Getting started

How to get started with Commslayer

8 articles

Setting Up Commslayer

Hey there! Ready to get your Commslayer helpdesk up and running? Let's break it down into simple steps. Table of contents: 1. Install app in Shopify Appstore 2. Migrate data from your old platform 3. Setup your email 4. Connect Instagram DM's & Meta Messenger 5. Make your messages look good 6. Quick responses at your fingertips 1. Install the app in Shopify Appstore First things first: - Head over to the Shopify App Store: https://apps.shopify.com/commslayer - Click that install button - Create your account and sign in Boom! You're in. 2. Moving from your old platform If you're switching from Gorgias/Re:amaze/Zendesk/Help Scout, we've got your back: Migration to-do & checklist 3. Set up your Email - If you use Google Workspace for your support inbox, follow these instructions. - If you want to set up Gmail Alias, follow this article. - If you use any other provider (Outlook, MS365, Zoho etc.), check our article for DNS setup. Connect Gmail 1. Navigate to Settings → Inboxes and select Email and then Gmail Keep in mind this is the easiest setup possible but is limited to 1,500 emails a day and requires a paid Google Workspace. 2. Go through the Gmail authentication flow. Congrats, your email inbox is now set up! We'll grab your last 2 days of emails. Sync will take 10-30 minutes. Pro tip: Send yourself a test email to make sure it's working! 4. Connect Instagram DM's & Meta Messenger Want to handle FB/IG dm's and post comments? Here's how: - Head to Settings → Inboxes → Meta - Authenticate with Meta and approve all the scopes Commslayer asks for. Note: Ensure your Instagram is linked to your Meta Business Manager. If you're connecting multiple accounts, we recommend selecting all Pages and Businesses you'll be adding the first time you authenticate with Meta. 5. Make Your Messages Look Good Let's set up your message signature: - Go to Profile settings → Personal message signature - Add your profile picture (not required) - Customize your signature 6. Quick Responses at Your Fingertips Save time with response templates: - Find Settings → Canned responses - Set up templates for common questions - Use them by typing "/" in a conversation Cool trick: Add personalized info like order numbers or tracking URLs using "{{" in your templates. And that's it! Also check the Migration to-do & checklist for more tips You're all set to rock your customer service with Commslayer. Questions? Ping us at karri@commslayer.com

Last updated on Jan 07, 2026

DNS setup for connecting email

This guide will walk you through the process of setting up your DNS records and email forwarding to connect your existing support inbox to Commslayer. Follow this guide if you are trying to connect a non-Google Workspace inbox, Gmail Alias, or Outlook. If you use Google Workspace, select the "Gmail" option and follow this other guide. Step 1: Add your Email inbox 1. Log in to your Commslayer account. 2. Navigate to the "Settings" section in the main menu. 3. Under Settings, find and click on "Inboxes" and on "Add inbox". Select "Email" and "Standard setup". 4. Select your shop from the dropdown 5. Provide your support email address. 6. Give your inbox a name (e.g., "Support email"). 7. Click "Create Inbox". Step 2: Add DNS Records You need to add two types of DNS records to your domain: 1. DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) Record: - Type: TXT - Hostname: The provided hostname (e.g., "20240418064219pm._domainkey") - Value: The provided long string 2. Return-Path Record: - Type: CNAME - Hostname: The provided hostname (e.g., "pm-bounces") - Value: The provided value (e.g., "pm.mtasv.net") To add these records: 1. Log in to your domain registrar or DNS provider's website. 2. Navigate to the DNS management section. 3. Add the DKIM record as a TXT record. 4. Add the Return-Path record as a CNAME record. 5. Save your changes. Step 3: Verify DNS Records 1. After adding the DNS records, return to the Commslayer interface. 2. Click the "Verify" button. 3. Commslayer will check if the DNS records have been set up correctly. Note: DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to fully propagate but usually take only 1-2 minutes. If verification fails initially, wait and try again later. Step 4: Set Up Email Forwarding - Setting up Outlook or Microsoft 365 account? View Microsoft 365 forwarding instructions - Setting up GMail alias? Please ignore the rest of this article and follow this guide: How to setup Gmail alias This step is crucial for ensuring that all your support emails reach Commslayer: 1. Log in to your current email provider's settings. 2. Locate the email forwarding or rules section. 3. Set up a forwarding rule to send all incoming emails to the Commslayer-provided email address. 4. Save your changes and test the forwarding to ensure it's working correctly. Note: The exact steps for setting up email forwarding may vary depending on your email provider. If you need assistance, consult your email provider's documentation or support. Note: If you are setting up forwarding from a Microsoft email (Outlook/MS365), follow this: Microsoft 365 forwarding instructions Final step Once all steps are completed, including email forwarding, you'll see a "Voila!" message in Commslayer, indicating that your setup is complete. Now it's time to send a test message to your inbox!

Last updated on Jan 07, 2026

Agent training guide

Navigating views & tickets https://youtu.be/sQVfcwart7U?si=IPncJ85Ockh0Ls1b Responding to tickets https://youtu.be/oflBHFaDKYk?si=YtR4JjSg0DrpVqin Sidebar Coming soon Handling Social Media Coming soon Work Faster with keyboard shortcuts Coming soon

Last updated on Dec 09, 2024

Tips and tricks (you didn't know about)

Commslayer has many undocumented quirks and features. Some are useful, some aren’t. But all are good to know! In this living document, I’ll walk you through some essential tricks: - Bulk editing tickets – how to select multiple tickets at once - Sorting & filtering conversation list - CMD + K opens the console - How to trigger automation based on the subject line or message content - My new agent can’t see any inboxes?! - How to add new views - How to mention other people on private note Bulk editing tickets – how to select multiple tickets at once This is a slightly unintuitive easter egg in the UI. https://youtu.be/UyYdAha2OV8?si=8CaDB4K5wYB7fbQy Sorting & filtering conversation list This little dropdown causes 20% of my support load. You can use it to switch between different ticket statuses (Open, Snoozed, Resolved, All, etc.). If you leave it on 'ALL', you'll see all your tickets on the conversation list. Remember to switch back to 'Open' to just see the new open conversations when you play around with it. CMD + K opens the console Makes switching between dark and light mode easy. How to trigger an automation based on the subject line or message content Many are using this to build spam filters as the app doesn't have a built-in spam folder. Switch the triggering event to "Message created" and you'll find the "Message content" option. My new agent can’t see any inboxes?! You need to add them to an inbox OR create a team and assign inboxes to that team. How to add new views Adding a new view is easy, but saving it isn't as intuitive. How to mention other people on private notes Just '@' them!

Last updated on Dec 09, 2024

Enable external forwarding in Microsoft 365

If you're having trouble forwarding emails to Commslayer, it's often because Microsoft 365 blocks external forwarding by default. When this happens, you'll likely receive an error message in your inbox that looks like this: 550 5.7.520 Access denied, Your organization does not allow external forwarding. Please contact your administrator for further assistance. AS(7550) This message can be misleading—it might sound like Commslayer rejected the email. In reality, Microsoft 365 blocked the email from even leaving your account because external forwarding isn't enabled. To fix this, you'll need to adjust your Microsoft 365 settings by following these steps. Step 1: Sign in to Microsoft 365 admin center 1. Go to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center and sign in with your admin credentials. 2. Navigate to the Microsoft Defender Portal. Step 2: Access the outbound spam filter policy 1. In the Microsoft Defender Portal, go to Email & collaboration > Policies & rules. 2. Select Threat policies, then click on Anti-spam outbound policy (Default). 3. Under Protection settings, find the section labeled Automatic forwarding rules. 4. Click Edit protection settings. 5. In the Forwarding rules section, change the dropdown to On - Forwarding is enabled. 6. In the Restriction placed on users who reach the message limit section, set the option to No action, alert only to avoid unnecessary disruptions if limits are reached. 5. Click Save to confirm the changes. Step 3: Redirect emails instead of forwarding For Commslayer to function properly, emails need to be redirected rather than simply forwarded. Forwarded emails appear to come from the original sender, which can interfere with proper delivery. Redirected emails maintain the original sender's information, ensuring seamless integration with Commslayer. How to set up email redirection 1. Sign in to your Outlook on the Web account. 2. Go to Settings > Mail > Rules. 3. Create a new rule with the following settings: - Condition: Apply to all messages (or set a specific condition as needed). - Action: Select Redirect to and enter the Commslayer email address. 4. Check the option to Stop processing more rules to ensure this rule applies correctly. 5. Save the rule. Step 4: Test email redirection 1. Send a test email to the account with redirection enabled. 2. Confirm that the email successfully redirects to your Commslayer account while retaining the original sender's details. Troubleshooting If you still encounter issues: - Double-check that the Outbound spam filter policy was updated and saved. - Ensure that your organization's security policies allow external forwarding and redirection. - Verify that the redirection rule in Outlook was set up correctly with no conflicting rules. - Confirm that the redirection address is correct and active. For further assistance, contact your IT administrator or Microsoft 365 support.

Last updated on Dec 19, 2024

How to add agents and assign them to inboxes

1. Open settings Go to the top left-hand menu and click Settings. 2. Go to agents In the settings menu, click Agents. This will show a list of your team members. Click Add agent. In the pop-up, enter the agent’s name, email, and choose their role (agent or administrator). Click Add agent to save. The agent will get an email to activate their account. 4. Assign the agent to an inbox After adding the agent, go back to Settings and click on Inboxes. Choose the inbox you want to assign the agent to by clicking the ⚙️-icon. In the Collaborators section, find Agents and select the agent’s name from the dropdown. Click Update to save.

Last updated on Dec 19, 2024

How to set up a Gmail Alias

Here's how to set up a Gmail alias on Commslayer! 1. Set up DNS for email connection Begin by configuring your DNS to link your email with Commslayer. Follow the steps in this guide to complete your DNS setup: DNS setup for connecting email. 2. Set up Gmail forwarding After completing the DNS configuration, follow these steps to forward emails from your Gmail alias to Commslayer. Access Gmail Settings: Log in to your Gmail account, then click on the Settings gear icon in the upper right corner. Select See all settings. Add Forwarding Address: Go to the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab, then click Add a forwarding address. In the prompt that appears, enter the forwarding address you got from the DNS setup and click Next. Confirm Forwarding: After clicking Next, select Proceed to confirm. Google will then send a verification prompt to your device OR an email to your Commslayer inbox. Locate the verification prompt / email from Google, and follow the provided link or enter the code to complete verification. Disable Forwarding Note: Ensure that you disable forwarding in the Forwarding tab (the actual forwarding will happen in the filtering step below). Select the option to disable automatic forwarding. 3. Set Up Filters for Alias To forward only emails sent to a specific alias to your Commslayer inbox, set up a filter: - In Gmail, go to Settings > Filters and Blocked Addresses. - Click Create a new filter at the bottom of the page. - In the To field, enter your alias email address - Click Create filter, select Forward it to and choose your CommsLayer address from the list. - Click Create filter again to save. With these steps, emails sent to your Gmail alias will forward to Commslayer via the filter, keeping your inbox organized and forwarding only the relevant messages. Pay Attention: You will be able to receive emails from your alias account, but you will not be able to send out emails from your alias account. Frequently Asked Questions Can I send emails from my alias address? No. When you reply to customers from Commslayer, the email will be sent from your main Gmail/Google Workspace account, not from the alias. The alias setup only allows you to receive emails sent to that address. This is a Gmail limitation, not a Commslayer limitation. If you need to send emails from a specific address (like support@yourbrand.com), you'll need to either: - Set up that email as a full Google Workspace account, or - Use the standard DNS email setup instead of the alias method Why isn't my profile picture showing in replies? When using Gmail/Google Workspace, the profile picture shown to customers is pulled from your Google account, not from Commslayer. If your profile picture isn't appearing: 1. Update your profile picture in your Google Workspace account settings 2. Wait a few hours for changes to propagate (Google caches profile pictures) 3. Send a test email to verify the new picture appears Note: Commslayer cannot override Gmail's profile picture settings. Why do my replies show the main account email, not my alias? This is expected behavior. Gmail aliases are receive-only when used with forwarding. Your customers will see replies coming from your main Google Workspace email address. If this is a problem for your workflow, consider setting up a dedicated Google Workspace account for your support email instead.

Last updated on Jan 13, 2026

How to Work Tickets Efficiently in Commslayer

This article describes the recommended workflow to manage support tickets in Commslayer. When we designed the app, we built this workflow as a common denominator: it is a good compromise between the different needs and requests we received from merchants. You can adapt it slightly to your processes, but we suggest starting from this approach. 1. Set Up Your Inbox Tab Before you start replying, make sure your workspace is focused on what matters most. - Filter by Status: “Open” Go to your ticket list. Set the Status filter to Open. This view shows all conversations that still require an action from your team. - Sort by “Last activity” The most common and useful sorting option is Last activity, which considers the most recent interaction (customer or agent) on a ticket. In the Sort by dropdown, choose Last activity. Decide your preferred order: Oldest first: ideal if you want to ensure that nothing has been waiting too long. Newest first: ideal for teams that need to react quickly to the latest activity. You can switch between these two depending on your priorities (SLA, workload, escalation rules, etc.). 2. Start from Your Own Tickets: “Mine” Tab To ensure pending replies are handled first, start from the tickets that are already assigned to you. 1. Open the Mine Tab. 2. Keep the Status filter on Open. 3. Work through all the tickets that are in your Inbox and assigned to you. This ensures: - You clear all pending replies. - Customers who are already in conversation with you receive continuity in the interaction. Note: As soon as you reply to a conversation, Commslayer automatically assigns that conversation to you. That is why “Mine” is your primary working queue. 3. Pick Up New Work: “Unassigned” Tab Once you clear your personal inbox (all open tickets in Mine view): 1. Switch to the Unassigned tab. 2. Keep the Status filter on Open. 3. Work through the New tickets: - Pick a ticket. - Reply to the customer. - The ticket will automatically become assigned to you after your reply. This approach balances: - Taking care of ongoing conversations first. - Then, picking up new work from the shared pool. 4. What Should I Do After I Reply to the Customer? After you send a reply, you have two main options, depending on whether the issue is solved or not. 4.1 If your reply fully resolves the issue If you are confident the conversation is complete and no further action is needed: Click the Resolve button. Use this when: You have provided the final answer or fix. There is no reason to keep the ticket open or waiting. 4.2 If you are waiting for the customer’s answer If your reply moves the ball back to the customer’s side, but the ticket is not resolved yet: Snooze the ticket “until next customer reply.” We introduced this snooze option to simulate a “Pending” or “Waiting for customer reply” status. What happens then: The ticket is not in your active “Open” list anymore, so it does not clutter your queue. As soon as the customer replies, the conversation will automatically reappear in your Inbox as an Open ticket, ready for further action. 5. How to Review Snoozed or Resolved Tickets If you have any doubt about a conversation you just snoozed or resolved, or you want to double-check its status: 1. Change the Status filter: - From Open to Snoozed to see all conversations you are waiting on. - From Open to Resolved to see all completed conversations. 2. If you want to limit the view to your own tickets, stay in the Mine tab. This way you can: - Audit your recently resolved tickets. - Quickly re-open a conversation if needed. - Track what you are currently waiting for from customers. This workflow keeps your queue clean, ensures customers in ongoing conversations are prioritized, and provides a simple way to manage pending responses without losing track of anything.

Last updated on Dec 10, 2025