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Features

Using the Firm Inbox

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The Firm Inbox is your firm’s email hub. Every firm gets a dedicated email address, and all inbound correspondence lands here. You can triage, reply, compose, and track emails without leaving the platform.


Opening the Firm Inbox

Click Firm Inbox in the sidebar to open the email inbox.

CPA Buddy Firm Inbox showing shared client email with sender, subject, and linked client

The firm inbox is organized into three tabs:

  • Mail — inbound emails awaiting triage (shown by default)
  • Snoozed — emails you’ve deferred to resurface later
  • Sent — outbound emails your firm has sent, with delivery status

Each tab shows a count badge when there are items in it.

Switching tabs

Click any tab to switch between views. Your search is cleared when you switch tabs.

Snoozed tab in the CPA Buddy Firm Inbox, holding messages deferred to a later date

Sent tab in the CPA Buddy Firm Inbox, listing email the firm has sent to clients


Searching Emails

Use the search bar at the top-right to find emails by subject or sender. Results filter as you type.

Searching the CPA Buddy Firm Inbox by sender, subject, or message text

Clear the search field to return to the full list.


Composing an Email

Click the Compose button at the top-right to start writing a new email. This opens the composition page where you can:

  • Select recipients (clients or any email address)
  • Write a subject and body
  • Attach files
  • Use email templates for consistent messaging

Compose button in the CPA Buddy Firm Inbox, used to send email from the firm address


Refreshing

Click Refresh to manually check for new emails. The firm inbox also refreshes when you navigate to it.

Refresh button in the CPA Buddy Firm Inbox, used to pull newly received messages


Reading and Triaging Emails

Click any email in the Mail tab to open it. From the detail view you can:

  • Reply to the sender or reply-all
  • Link to a client — associate the email with a specific client
  • Link to an engagement — connect the email to ongoing work
  • Tag staff — mark staff members for follow-up or awareness
  • Tag documents — cross-reference files related to the email
  • Snooze the email to have it reappear later
  • Delete to move it to the Recycle Bin
  • View AI triage suggestions for quick processing

Client matching

When processing an email, you can link it to a client manually. The AI triage feature may also suggest a client match based on the sender’s address, but this requires your confirmation before linking.


Sent Email Tracking

The Sent tab shows all outbound emails with delivery status indicators. You can see whether a message was successfully delivered, is pending, or encountered an error.


Recycle Bin

Deleted emails are not permanently removed right away. They go to the Recycle Bin, accessible from Administration > Recycle Bin in the sidebar. Deleted emails are permanently removed after 60 days, but you can recover them before then.


Common Questions

Where is my firm’s email address? Your firm’s dedicated email address follows the format {firm_shortname}@{domain}. Check your firm settings or ask your admin.

I can’t find an email I know was received. Check the Snoozed tab (it may have been deferred) and the Recycle Bin (it may have been deleted). Also try clearing the search field and any active filters.

Can all staff see the firm inbox? Yes. All staff members within a firm have full access to the firm inbox. There are no role-based restrictions on firm inbox functionality.

How do I use email templates? When composing an email, you can select from pre-built templates. Templates support variable substitution for personalized messaging. Manage templates from Administration > Email Templates.

Related feature

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Inbox & Email

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