The ISN sends emails on your behalf every day, and how reliably those emails reach your clients' inboxes depends heavily on how your sending domain is authenticated. If you're sending from a domain you own (rather than a free email account like Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook), we recommend configuring three things: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Together, these prove to email providers that the ISN has permission to send on your behalf, which significantly improves deliverability and keeps your messages out of spam folders.
Note: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC can only be configured for an owned domain. If you're sending from a free email address, these options aren't available to you.
SPF
An SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record tells receiving mail servers which servers are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain. To authorize the ISN, add the following include mechanism to your domain's SPF record:
include:spf.inspectionsupport.com
A complete SPF record might look like this:
v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:spf.inspectionsupport.com ~all
Your domain should only have one SPF record — multiple SPF records for the same domain can cause authentication to fail.
DKIM
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) cryptographically signs your outgoing emails so recipients can verify the message content wasn't altered in transit. The ISN provides you with DKIM keys, which you then enter into your domain's DNS manager to enable signing for emails sent through the ISN.
DMARC
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) builds on SPF and DKIM, letting you specify how receiving servers should handle messages that fail authentication, and gives you visibility into who's sending email using your domain. Setting up DMARC also helps you comply with Google's and Yahoo's sender requirements, protects your domain against spoofing and phishing, and improves overall deliverability.
DMARC is configured on your side, as a DNS record you create. We recommend consulting your email host's support team to review your settings, but for the most relaxed configuration — resulting in the least amount of undelivered mail — you can use:
p=none; adkim=r; aspf=r;
If you transfer your domain to a new registrar, remember to reconfigure your DNS settings, including SPF and DMARC records, to keep your email deliverability intact.
If you have any questions about this process please let us know! You can reach us by chat, email at help@inspectionsupport.com, or phone at (800) 700-8112.