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How to Stop Outlook and ServiceM8 Emails Going to Junk
Question details
Business emails sent via Outlook and invoices sent through ServiceM8 are frequently marked as spam.
- Product
- Microsoft Outlook, ServiceM8
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Sending business replies, quotations, and invoices to customers.
- Observed behavior
- Customers do not receive the emails in their main inbox, leading them to believe their requests or invoices were ignored because the messages land in the junk folder.
Before modifying your domain's DNS settings, ensure you have administrative access to your Microsoft 365 admin center and your domain registrar dashboard (such as GoDaddy, Cloudflare, or Namecheap).
Authenticate Your Domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC
Setting up email authentication records in your domain's DNS prevents spoofing and significantly improves email deliverability to recipient inboxes.
Email providers use SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to verify that the sender is authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain. Missing or incorrectly configured records are the most common reason legitimate business emails go to junk.
Log in to your domain hosting provider's DNS settings. Create a TXT record for your domain to include Microsoft 365 and ServiceM8 IP addresses (e.g., v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:_spf.servicem8.com -all).
Navigate to the Microsoft 365 Defender portal, go to 'Policies & rules' > 'Threat policies' > 'DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM)'. Select your domain, enable DKIM, and publish the provided CNAME records in your DNS.
Add a DMARC TXT record to instruct receiving servers on how to handle emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks. A starting record could look like: v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:your@email.com.
Ask Customers to Whitelist and Optimize Email Content
Modifying the content of your emails to avoid spam triggers and asking customers to mark your emails as safe can bypass aggressive spam filters.
Check for Domain Blacklisting and Analyze Email Headers
Identify if your domain has been flagged as a source of spam and use email headers from affected customers to pinpoint specific deliverability failures.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why do my ServiceM8 invoices suddenly go to the junk folder?
If your domain lacks proper SPF or DKIM records that explicitly authorize ServiceM8's servers to send emails on your behalf, receiving email providers will flag the invoices as suspicious or forged and automatically route them to the junk folder.
What is an SPF record and how does it help?
An SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record is a DNS entry that lists the IP addresses or third-party services authorized to send emails from your domain. It helps email providers verify that the message is legitimate, thereby reducing the chances of it being marked as spam.
How can my customers add me to their Safe Senders list in Outlook?
Customers can navigate to their Junk folder in Outlook, right-click the misplaced email, select 'Junk' from the context menu, and then click 'Never Block Sender' or 'Never Block Sender's Domain'. This guarantees future emails from you will go straight to their inbox.
