Email Settings

Every marketing email sent from Gordon CRM must be sent from a verified sender identity. This is a verified email address on a custom domain you control, authorized via your DNS settings. Under Email Settings (/settings/domains), you can manage sending domains, sender identity, and email subscription preferences.

Loading State: On load, the domains configuration interface displays a placeholder card matching the dimensions and headers of the Sender Details and Domain Configuration sections to prevent layout shifting. During loading, the Add Domain button is disabled.

[SCREENSHOT PLACEHOLDER: The Email Settings page showing verified domains, active DNS records, and subscription preferences]

Subdomain Sending Isolation

To protect your root domain's email deliverability reputation, Gordon CRM uses subdomain sending isolation:

Sending Subdomain: When you configure a domain, the system automatically registers a mail subdomain (e.g., mail.acme.com) to send all bulk marketing campaigns. This isolates marketing reputation from your daily business emails.
Reply-To Routing: Recipient replies are directed back to your root domain (e.g., hello@acme.com). This ensures replies reach your standard inbox and presents a familiar address to your contacts.
DNS Cleanliness: All DKIM and SPF records are restricted to the subdomain, keeping your root domain DNS configuration clean.

Note: Workspaces are restricted to one sending domain. If you need to change your domain, you must delete your existing sender identity before adding a new one.

Setting Up a Custom Domain

Follow these steps to register and verify your custom sending domain:

Step 1: Add your Domain

In the sidebar, navigate to Settings → Domains.
Click Add Domain.
Enter your root domain (e.g., acme.com) and click Save.
- Note: Upon registration, the DNS configuration details view will automatically open to jumpstart your configuration.

Step 2: Configure DNS Records

The system generates a list of required DNS records, displayed in a scrollable view designed to prevent long record string overflows on smaller screens:

Sending Domain Records (Resend): Add these TXT and MX records to your DNS provider (e.g., GoDaddy, Route 53) to authorize sending via your custom subdomain (e.g., mail.acme.com).
Tracking Domain Record (Vercel CNAME): Add this CNAME record to map your tracking subdomain (e.g., links.acme.com) to the tracking server for branded open and click tracking.

Step 3: Verify Domain details

After adding the records to your DNS provider, return to Settings → Email Settings.
The domain configuration card is organized into two distinct sections:
- Sender Details: Displays fields for Sender Name, Sender Email, and Reply-To Address.
- Domain Configuration: Displays the status of your Sending Domain and Tracking Domain with a stacked responsive layout.
Verify and poll the status of your records independently using inline controls:
- Click the inline refresh icon next to the Sending Domain badge to verify Resend records.
- Click the inline refresh icon next to the Tracking Domain badge to verify Vercel CNAME records.
Once both badges show green verified states, the custom domain setup is complete.

Only verified sender identities can be selected for broadcasts or campaign steps.

Subscription Preferences

You can customize how contacts are opted-in to marketing communications and configure optional subscription footers for transactional emails.

Transactional Email Footers

To remain compliant and provide opt-in paths, you can include a subscription link at the bottom of transactional campaign and broadcast emails (which normally exclude unsubscribe links):

Footer Toggle: Enable the master toggle to append a subscription section at the bottom of transactional emails for unsubscribed contacts.
Message: Enter a plain-text call to action (e.g., Want to stay updated?).
Link Text: Customize the clickable anchor text (e.g., Subscribe to our emails) that routes users to the subscription opt-in portal.
Live Preview: An interactive preview displays in the settings dashboard to show how the footer text and link will appear to recipients.

The Fallback Sender

If you have not verified a custom sending domain, Gordon CRM will automatically route your emails through a fallback sender:

Virtual Email Address: The system generates a unique virtual address using your workspace name: {workspace-name}-{hash}@mail.gordoncrm.com
From Name: Set to your workspace display name.
Reply Routing: Replies to fallback emails are automatically forwarded directly to your workspace owner's registered email address.

Platform Isolation: The platform's system transactional domain (used for password resets and signup confirmations) is strictly isolated from bulk marketing emails to ensure system-critical notifications are always delivered.

Permissions

Only workspace Admins and Owners can manage email settings and domain configurations.

Role	View Email Settings	Edit Domains & DNS	Manage Subscription Prefs
Owner	Yes	Yes	Yes
Admin	Yes	Yes	Yes
Member	Yes	No	No

Tracking & Analytics — Learn how click and open tracking works
Merge Fields — Personalize outbound email campaigns
Technical Reference: Email — Database models, fallback sender variables, and DNS verification architecture

Broadcasts Merge Fields