Troubleshooting Email Delivery Failures in Keka

Keka uses Amazon SES for sending emails. While this service is robust, email delivery issues can occur due to recipient-side constraints or technical issues. To address such problems, follow these troubleshooting steps before escalating to the development team.

Table of Contents

1. Understanding the Issue

2. Step-by-Step Troubleshooting

   1. Navigate to Email History

   2. Analyze the Failed Email

   3. Decode the RAW Response

   4. Resolve the Issue

   5. Unblock the Email

Understanding the Issue

When an email fails to deliver, it is automatically blocked and added to the Suppression List. This process prevents repeated failures, which could harm Keka's email reputation with Amazon SES.

Emails are blocked as follows:

1. First Failure: Email remains in the suppression list until midnight.
2. Second Failure: Email is blocked for three days.
3. Third Failure: Email is permanently added to the suppression list.

Admins can unblock the email using the Keka UI. However, before unblocking, it’s essential to investigate the root cause of the failure.

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting

1. Navigate to Email History

Navigate to the Org (1) section, then select Employees (2)  followed by Logins (3), and finally click on Login Registrations(4).

Under Actions, click the three dots (1), then select Email History (2).

2. Analyze the Failed Email

Identify the email marked as failed.

Click on the email subject to view the details.

Locate the RAW Response in JSON format. This contains detailed error information from the recipient's email server.

3. Decode the RAW Response

• Look for the SMTP diagnostic code and error message. Example:

  smtp; 554 4.4.7 Message expired: Unable to deliver in 840 minutes.
  

• Common reasons for failure:

  • 550 5.4.1: Recipient address rejected – Access denied.
  • 554 5.2.3: Mail policy violation.
  • 554 4.4.7: Inbox full or message expired.

4. Resolve the Issue

• If Inbox is Full: In this case please check with the IT team if the inbox needs to be cleared.
• If Address is Rejected: Ensure the email is valid and whitelisted on their mail server.
• For Firewall Issues: Please whitelist the domain kekamail.com in their firewall.

5. Unblock the Email

Once the issue is resolved:

Return to the Login Registration section. In the Actions menu, select the option to unblock the email . This action will remove the email from the suppression list, allowing for a new delivery attempt to be made.

Proactive Measures

1. Whitelisting Domains: While onboarding, please whitelist  kekamail.com to avoid delivery issues.
2. Monitor Suppression List: Regularly check suppressed emails and resolve any recurrent issues.
3. Educate IT Teams: Provide detailed error codes and recommendations to the your IT team for faster resolution.

Need Additional Help?

If the issue persists after following these steps:

• Raise a ticket with the support team.
• Include the RAW Response and diagnostic details for better context.

By following this guide, you can effectively resolve most email delivery issues and maintain smooth communication with Keka users.