FollowUpThen is and will always be an an ordinary email address just like any you would add to the 'to', 'cc' or 'bcc' fields. This simplicity is part of what makes FollowUpThen so appealing.
However, as one graduates from a casual FollowUpThen user into an email-crushing productivity machine, this simple email address begins to show subtle facets, utility and usage techniques that suit even the most demanding email users. You also may find yourself in need certain features only when you reach a certain volume of followups, some of which require a direct connection to your inbox.
Response Detection
One of these features is response detection, which cancels a followup if a reply is received before the reminder due date. This keeps your inbox clutter free when you are sending large numbers of emails to people who may not respond. To enable response detection, make sure you are on a premium plan and append "-r" to your date format. (Ex: 3weekdays-r@fut.io) – this tells FollowUpThen to cancel the reminder if a reply has been received.
Response detection requires a connection to your inbox so we can monitor your email headers for replies (Note: We only look for message-ids – subjects and bodies are not needed). Before now, we used a 3rd party, Context.io (their paid plan) to help broker this connection. This came with some advantages – simplicity of development and maintenance – and some disadvantages – lack of control, limited features and one more layer of complexity.
A New Inbox Connection System ????
Today, I am happy to announce our new direct inbox connection system. It is faster, more robust, more flexible and, most importantly, opens door for some additional features that have been on our roadmap for a long time.
If you are using response detection currently, you will see a notice on message on your followups asking you to connect to the new system.
We migrated your earlier response listeners to this new system, making the transition to this new system seamless. The only thing you have to do to enable this new system is head over to the new new Inbox Connections page in your settings and connect your emails.
If you run into trouble or need help connecting please see this FAQ or contact us for help.
Feel free to contact us with any questions, comments of feedback!