How to Enable Client SMTP Settings

This article was developed to describe enabling Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) Settings for a client.

You may enter the SMTP credentials for your client under the My Settings page so that individual messages you send will go out through your server.

Regardless of who your outgoing SMTP provider is, you will need to complete a few steps to make sure the functionality operates properly with our CRM.

To begin, login to the Forth CRM and click My Settings as shown above.

On the page that opens, ensure the "Configuration" tab is selected, and click the "Connect and Email Provider" button.

You will then see the following options appear on the page.

To select Gmail / Google Workspace as your email provider, click the "Gmail / Google Workspace" button. Doing this should automatically connect your Gmail account.

To enter a provider manually, click the "Manually via SMTP" button. When you have entered the information requested in the image below, click the "Verify" button at the bottom of the page to ensure your settings are correct.

Some security protocols include Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) when logging into a new device, product, or location, even when 2FA is not enabled. An error message like the one below may result if more configuration is required. 

NOTE: This is for use on individual user profiles. To set up SMTP credentials for e-marketing campaign senders, please click HERE. 

Setting Up Signature

If you click on the "Signature" tab (shown below), you will see a page allowing you to establish a preferred email signature for this account you are configuring.

Troubleshooting Bad Credentials

If your SMTP credentials have been successfully authenticated, you will see the message below. 

If you received an error message after entering your credentials for outgoing mail settings and clicking the "Verify" button, the SMTP Provider may prevent authentication as part of their security protocols. 

To fix this, follow the steps below:

STEP 1 - Double-Check Username and Password: The first and most important step to troubleshoot your credentials is to double-check that your username and password have been entered correctly. The following steps may require changes to your SMTP Provider configuration that will not work if your username and password are incorrect. 

          IMPORTANT: Steps 2 and 3 should be done together.

STEP 2 - Activate 2-Step Verification: We recommend activating and using 2-step Verification even if you are not having issues with your SMTP. This is quickly being adopted and enforced on many platforms. For an example of more information regarding 2-step authentication, visit Google 2-Step Verification.

For information on how to activate 2FA for a Google account, go to Protect your account with 2-Step Verification.

STEP 3 - Generating App Passwords: Per Google, “An App Password is a 16-digit passcode that gives a less secure app or device permission to access your Google Account. App Passwords can only be used with accounts that have 2-Step Verification turned on.” Basically, this acts similarly to how an API Key works. It is a dedicated password to be used in an outside system. If you are using 2FA with your Google account, you will need to use an App Password in your outgoing mail server settings. For information on generating an APP Password, visit Sign in using app passwords.

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