (share materials as a link in the text). Messages are grouped by the contact's open conversation — this is usually enough for support.
The “Mail” channel is available on the Basic plan and higher. You can connect several mailboxes. Compare plans on the pricing page; other channels and the shared inbox are covered in the website chat section.
FAQ
Will my regular email password work?
Usually not. For IMAP/SMTP, almost every provider requires a separate “app password”, which you create in your email security settings. A regular password is usually rejected.
Do I need to change MX or DNS records or migrate my email?
No. CHBT connects to your existing mailbox via IMAP and SMTP. Your mail stays with your provider, and you don’t need to change any records.
Can I connect support@yourdomain?
Yes. Choose “manually” and enter your provider’s IMAP and SMTP servers (your mail administrator knows them), your login and an app password.
Do email attachments come through?
Not yet — the channel passes along the email text. It's planned; for now, you can share attachments as a link in the text.
Which plan includes email?
On Basic and higher. The “Mail” channel isn’t available on the Free plan.