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Outlook Add-in

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Scott Donnelly
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Install the Synergy Outlook add-in for each staff members to save and file emails to Synergy project folders. Login to Synergy via the Synergy explorer panel in Outlook to enable the add-in features.

What is the Outlook add-in?

Install the Synergy add-in from the Microsoft Outlook store, to use the add-in to save emails and attachments to Synergy project folders. The Outlook add-in works with Microsoft Office 365, which support Outlook 2013 and higher on PC and Mac desktops, and in the web browser view of Outlook for a desktop width.

Outlook add-in overview
  • Pin the pane in outlook to appear alongside your email message, to make it easier to use to file the next email.
  • Stop duplication of emails by keeping the email conversations string stored together in Synergy as a thread.
  • Each email reply to a thread is stored as a new version against the original email saved in Synergy.
  • Email threads are created based on the email subject lines, ensuring that all replies are kept in the same thread group within that project.
  • The email filing location (project folder) is automatically found when a Synergy project name or number is in the email subject line or email body.
  • The subject line is used as the file name for the email created in Synergy.
  • An indicator is added to each message in Outlook, so you know which messages have already been saved to Synergy.

Tips:

  • The Outlook add-in for Synergy will not be shown in mobile or tablet modes for the Outlook web browser.
  • The Synergy add-in can be used by any users who are staff members in a Synergy organization to save files to project folders.
  • Portal access only Synergy users cannot use the Outlook add-in to save file to portals.

Why use the Outlook add-in?

Save emails and attachments to Synergy, so they can be viewed by the internal project team.

Install instructions

The Synergy Outlook add-in is available to download from the Microsoft Outlook Add-ins store.

OpenDownload the add-in from the store by
  1. Open Outlook.
  2. In the top ribbon banner click the 'Store' button.
  3. Use the search bar to look-up 'Synergy'.
  4. Click the 'Add' button to install the Outlook add-in for Synergy.
  5. You are ready to start using the Synergy Outlook add-in. Click the button in the ribbon toolbar in Outlook to get started.

Tip: The above instructions are for installing the Outlook add-in on a PC. For other devices, or questions about the outlook store, please read Microsoft's instructions on installing Outlook add-ins.

Using the Outlook add-in

Save an email to the Synergy project folders by

  1. Click the 'Synergy' button in the outlook ribbon to open the Outlook add-in.
  2. Select a message or preview the message that you want to file to Synergy.
  3. Click the 'Login to Synergy' button, and type your username and password.
  4. In the add-in panel select the following details:
    1. Organization name OpenShown only if you are a staff member in multiple organization. Choose which organization the project is in that you are saving the email against.
    2. Project name OpenType part of a project name or number to find it in the list, or select the project from the list.
    3. Folder name Open(Optional) Change the folder from the default email in / out folder, to save the email to a different location in this project.
    4. Include attachments OpenThis defaults to saving the attachments to Synergy with the email. Uncheck this box if you do not want all the email attachments to be saved with this message into the project folder.

  5. Select the 'File in Synergy' button.
  6. The email has been saved to the Synergy project folder. An indicator is shown on the email message to show it has filed within Outlook.
  7. Next repeat the above steps to save any additional emails to the project folder.

Tip: Pin the Outlook panel to remain open, by clicking the pin button in the top right corner of the Outlook add-in for Synergy. Then you can toggle through the emails shown in the preview panel for Outlook and keep the Synergy add-in open to easily save multiple emails to the same project folder.

Viewing the email in Synergy

Emails are saved to Synergy project folders as threads, keeping all the email messages saved with the same 'email ID / subject' grouped together within the project. How this works is:

  1. Bob Jones saves an email to the project folder with the subject ' Update on apartment construction - 26/06/2018'.
  2. Sally Smith saves a later reply to the same email thread that has the same subject line into the same project.
  3. Bob Jones also saves the same later email reply that Sally saved to the project.

In the example above both email 1 and 2 above are grouped together into a thread when:

  • Saved to the same project name.
  • The subject and message ID are the same in the email chain in Outlook.

The email is only saved as one row into to the project folder for all three items above:

  • The first email saved by Bob is version 1 in the email thread in the project folder.
  • The second email from Sally is saved as Version 2 of the same email thread.
  • The third email save from Bob is seen as a duplicate of the item already saved by Sally (based on message ID), and is ignored and not saved as the file already exists as version 2.

When new emails are added to the 'email thread' in Synergy they are saved as new versions of the email message. In the example image below this email has multiple versions saved within the email thread, and there are attachments included in the email versions. There is only one row for all these files in the project folder, as they are saved grouped together as a thread.

In the project folder click the email row to:

  • Preview the current version message
  • Read the details of the previous versions in this email thread
  • Download attachments
  • Download email versions

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