Centralise your Outlook emails into accessplanit
Steps to connect your Outlook emails to your platform:
Download the Outlook Add-in module brief:
Please note
accessplanit’s Outlook Email Add-In integration is an additional, chargeable module, charged per licence. Please speak to your Customer Success Manager to see if this is already included within your accessplanit package or to find out more information!
Limited Time Offer: Outlook Add-in Licence Discount
From 28th April to 28th July, we’re offering a heavily discounted rate of £120 per admin, per year for our Outlook Add-in module.
To take advantage of this offer, you must purchase the module on or before 28th July. After this date, all licences will revert to the standard pricing.
If you’re considering rolling out the integration to your team, now is the best time to secure the reduced rate.
Please get in touch with your Customer Success Manager for more information.
Related Help Guide Pages
Bring your email conversations into your platform so every customer interaction, update, and decision is stored in one place - no copying, no lost context, no gaps!
🚀 Ready to jump straight in? Click here to jump to the setup steps!
Who the Outlook Add-in is for
This module is ideal if you are currently:
Manually copying and pasting emails into the platform
Struggling to keep a complete record of customer communications
Relying on individual inboxes for critical customer updates
Flicking between your emails and accessplanit to view customer information
Losing context when your team members are absent
Finding it difficult to track communication history for audits or reviews
Without a connected system, key information often sits in personal inboxes. This makes it difficult to maintain visibility and consistency across your team, which often leads to a poorer experience for your customers.
What does the Outlook Add-in do?
The Outlook Add-in connects your emails directly to your accessplanit platform. With just a couple of clicks, you can link any email in Outlook to the right record in accessplanit, keeping your communications organised and easy to track.
Not only that, while you’re working in Outlook, the Add-in also surfaces key information about your contacts from accessplanit, such as their Bookings, Courses, and Opportunities, giving you instant context without needing to switch systems.
1. Keep track of customer updates and booking conversations
From initial queries to certificate requests, every customer email can be synced to your platform - mapped directly to the customer, so your team can quickly see what’s been said and when.
2. Stay on top of payments and invoice conversations with your customers
Sync your payment chases, invoice queries, and finance updates directly to the correct Invoice in your platform, so nothing gets missed and everyone has visibility of those invoice conversations!
3. Keep Sales conversations linked to Opportunities
Your Sales team can link enquiry emails directly to Opportunities, making it easy to track conversations, pick up where others left off, and keep a clear history of each deal.
4. Keep internal discussions connected to the right records
Link your internal emails alongside the relevant customer, Invoice, or Opp in your platform, so decisions and updates are easy to find later.
🎯What benefits will I gain from integrating?
With the Outlook Add-in, you will:
Eliminate manual email logging
No more copying and pasting emails into the platform or duplicating effortKeep all communication in one place
Everyone can see the full customer history, no matter who sent the emailWork better as a team
Share visibility of conversations and make handovers smootherKeep a clear record of interactions
Every email is logged with a timestamp, so you can easily see what’s happened and when.Avoid missed or lost emails
Important updates are captured and easy to find when you need themGet instant context without leaving Outlook
See key details about your contacts (like their Bookings, Courses, and Opportunities) right alongside your emails, so you have the full picture without switching systems.
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Is the Outlook add-in worth it for my business?
Let’s talk about time savings! The Outlook Add-in is designed to reduce the time your team spends logging emails and switching between systems, giving you that time back to focus on your customers.
For a typical training company, the biggest time savings come from two areas:
No longer manually logging emails into the platform
Having key customer information (like Bookings, Courses, and Opportunities) visible directly in Outlook
To give you a clear idea of the impact, here’s a realistic example:
10 active users
15 emails handled per user, per day
1.5 minutes saved per email (combining logging time and reduced system switching)
This results in around 900 hours saved per year.
That’s the equivalent of:
Over 110 working days saved across your team
Even with smaller teams, the time adds up quickly:
5 users could save ~450 hours per year
15 users could save ~1,350 hours per year
These estimates are based on conservative assumptions, meaning your actual time savings could be even higher depending on how your team works.
These figures focus purely on time saved from day-to-day tasks, but that’s not all!
They don’t account for the additional time you would save no longer troubleshooting issues caused by missing or incomplete communication records - and the impact those issues can have on your customers!
🧩 What do I need to use this integration?
There are a couple of checks to complete before you purchase the module:
Access to install the add-in in Outlook
Your organisation must allow the accessplanit Add-in to be installed within Microsoft 365. In most cases, your IT team or Microsoft 365 administrator will need to approve and add accessplanit to your tenant. Approval times can vary depending on internal processes, so we recommend involving your IT Team early! Your IT Team can read about what is required here: Centralise your Outlook emails into accessplanit | 1.3. Install the Outlook Add inConfirm your licence requirements
You don’t need to purchase an Add-in licence for every Administrator, instead, you can choose which Users will benefit from the Add-in. This means you can tailor licensing to suit your team’s processes and responsibilities, rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach and paying for a licence for everyone!
Typically, Add-in licences are purchased for Admins who:Log emails against accessplanit records
Need visibility of contact or training information directly within Outlook
Manage customer communications regularly
1. Set up the Add-in
Before your team can start logging into the Add-in in Outlook, there are 3 steps to set everything up!
There are 3 steps to set up Outlook ready for syncing emails:
Purchase the module
Set up your Admins with access (Super Admin activity)
Install the Outlook Add-in (IT Team activity)
1.1. Purchase the module with accessplanit
If you haven’t already purchased the Outlook Email Add-In, get in touch with your accessplanit CSM to add this to your package!
Please get in touch with your Customer Success Manager at accessplanit to add the Outlook Add-in module to your package!
Contact: customersuccess@accessplanit.com
1.2. Set up your Admins with access
Super Administrators are responsible for defining which Users can access the Outlook Add-in, as well as what level of access they should have.
Once your have purchased the module, a member of the accessplanit team will enable the ‘Outlook Add-in Maintenance’ page. This page is only available to Super Administrators and is used to manage and maintain user access to the add-in.
As a Super Administrator, open the ‘Administration’ menu from the top-right of your platform
Search for and open the ‘Outlook Add-in Maintenance’ page
This will open the ‘Outlook Add-in Maintenance’ page where you can view the number of licences you have for the Add-in, allocate them to your Administrators, and define what they can do with the Add-in
Use the ‘Add-in Mode’ option to choose what your Administrators are able to do within Outlook, using the Add-in
Forced Link provides the most access - Users can sync their emails from Outlook to Users, Accounts, Opps, and Invoices, and view relevant contact information directly in Outlook
Forced View Only prevents emails from being linked, but still displays matching accessplanit record information in Outlook
User Selectable (most popular) lets each user choose their preferred option (Link emails or View Only) within the add-in settings
Use the ‘Users’ section to select which Admins can use the Add-in
Users who are not selected will not be able to log-in to the Add-in within their OutlookClick ‘Save’ to save your changes!
1.3. Install the Outlook Add-in
To make the Add-in available, your IT team will add the accessplanit Outlook Add-in as a custom app within your Microsoft 365 admin centre.
Here are the steps your IT team take to make your Add-in available:
Download the manifest file
The accessplanit Outlook Add-in manifest file is available from the 'Outlook Add-in Maintenance' page (see 1.2. for more details)Access and login to the Microsoft 365 admin centre: https://admin.microsoft.com/
Open the ‘Integrated apps’ page
Click ‘Upload custom apps’ and upload the downloaded manifest file.
Assign users or groups
Choose whether to deploy the add-in to your entire organisation or specific users or security groupsRestart Outlook
Ask users to fully close and reopen Outlook to ensure the add-in appears.
Please note
The add-in may take up to 72 hours to become available for all assigned users, depending on Microsoft’s deployment timing.
You can read more about how to manage Microsoft Add-ins here:
Manage Add-ins in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center - Microsoft 365 admin
Get started with the integrated apps portal - Microsoft 365 admin
2. Using the integration
Here is everything you need to know about using the integration!
2.1. Logging in to the Add-in
Along the top of your Outlook you should see an Add-in labelled ‘accessplanit’
If this isn’t available - check that all the steps in section 1 above have been completed!
This will open the 'accessplanit Link' panel on the right of your Outlook
Enter your accessplanit URL into the address, it should match the following format:
https://platformname.accessplanit.com/accessplan
Make sure you include the /accessplan at the end, so the Add-in knows to connect to your live platform, and not your sandboxEnter your accessplanit username and password
If you have a ‘Mode’ drop-down box, select whether you would like to be able to Link Emails or only view contact information from your accessplanit platform
Click ‘Save and connect’
If your login is not successful, check that you have been provided with a licence (see section 1.2. above).
2.2. Linking an email to your platform
Within Outlook, click on the email you’d like to sync to you accessplanit platform
If you don’t already have it open, click to open the accessplanit Add-in
If the Add-in finds a User match to the contact in your platform, this will be shown within the ‘Matching record’ section
To link the email to this contact, click the ‘Link email’ button
If the Add-in does not find a match, or if you would like to sync your email to an Account, Invoice, or Opportunity, scroll down to the ‘Find or link another record’ section
From here, you can link to an existing User, Account, Invoice, or Opp, or alternatively you can create a new User or Account to sync your email to.Once you have linked your email, the Add-in will clearly show you which item it has been linked to
Top tip!
You can click on the Linked To item text in the Linked record section, it is a shortcut to view this item in your platform!
2.3. Unlinking an email
When you unlink an email, it will be removed from your accessplanit platform.
Within Outlook, click on the email you’d like to unlink
If you don’t already have it open, click to open the accessplanit Add-in
Click the ‘Unlink email’ button
The email will now longer be available in your accessplanit platform
2.4. Viewing further details for a contact
To see the Bookings, Courses, and Opportunities related to a contact who has emailed you, follow the below steps
Within Outlook, click on an email you have received from this contact
If you don’t already have it open, click to open the accessplanit Add-in
You should have a ‘Matching record’ match based on the contacts email address
Click to expand and collapse the Bookings, Courses, and Opportunities sections to view the related information!
Top tip!
Pin the Add-in to your Outlook view, so you do not need to open it for each email!
FAQs
Here are some common questions that we receive about the Outlook Add-In and their answers.
What happens if the contact I’m emailing doesn’t exist in accessplanit?
What platform areas can I link emails to using the Add-in?
You can now link emails to Users, Accounts, Opportunities, or Invoices in your accessplanit platform, so your communication sits against the most relevant record.
Can I create new Users and Accounts from the Outlook Add-in?
Yes! If you can’t find a contact when searching by email, you can create a new User or Account directly within the Add-in - no need to switch into your platform!
What versions of Outlook is the Outlook Add-in compatible with?
Who can see emails linked to accessplanit via the Outlook Add-in?
Can I unlink an email after linking it using the Outlook Add-in?
Yes, you can unlink an email at any time! Select the email in Outlook, open the Add-in, and use the ‘Unlink’ option to remove it from accessplanit.
Do emails linked via the Outlook Add-in keep their formatting?
Are attachments included when emails are linked using the Outlook Add-in?
How can I tell if an email was linked using the Outlook Add-in?
Emails linked via the Outlook Add-in are labelled with the Communication Type ‘Outlook’.
To view this easily, add the ‘Communication Type Label’ column to your Communications DataGrid.
Can emails be automatically synced using the Outlook Add-in?
Is the Outlook Add-In bi-directional?
How can I purchase more licences for the Outlook Add-in?
What do I do if an external company manages our Microsoft 365 account?
Which Account Group are new Accounts added to when created via the Outlook Add-in?
When logging into the Outlook Add-in, what does “request failed with status 500” mean?
When logging into the Outlook Add-in, what does “StatusCode 404” mean?
When logging into the Outlook Add-in, what does “We couldn't connect to accessplanit…” mean?
Can I log into the Outlook Add-in using my email address instead of my username?
Can I log into the Outlook Add-in using Single Sign-On (SSO)?
Why have you replaced the original Outlook Classic COM plugin with the new Outlook Add-in?
Do shared mailboxes work with the Outlook Add-in?