Replies And The Inbox Page

Troubleshooting Reply Detection in QuickMail

Troubleshooting Reply Detection in QuickMail

In this article:

  • How reply detection works

  • Why a reply might not be detected

  • Replies from aliases

  • Manually marking a journey as replied

  • Reply detection: same domain vs. different domain

  • How QuickMail tracks replies

  • Is a reply not being detected?

  • FAQs

How Reply Detection Works

QuickMail embeds a tracking code in every email sent through the platform. Every 10 minutes, QuickMail scans all folders in the connected email account (except the Sent folder) looking for emails that contain this tracking code. When a match is found, the lead is automatically marked as replied and their journey is stopped — no further follow-up emails will be sent to them from that campaign.

Why a Reply Might Not Be Detected

1. Limited email account access

Third-party apps like QuickMail may not have full access to the email account depending on how permissions were granted during setup.

2. Hidden reply folder

If the folder where replies are saved is hidden, QuickMail will not be able to scan it.

3. Reply came from a different email address

QuickMail looks for replies from the exact email address added as a lead. If the lead replies from a different address (for example, the lead was added as xyz@xyz.com but replied from x.yz@xyz.info), the reply may not be matched — though QuickMail can often still detect it via the tracking code.

4. Tracking code stripped by the email app

Some email apps strip tracking codes from replies. When this happens, QuickMail cannot associate the reply with the correct lead. This is outside QuickMail's control.

5. Reply deleted before detection

If the reply is deleted from the email account before the 10-minute scan runs, QuickMail will not be able to detect it.

6. Incorrect MX records

If the MX records for the email account are misconfigured, replies may not route correctly.

Replies from Aliases

If a lead replies using an alias that is not added to the account, QuickMail can usually still detect the reply — but if the email app strips the tracking code, detection will fail.

Since QuickMail has no control over the lead's email settings, the recommended solution is to enable company-wide reply monitoring.

How Company-Wide Reply Monitoring Works

When this setting is enabled:

  • QuickMail automatically creates a lead for the alias.

  • All leads under the same domain are marked as replied.

This removes the need to manually track and mark leads as replied.

Note: If your team is contacting free email domains such as gmail.com, enabling this setting may cause unrelated leads to be marked as replied since they share the same domain.

Manually Marking a Journey as Replied

If a reply was not detected and you need to stop follow-ups immediately, you can mark the journey as replied manually:

  1. Click the lead's thumbnail.

  2. Go to the Campaigns section.

  3. Click the menu icon (three vertical dots) next to the lead.

  4. Select Set as Replied.

Reply Detection: Same Domain vs. Different Domain

QuickMail can detect a reply if it comes from the same domain as the lead, as long as Treat Replies as Company-Wide is enabled.

Scenario Detected?
Lead: peter@mycompany.com replies as peter.s@mycompany.com Yes — same domain
Lead: peter@mycompany.com replies from peter@anotherdomain.com Unlikely — different domain

To enable this, go to General Settings → turn on Treat Replies as Company-Wide.

How QuickMail Tracks Replies

QuickMail uses three methods to identify replies:

  • The email address of the lead.

  • A tracking pixel embedded in the sent email.

  • Metadata included in the original email.

If a lead sends a brand-new email from a different address instead of replying directly to the campaign email, that message will not contain the tracking pixel or metadata and QuickMail will not recognize it as a reply.

Is a Reply Not Being Detected?

If you have confirmed a reply was sent but it is not showing up, work through the checklist above to identify the most likely cause. If the issue persists, contact support with the lead's email address, the campaign name, and the approximate time the reply was sent.

FAQs

If a lead from a domain replies, can the system automatically cancel all remaining scheduled sends to other leads at that same domain?

Yes, as long as Treat Replies as Company-Wide is enabled.