Summary
This step is about getting your communication infrastructure into a “ready enough to test safely” state before you start using campaigns as a debugging tool. In the current product, email readiness is the most concrete first-launch path. The dashboard’s Going Live sequence explicitly walks through:- email identity
- outgoing provider configuration
- optional incoming email configuration
Who this is for
- New customers during initial setup
- Admins responsible for delivery infrastructure
- Internal teammates validating launch readiness
Where to find it in the app
- Settings → Email
- Settings → SMS
- the dashboard’s Going Live sequence
- supporting organization and integration setup pages
Recommended setup order
1. Set up email identity first
Before provider details matter, recipients still need to see the right sender name and sender email address. In the current app, this is part of the Going Live flow.2. Configure the outgoing email provider
The current product treats outgoing email setup as its own step. Finish this before assuming campaigns are ready for real delivery.3. Decide whether incoming email needs to be enabled now
Incoming email is important for response handling, but the product already frames it as optional during the going-live sequence. Be intentional here rather than leaving it half-configured.4. Review SMS separately
If your first rollout includes SMS, visit Settings → SMS and confirm the provider, sending identity, and any verification steps are complete. If SMS is not part of the first rollout, document that clearly so the team does not assume it is ready.5. Validate before using campaigns as your test harness
Do not assume campaign creation is the right place to discover channel setup mistakes. Treat channel validation as a separate step.Channel-readiness matrix
| Question | SMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Is there sender identity or provider setup? | Yes | Yes |
| Is there domain or number ownership to verify? | Usually yes | Often yes |
| Can bad setup block later workflows? | Absolutely | Absolutely |
| Should this be validated before first campaign testing? | Yes | Yes |
What “ready enough” should mean
- what sender name and sender address recipients will see
- which outgoing provider is active
- whether domain authentication or provider verification is still pending
- whether incoming email is intentionally configured now, intentionally deferred, or still unresolved
SMS
If SMS is part of the initial launch, your team should also know:- which provider or sending path is being used
- which sending number or identity is expected
- whether any verification or activation step is still pending
Practical validation order
- Confirm which channel you actually need for the first rollout.
- Finish the email identity and outgoing provider setup completely.
- Decide whether incoming email is required for this launch or can wait.
- If SMS is in scope, verify its setup separately.
- Review the secondary channel so you understand what is still missing.
- Only then move into campaign creation and run validation.
Example: low-risk first launch approach
If the team is mainly testing email first:- complete the dashboard’s Going Live email steps
- fully validate Settings → Email
- leave SMS documented but not blocking
- make the first campaign email-only
- revisit SMS after the team trusts the broader workflow
Common failure modes
- the sender name and sender address were never finalized, so “setup complete” is not actually complete
- outbound email is configured, but nobody knows whether inbound handling is supposed to work yet
- SMS is assumed to be available because a settings page exists, even though no real provider validation happened
- a campaign test is used to discover missing channel setup instead of confirming it
Signs you are moving too fast
- campaign creation is being used to discover missing channel setup
- nobody can tell whether email is verified yet
- the team says “we’ll figure out SMS later” without writing down what is still missing
Success checklist
- The team knows which channels are ready now versus later.
- Email identity has been configured.
- Email setup has been reviewed in Settings → Email.
- The team knows whether incoming email is configured now, optional, or deferred.
- SMS expectations and provider setup requirements are understood.
- The first campaign is not blocked by obvious channel configuration gaps.