Sender Management and the deployment-path choice
User sync scope, the User Details Editor, sent-items update, alias and send-on-behalf options, and the deployment-path decision matrix that drives all of these.
The Beginner course introduced server-side and client-side as two ways Exclaimer reaches the user’s mail. Intermediate is where you decide which path each customer needs and configure the sender-side controls that go with it.
The path-decision matrix
| Customer requirement | Server-side | Client-side (Outlook Add-in) | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signatures on iOS or Android | Yes | No | Yes (server-side covers mobile) |
| Signatures on Outlook Web | Yes | Yes (New Outlook only) | Yes |
| User sees the signature before clicking send | No | Yes | Yes |
| User can choose between multiple available signatures while composing | No | Yes (Add-in) | Yes |
| Prevent users editing or deleting signatures | Yes | No | Server-side enforcement |
| Plain-text emails preserve plain-text signature | No (auto-converts to HTML) | Yes | Mixed |
| Required for analytics (Engagement, Usage) | Yes (data only collected on server-side) | Partial (client-side analytics requires server-side too) | Yes |
Read the matrix as a forced ranking. Customers who want previews before send, plus mobile coverage, plus analytics, end up combined. Customers who only care about consistency and analytics can be server-side-only. Pure client-side is rare in practice.
What sender management actually controls
Settings, Sender Management, four panels that matter:
- Connect to Microsoft 365 / Connect to Google Workspace. The directory sync. Either Full (all mailboxes) or Limited (one mail-enabled security group). Switching from Full to Limited removes user data outside the group.
- Sync Status and triggers. Editor-or-above can trigger a sync; only Admin/Owner can change the sync scope.
- User Details Editor. A separate URL where end users edit their own contact fields. Available on Standard and Pro plans (Standard allows two custom fields; Pro allows the full set). The user signs in with their Microsoft 365 or Google account; the admin controls which sections and fields are editable.
- Mail Flow. The Connect to Microsoft 365 wizard, the test-group switch (process all email vs only a named mail-enabled group), and the Exchange On-Premises options for hybrid customers.
A worked decision: Northwind Logistics (mid-market)
Northwind is a 240-person warehouse and logistics operator. Drivers use Outlook on iPad in the cab; warehouse staff use Outlook Web; office staff use Outlook for Windows. The customer’s compliance lead requires a specific legal disclaimer on every external email, no exceptions, no end-user override.
Pick the deployment path
Mobile coverage and “no end-user override” force server-side. Outlook for Windows would benefit from the Add-in’s preview, but the no-override requirement makes the combined-but-server-side-wins pattern simpler to govern. Path: server-side only.
Decide sync scope
Full sync. Limited sync would mean every new mail-enabled security group needs a sync update; Northwind reorganises too often for that to be a low-friction choice.
Configure mail flow for everyone
Connect to Microsoft 365 wizard, “Send all email to Exclaimer”, not the test-group option. This is post-pilot; pilots use the test-group switch.
User Details Editor for self-serve fields
Pro plan, so all fields available. Enable the Mobile, Pronouns, and a custom Vehicle Reg field for drivers; leave Display Name and Job Title locked to HR. Document this decision in the runbook so a future tech doesn’t broaden the scope by accident.
The trap: Send on Behalf and Send As
Customers with shared mailboxes (e.g. info@, sales@) hit a fork:
- Send on Behalf permissions in Microsoft 365 mean the message header says “Sarah on behalf of sales@”. Exclaimer’s Send-on-Behalf setting (cogwheel, Mail Flow, Send on Behalf) is server-side only. Tick it and the recipient sees the shared-mailbox signature; leave it unticked and they see Sarah’s personal signature. Either choice is the portal’s call, not the mail client’s.
- Send As permissions mean the header says “sales@” with no on-behalf wording. Server-side cannot pick the shared-mailbox signature for a Send-As email; the documented path for shared-mailbox Send-As signatures is client-side via the Outlook Add-in, where the user explicitly switches to the shared-mailbox identity in compose.
Server-side-only customers who rely on Send-As shared mailboxes will see the sender’s personal signature, not the shared-mailbox one. That’s a design conversation at deployment time, not a config click after the tickets land.