Why didn't my customer get our reply?
You answered a ticket, but the customer says they never got it. Replies are sent through the desk's own mailbox, so most problems come down to that mailbox, or to the customer's spam filter. This article goes through the causes, most likely first.
1. Look for a "Couldn't email the customer" note
If IntelliDesk couldn't send a reply, it adds an internal note from IntelliDesk to the ticket straight after your reply, and moves the ticket back up the inbox. Your reply still shows in the conversation, and the ticket's status may have changed as if it went out, so the note is the thing to look for. It tells you why:
- "Couldn't email the customer: this help desk has no mailbox connected." Connect one under Settings → Help Desks → Channels, then send the reply again.
- "Couldn't email the customer: the desk's mailbox needs to be reconnected", followed by what the mail server said. The mailbox's sign-in has stopped working. See Reconnecting a mailbox that shows Error, then send the reply again.
- "Couldn't email the customer. The error was: …", for anything else. The error comes from your email provider or from IntelliDesk.
There's no resend button: copy your reply and send it again once the problem is fixed.
For WhatsApp replies, a failed message shows a red Send failed line under it instead, with the reason.
2. You're on a trial and hit the daily sending limit
During a free trial, a workspace can send up to 50 emails in any 24 hours. This includes replies, acknowledgement emails and satisfaction surveys. When the limit is reached, the failure note includes Trial daily send limit reached (50/day). Subscribe to remove the cap, or wait ~Nh for the window to reset. Subscribing removes the limit.
3. The workspace's subscription isn't active
If your trial has ended, a payment has failed, the subscription was cancelled, or the workspace is locked, IntelliDesk doesn't let anyone make changes, and that includes sending replies. Instead of sending, you'll see a message that says which, such as Your trial has ended — subscribe to make changes., Your last payment failed — update your payment method to make changes. or Your subscription was cancelled — resubscribe to make changes., with a Billing button. Nothing was sent, and the reply isn't saved on the ticket. An organization admin needs to subscribe or update the card under Settings → Billing; then send the reply again. See How long is the free trial, and what happens when it ends?
4. The desk is set to API / portal only
If the desk's API / portal only setting is on and no mailbox is connected, replies aren't emailed at all. They're saved on the ticket, and the customer reads them in the customer portal. To email customers from this desk, connect a mailbox and switch API / portal only off (Settings → Help Desks → your desk → Settings).
5. It was sent, but went to the customer's spam or junk folder
If there's no failure note, the email left your mailbox. Ask the customer to check their spam or junk folder and to add your support address to their contacts.
Because IntelliDesk sends through your own mailbox (Gmail, Microsoft 365 or your host's SMTP server), whether it lands in the inbox depends on that mailbox's reputation and your domain's email settings. If replies regularly land in spam, ask whoever manages your domain's email to check it's set up correctly for sending.
For Gmail and Outlook mailboxes you can also look in the mailbox's Sent folder to confirm the email went out. IMAP/SMTP mailboxes don't get a copy in their Sent folder; the ticket is the record.
6. It went to the wrong address
Replies always go to the ticket's contact. Check the To: line at the top of the reply box, and the contact's email address in the ticket's side panel. If the customer wrote from a different address this time, or someone else raised the ticket for them, add the right person with Add CC.
7. You wrote an internal note by mistake
Internal notes are never sent to the customer. If your message has the yellow internal-note style in the conversation, send it again as a public reply. See Replying to tickets: public replies vs internal notes.
What the customer receives
Every email reply is sent from the desk's mailbox address with your name as the sender, and the subject includes the ticket number, for example Re: Delivery delayed [HD-1182]. Below your message, IntelliDesk adds a short footer with links to the customer portal and your service status page.
When to contact support
If there's no failure note, the customer has checked their spam folder, and the email isn't in your mailbox's Sent folder either, contact IntelliDesk support with the ticket number and the time you sent the reply.
Related: Reconnecting a mailbox that shows Error · CC'ing people and forwarding a ticket outside your team · Replying to tickets: public replies vs internal notes