SAM System Emails

To setup emails from SAM, see Art Centre Profile > Art Centre Email
 

How Your SAM Emails Work

When you send documents from SAM - like invoices, artist biographies, or consignment notes - the system uses a specific process to make sure your customers can reach you back.

1. The 'Sent From' Address: All emails sent from SAM technically come from no-reply@sam.org.au. This is the 'shipping label' SAM uses to get the email into the customer's inbox.
2. Your 'Reply-To' Address: Even though SAM sends the email, the address of your primary Art Centre address in SAM Setup acts as your Return Address. If a customer clicks 'Reply' to an invoice or certificate, their message will go directly to your art centre’s email, not to SAM.
3. Staying in the Loop (BCC): To make sure you have a record of everything sent, SAM also automatically sends a hidden copy (BCC) of almost every system email to your primary Art Centre address.

💡 Important Note: As the primary Art Centre email address receives both customer replies and copies of every document sent, it can receive a very large volume of emails. 
We recommend setting up a dedicated mailbox or workflow to manage this.

Managing System Emails & Your Inbox

Because SAM sends a 'hidden copy' (BCC) of every invoice, consignment note, biography, and certificate to your 'Reply-to' address, your inbox can fill up quickly. To keep your primary workspace organised, we recommend one of the following two workflows.
 

Option 1: Use a Dedicated 'Systems' Email

Instead of using a personal staff email (like manager@artcentre.com), set up a generic email address specifically for SAM communications (e.g. sam@artcentre.com or office@artcentre.com).

• Pros: Keeps system notifications separate from your personal correspondence.
• Cons: Requires checking a second email account for customer replies.

Option 2: Create an 'Automatic Rule' (Recommended)

If you prefer to use your main email address, you can set up a Rule (in Outlook) or a Filter (in Gmail). This tells your email provider to automatically move copies sent from SAM into a specific folder, bypassing your main inbox.

How to set this up:

1. Create a Folder: Name it something like 'SAM System Copies'.
2. Set the Trigger: Tell your email program to look for any email where the Sender is no-reply@sam.org.au
3. Set the Action: Choose 'Move to Folder' and select your new 'SAM System Copies' folder.
4. The Result: When you send an email from SAM, the BCC copy goes straight to that folder. However, if a customer replies to that email, it will still land in your main Inbox because the sender will be the customer's email address, not the SAM system email address.

Which workflow should I choose?

Option 1: If you have multiple staff members who need to view system history in a single shared place.

Option 2: If you are a small team and want everything accessible within one single email account without the clutter.

Why does SAM send emails this way?

You might wonder why SAM uses a 'no-reply' address instead of just sending directly from your personal email. There are two main reasons: Reliability and Teamwork.
 

1. Security and Trust (Ensuring your emails get delivered)

In the past, anyone could send an email and 'pretend' to be someone else. Today, email providers like Gmail and Outlook are very strict. If a system like SAM tried to send an email as 'manager@yourartcentre.com' without permission, it would likely be marked as Spam or Fraud.

By using the no-reply@sam.org.au address, SAM uses a professional, high-security delivery service (powered by Amazon Web Services).

• Verified Sender: The email is 'signed' and 'encrypted', telling the customer’s inbox: 'This email is safe and official.'
• Universal Setup: This works perfectly for every Art Centre, regardless of whether you have a complex IT setup or a simple Gmail account.
   

2. Consistency and Teamwork (Avoiding missed messages)

In an Art Centre, staff members often change roles or go out on leave. 

If SAM sent emails from individual staff accounts:

• Lost Replies: If a customer replied to an invoice sent by a staff member on holiday, that message might sit unread for weeks.
• Fragmented History: Half of your conversations would be in one person's inbox, and half in another's.

By using one central 'Reply-To' address for the whole Art Centre:

• No Message is Left Behind: All customer replies go to a shared place where anyone on the team can see and action them.
• Professional Branding: Email signatures for SAM system emails are automatically generated using the Art Centre's contact details from the Art Centre Profile page. This ensures that every email, no matter who clicks 'send' in SAM, looks professional and consistent.

✨ The "Google Magic" Factor: Because these emails are sent using high-level security standards, services like Google recognise them as 'Important.' This means your documents are more likely to land in the customer's main inbox rather than the 'Promotions' or 'Junk' folders.

To setup emails from SAM, see Art Centre Profile > Art Centre Email