Intro to Intake Email

Video Placeholder Duration: 3-5 minutes Topics covered: What is Intake Email, setting up email intake, how emails become work items

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What is Intake Email?

Intake Email provides your project with a dedicated email address. When someone sends an email to this address, it automatically becomes a work item in your Intake queue.

No forms, no links — just email.

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How It Works

Email to Work Item Mapping

Email Part	Work Item Field
Subject line	Title
Body	Description
Attachments	Attachments
Sender	Recorded for reference

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Setting Up Intake Email

Enable the Feature

1. Go to Project Settings
2. Navigate to Features
3. Enable Intake if not already on
4. Toggle Intake Email on

Get Your Email Address

Once enabled, Plane generates a unique email address:

project-identifier@intake.plane.so

This address is specific to your project.

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Using Intake Email

Share the Address

Give this email to:

• Customers for support requests
• Team members for quick submissions
• Partners for feedback
• Anyone who prefers email

What Submitters Do

Simply send an email:

• To: Your project's intake email
• Subject: Brief summary (becomes title)
• Body: Details (becomes description)
• Attachments: Screenshots, files (attached to work item)

No Login Required

Senders don't need:

• A Plane account
• Access to your workspace
• Any special software

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Email Conversion

Example Submission

Email:

To: webproject@intake.plane.so
From: customer@example.com
Subject: Login page not loading on mobile

Hi,

I'm having trouble logging in on my iPhone. The page just
shows a white screen and never loads.

I've attached a screenshot.

Thanks,
Customer Name

Resulting Work Item:

Title: Login page not loading on mobile
Description:
I'm having trouble logging in on my iPhone. The page just
shows a white screen and never loads.

I've attached a screenshot.

Thanks,
Customer Name

Attachments: screenshot.png
State: Triage

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Managing Email Submissions

All Submissions Go to Triage

Email-submitted items appear in Intake with state: Triage

Available Actions

Same as form submissions:

• Accept — Move to workflow
• Decline — Reject
• Snooze — Review later
• Mark Duplicate — Link to existing

Sender Information

Each submission records:

• Sender email address
• Original email content
• Timestamp

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Security

Renewing the Email Address

If your intake email is compromised:

1. Go to Project Settings → Features → Intake Email
2. Click Renew
3. Old address stops receiving
4. New address generated
5. Update your shared references

Spam Considerations

• Monitor for spam submissions
• The address is unique but discoverable if shared
• Renew if spam becomes a problem

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Use Cases

Customer Support

support@yourcompany.com → forwards to → project@intake.plane.so

Customer emails automatically become trackable tickets.

Bug Reports

Share with beta testers: "Found a bug? Email bugs@intake.plane.so"

Internal Requests

Teams without Plane access can submit via email: "Need something from Engineering? Email eng-requests@intake.plane.so"

Partner Feedback

Give partners a direct line: "Share feedback: partner-feedback@intake.plane.so"

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Email Intake vs Forms

Aspect	Email Intake	Forms
Submission method	Email	Web form
Structured data	Free-form	Defined fields
Attachments	Yes	Yes
Custom fields	No	Yes
User experience	Familiar	Guided
Best for	Quick submissions	Detailed reports

When to Use Each

• Email: Users who prefer email, quick reports, mobile-friendly
• Forms: Structured data needed, specific field requirements

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Self-Hosted Considerations

If you're running self-hosted Plane:

• Additional DNS configuration required
• Email service setup needed
• Consult self-hosted documentation

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Best Practices

Clear Communication

Tell submitters what to include:

• Subject line = brief summary
• Body = all relevant details
• Attachments = screenshots, logs

Set Expectations

Let submitters know:

• Response time expectations
• How they'll be contacted
• What happens next

Regular Monitoring

Check Intake regularly:

• Don't let emails pile up
• Respond to urgent items quickly
• Archive processed submissions

Combine with Forms

Use both channels:

• Email for quick, simple reports
• Forms for detailed, structured submissions

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Key Takeaways

• Intake Email gives your project a dedicated email address
• Emails automatically become work items in Triage
• Subject → Title, Body → Description, Attachments → Attachments
• Enable in Project Settings → Features → Intake Email
• No Plane account needed for submitters
• Renew the email address if compromised
• Works great alongside Intake Forms

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Next Steps

As projects grow, you need to organize larger initiatives. Learn about Epics.

Next Lesson: Intro to Epics