Sending Follow-Up Emails with Gmail Integration

Pingdex lets you send personalized follow-up emails to contacts with just one click. You can connect your Gmail account to send emails directly from Pingdex, or use the Chrome extension to compose emails in Gmail.

Connecting Your Gmail Account

When you first try to send a follow-up email, Pingdex will prompt you to set up your email sending method. You have two options:

Option 1: Connect Gmail Directly (Recommended)

Click Connect Gmail Account in the setup prompt or in your Profile Settings (Email Follow up Settings)
Sign in with your Google account
Grant Pingdex permission to send emails on your behalf

Benefits of connecting Gmail directly:

Send emails instantly with one click
Preview and edit emails before sending
Emails are sent from your Google account
Supports attachments and rich HTML formatting
View recent email conversations in contact profiles

Option 2: Use the Chrome Extension

If you prefer not to connect your Gmail account directly, you can use the Pingdex Chrome Extension instead. This opens a new Gmail tab with your email pre-filled.

You can change your email method anytime in your Profile Settings.

Creating Email Templates

Before sending follow-up emails, you'll want to create email templates for common scenarios.

Go to List Settings (gear icon) → Email Templates tab
Click Add New Template
Fill in the template details:
- Name: A descriptive name (e.g., "Thank You - Donation")
- Subject: The email subject line
- CC: Optional CC recipients
- Body: Your email content (supports rich text formatting)
- Attachments: Optional files to include
Check Shared if you want the template available to all Contact Lists in your organization
Click Save

Using Template Variables

You can personalize emails using these variables in your subject or body:

{{first_name}} - Contact's first name
{{last_name}} - Contact's last name
{{amount}} - The ask amount (formatted as currency)
{{link}} - The donation/action link

Example template body:

Hi {{first_name}},

Thank you for your commitment to support our campaign with {{amount}}!

You can complete your contribution here: {{link}}

Best regards,
The Team

Sending a Follow-Up Email

Open a contact in Pingdex
Click the Email button (envelope icon) in the action bar
Select an email template from the dropdown
If using Gmail Direct:
- Review and edit the email content, subject, recipients, and attachments
- Click Send
If using Chrome Extension:
- Click Send to open Gmail with the email pre-filled
- Review and click Send in Gmail

After sending, Pingdex automatically records that you followed up with this contact and clears any pending follow-up reminder.

Viewing Email History

When your Gmail account is connected, Pingdex shows recent email conversations with each contact in their profile. This helps you see:

Previous emails sent to the contact
Their replies and responses
The date and subject of each conversation
Number of messages in each thread

Click any email thread to open it directly in Gmail.

Note: Email history only appears for contacts with email addresses that match conversations in your Gmail inbox.

Tips for Effective Follow-Up Emails

Create multiple templates for different scenarios (thank you, reminder, event invite, etc.)
Use personalization - emails with the contact's name get better responses
Include a clear call-to-action with the donation link
Keep it concise - shorter emails are more likely to be read
Set follow-up reminders for contacts who haven't responded

Troubleshooting

"Google account not connected" error

Your Gmail connection may have expired. Go to Profile Settings and reconnect your Google account.

Emails not showing in contact history

Make sure the contact's email address matches exactly with the emails in your Gmail. Email history may take a few moments to load.

Need to change sending method?

Go to Profile Settings to switch between Gmail Direct and Chrome Extension methods.