How Email-to-Case works
Customers write to your normal address, for example support@yourcompany.com. Your email provider forwards those emails to a unique Salesforce address. Salesforce creates a case, attaches the email, and assignment rules route it to the right queue. Replies from the case stay in the same email thread.
Step 1: Enable Email-to-Case
- Go to Setup → Quick Find →
Email-to-Case. - Click Edit, tick Enable Email-to-Case and Enable On-Demand Service, and save.
- Also turn on Email-to-Case threading options as recommended, so replies attach to the right case.
Step 2: Add a routing address
- In the Routing Addresses section, click New.
- Fill in a name (e.g. Support), your Email Address (
support@yourcompany.com), Case Origin = Email, a default Priority and, if needed, a Case Owner queue. - Save. Salesforce sends a verification email to that address: click the link in it.
- Copy the long Email Services Address Salesforce generates (it ends in
salesforce.com).
Step 3: Forward your support inbox
In your email provider, forward everything sent to your support address to the Email Services Address from Step 2:
- Google Workspace / Gmail: Settings → Forwarding and POP/IMAP → Add a forwarding address, confirm it, then forward all mail (or use a filter).
- Microsoft 365 / Outlook: set up forwarding for the mailbox, or a mail flow rule that redirects to the Salesforce address.
Step 4: Test it
- From a personal email account, send a message to your support address.
- In Salesforce, open the Cases tab: a new case should appear with the email attached and Origin = Email.
- Reply from the case’s email action and confirm the customer receives it, then reply back and check it lands on the same case.
Next steps
- Case assignment rules to route by product, language or priority.
- Auto-response rules to confirm receipt with the case number.
- Entitlements and milestones to track response-time SLAs.
- AI case summaries and suggested replies: see Salesforce AI integration.
Free template
Troubleshooting
| If this happens | Do this |
|---|---|
| No case is created | Confirm the routing address is verified and forwarding to the Salesforce Email Services Address is active. |
| Replies create new cases | Enable Email-to-Case threading options so replies match the original case. |
| An email loop starts | Make sure auto-responses don’t send to your own support address, and exclude it in auto-response rules. |
| Cases go to the wrong team | Add case assignment rules by product, language or keyword. |
FAQ
Can I use more than one support address?
Yes. Add a routing address for each, e.g. support@ and billing@, each with its own defaults.
Can agents reply from the support address?
Yes. Set up an Organization-Wide Email Address for your support address and use it when replying.
Can customers get an automatic confirmation?
Yes. Create an auto-response rule with an email template that includes the case number.
Do attachments come through?
Yes, attachments are added to the case, within Salesforce’s email size limits.