CoherenceCOHERENCE

Linking to Records

Connect emails to your records for a complete relationship history

Linking to Records

Linking emails to records creates a complete history of all communication, giving everyone the context they need.

Automatic Linking

How It Works

Coherence automatically links emails based on:

  1. Email addresses - Matches to people email fields
  2. Domains - Links to account records
  3. Thread references - Keeps conversations together

Matching Rules

People matching:

  • Sender email → Person record
  • Recipient email → Person record
  • CC/BCC emails → Additional people

Account matching:

  • Email domain → Account domain field
  • Multiple people → Same account

Automatic links show confidence levels:

  • High - Exact email match
  • Medium - Domain match only
  • Low - Suggested based on context

Review medium and low confidence links periodically to ensure accuracy.

Creating Records from Email

Quick Create Actions

When viewing an email, the Linked Records section provides quick actions to create new records directly from the email context:

Split Button Design:

┌─────────────────────┬───┐
│  Create a Person    │ ▼ │
└─────────────────────┴───┘
                        │
                        ├── Create a Task
                        ├── Create a Lead
                        └── (other modules)

Create a Person

  1. Click Create a Person
  2. Select the person type (Customer, Vendor, Partner, Employee, or Other)
  3. The form opens with fields pre-filled:
    • Name parsed from sender
    • Email address populated
    • Person type pre-selected

Create a Task

  1. Click the dropdown arrow, then Create a Task
  2. The form opens with:
    • Title: "Follow up: [email subject]"
    • Related to the email thread
    • Due date set to the next business day

Create a Lead

  1. Click the dropdown arrow, then Create a Lead
  2. The form opens with:
    • Name from sender
    • Email pre-filled
    • Source marked as "Inbound Email"
    • Notes linked to the email thread

The person type selector dynamically loads options from your People module configuration. You can customize these types in Module Settings.

Manual Linking

From an Email

  1. Open the email
  2. Click Link to Record
  3. Search for the record
  4. Select to create link

From a Record

  1. Open the record
  2. Go to the Email tab
  3. Click Link Existing Email
  4. Search and select emails

Bulk Linking

Link multiple emails at once:

  1. Select emails in your inbox
  2. Click Link to Record
  3. Choose the target record

Viewing Linked Emails

On Records

The record's activity timeline shows:

  • All linked emails chronologically
  • Thread grouping
  • Sent vs received indicator
  • Preview of content

Email Details

Click any email to see:

  • Full email content
  • All recipients
  • Attachments
  • Link history

Unlinking Emails

If an email was linked incorrectly:

  1. Open the email
  2. Click the linked record chip
  3. Select Unlink

You can unlink automatic links just like manual ones. The system learns from corrections.

Thread Linking

Thread Behavior

When an email is linked, the entire thread links:

  • Original email
  • All replies
  • Forwards in the thread

Thread Splitting

If a conversation topic changes, create a new link:

  1. Start fresh with a new subject
  2. Link the new thread to the relevant record

Linking to Many Records

A single email can link to multiple records:

  • Primary contact
  • Their company
  • Related deal
  • Relevant project

View all links on an email:

  1. Open the email
  2. See the Linked Records section
  3. Add or remove links as needed

Creating Rules

Automate linking with rules:

  1. Go to Settings > Email > Link Rules
  2. Click Add Rule
  3. Define conditions
  4. Set the target module/field

Rule Examples

By domain:

If sender domain = "acme.com"
Link to Company where domain = "acme.com"

By subject:

If subject contains "[Support]"
Link to Support Tickets module

By label:

If Gmail label = "VIP"
Link to record and tag as Priority

Link rules run on new incoming email. They don't retroactively link old emails.

Privacy and Visibility

Who Sees Linked Emails

Email visibility follows record permissions:

  • If you can see the record, you can see its emails
  • Private records have private emails
  • Team access = team email visibility

Personal vs Shared

Shared emails:

  • Visible to anyone with record access
  • Best for business communication

Personal emails:

  • Mark as personal to hide from others
  • Won't appear in shared records

Best Practices

Create a complete record by linking:

  • Initial outreach
  • Negotiations
  • Agreements
  • Ongoing communication

Periodically verify:

  • Correct records are linked
  • No important emails are missed
  • Incorrect links are removed

Automate for:

  • High-volume email
  • Consistent domains
  • Specific subject patterns

Next: Learn about Email Templates for faster communication.