Setting up your email

By default, Petsoft sends emails from its own servers. That works fine for most businesses, but the from address will say something like "notifications@petsoft.com." Some customers ignore those, or they end up in spam folders.

If you want emails to come from your own domain, like "booking@yourkennel.com," you need to configure custom SMTP.

What you need

• An email address you control
• The SMTP server details from your email provider
• Your email provider's username and password or app-specific credential

If you use Gmail, Microsoft 365, or another major provider, the settings are standard. If you run your own mail server, you probably already know the details.

Where to enter the settings

Go to Organization > Settings > Email Configuration.

Fill in:

Field	What to enter
From address	The email customers will see, like "booking@yourkennel.com"
Display name	What shows up next to the address, like "Happy Paws Kennel"
SMTP server	Your provider's outgoing mail server, like "smtp.gmail.com"
Port	Usually 587 for TLS, or 465 for SSL
Username	Your email address or the specific username your provider gives you
Password	Your password or an app-specific password

App-specific passwords

Most modern email providers require app-specific passwords for third-party services like Petsoft. This is a good thing. It means you do not have to give Petsoft your main password, and you can revoke the app password anytime without changing your login.

• Gmail: Generate an app password in your Google Account settings under Security
• Microsoft 365: Use the app passwords section in your account security settings
• Other providers: Check their help docs for "app password" or "third-party SMTP"

Testing the connection

After you save the settings, click Send Test Email. Petsoft will send a message to your admin email address. If it arrives within a minute, the setup is working. If not, check the error message.

Common errors:

Error	What it usually means
Authentication failed	Wrong username or password
Connection timed out	Wrong SMTP server or port
TLS required	You picked port 25 instead of 587
Relay access denied	Your provider does not allow SMTP from your location

SPF and DKIM records

If your emails are landing in spam even after SMTP is configured, the problem might be your domain's DNS records. Your email provider can tell you exactly what SPF and DKIM records to add.

SPF is a DNS record that says "Petsoft is allowed to send email on behalf of yourkennel.com." Without it, some email providers treat your messages as suspicious.

You do not need to understand how SPF works. Just copy the record your email provider gives you and paste it into your DNS settings. If you do not know how to edit DNS, ask whoever manages your website or domain registration.

What emails are affected

Custom SMTP applies to automated emails and campaign emails. It does not apply to internal notifications like password resets or system alerts. Those still come from Petsoft's servers because they are not customer-facing.

Reverting to default

If your SMTP setup stops working, you can clear the settings and fall back to Petsoft's default sending. Go back to the email configuration page, delete the SMTP details, and save. Your emails will go back to coming from Petsoft's domain until you fix the issue.

SMTP setup flow

Port and security options

Port	Security	When to use
587	TLS (STARTTLS)	Most modern providers (recommended)
465	SSL	Providers that require implicit SSL
25	None / unencrypted	Rarely; often blocked by ISPs

Email troubleshooting decision tree