LaunchSMS Email Domains

Connect your company’s sending domain so automations and campaigns arrive from branded addresses. Email domains live under Company → Email Domains (/company/email-domains).

Why Verify a Domain?

• Deliverability: DKIM/SPF/DMARC alignment through Mandrill improves inbox placement.
• Branding: set a custom default From name/email per domain (notifications@yourdomain.com instead of the LaunchSMS fallback).
• Attribution: verified domains are required for some ESPs before bulk sending is allowed.

Until a domain is verified, LaunchSMS uses the global fallback in config('mail.from.*').

Adding a Domain

1. Enter the root domain (no protocol) in the “Add Domain” form. Validation enforces DNS-safe characters and prevents duplicates per company.
2. LaunchSMS calls Mandrill’s add-domain API (via App\Services\MandrillService). The response includes:
   • DKIM selectors/targets (primary + secondary).
   • TXT verification key (mandrill_verify.*).
   • SPF + DMARC templates.
3. A new email_domains row stores:
   • dkim_host/dkim_host_secondary
   • dkim_target_primary/secondary
   • verification_host/value
   • spf_host + spf_record
   • dmarc_host + dmarc_record
   • Default From name/email populated with the current user and notifications@domain.
4. If this is your first domain, it’s flagged as the default sender automatically.
5. The UI renders all records in a table so you can copy/paste into your DNS provider.

Verifying DNS (“Check Status”)

• After publishing the CNAME/TXT entries, click Check Status. LaunchSMS requests Mandrill’s check-domain endpoint.
• If DKIM + SPF both pass, the domain moves to status = verified, verified_at = now().
• If not, the status stays pending and verification_error stores Mandrill’s explanation (e.g., “Waiting for DKIM CNAME”). The UI surfaces that message in a warning alert, so you know which record still needs attention.
• LaunchSMS automatically refreshes the TXT verification instructions if Mandrill rotates the key.

Managing Sender Defaults

• Each verified domain can store a custom From name/email. Validation forces the email to use that domain (regex ^[^@\s]+@domain$).
• Mark a verified domain as default to update all future emails. LaunchSMS clears is_default on the other rows first so only one domain is considered active at a time.
• When the automation engine needs sender info, EmailDomain::resolveSenderForCompany:
  1. Pulls the latest verified domain ordered by is_default then verified_at.
  2. Falls back to app defaults if none exist.

Removing a Domain

• Deleting a domain removes its records and (if it was default) promotes the next verified domain in line.
• There’s no API call to Mandrill when deleting; remove DNS records manually if you decommission a domain.
• Automations revert to the fallback sender until you set another default.

Relationship to Unsubscribe Pages

• Email domains and unsubscribe tooling live in the same Company section. Each domain card includes shortcuts to:
  • Unsubscribe Survey (/company/unsubscribe-settings) to customize post-unsubscribe reasons.
  • Unsubscribe Insights to analyze opt-out data.
  • These links help enforce good sending hygiene once you’re sending from your own domain.

Best Practices

1. Add DNS immediately – Mandrill expects the CNAME/TXT entries before you click Check Status. Propagation can take up to 48 hours.
2. Publish both DKIM entries – the UI shows primary + secondary selectors. Configure both so Mandrill can rotate keys without downtime.
3. Adopt a DMARC policy – LaunchSMS seeds p=none for monitoring. Update to quarantine or reject once you’re confident every mail stream is aligned.
4. Use unique From emails – e.g., notifications@, billing@, or marketing@. Avoid generic accounts like info@ already managed by other systems.
5. Document changes – keep screenshots of DNS records and verification timestamps. Helpful when your IT/security team audits outbound mail.
6. Re-check after changes – DNS providers sometimes rewrite targets. Use “Check Status” any time you modify DKIM/SPF to confirm Mandrill still sees valid records.

Once verified, the domain is available everywhere LaunchSMS sends email (automations, campaign builders, manual messages), ensuring a unified sender experience.