FAQ

The public company Vercom S.A., to which the EmailLabs project belongs, is a European company, fully compliant with GDPR regulations, based only on its own servers located in CEE (Beyond Data Centre), while we provide services based on our own know-how and technology. Our attention to information security is confirmed by a successfully completed ISO 27001 surveillance audit and ISO 27018 certification. Both audits confirm that organization’s information security management system aligns with the most recent information security best practices and apply the international standard for protecting personal data in the cloud.

Why is it better to process personal data within the EEA?

In order to change the SMTP integration password, you have to pick “Active accounts” in the “SMTP accounts” bookmark and click on the pencil icon located in the “actions” column (SMTP accounts → Active accounts → pencil icon in actions column).

In order to change the password to your analytical panel, you have to open “My profile” settings in the “Admin” bookmark (Admin → My profile).

Firstly, a cloud-based SMTP is able to scale up to meet your needs. In regards to the number of messages, if you’re looking at growing your capacity, you would not have to set up new servers as the infrastructure will adapt to your needs. Secondly, you will save time and money, as the costs of setting up and maintaining the infrastructure are on someone else. Thirdly, you will not have to employ specialists, and e-mail traffic monitoring experts. Fourth is the security of your data – EmailLabs infrastructure is located in a modern data center that meets the highest data keeping and processing safety requirements.

For the majority of e-commerce systems, email messages are sent from a shared IP address. Shared IPs can often have a negative effect on send speeds, as well as on deliverability. VPS users can also encounter problems with deliverability and send speeds, as traditional SMTP can have problems with managing large email volumes. With integration in EmailLabs, your messages will be sent from a professional server, adjusted for fast and effective send and delivery speeds. In addition, each user receives access to an analytical panel, to examine messages sent from the user’s shop platform. The integration process takes only 5 minutes and the e-commerce platform management does not change at all.

Yes, EmailLabs can be integrated with any number of apps that generate email sending. There is no need for new account creation or purchase of separate plans for every app. However, we recommend separating transactional traffic from marketing traffic.

EmailLabs sets up SPF records automatically and there is no option of turning it off. We recommend adding a relevant entry in TXT record in DNS.

NOTE: In order to correctly configure SPF you will need to add the following entry in TXT record in DNS: include:_spf.emaillabs.co

Yes, the plan type can be upgraded at any given time. In order to do so please contact our customer service team.

Yes, it is possible to resign from EmailLabs at any time. Any outstanding fees will be charged in the following billing cycle.

With a dedicated IP address, you independently take care of your reputation and do not have to worry about shared users’ influence on your deliverability. With a dedicated IP, you can benefit from a number of additional features, such as a personalized DKIM and DMARC.

Yes, both types of messages can be sent via EmailLabs. In such cases, we recommend the separation of transactional and marketing traffic. With a separated configuration, you will avoid the queue of transactional messages during newsletter campaigns. Traffic separation is possible by setting up 2 separate SMTP accounts. In order to create such a configuration contact our customer service.

All EmailLabs clients are recommended to use a dedicated IP address.

Yes, your data can be downloaded via API. This the fastest way to integrate systems. If you do not feel up to the task of integrating EmailLabs with your system via API, you can simply tick data that interests you and copy it. In order to learn more about API, go to documentation.

EmailLabs keeps detailed logs depended on the purchased plan:
→ Startup – 1 day.

→ Essential – 7 days,

→ PRO, and Enterprise – 15 days

Additionally, there is a possibility to extend the period even further. In order to learn about the offer please contact your account manager.

No, after API integration, EmailLabs sends data to external systems only after system requests from EmailLabs. The data call process can be fully automated, which is possible through Event API.

Yes, EmailLabs gives you the possibility to create multiple user accounts with separate logins and passwords. Additionally, an administrator can also assign admin status to each user. For instance, we can give our users access to statistics but block them from application settings.

NOTE: The ‘multiple user account management’ option is available in the PRO Plan.

Unfortunately, there are no guarantees that messages will always reach main inbox. Adding appropriate headers can influence a message’s placement in receiver’s inbox, but there is never a guarantee of the possibility of reaching the main inbox. By adding a “list” header we mark such messages as transactional, which should place in the main inbox. In the case of marketing emails we send out a “bulk” header should be used instead of “list” – which will protect marketing content from the spam folder. In the worst case scenario, it should reach the “offers” or “other” folders.

NOTE: “Precendence” headers are currently only supported by Gmail.

If you have such error, the first you will need to check if you are using a correct login, password and host name. If you are sure that correct data is entered, it is possible that your web host is blocking connection, possibility with an external SMTP. In such cases you should contact your web host and ask them to remove the blocked connection.

When trying to connect to an EmailLabs server you are receiving an error information: Operation failed. Server response: 5.7.1. : Relay access denied most likely means that you entered incorrect login data. Double check the spelling, cap locks, and empty spaces in your password and login.

Yes, however, with the on Startup plan you’ll only be able to do it through the API. More information can be found here. Clients with a Essential plan or higher can export a blacklist directly from the EmailLabs panel.

Paid plans are activated for an undefined time. At any given time client can resign from additional features. Then a relevant notification needs to be sent to [email protected]. There is a one month notice period with effect at the end of next calendar month after a month, during which the notice of termination was filed in.

At it’s creation, each account begins with a Startup plan. As the need for a higher plan arises, it is necessary to contact an account manager. After the request is noted, the customer service will contact the client to obtain the required information. A paid account with additional features is then activated. Detailed policy and price lists can be found here.

EmailLab’s server can be connected to any number of send out systems, and messages from any number of domains can be directed to our server. One server can handle a send out from a greater number of domains. However, please remember that all send out statistical data in the panel will be treated as one and data will not be divided with multiple domains.

The “activity reports” bookmark is in place to provide you with all these details. All sent message logs are tracked. A relevant status needs to be set in the search engine, which will trigger a display of list of addresses that for example received track status. Please remeber that activity logs are kept in our system for 1 day with the Startup plan, 7 days with the Essential plan or 15 days on all higher tier plans. After that time the logs are deleted from our system. If you wish to extend this logging period, you will need to download your data through the API, and conduct status analysis on the side of your system. Feel free to check our documentation.

EmailLabs is an external infrastructure (SMTP), which can integrate with your send out system, but not a domain. After integration is complete, you can set any domain, from which the send out will be connected. There is no further need for any integration with EmailLabs.

BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) is a new security
standard that enables the display of a verified sender logo in those emails
that have passed DMARC authentication, thus confirming that the ‘From’
domain has not fallen victim to spoofing & phishing attempts.

BIMI increases the brand’s visibility in the mailboxes of those providers
who are currently participating in the BIMI pilot program. The first studies
show an improvement in the number of open (OR) and conversion rates.
The ability to display a logo encourages senders to adopt enforcement
DMARC policies for email authentication.

BIMI allows publishing in a domain’s DNS a record containing the URL of
the logo located on the server and (if rights to use it need to be proven –
what required Google for example) the path to the VMC certificate. During
email delivery, the receiving server verifies the SPF, DKIM, and DMARC
policy of the sending domain and checks the presence of a BIMI record – if
the record exists and passes DMARC verification, the mailbox provider can
use the brand’s logo to highlight the message sender.

Approximately 6-7 weeks.

• Authentication of messages using SPF and DKIM
• Securing the domain with an enforcement DMARC (quarantine or reject
  policy)
• Creating a logo in SVG Tiny P/S format
• If required (e.g. for Gmail), obtaining a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC)
• Publishing the BIMI record in the DNS of the domain

• Apple Mail
• Verizon Media Group (Yahoo, AOL, etc.)
• Gmail
• Fastmail
• Onet
• Zone

The current list of providers supporting BIMI is available on the
AuthIndicators Working Group page.

A DNS-ready BIMI TXT record must point to the location of the logo .SVG file (“l=” tag) and certificate .PEM file (“a=” tag).

Example below:

default._bimi.[domainname] IN TXT “v=BIMI1; l=[SVG URL]; a=[PEM URL]”

The BIMI record should be published to the DNS of the domain to which it applies. Like DMARC – it covers all subdomains. It is also possible to publish a separate record to the DNS of a subdomain (containing a different logo, for example).

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is a security feature used to authenticate the sender of an email. It allows providers to verify whether a mail server is authorized to send an email on behalf of a domain.

For more information on SPF, please check this article on our blog.

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is a digital key used to verify that emails are authentic and have not fallen victim to a phishing attempt during transmission.

Learn how to authenticate a domain with a DKIM key with this article on our blog.

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance) is an email authentication method based on SPF and DKIM. It checks the above protocols and ‘tells’ mailbox providers what action to take against messages that fail authentication, giving domain owners control over their use and preventing spoofing.

An enforcement DMARC policy is required to implement BIMI: “p=quarantine” (pct=100) or “p=reject”.

Yes, according to the BIMI specification, the logo must be registered as a trademark and therefore it is necessary to register it in advance with the following office: for the European Union – it is EUIPO, while for the USA – it is the USPTO.

The full list of offices is available here

The BIMI logo should be:

• on a solid background – transparent backgrounds are not recommended,
• centered, in the proportion 1:1 – for optimal display in a square, rounded square or circle.

The BIMI logo must not be animated or interactive.

Yes, graphics including only the text version (name of the brand/institution) without the symbol (logo) are acceptable.

Logo in the BIMI record must be in a specific format, based on SVG (Scalable Vector Graphic) Tiny 1.2 but with fewer permitted elements. The version supported by BIMI is referred to as SVG Tiny Portable/Secure (SVG P/S).

Detailed guideline for its preparation is available on the AuthIndicators Working Group website.

The logo should be placed in any public domain (it does not have to be the same domain that is subjected to the implementation of this standard). In the prepared BIMI record, the “l=” tag refers to its location (URL).

A VMC (Verified Mark Certificate) is a new type of digital certificate that authenticates the logo associated with the email sender’s domain.

The technical BIMI specification indicates that a VMC is optional, but you can expect most major email providers to require one – Gmail, for example, is already one of them.

Even if providers such as Yahoo Mail and AOL do not currently require a VMC, they may use this certificate to determine whether a sender is trustworthy.

• Have a logo that is a registered trademark
• DMARC enforcement policy set to quarantine (pct=100) or reject

• verification of the organization and the domain: checking the rights to use the domain
• direct interview of the company representative with a member of the certification organization, e.g. DigiCert or Entrust
• validation of DMARC authentication
• certification confirmation by a notary
• receiving a certificate in .PEM format and publication its location in the BIMI record

At the moment, the only organizations authorized to issue VMC certificates are DigiCert, Entrust DataCard, and their partners. From the announcement made by the BIMI team, we know that the list of institutions issuing VMC certificates is expected to expand over time. EmailLabs, as part of its BIMI implementation service, will suggest which notary in your region offers VMC legal assistance.

The cost of obtaining a VMC certificate is 9450 PLN net* per year for each pair: one domain and one version of the logo. SAN – the second and each subsequent domain is 2000 PLN net per year.

Thanks to EmailLabs’ cooperation with Domeny.pl, the only distributor of VMC certificates in Poland, you can obtain it on very preferential terms.

*Price subject to change. 

The certificate is valid for one year, after that it must be renewed.

Once your VMC has been approved by the certificate authority you will receive a .PEM (Privacy Enhanced Mail) format file. You must upload the file to your public server. The URL (path to the file) should be placed in the TXT record of the BIMI.

For the logo to be displayed, emails must come from the bulk sender and use a generic address such as [email protected], [email protected]). The logo will not be displayed for personal addresses ([email protected]).

Additionally, the sender needs to have a good reputation. Please note that the final decision whether to display the logo is up to the mailbox provider.

According to Verizon Media (Yahoo) the BIMI logo will be displayed on the mailbox if the following conditions are met :

• There is a BIMI record in the DNS that points to the location of the logo in the correct SVG format
• DMARC has a quarantine or reject policy
• The mailing is sent to a large number of recipients (bulk). The logo will not be displayed in personal mailings
• Verizon Media notes sufficiently good reputation and engagement of recipients

If requirements are met but the logo still does not display, please refer to Yahoo’s documentation for developers.

There are several alternatives to displaying the logo: Boost from Polish service Interia, the logo in Google Workspace (formerly G Suite), the Avatar in the Postmaster Mail.ru tool, Bing for Microsoft. Note that a logo uploaded this way may be unverified and does not prove that the domain is properly secured with DMARC.

To learn more about BIMI verification and the process of obtaining a VMC certificate, contact EmailLabs – our experts will provide you with any additional information.