Connect a user mailbox to the Outlook channel

Connect a Microsoft 365 user mailbox to the Outlook channel. After the mailbox is connected, the AI Assistant can receive and respond to employee emails sent to that mailbox.

Use a user mailbox when a dedicated HR, IT, or support address is assigned to a single licensed Microsoft 365 user. For team or department inboxes, use a shared mailbox instead.

For more information, see:

• Create a shared mailbox for the Outlook channel
• Connect shared mailboxes to the Outlook channel
• Outlook: Supported mailbox types

Before you begin

Make sure that:

• You completed Prepare Microsoft Entra for the Outlook channel.
• You granted Microsoft administrator consent for the Outlook channel.
• The user mailbox exists in Exchange Online and is assigned to an active, licensed Microsoft 365 user.
• The mailbox belongs to your organization's Microsoft 365 tenant. Personal Microsoft accounts aren't supported.
• You're signed in to Applaud with one of the following roles:
  • Tenant admin
  • Product admin
  • Experience designer
• Your subscription has an available mailbox connection.

Prepare the user mailbox

Before connecting the mailbox:

1. Confirm the email address that employees will use.
2. In Microsoft 365, verify that the user account is active and the mailbox can send and receive email.
3. Confirm that the mailbox has a clear display name that employees will recognize.

You don't need to configure additional Microsoft 365 mailbox permissions for Applaud. Applaud uses the permissions granted when you connect the Outlook channel.

Connect the user mailbox

1. In Applaud admin, select Channels.
2. Select Outlook.
3. Verify that the Outlook channel displays Connected.
4. Select Manage mailboxes.
5. Search for the mailbox by name or email address.
6. Select the user mailbox.
7. Select Save.

The mailbox appears in the Connected mailboxes list.

Verify the connection

1. Send a test email from an active Applaud user account.
2. Address the email to the connected user mailbox.
3. Include a simple question or request in the message body.
4. Confirm that the AI Assistant replies from the connected mailbox.

If you don't receive a reply, see Troubleshoot missing AI Assistant replies.

User mailbox or shared mailbox?

Choose the mailbox type that matches how your organization manages the email address.

Next steps

After you connect the user mailbox:

• Send a test request to confirm that the AI Assistant can receive and respond to email.
• Review About one-to-one conversations to understand how Outlook conversations work.
• See Manage connected shared mailboxes to manage your mailbox connections.