Integrating with Apple Mail

If you have ever found yourself looking back through old emails trying to locate key details about a client interaction, or you’ve tried locating a conversation thread that remains elusive, then Daylite has the perfect solution.

We call it Daylite Mail Assistant; a powerful extension for Apple Mail.

Imagine...

Not just creating a new Contact from an incoming email, but actually linking all your email correspondences, Tasks, Appointments, Projects and Opportunities to the Contact, without ever leaving Apple Mail.

The Daylite Mail Assistant window is always open as you respond to your emails, making it easy to see all your related items in Daylite at a glance, and quickly link to other items as required.

Daylite Mail Assistant creates a more efficient workflow for all your emails, helping you focus on what's important to you.

Your clients.

Installing Daylite Mail Assistant

The Daylite Mail Assistant window currently requires the Direct download version of Daylite.

To check which version of Daylite you have, and to switch to the Direct version if necessary, please review the help article titled Switch to the Direct Download Build of Daylite for Mac.

New Installation

Although the Daylite Mail Assistant window comes installed with Daylite, it will need to be turned on and given permission to access Apple Mail.

Open Apple Mail and go to Settings > Extensions.

Click the checkbox beside Daylite Mail Assistant and confirm your choice by clicking the Turn On button in the alert that pops up.

Upgrading from a Previous Version

If you have already been using the Daylite Mail Assistant extension, then launching Daylite will show the Daylite Mail Assistant window with instructions for enabling the required permissions for Accessibility and Automation.

Use the Open Settings buttons and enable the required permissions in Settings.

Finish Setup

The Daylite Mail Assistant window will appear with instructions for enabling the required permissions for Accessibility and Automation. You will be required to turn these permissions on.

Use the Open Settings buttons and enable the required permissions in System Settings.

Accessibility Settings:

Automation Settings:

Now you can open Mail, and the Daylite Mail Assistant window will show information for the selected email message.

That's it!

You have successfully turned on Daylite Mail Assistant.

Using the Daylite Mail Assistant Window

The Daylite Mail Assistant window can be attached to the Right Side or the Left Side of Mail. Once attached to either side, the window will resize automatically if you either move or adjust the size of the Mail window.

The Daylite Mail Assistant window can also be resized to fit comfortably, and overlayed anywhere on the Mail app. This is called Detached.

The Daylite Mail Assistant window shows automatically when you are using Mail, and hides whenever you either switch to another app or close Mail.

If you would like to temporarily close the Daylite Mail Assistant window, you can use the red close button in the window's title bar. The Daylite icon will be displayed in the top corner of the Mail window when closed, and you can click it to show the Daylite Mail Assistant window again, when you are ready.

Adding an Email to Daylite

If you would like to add an email and its contents to Daylite, just click the Add to Daylite button in the Daylite Mail Assistant window.

The Add to Daylite button will change to In Daylite, and the Daylite Mail Assistant window will add the email to Daylite. If the email is from an existing Daylite Contact, or there is a Daylite Contact in the To, Cc, or Bcc fields, the email will be auto-linked to the Contact, as well as the active Opportunity or Project the Contact is linked to.

From the Daylite Mail Assistant window, you can view a Contact's detail card by clicking on the arrow to the right of their name. From here you can view all of their details, but to see their full history in the Activity View, click the Show in Daylite button.

If you click this button Daylite will then show you the full history of this Contact, including the linked email in the Activity View.

Composing a New Email

There are two ways you can compose a new email message.

The first way is to select the Compose new message icon in Mail.

The second way is when you reply to an email message that has been sent to you.

Once you have composed a new message in Apple Mail and added all of your recipients, you can open Daylite Mail Assistant by clicking the icon in the toolbar. If you have auto-adding turned on, the email will be added to Daylite, otherwise you can click the Add to Daylite button. Any Daylite Contacts will be automatically linked to the email.

Adding an email to Daylite you're about to send is a quick and easy process, and is encouraged because then you have a record of any outgoing correspondence in one easy-to-view location.

Pro Tip:

If you have the auto-adding setting turned on, you don't need to open Daylite Mail Assistant in the Compose window. In this case, the email will be automatically added to Daylite when you send the email, as long as there is a Daylite contact in the To, Cc, or Bcc field.

Linking Items to Your Email

As with any object created in Daylite, it is vital to link all the important information to your emails so everything is together in one place. Thankfully, Daylite makes this easy. In most cases, Daylite automatically links the most important information for you, such as the associated Contacts and any Opportunity or Project linked to those Contacts. But it's easy to add other things as well.

The Daylite Mail Assistant window shows information for the selected email message, including:

Contacts

Whenever you add an email to Daylite, whether you add it manually or it is automatically added for you, any of the email participants with an email address matching an existing Contact in your Daylite Contact list will be automatically linked to the email. This includes both People and Companies.

By default, when a Person is linked to an email, the Person's primary Company is also linked. If you don't like this behaviour, you can turn it off by going to Daylite > Settings > Companies and unchecking the option Auto Link Person Notes and Emails to the Person's Default Company.

Projects and Opportunities

When you add an email to Daylite from or to a Daylite Contact, that Contact's currently active Project and/or Opportunity will be automatically linked to the email as well. If the Contact has multiple active Projects or Opportunities linked to them, those Projects or Opportunities will be shown as suggested links, and you can click the ones you want to have linked to the email.

You can also create new Projects and Opportunities directly from the Daylite Mail Assistant, making it easy to capture new leads (as Opportunities), or begin new Projects for a repeat client.

Suggested Items

Whenever Daylite Mail Assistant identifies Contacts, Projects, or Opportunities that might be related to the current email, it will show them in a grey outlined button, making it easy for you to identify and link the correct information to each email. Clicking on a suggested item will link the item to the email, and if the email hasn't been added to Daylite yet it will also add the email to Daylite. The item will turn blue to indicate it is linked, and you can click the item again to unlink it.

Search for Items

In some cases an email might be related to someone who isn't actually a part of the email thread. When this happens the email can be added to that person manually. Use the magnifying glass icon to search for the Person and manually link them to the email. The email will now be added to that Person's history in Daylite. You can search for and link to other Daylite items as well.

Create Tasks

Daylite Mail Assistant is an excellent capture tool that really helps to clear up your inbox, thanks in part to Tasks.

From any email that requires a follow-up or a next action, simply create a Task and it will be linked to the email and the person who sent it. Then you can review your Tasks any time you want to, either from the Contact's Activity View or from the My Tasks section of Daylite. Be sure to add a due date and reminder to your Task so you don't forget about it.

A great practice is to create a New Task reminding yourself to follow up with this email if you haven't heard back within a few days. Make sure to give your task a due date, and when you get your reminder, it will be linked to the email.

Pro Tip: Try to state clearly what needs to be done, and what the desired outcome would be when creating titles for your Tasks.

For example, rather than using the title Follow up, try something like Call Frank to see if he wants to move forward with the Project. Tasks written with the desired outcome are more helpful when reviewing your Tasks at a later date.

Create Appointments

You can create a new Appointment directly from Daylite Mail Assistant, which is then viewable in your Daylite Calendar. The email and the Contact will be linked to the Appointment, making it easy to review the details of your Appointment later.

Add a Category and Keywords

If you would like to assign a Category or any Keywords to your emails, you can add them from the Daylite Mail Assistant.

Mail Assistant Settings

Do you want to manually add emails to Daylite, or would you prefer to let Daylite add them automatically? You can choose either option.

A message must be selected and shown in the Daylite Mail Assistant window before it is auto-added, including each message in a thread.

You can also choose which items to have auto-linked to an email when an email is added to Daylite, including Contacts, Users, Opportunities, Projects, and Attachments. Linking your emails to your Contacts, Opportunities, and Projects is especially important, because Daylite will then show your email communication chronologically in the Activity View in Daylite, making it easy to find your client email history later on.

To set up these options, go to Daylite > Settings > Mail Assistant.

Select whether you want to add emails manually by clicking the Add to Daylite button, or automatically when an email is viewed or sent.

Next, select which items you would like to have automatically linked to an email when the email is added to Daylite.

Don't worry, you can always unlink an item if necessary.

Setting a Default Category or Permissions

You can set a default Category or Permissions for any email that is added to Daylite.

Categories describe the email in a single word, such as Internal, Client, or Onboarding.

Permissions refer to an email being either Public or Private, or visible to a specifc team that has been set up in the Daylite Permissions settings.

This is helpful when dealing with sensitive subject matter that shouldn't be shared with everybody. For example, you could change the permissions so only the Management Team can view the email.

Navigate to Settings > Default Values > Emails and choose a Category or Permissions.

Real Use Scenarios

Here are three different scenarios where Daylite Mail Assistant can help.

You receive an email from someone who is not currently in Daylite

First, create a new Daylite Contact. The name of the sender is displayed as a suggested Person with a "+" symbol, indicating they can be added to Daylite as a new Person.

Second, create a new Task. Often an email from a new contact requires a follow-up reminder or a next action. If you have already added your new contact to Daylite, then creating a new Task in Daylite Mail Assistant will automatically link the Task to that Contact.

Pro Tip: Set a due date and reminder on your Task so you're reminded about it later and it doesn't slip through the cracks.

You receive an email from someone who is in Daylite but has not been assigned an email address

Daylite Mail Assistant finds existing Contacts in Daylite based on their email address. So if someone you know emails you, but their Daylite Contact doesn't have that email address, you can search for them and add the new email address to their Contact record.

The Contact will appear as a suggested Person, and when you click on them a view pops up with the option to search Daylite. Search for the person's name, select the Person, and click "Add to Existing". Their new email address will be added to their existing Contact record in Daylite, and the Person will now be linked to the email.

You want to link an email to a Contact that isn't a part of the email thread

Sometimes an email is related to a Contact who isn't actually a participant in the email conversation. Click the magnifying glass icon next to "Contacts" to search the Contact you want to link to this email. This is a one-time link only and it will not link future emails in the thread to this Contact automatically.

If the Contact you are searching for ends up not being in Daylite, the search view will give you the option to create a new Person or Company. After creating the new Contact, you can click the arrow next to their name to open their detail card, then click Edit to add any additional information such as Category or Keywords.

Pro Tip: If you're creating a new Contact from a generic email address such as [e-mail], it's probably more useful to create a new Company rather than a Person, since those emails aren't usually from a specific person.