Integrate Microsoft Outlook with Engagedly

Table of contents

1. Introduction
2. Before you begin
3. Set up the integration
4. Use actionable messages in Outlook
   3.1. Social
   3.2. Goals
   3.3. Team Pulse
   3.4. Feedback
   3.5. Meetings
   3.6. Surveys
5. Manage Outlook notifications
6. Troubleshooting

1. Introduction

Microsoft Outlook (MS Outlook), part of Microsoft 365, is a widely used email and calendar application that enables users manage emails, schedule meetings, organize tasks, and maintain contacts.

With the Engagedly integration, employees can interact with Actionable Messages (AM) directly from their inbox. Actionable Messages contain interactive elements that allow employees to perform certain actions without leaving Outlook.

The integration enhances employee engagement and productivity by streamlining workflows and minimizing the need to switch between applications.

This article covers setup instructions for admins and usage guidance for employees.

2. Before you begin

For admins

Confirm the following before you begin setup. If any of these conditions are not met, Actionable Messages do not render even after approval.

• Admin role: You must sign in as an Exchange admin or Global admin to access the approval dashboard.
• Recipient licensing: Employees who receive actionable messages must have an Exchange Online license.
• Mailbox type: Actionable messages are supported only for individual user mailboxes. Shared and group mailboxes are not supported.
• Email security gateways: If your organization routes mail through Mimecast, Proofpoint, or a similar gateway, these services can rewrite message content and strip the actionable card. You may need to allowlist Engagedly's actionable email content with your gateway vendor. Contact Engagedly support if cards do not render after approval.

For employees

• Your organization must have an active Engagedly subscription.
• Your administrator must complete the one-time setup described in this article.
• You must have an Exchange Online license and use an individual mailbox. Shared and group mailboxes do not support actionable messages.
  

3. Set up the integration

This section is for Exchange admins or Global admins only.

This is a one-time setup. Once complete, all eligible employees in your organization receive Engagedly actionable messages in Outlook automatically.

Step 1: Open the Actionable Messages admin dashboard

1. Sign in with an account that has the Exchange admin or Global admin role.
2. Go to the Actionable Messages admin dashboard: https://outlook.office.com/connectors/oam/Admin/ApproveAAD
3. Search for the Engagedly provider using the exact keyword: EngagedlyAMAAD
4. Click Search to load the provider entry.

Step 2: Choose your rollout scope

We recommend a two-stage rollout rather than approving all users immediately.

Stage 1: Pilot (recommended)

Approve the provider for a small group of mailboxes, such as your HR team or a single department. Ask Engagedly to send a test Actionable Email and confirm that:

• The card renders correctly in Outlook.
• The action buttons work end to end.

Stage 2: Organization-wide

Once the pilot is validated, approve the provider for all accounts in your organization. For a deployed HR platform that all employees use, organization-wide approval is the expected end state.

Step 3: Approve the provider

1. With the EngagedlyAMAAD provider selected, review the provider details.
2. Approve and consent for your chosen scope, pilot mailboxes or all accounts.
3. Click Save.

4. Use actionable messages in Outlook

This section is for employees.

After your admin completes the setup, you automatically receive Engagedly notifications in Outlook. No additional setup is required.

The following tables show what triggers a notification in Engagedly and what actions you can take directly from Outlook.

4.1. Social

Trigger events in Engagedly

• Share a status update
• Share knowledge or ideas
• Ask for help

Dynamic actions in Outlook

• Like a post
• Remove a like from a post
• Comment on a post
• Upvote or downvote an idea
• Comment on an idea

Static notifications in Outlook

• Receive notifications when others interact with your posts, comments, or ideas

4.2. Goals

Trigger events in Engagedly

• Receive a nudge from an admin, manager, or assigner
• Admin nudges a manager about their direct reports' goals
• You are mentioned in a goal
• Your goal is aligned
• Receive a check-in reminder
• Others are added to your goals discussion

Dynamic actions in Outlook

• Mark a goal as contributing
• Add comments to a goal
• Add key results to a goal
• Check-in the goal
• Add comments to a direct report’s goal

Static notifications in Outlook

• Status of a goal is updated or deleted
• Status of a key result is updated or deleted
• Goal or key result is assigned
• Goal assigner is changed
• Key result owner is changed
• Admin or manager nudges the goal owner
• You are mentioned in a goal
• Key result is converted to a goal
• Your goal is aligned
• Manager unaligned your goals
• Others follow your goal
• Your goal is locked and unlocked
• Manager marked a goal, contributing to your goal
• Manager removes the contributing goal

4.3. Team Pulse

Trigger events in Engagedly

• Team pulse submission is due
• Direct reports submit responses
• Manager reviews their direct reports’ responses

Dynamic actions in Outlook

• Submit your responses
• Manager reviews their direct reports’ responses

Static notifications in Outlook

• Admin launches a team pulse

4.4. Feedback

Trigger events in Engagedly

• Receive a feedback request
• Receive praise notifications

Dynamic actions in Outlook

• Respond to the feedback request
• Comment on feedback
• Comment on praise

Static notifications in Outlook

• Others like your praise

4.5. Meetings

Trigger events in Engagedly

• Admin or manager nudges you

Dynamic actions in Outlook

• Add discussion points
• Conclude a meeting
• Submit meeting feedback
• Add meeting reflections

Static notifications in Outlook

• Admin or manager nudges you

4.6. Surveys

Trigger events in Engagedly

• Survey analytics availability
• New assignment is created as per the recurrence set
• You are added as a co-author
• You are assigned a survey
• You are nudged to complete the survey
• Survey submission

Dynamic actions in Outlook: Not applicable

Static notifications in Outlook

• Survey analytics availability
• New assignment is created as per the recurrence set
• You are added as a co-author
• You are assigned a survey
• You are nudged to complete the survey
• Survey submission

5. Manage Outlook notifications

After your admin enables the Outlook integration, employees automatically receive Engagedly notifications in Microsoft Outlook. No additional setup is required for employees.

Employees can manage Outlook notifications using Microsoft Outlook rules.

To stop or redirect Engagedly notifications:

1. Sign in to Microsoft Outlook.
2. Click the Settings icon at the top right.
3. Go to Mail and select Rules.
4. On the right, click + Add new rule.
5. Enter a name for the rule (example: Engagedly Notifications).
6. Under "Add a condition", select From.
7. Enter “Engagedly” or the sender email address.
8. Under "Add an action", select one:

• • Move to folder (recommended)
  • Mark as read
  • Delete

     9.   Click Save.

6. Troubleshooting

Actionable messages do not appear in Outlook, but only plain text or a link appears (For admin/employee)

• Confirm the 24-hour propagation window has passed since admin approval.
• Confirm the recipient has an Exchange Online license and uses an individual mailbox. Shared and group mailboxes are not supported.
• Check whether a mail security gateway such as Mimecast or Proofpoint is modifying the message. This is the most common cause of cards not rendering. Contact your gateway vendor to allowlist Engagedly's actionable email content.
• In Outlook desktop, confirm that download preferences are set to download full items.

Buttons appear but the action fails (For employee)

Contact Engagedly support with the approximate time of the action and the recipient email address so the team can trace the request.

The provider does not appear in the dashboard (For admins only)

• Verify that you are signed in with an Exchange admin or Global admin role.

• Verify that the search keyword is exactly EngagedlyAMAAD.