One of the most frequently asked questions we hear is “how can I send emails from NetSuite that look like they came from us”? The short answer is to configure your DKIM entries properly, but NetSuite’s instructions on this are a bit vague. Read further if you’d like to quickly learn how to configure this and start sending emails from your own domain!
The first thing you need to set this up is your own domain, and access to the DNS of that domain. In this guide I’ll use a GoDaddy domain, but they’re all extremely similar. Also, if you have a dedicated web developer or DevOps admin who manages your domain(s), they’ll love how easy of a request this is.
To get started, you’ll need to create a Domain Key entry in NetSuite. Navigate to “Setup” > “Company” > “Email Preferences” and locate the “Domain Keys” tab. Now follow these directions:
- Enter a unique name under “Domain Selector”. Usually something such as YYYYMMDD-DOMAIN is easiest. For example, 20190409-Unicast.
- Next, enter your domain (e.g. unicastsolutions.com) in the “Domain Name” field, simple enough!
- Now, while still in the “Domain Name” field, click on “Generate Key Pair”. The Private Key and Public Key boxes will auto-populate.
- Next, while still selecting the “Domain Name” field, click “Generated DNS Entry”. This will pop-up a window containing the DNS entry you’ll need, so copy this to a safe place and close the window.
- If you ever need this again, you can always highlight the domain and click “Generated DNS Entry” to see it again.
- Finally, close the pop-up window and click “OK” and “Save”. We’ll return to this page in a bit to test and activate this entry, but we’re done for now.
The next step is to add a text entry into your domain’s DNS. For GoDaddy, this is done by logging in and selecting Manage Domains from the menu.
- Select the domain you would like to use (if you have more than one) and scroll to the bottom of the page.
- You’ll see an option for “Manage DNS”. Once that has been selected, you’ll see a list of DNS “Records” with an “Add” option.
- When you’ve selected “Add”, you’ll first need to choose an entry type. This will be “TXT”.
- Next, you’ll need to enter the Host, TXT Value, and TTL.
- The Host should be the Domain Selector you set up previously with “._domainkey” appended to the end. In our example, the host would be “20190409-Unicast._domainkey” (don’t forget the decimal or underscore!).
- The TXT value is that Generated DNS Entry you copied earlier.
- The TTL Value isn’t of high importance for an entry like this, but we usually set it to “1 Hour” (the default value in GoDaddy DNS records, but ask your web admin if they have any reasons for setting a higher value).
Finally, all that’s left is to test! Go back to NetSuite to the Email Preferences page from earlier. Now, highlight the entry you created (select the “Domain Selector” or “Domain Name”) and click on “Verify DNS Entry”. If everything is setup correct, you should receive a pop-up confirming that “Your DNS entry for DKIM has successfully been verified.” If you do not receive this message, please refer to Suite Answer #9427 for trouble shooting the other responses, but if you’ve followed this correctly, we’re sure you’ve got it.
Once you’ve received the confirmation message, it’s time to send a test email. Enter your email address in the “Email Address to Receive Test Response” field. Now click on “Send Test Email to DKIM Reflector” (ensure you’re still highlighting your entry). You’ll receive an email containing an Authentication Report. This contains a bunch of information regarding the DKIM and SPF records, but all you’re really looking for is the “Summary of Results” section near the top. This should four checks with the following results: “Pass, Pass, Pass, ham”. If you see those four, then you’re good to go! Return to the Email Preferences page and check the “Active” checkbox on your entry. Click Save and you’re done!
At this point we always recommend sending an email to yourself from one of your NetSuite records (a good chance to test an email template!) and ensure it comes from your domain and not a long NetSuite address as before.
If you have any other configuration questions or feedback on this guide, please comment or contact us directly!