Reply to email a non contact user

[Community Alums]

HI Team,

There is a requirement wherein if a customer replies to an email that should update the case. He is an external customer means his name is not there in contact table nor user table. Can he update the case. I mean is it possible and what approach?

[Robbie · Accepted solution]

Hi @Community Alums,

To answer your question, can a non-registered contact or user reply to a case record - technically, yes it is possible.

However, I would strongly suggest that some sort of validation takes place with this 'guest' user against the specific case so as to ensure guests can't update any or all cases.

Will the non-contact or non-user be associated to the case record at all? Will the email address be stored in a field? 

In order to achieve this, you'll need to create a new 'Inbound Action' - as recommended, within the condition field of the inbound action, make sure some sort of validation takes place so that only validated non-users/non-contacts can update the case.

To help others (or for me to help you more directly), please mark this response correct by clicking on Accept as Solution and/or Kudos.

Thanks, Robbie

[Shamma Negi]

Hi @Robbie ,

For our scenario, we are expecting for any contact to be processed in ServiceNow email table. However, their reply is going into "Error" state, and it is not getting captured in Case as target record is setting as empty on sys_email table. Because a query BR on Case table for customer contact role is restricting access to case record due to which the target field is empty on sys_email table.

Since target is empty on reply email record we cannot create Inbound email action on the table.

Do we have any other alternative for the same without changing the OOB query BR?

Adding @Saumya Chauhan who is working along with me on this. 

Regards,

Shamma