Through PSAI, you can send and receive emails to any lead without ever leaving the Com Portal. Simply follow the instructions below to send an email any contact.
Want a general look at how email works? Start with our overview on sending and receiving emails in the Com Portal. (Link coming soon!)
1. Click the "New Message" Icon
After logging into PSAI and clicking into the Com Portal, click the pencil icon at the the top left to start a new message.
2. Search for the Lead You Want to Email
In the "Create New Message" popup, use the search bar to find the lead that you'd like to email. You can search by name, phone, or email, and the search results will populate in real time as you type.
If you want to send to an email to a brand-new lead that does not yet exist in the Com Portal, then you can click "Add New Contact" on this screen! Learn more about adding a new contact to the Com Portal.
3. Type Your Email and Send
Once your search results have populated, you have two different options for sending an email to the lead:
- Option #1: Send a brand-new email in a new engagement thread.
- Option #2: Continue an existing email conversation, if one already exists.
Let's look at both options below.
Option #1: Start a New Email Thread
To open a completely new email thread in the Com Portal, click on any email address in the search results list.
This will open a new message box, as shown below.
Here you can type in your subject, type in your message, and then click "Send." (You can also use the paperclip to send an attachment, the star to request a review, and the storm cloud to send a weather return.)
Note that by sending an email in this way, you will be opening a brand-new engagement thread, as shown below. Even if you have previously communicated with this lead by email, your current message will be in a new thread.
To view any previous email threads or other engagements with this same lead, look in the "Contact Activity" panel in the right-hand column (featured below). Click any link to view the corresponding engagement.
Option #2: Continue an Existing Email Conversation
If you do not want to begin a new engagement thread, then you can instead choose to continue an existing email conversation.
Instead of clicking the lead's email address, start by clicking the link for "Open Recent Interaction."
This will open the previous interaction with that lead, as shown below.
In the message box at the bottom of the dialogue column, you can type in your email message and then click send. (Just like the first option, you can also use the paperclip to send an attachment, the star to request a review, and the storm cloud to send a weather return.)
Note that you can only send an email in this way if:
- The current engagement is an email engagement, not SMS, chat, or another site tool. (You can doublecheck the current engagement type at the top, where it says "Last Message via Email." Your current message will be sent in whatever the current engagement type is.)
- The current engagement has not been closed. (If the engagement has already been closed, the "Send" button will be grayed out and disabled. You will instead have to start a new message to "reopen" the lead.)
That's it!
4. Monitor the Com Portal for Replies
Once the lead replies to your email, the response will be displayed in the same thread in the Com Portal. You can continue sending and receiving as many emails as needed to nurture your lead toward the next step with your company.
Learn more about using the Com Portal effectively in our comprehensive beginners' guide.