When you create an email channel for Ontraport's Inbox feature, you get access to a forwarding address. This address is crucial to set up email forwarding so that when contacts send you a message, it appears in the correct Inbox channel.

There are two main strategies for setting up forwarding for your inbox, and this article walks you through choosing the correct option and setting it up.

The steps in this article are for Gmail Workspace. However, all email providers will have equivalent settings.

First, let's figure out which option is best for you.

Option 1: Using dedicated role email addresses

Choose this option if you want to or have already purchased role email addresses, such as support@yourcustomdomain.com.

This option benefits you by making your Gmail inbox a clone of the email channel you’ve created in Ontraport. It is also the simplest option to set up.

The downside of this option is that you must purchase user licenses from Google.

Check out this video to learn more about getting set up using this method:



First in Ontraport:

1. Go to your email channel or create a new one.
2. Look for the “To create conversations, forward emails to” item and copy the address for later.

Then log into your role email inbox in Gmail:

1. Click the settings icon → See all settings → Forwarding and POP/IMAP.
2. Click Add a forwarding address and paste the address you copied in Ontraport.
3. Switch back to your Ontraport account and locate the verification message in your inbox and click the link to confirm your forwarding address.
4. Refresh your page, select the "forward a copy of incoming mail to” option and select your forwarding address in the blank field.
5. In the second field, choose what you would like to happen to the message in the Gmail inbox.
6. Click Save Changes.

Option 2: Using Google Groups

Use this option if you have a primary email address for your custom domain that you want to use for your role email addresses and don’t want to purchase additional user licenses from Google. This option allows you to create free role email addresses and you can send messages to only Ontraport Inbox or keep a copy in your main inbox as well.

The main benefit of this option is that you can create free role email addresses for your business.

The downside is your Gmail inbox won’t be an exact copy of your Ontraport email channel.

Check out this video to learn more about getting set up using this method:



First in Ontraport:

1. Go to your email channel or create a new one.
2. Look for the “To create conversations, forward emails to” item and copy the address for later.

Then log into your custom domain email inbox in Gmail:

1. Click on the Google account icon in the top right corner and click Admin console.
2. Go to Directory → Groups.
3. Click Create group.
4. Fill in the following settings:
   • Group name — Name your group.
   • Group email — Add the username for your role address such as “Support” or “Sales.”
   • Group description — Add a brief description of the group.
5. Click Next.
6. Select “Team” in the Access type setting, then customize the default settings by selecting the “External” option in the “Who can post” setting.
7. Click Create group. 

Next,  add your forwarding address as a member:

1. Click Add members to [Your group name]  → Add members.
2. Paste the forwarding address you copied from Ontraport.
   • (Optional) Add additional members to send a copy of the message to other inboxes.
3. Click Add to group.