The built-in mail inbox for a pest control company

Why put the mailbox inside job management software?

Because the request almost always arrives by email, and handling it today means jumping between tools to find the address, the history and who is free.

In a pest control company, a job rarely starts with a form. It starts with a property manager writing that there are mice on the third floor, or a tenant replying to an earlier visit.

The dispatcher reads that email in one tab, opens the software in another, finds the client, finds the building, checks who is available, then goes back to reply. Every round trip costs a few dozen seconds and, more importantly, one chance to forget.

Showing the mailbox in the same screen removes those round trips. The message is there, the schedule is one click away, so is the unit's history. It is less spectacular than an automation, but it saves the most time over a real day, because it applies to every request rather than only the ones someone anticipated.

Which mailboxes can be connected to Atlas?

Gmail and Google Workspace, Zoho, iCloud, Yahoo, plus domain mailboxes at OVHcloud, Infomaniak, Hostinger or IONOS. Any other IMAP mailbox connects by entering its servers.

You pick your provider from a list, and Atlas fills in the technical settings for you, the servers and the ports, then shows the exact steps to follow at that specific provider. Only two fields are left, your address and the password. Here is the full list, with what each one needs.

Gmail and Google Workspace

An app password, created in your Google account security. 2-Step Verification must be on, otherwise the option does not appear. On a company address, the administrator may have turned that option off.

Zoho Mail

An application-specific password, created from your Zoho account security. While you are there, check that IMAP access is on in the mail settings. Accounts hosted in Europe or India use .eu or .in servers.

iCloud Mail

An app-specific password, created from your Apple Account, under Sign-In and Security. Works for me.com and icloud.com addresses.

Yahoo Mail

An app password, generated from your account security. Covers yahoo.com and yahoo.ca addresses.

OVHcloud

Nothing special to do. Your full address is the username and the password is your usual webmail one.

Infomaniak

The mailbox's usual password is enough. If two-factor authentication is on for the account, create an application password from your dashboard instead.

Hostinger

The mailbox's usual password, the one you use in webmail. Resettable from hPanel if you forgot it.

IONOS

The mailbox's usual password. North American accounts use .com servers rather than .fr.

Any other IMAP mailbox

Your internet provider or your host. You enter the incoming server, the outgoing server and their ports yourself, and we help you find them if needed.

Microsoft, not possible

Outlook, Hotmail and Microsoft 365 still appear in the list but greyed out, with the explanation. See the next question.

How does Atlas walk you through connecting, step by step?

As soon as you pick your provider, the screen shows the numbered steps specific to it, with a link to its official help, and the technical settings are already filled in.

This is where most mailbox integrations fail elsewhere. Someone is asked for an IMAP server, a port and an app password, with no hint where to find them, and they give up. Atlas takes the problem the other way around. You only see your own case, not a generic manual, and the technical terms stay hidden until you actually need them.

Your provider's steps

Six numbered steps for Gmail, six for Zoho, four for a host. Written in the exact wording of their screens, not ours.

A link to the official help

A direct link to the provider's own page, for those who prefer to check at the source.

Servers already filled in

You only fill two fields. The technical settings are preconfigured and stay editable in a collapsed panel, for edge cases.

Pitfalls flagged upfront

A callout warns about what will trip you up, a European Zoho account, a Google administrator who blocked the option, a Microsoft mailbox that cannot work.

A test before saving

Atlas actually opens receiving then sending with your credentials. Nothing is stored if the connection fails.

Errors in plain language

No technical codes. You read that the password was refused, that the server was not found or that IMAP is off, along with what to do about it.

Can an Outlook or Microsoft 365 mailbox be connected?

No, and that is not a choice Atlas made. Microsoft removed password-based connections on personal mailboxes in September 2024, then on sending in April 2026. App passwords no longer exist there.

The only possible route for a Microsoft mailbox is their official sign-in button, which requires an annual verification on their side. We are preparing it. In the meantime Microsoft appears in the list but greyed out, with the explanation, rather than letting you try and fail. If your mailbox is with them, write to us, it helps us know how many companies are affected.

Where does the mailbox password go, and who can read it?

It is encrypted before being stored, with a key that is not in the database. Nobody can read it back, neither from the application nor from the database.

The password travels to our server, which first checks that the connection actually works, then encrypts it and stores it in that form. The decryption key lives in the server configuration, separate from the database. A stolen copy of the database therefore contains unreadable data only. The application never reads that column, it goes through a view that does not contain it.

Can you reply and attach files from Atlas?

Yes. The reply goes out from your own address, and files are added with a button or by dropping them straight into the reply area.

It is a common move in this trade. A manager sends a photo of the damage, you reply with confirmation of the visit or a document. Attachments you receive appear under the message with their name and size. For the reply you can drag several files at once, remove them one by one, and the recipient gets an email coming from your usual address, not from an automated one.

Frequently asked questions

See also