Troubleshooting Email

Email leads submissions are a critical component to any car dealer website. If they aren't working as expected it can cause a lot of heartaches. Below we have listed a few of the most common issues that we have found over the years along with possible solutions.

Email isn't getting to inbox

Email isn't getting to the inbox at all and you have tried different email addresses. This is common if you are using shared hosting like Hostgator or Godaddy.

Possible Solution: We use Sendgrid for this. Sendgrid is an email delivery system that works great for ensuring emails make it to the inbox. Sendgrid will also give you valuable data when troubleshooting issues. There is also a WordPress plugin for Sendgrid so setup is super easy.

Email isn't parsing into CRM

When a dealership uses a CRM tool the goal is to have leads parse into the appropriate fields. The first thing you want to check is that you have the forms sending in ADF format correctly.

Next, find out from the CRM provider if the emails are making it into their system in the first place. Most CRM tools work as an email client and a CRM. So it is possible for the email to get to the CRM, but not parse. If this is the case, either the ADF isn't formatted correctly or the CRM doesn't know what to do with the lead and it needs to be assigned. Ask the CRM provider if assigning the lead source is required. If it does, have them make that change and test again.

If the ADF isn't correct, go through it line by line to determine where the issue is.

Random emails are bouncing

With email spam being a big issue for providers,“Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance" or DMARC is something you need to be aware of. If random emails aren't making it to the dealer then DMARC is probably the issue.

The main points are:

make sure that your 'send from' and 'reply-to' emails are the same
make sure that the 'send from' and 'reply-to' emails are from the same domain as the website. Example no-reply@domainname.com.