Recommended first-time setup

Configure a safe baseline for fallback copies, exclusions, logging, alerts, and testing.

Written By Kelsey

Last updated About 1 month ago

This setup gives most WordPress sites targeted form coverage with a private fallback copy and low-noise monitoring.

1. Choose the fallback inbox

Use an address that is:

  • actively monitored;

  • separate from the client’s only form-notification mailbox;

  • permitted to receive the type of personal information submitted through the site;

  • protected with appropriate access controls and retention rules.

For agencies, this is often a dedicated monitored inbox or a client-controlled shared mailbox. Do not use an individual’s personal address without an appropriate operational and privacy basis.

2. Configure Assurance Settings

Go to Always Alert → Settings and use this starting configuration:

  • Enable Always Alert: On

  • Fallback recipient email: Your monitored fallback inbox

  • Notification coverage: Form Notification Mode

  • Fallback copy method: BCC

  • Exclusions: On

  • Activity log: On

  • Retention days: 30

Then select Save Settings.

Why these defaults?

Form Notification Mode targets likely form notifications using supported integrations, known headers, page-builder context, and notification-style subjects. It usually produces less noise than copying most WordPress mail.

BCC keeps the fallback address out of the visible recipient list for most messages. Use CC or To only when your workflow intentionally requires the address to be visible.

Exclusions prevent common password resets, account notices, WordPress update messages, comment moderation messages, and detectable WooCommerce mail from being treated as form-notification activity.

30-day metadata retention provides a useful troubleshooting window without keeping operational metadata indefinitely.

3. Configure basic monitoring

Go to Always Alert → Monitoring.

For a typical established site:

  • Enable No-activity alerts.

  • Start with a threshold that reflects the site’s real enquiry pattern. Seven days is the plugin default, but a low-volume site may need 14 or 30 days.

  • Leave the alert recipient blank to use the fallback recipient, or enter a different operations address.

  • Enable the Weekly digest report if somebody will review it.

  • Leave the digest recipient blank to use the fallback recipient, or enter a reporting address.

Do not enable post-launch monitoring or emergency oversight as permanent defaults. They are temporary workflows for specific situations.

4. Test the mail handoff

Go to Always Alert → Tools and select Send Handoff Test. Confirm the configured fallback inbox receives the test.

This test checks WordPress mail handoff. It does not test form detection or prove inbox delivery for every message.

5. Test each important form

Submit every important public form with recognisable test data.

For each form, confirm:

  1. The visitor sees the expected success state.

  2. The normal notification reaches its intended recipient.

  3. The fallback copy reaches the monitored inbox.

  4. Always Alert → Logs shows an appropriate source and status.

  5. The dashboard’s last-seen activity updates.

Test complex forms, conditional notifications, multilingual forms, and forms with multiple notification actions separately.

6. Record the operational owner

Document who reviews:

  • fallback copies;

  • no-activity alerts;

  • weekly digests;

  • licence warnings;

  • privacy or data-subject requests.

A monitoring feature only helps when a named person or team acts on its signals.

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