Setting Up an Email Channel in Amazon Connect: A Step-by-Step Guide

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Are you looking to enhance your customer service by adding email as a communication channel in Amazon Connect? This guide walks you through the essential steps, from enabling email on your instance to configuring routing profiles. By following these instructions, you will be able to seamlessly integrate email into your Amazon Connect customer service ecosystem, providing a more comprehensive and efficient support experience for your customers.

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1. Enable Email on Your Connect Instance

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First, you need to enable the email channel.

• Go to your chosen Amazon Connect instance.
• In the left navigation menu, select Email, then choose Create service role. This is a one-time setup that allows Amazon SES to route emails to Amazon Connect.
• Next, select Add Domain.

• In the "Add email domain" box, choose Amazon Connect email domain. An autogenerated domain name like `*instance-alias*.email.connect.aws` will appear. This auto generated domain can be used for testing and development. You cannot change this. Click Add.

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2. Enable Data Storage for Email

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To handle emails and attachments, you'll need to configure data storage.

• Under the Email section of Connect, click Edit to adjust the configuration.
• If you plan to allow email attachments, remember to repeat this process for Attachments as well.
• Apply your desired configuration and click Save. 

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• You'll know it worked if the email (and attachments) sections of the Data Storage page update.

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3. Configure a CORS Policy for the S3 Bucket

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For agents to receive emails, view attachments, and send responses through a web interface like the Amazon Connect Agent Workspace, a Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) policy is crucial for the associated S3 bucket.

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You have two options:

Option 1: Restrictive CORS Policy (Recommended for Security)
This is the more secure option, explicitly allowing interactions only from trusted origins like Connect and AWS-hosted apps.
[

    {

        "AllowedHeaders": [

            "*"

        ],

        "AllowedMethods": [

            "PUT",

            "GET"

        ],

        "AllowedOrigins": [

            "*.my.connect.aws",

            "*.awsapps.com"

        ],

        "ExposeHeaders": []

    }

• ]

Option 2: Permissive CORS Policy (Quick Setup / Broad Compatibility)
This option allows requests from any origin, which is useful for development or rapidly changing environments, but it comes with significant security risks.
[

    {

        "AllowedMethods": [

            "PUT",

            "GET"

        ],

        "AllowedOrigins": [

            "*"

        ],

       "AllowedHeaders": [

            "*"

        ]

    }

• ]
  Note: If you've enabled attachments, you'll need to configure a separate CORS policy on the bucket. Refer to the AWS documentation for specific instructions: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/enable-email1.html#config-email-attachments-cors1

4. Create an Email Address

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Now, let's create the email address agents will use.

• Log in to the Amazon Connect admin website (https://instance name.my.connect.aws/).
• Important: Ensure your admin account or the account you're using has the `Channels and Flows - Email addresses - Create` permission in its security profile. The default admin account doesn't have this, so enable it!

• Additionally, add "Initiate email conversation” under the CCP section of the security page.

• On the navigation menu, choose Channels, then Email addresses.
• Click Create email address.
• Configure the settings as needed. Note: You'll need to come back and update the flow associated with this email address once your flow is created.

5. Create Queues

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Queues are essential for routing incoming emails.

• Log in to the Amazon Connect admin website.
• Ensure your account has the `Routing - Queues - Create` permission in its security profile.
• On the navigation menu, choose Routing, then Queues, and finally Add a new queue.

• Enter the correct configuration for your queue and click SAVE.

6. Create an Inbound Email Flow

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Flows dictate how emails are handled in Connect.

• Navigate to Routing - Flows.
• Click the Create Flow button (not from the dropdown).

• Complete the steps and save and publish your flow.

• Create an inbound email flow with your desired configuration. Ensure the working queue is set to the queue you created earlier.

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7. Configure Routing Profiles

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Finally, link agents to the new email channel using routing profiles.

• Navigate to Users - Routing Profiles.
• Create a routing profile with your desired configuration.

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And with that configuration complete you're now well on your way to a fully functional email channel in Amazon Connect! You can now empower your agents, equipped with the appropriate routing profiles, to not only receive inbound email inquiries, including any attached files, but also to seamlessly craft and send professional responses, directly from their familiar agent desktop. This integration significantly streamlines their workflow and enhances their ability to provide comprehensive support.

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By completing these steps you have learned how to,

• Enabled email
• Configured data storage
• Set up CORS policies
• Created email addresses, queues, and inbound email flows
• Linked agents through routing profiles

This comprehensive setup ensures that your customer service can effectively handle email inquiries. If you have any additional questions or are interested in professional support from true experts across all aspects of the call center space, please reach out to our team directly at hello@squareo.com.

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