Failed Email Notices ==================== When you send a mass email, TouchPoint emails you any delivery failure notices received from the email provider. Each notice is sent from mailer@tpsdb.com with the subject ``Touchpoint failed email``. The body of the notice contains the details of the failure: - Original email's subject line - Recipient's name and email address - Failed event (such as bounce, dropped, or spam report) - Bounce type - Reason for the failure Two of these are links — the **subject line** opens a list of that person's failed emails, and the **recipient's name** opens their people record. From the people record, select `Communications > Failed` to see that person's failed emails. See :ref:`below for common bounce reasons `. If the problem is a **Spam Report**, :ref:`see the section below `. .. note:: Use the **Has Failed Emails** Search Builder Condition to find people with failed emails after a specified date. .. seealso:: :doc:`../SearchBuilder/QB-HasFailedEmails` .. important:: Failed emails are about **delivery** problems -- the email was sent but could not be delivered. If you need to find email addresses that are **incorrectly formatted** (missing the @ symbol, misspelled domain extension, etc.), use the :doc:`../SearchBuilder/QB-HasInvalidEmailAddress` Search Builder Condition instead. That Condition checks the format of both primary and secondary email addresses and can help you clean up malformed addresses before they cause delivery failures. TouchPoint maintains two lists of email addresses that prevent future delivery: - Bounce Email List - Spam Report List .. _BounceReasons: The Bounce Email List --------------------- Emails bounced by the recipient's Internet Service Provider are added to this list. The reason is included in your failure notice. Addresses on this list will not receive any future mailings for at least 30 days, after which the email provider will automatically retry. A user with the **Admin** role can manually remove an email from the Bounce List (see :ref:`How to Unblock ` below). Emails on this list are typically coded as "dropped" and "Bounced address" after the initial failure. Typical bounce reasons: #. Account has been disabled #. No email account for that address #. User unknown #. Not our customer #. Unable to resolve domain name *(probably misspelled)* #. Connection timed out *(their ISP is down)* #. Connection refused #. Mailbox full #. Domain not allowed in receipt hosts *(tpsdb.com is not approved)* Reasons 2-5 are often as simple as a typo. Example: ``george@gmal.com`` (``gmail`` is misspelled). Contact the person to get the correct email address. .. _SpamReports: The Spam Report List -------------------- .. glossary:: Spam Report A Spam Report means a recipient clicked **Spam** or **Junk** in their email client. Their email address is then placed on the Spam Report List. To protect our sending reputation, TouchPoint honors that report and stops sending email to that address as long as it remains on the list. What You Should Do About Spam Reports ------------------------------------- When an address ends up on the Spam Report list, **contact the person** to find out if they truly do not want your emails. The most common cause is accidentally clicking Spam when intending to click Delete. Options Depending on the situation, take one of these actions: - **No further emails from your church** -- remove the email address from their record. - **Transactional emails only** (password resets, registration confirmations, etc.) -- uncheck the Active Email box beside the email address on their record. This prevents mass emails but allows transactional ones. - **Opt out from specific senders only** -- use `Optout` on the person's `Communication > Subscriptions` tab to unsubscribe them from a specific sender. - **Made a mistake and does want emails** (most common) -- submit a Support Request to have the spam block removed. .. important:: Only a TouchPoint team member can remove a Spam Block. Submit a Support Request to have the person removed from this list. .. seealso:: :doc:`Optout` Mass Email Policy ----------------- A good mass email policy helps prevent intentional spam reports. - Send mass emails **On Behalf Of** a ministry people record (e.g., Student Ministry, Church Newsletter). Each should have its own email address so recipients can unsubscribe from one without affecting others. .. seealso:: - :doc:`../People/MinistryRecords` - :doc:`UsersCanEmailFor` - **Monitor the inbox** on any address used for mass emailing. Forward those emails to a staff member, or grant inbox access in Outlook. - Always **include an {unsubscribe} link** on every mass email, prominently displayed at the top or in the footer. Make it easy for recipients to opt out so they use that link instead of the spam button. .. seealso:: :doc:`Unsubscribe` - Consider **including the {track} replacement code** on mass emails to track open rates. Include an image (such as a banner) so the tracking pixel loads when the recipient displays images. .. seealso:: :doc:`/EmailTexting/TrackingEmails` Not a Burden, a Responsibility You will never get your email list perfect, but you have a responsibility to ensure the people you serve receive the communication they want. If you send 1,000 emails and get 10 bounces, do not fret if you cannot address them immediately. You will be notified again on the next mailing. .. _HowToUnblock: How to Unblock a Bounced Email When you receive a Failed Email notice, click the link to go to the person's record. Select `Communications > Failed` to view their failed emails. If the failure was a Bounce, users with the **Admin** role will see an `Unblock` link. Click `Unblock` to remove the address from the Bounce List. Bounced emails are also unblocked automatically after 30 days. .. note:: You cannot remove a Spam Block from this page. Only a TouchPoint team member can do that -- submit a Support Request. To view the full failed emails list (top 300), go to `Administration > Emails > Failed` or navigate directly to https://yourchurch.tpsdb.com/Emails/Failed. This page requires the **Admin**, **Finance**, or **ManageEmails** role. | | +--------------------+------------------+ | **Latest Update** | **07/06/2026** | +--------------------+------------------+ Reviewed, no changes.