Overview
Agility Blue automatically connects incoming emails to the correct tasks and conversations. This process is designed to be reliable, flexible, and resilient to real-world email behavior.
Whether a reply comes directly from a system-generated email or as part of a broader email conversation, Agility Blue works to determine where that message belongs and how it should be handled.
The Email Processing Flow
When an email is received by the managed inbox, Agility Blue processes it in several steps:
The email is retrieved from the inbox
The message content and attachments are extracted
The system evaluates whether the email belongs to existing work
The email is classified as either:
A reply to existing work, or
A new request that should create new work
The message is then routed and stored accordingly
This process typically happens automatically within a minute.
.png)
How Agility Blue Identifies Replies
Agility Blue uses multiple signals to determine whether an incoming email is a reply.
1. Direct Reply Recognition
When you reply to an email sent from Agility Blue, the system includes a base64 reference data marker in the body that begins with abref to directly identify the related task or conversation.
This is the most reliable method of matching replies.
2. Email Conversation Matching
If a message does not contain system-generated reference data, Agility Blue attempts to match it based on the surrounding email conversation.
This includes analyzing:
The email thread structure via internet headers
Previous messages in the conversation
Known relationships between messages
This allows replies to still be associated correctly even when users continue conversations outside of Agility Blue.
Why This Matters
This approach ensures that:
Replies are correctly linked to the appropriate task or conversation
Email threads can continue naturally outside the system
Communication remains organized and easy to follow
It also reduces the likelihood of duplicate tasks being created when multiple people are involved in an email chain.
When Matching May Not Occur
In some cases, Agility Blue may not be able to confidently match an email to existing work.
This can happen when:
The email is not part of a recognizable conversation
The original message context has been removed or altered
The managed inbox address was not included in earlier messages
When this occurs, the email is still captured but may be treated as a new request, resulting in a new task.
Best Practices for Reliable Matching
To help ensure emails are matched correctly:
Keep the original email thread intact when replying
Include the managed inbox address in all replies
Avoid significantly modifying the original message content
Following these practices helps Agility Blue maintain accurate and consistent email associations.
What Happens After Matching
Once a message is matched, Agility Blue determines how it should be applied:
If the email relates to a task or task comment, it will be added as a comment
If the email is part of an email conversation, it is added to the task email thread
If no match is found, a new task will be created within a project draft
All messages are stored and remain accessible within the workspace.
Putting It All Together
Agility Blue’s email matching system is designed to work the way users naturally communicate:
Direct replies are handled seamlessly
Ongoing email threads are preserved
New requests are captured automatically
This allows teams to use email as a natural extension of their workflow without losing structure or organization.