In this article, you’ll learn how to verify your firm’s domain. Once verified, AdminPulse can send emails using your firm’s email address as the sender instead of no-reply@adminpulse.be.
We use apexampleoffice.be as an example. Replace it with your own domain in the steps below.
What changes for your customers?
Your customers see both the sender’s name and email address. These are separate settings.
Without a verified domain, customers may see your firm’s name as the sender, while the email address ends in @adminpulse.be. They may not recognize the address, mistake the email for phishing or find it in their spam folder.
After verification, AdminPulse uses the email address entered under Own company, such as info@apexampleoffice.be. Customers then see your firm’s domain in the sender address as well.
💡 You can set the sender name separately from the domain. For each type of email, you can use your company’s name, the person sending the email, custom text or an employee role. For details, see How to adjust your email sending settings (in Dutch).
What do you need?
To verify your domain, you need:
- your own domain name and an email address on that domain, entered under Settings > Own company;
- access to the domain’s DNS settings, or help from your IT supplier. Your DNS provider must allow underscores (_) in CNAME records;
- permission to change settings in AdminPulse.
👉 You cannot use an address provided by an email service such as Gmail, Outlook, Telenet or Skynet. You also cannot add a domain that another firm has already registered in AdminPulse.
💡 Do several companies in your AdminPulse environment use the same domain? Verify it once through one of them. Other companies with an email address on that domain also use the verification and show the status Verified by other own company. They do not show the Verify domain button.
Verify your domain
Step 1: enter your firm’s email address
Go to Settings > Own company and enter an email address on your domain, such as info@apexampleoffice.be. AdminPulse uses the part of this address after the @ symbol as the domain to verify.
👉 Use an address that can receive messages if possible. AdminPulse can send emails from an address without a mailbox, but customers may use the sender address to write to you.
Step 2: start verification
Go to Settings > General settings. If your firm has more than one company in AdminPulse, first select the tab for the company whose domain you want to verify. In the General section, find Use domain of own company in e-mails (instead of no-reply@adminpulse.be) and click Verify domain. Check the domain shown in the confirmation screen, then confirm.
Step 3: view the DNS records
After you confirm, the CNAME records screen shows five DNS records: three CNAME records unique to your domain and two TXT records for DMARC and SPF. Copy the exact names and values for the CNAME records from AdminPulse.
| Type | Name | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| 3 × CNAME | Unique to your domain | Copy from AdminPulse |
| TXT (DMARC) | _dmarc.apexampleoffice.be | v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; |
| TXT (SPF) | apexampleoffice.be | v=spf1 include:sendgrid.net ~all |
The TXT values in the table are examples for a domain without an existing DMARC or SPF configuration. Always check which records already exist for your domain. Use Click here beside each record to check whether that record is set up correctly in DNS.
💡 Does an IT supplier manage your domain? Click Send info to your IT supplier to send them all five records and the instructions.
Step 4: add the records to your domain
Open your domain’s DNS settings. Where you add the records depends on your provider.
CNAME records: add the three records using the names and values shown in AdminPulse.
👉 Some providers automatically add your domain to the end of a record name. Check that the domain is not included twice.
DMARC record: if your domain does not yet have a DMARC record, add a TXT record named _dmarc.apexampleoffice.be (replace apexampleoffice.be with your domain). If a DMARC record already exists, do not create a second one or change the existing policy without consulting your IT supplier.
👉 The example value p=quarantine may also affect other emails sent from your domain.
💡 You can check whether your DMARC record is visible using MXToolbox’s DMARC lookup.
SPF record: if your domain does not yet have an SPF record, you can use the value in the table. If an SPF record already exists, add include:sendgrid.net to that record and keep the settings for your other email services. A domain must have only one SPF record.
Step 5: check verification
Click Verify in AdminPulse. You can find this button on the CNAME records screen and beside the setting under Settings > General settings. If verification succeeds, AdminPulse shows the message CNAME verification succeeded. Mails sent from apexampleoffice.be will be authenticated by the domain.
If the records are not visible yet, try again later. DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to become available everywhere.
Domain status and management
After successful verification, AdminPulse enables the setting automatically. It then sends emails using the address entered under Own company as the sender. The domain status field shows one of these values:
- not verified: no domain has been added yet.
- verification required: the domain has been added, but the records have not yet been verified.
- verified: verification succeeded.
- Verified by other own company: another company in your firm has already verified the same domain. AdminPulse also uses that verification for this company.
Click CNAME records to view the records again, Verify to check them again or Delete to remove the domain. After removal, AdminPulse uses no-reply@adminpulse.be as the sender address again.
💡 Once the domain is verified and enabled, you can set a separate sender address for each type of email. Until then, AdminPulse shows this message beside those options: This option is only available if the email domain is verified and enabled.
Troubleshoot verification or email delivery
You cannot add the domain
Check that the email address under Settings > Own company uses exactly the domain you want to verify. If no email address has been entered, AdminPulse shows Please fill in a company e-mailaddress via the menu option 'Own company'. Also check that you have the necessary permissions and that another firm has not already registered the domain. You cannot add a second domain if this company already has one.
Verification fails
If you see CNAME verification failed., check that all three CNAME records are present in DNS with exactly the values shown in AdminPulse. Also check whether your provider has added the domain twice to a record name. If necessary, wait for the DNS changes to take effect and click Verify again. AdminPulse disables the setting when verification fails.
The setting is disabled later
Every night, AdminPulse checks whether the records for a verified domain are still present. If they disappear, for example after a change of DNS provider, AdminPulse disables the setting. All administrators in your firm receive an email with the records needed to restore verification. This prevents emails from being sent from your address without valid domain verification.
- Open Settings > General settings, then the General section.
- Click CNAME records and compare them with your domain’s DNS settings.
- Restore any missing records or ask your IT supplier to do so.
- Click Verify again to enable the setting.
Your customer’s email server rejects an email
Do you see the error 550 5.7.1 Sender ID (PRA) Not Permitted? The email was not delivered. Ask your IT supplier to check whether include:sendgrid.net is included in your domain’s existing SPF record. Do not add a second SPF record.
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