Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Communications Preferences

Colin Maitland, 28 July 2013

The Lead, Contact and Account entities in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 provide options that affect whether or not communications, such as E-mails, may be sent from Microsoft Dynamics CRM for these types of records.

In this blog I will provide a list which methods, in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, used for sending E-mails take into account the Do Not E-mail and the Do Not Allow Bulk E-mail options. 

The following sections list the methods used to send E-mails and whether or not they take the Do Not E-mail and Do Not Allow Bulk E-mail options into account. 

For several methods I was surprised to discover that the Do Not Allow Bulk E-mail option is not taken into account when I thought it should be. 

Microsoft Outlook: New E-mail

When using Microsoft Outlook, such as by clicking the E-mail hyperlink on a record, neither the Do Not Send E-mail or Do Not Send Bulk E-mail options are taken into account. 

E-mail Activity: Send E-mail

When using an E-mail Activity, such as by selecting File, New Activity, E-mail or by selecting Add, E-mail, the Do Not Allow E‑mail option is taken into account, and the Do Not Allow Bulk E‑mail option is not taken into account.

Send Direct E-mail

When using Send Direct E-mail, both the Do Not Allow E-mail and Do Not Allow Bulk E-mail options are taken into account.

If only a single recipient is selected and the Do Not Allow E-mail or Do Not Allow Bulk E-mail options are selected, the following message is displayed.

If more than one recipient is selected then the message is not displayed. However all selected recipients for whom the Do Not Allow E-mail or Do Not Allow Bulk E-mail options are selected are silently excluded from the final list of recipients. 

Workflow Process: Send E-mail

When using a Workflow Process, the Do Not Allow E-mail option is taken into account, and the Do Not Allow Bulk E-mail option is not taken into account.

When the Do Not Allow E-mail option is selected the Workflow Process will be set to a Waiting Status Reason when the Send E-mail step is reached.

The following message is displayed:

Dialog Process: Send E-mail

When using a Dialog Process, the Do Not Allow E-mail option is taken into account, and the Do Not Allow Bulk E-mails option is not taken into account.

When the Do Not Allow E-mail option is selected the following message is displayed when the Send E‑mail step is reached:

Quick Campaign: E-mail

When using a Quick Campaign to send E-mails, both the Do Not Allow E-mail and Do Not Allow Bulk E-mails options are taken into account.

Excluded recipients are listed in the Quick Campaign’s Excluded list with the message, “This account, contact, or lead has refused communication of this type.”

Quick Campaign: E-mail via Mail Merge

When using a Quick Campaign to send E-mail via Mail Merge, only the Do Not Allow E-mail option is taken into account. The Do Not Allow Bulk E-mail option is ignored!

Campaign: E-mail

When using a Campaign to send E-mails, both the Do Not Allow E-mail and Do Not Allow Bulk E-mails options are taken into account.

Excluded recipients are listed in the Campaign’s Failures list with the message, “This account, contact, or lead has refused communication of this type.”

Campaign: E-mail via Mail Merge

When using a Campaign to send E-mail via Mail Merge, only the Do Not Allow E-mail option is taken into account. The Do Not Allow Bulk E-mail option is ignored!

Mail Merge

When using Mail Merge to send E-mails, only the Do Not Allow E-mail option is taken into account. The Do Not Allow Bulk E-mail option is ignored!

When the Do Not Allow E-mail option is set to Do Not Allow for Joe Bloggs he is silently excluded from recipients list.

When the Do Not Allow E-mail option is set to Allow and the Do Not Allow Bulk E-mail option is set to Do Not Allow for Joe Bloggs he is included in the recipients list.

In conclusion, the following table summarises the methods for sending E-mail and whether or not the Do Not Allow E-mail and Do Not Allow Bulk E-mail options are taken into account: