How to change the domain for emails sent from Backstage

When sending emails from your workspace, via Backstage, the @spotme.com domain is used by default.

The Emailing module on SpotMe Backstage allows you to use your own domain name when sending emails.

This however requires a change on certain email authentication methods used by the Emailing module, called SPF, DMARC and DKIM. These authentication methods are designed to detect forging sender addresses in emails.

Should you change the email domain in an email template without having amended the SPF, DMARC and/or DKIM records, it will not generate any time of error on Backstage, however it could lead to poor email deliverability. More information on Backstage errors that can be generated by SPF, DMARC, DKIM

Important: If you are planning on using your own domain name when sending emails for your workspace, do not forget that your participants might be using the Eventspace mobile app to join your workspace. If so, to activate the app our platform will still send an invitation email from the support@spotme.com email address, which therefore will need to be whitelisted.
Therefore, if your organization already has its own proprietary app, please reach out to us so we can adjust the sender email address configured at the app level to match the sender email address used in your workspace.

SPF (Sender Policy Framework)

If you use your own domain to send emails from SpotMe Backstage, you have to update your SPF record (or create one if you don't have one already) in order to publicly allow our servers to send emails on your behalf. Otherwise, it is very likely that email recipients will consider your emails sent from the platform as spam.

To ensure emails are correctly delivered, the SPF record of your domain needs to include:
" include: _spf.spotme.com ", as follows:  

v=spf1 include:_spf.spotme.com -all

SPF records are public and can be verified using a SPF record lookup from any free web tool, such as MxToolBox (https://mxtoolbox.com).

The SPF record can be updated via the DNS server by the administrator. Therefore, to change the domain name for emails sent from your workspace, you will need to contact your organization's dedicated IT department.

DMARC (Domain Message Authentication Reporting)

You require a valid DMARC entry for your domain. Create a TXT record "_dmarc.yourdomain.com". Simply replace "yourdomain.com" with the domain that you are setting up.

The minimal valid entry for DMARC is "v=DMARC1; p=none;". Depending on your IT policy, the DMARC entry may differ. Please contact your IT department to verify the required DMARC entry.

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) keys and domain verification records

SpotMe partners with two email providers, AWS SES and Mailchimp Transactional (previously known as Mandrill), to deliver emails.

For the successful delivery of emails, you must have DKIM keys and a domain verification record:

• DKIM keys: These are security measures that help prevent email spoofing. They verify that SpotMe is permitted to send emails on behalf of your domain.
• Domain verification records: These prove that you own the domain from which emails are sent.

MAIL FROM (Return-Path) Configuration

This configuration is not mandatory but is highly recommended, especially if you enforce a stricter DMARC policy (such as p=reject or p=quarantine). Configuring a custom MAIL FROM header helps ensure proper SPF alignment and improves email deliverability.

To set up a custom MAIL FROM field, create the following DNS records:

• MX Record:
  Host: bounce.yourdomain.com
  Value: 10 feedback-smtp.eu-central-1.amazonses.com
  
  
• TXT Record:
  Host: bounce.yourdomain.com
  Value: "v=spf1 include:amazonses.com ~all"

You can choose a different subdomain if preferred, just make sure to communicate the change to SpotMe Support.

Please contact SpotMe support to receive the DKIM keys and the domain verification key for your domain.

Once SpotMe support generates these values for your domain, you will receive detailed instructions on how to set up the necessary DNS entries:

• Three DNS CNAME records for AWS SES DKIM keys.
• Two DNS CNAME records for Mailchimp Transactional DKIM keys.
• One DNS TXT record for Mailchimp Transactional domain verification.

Forward these instructions to your IT department to update your DNS settings accordingly.

Backstage errors that can be generated by SPF, DMARC, DKIM

Having SPF verification, DKIM and DMARC (with .TXT record) is mandatory for domain bulk email senders.

Please note however that no error will be displayed in Backstage if the sending domain is missing a SPF or DMARC record. If the DKIM or the TXT record is missing, Backstage will show an error message similar to this one:

Error: The FROM email address domain is not verified! Please click on the email link sent to abc@abc.com or create a TXT record for abc@abc.com in the domain's DNS records with the following value "mandrill_verify.abcdefghijklmnop"