Setup POP3 Fetching (email to ticket)
As of version 2.4 HESK supports POP3 fetching - converting emails from a POP3 email account into tickets.
IMPORTANT!
On the first POP3 Fetching run, HESK will process all emails your mail server sends its way. Make sure your mailbox has no emails inside or just a few test ones.
If you want HESK to only fetch and process unread emails, use IMAP Fetching instead.
» Setting up POP3 fetching:
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Decide which email address you wish to use for support. Preferably this should be a new (unused) email account, such as support@yoursite.com and have a valid POP3 account (check with your email provider if not sure).
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Send a test email to your support email address (support@yoursite.com). Do not read it!
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On Linux servers, CHMOD file inc/mail/hesk_pop3.php to 755 (rwxr-xr-x).
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Enable POP3 fetching in HESK Settings (Admin panel > Settings > Email tab > POP3 Fetching: ON).
Enter your email account details in the fields that appear then click the Test POP3 Connection button.
If you receive an Error message double-check your POP3 settings and make sure they are 100% correct. Do not continue with next steps until the test succeeds.
If you receive a Success message click the Save changes button at the bottom.
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Open hesk_pop3.php file in your browser, for example:
https://example.com/hesk/inc/mail/hesk_pop3.phpIf you have URL Access Key set in Admin panel > Settings > Help desk > Security > URL Access Key (which you should), you will need to append ?key=XXXXXXXXX to hesk_pop3.php to access it via an URL address:
https://example.com/hesk/inc/mail/hesk_pop3.php?key=XXXXXXXXX
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Check your HESK admin panel - was a new ticket created?
» YES, ticket created:
Go back to HESK Settings and set the "From:" email setting on Email tab to the email address you use for POP3 fetching (support@yoursite.com). This will allow your customers to reply to tickets via email as well.
» NO, ticket not created:
- wait a few minutes then try again
- still nothing? Try the HESK Support forum
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To automatically convert emails to tickets you will need to setup a CRON job (scheduled task) to run the hesk_pop3.php script for example every 5 minutes. Most hosting companies support CRON jobs, please check your hosting control panel or contact your host.
Hesk Cloud users please contact us, and we will enable the cron job for your help desk.
Alternatively, you may use a third party remote CRON service to call the hesk_pop3.php file for you.
Note: HESK will detect identical emails as an Email loop and ignore them. When testing POP3 fetching or Email piping make sure that each of your test email messages is unique.
Security tip: you should have an URL Access Key set in Admin panel > Settings > Help desk > Security > URL Access Key. This will prevent anyone unauthorized from running your fetching script.
