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Readybuild for Outlook

Readybuild for Outlook brings your CRM directly into Microsoft Outlook. View contact information, related projects, and activity history without leaving your inbox. Log emails to the CRM with a single click.

Prerequisite

Your company must have Microsoft 365 Single Sign-On (SSO) enabled in Readybuild before using this add-in.

Supported Outlook Versions​

Readybuild for Outlook works with:

PlatformSupported Versions
WindowsOutlook 2016, 2019, 2021, Microsoft 365
MacOutlook 2016 and later
WebOutlook on the web (outlook.office.com)
MobileOutlook for iOS and Android (simplified interface)

Features​

  • Contact lookup - Automatically find CRM contacts by email address
  • Project visibility - See all projects associated with a contact
  • Activity history - View previously logged emails, calls, and meetings
  • Email logging - Log emails to projects with notes and attachments
  • Auto-logging - Automatically log outbound emails when you click Send

Signing In​

The first time you use the add-in, you'll need to sign in:

  1. Click the Readybuild button in Outlook
  2. Click Sign in with Microsoft
  3. Choose your Microsoft account
  4. The add-in will connect to your Readybuild account

Your session persists across Outlook restarts. You won't need to sign in again unless you explicitly sign out.

Using the Add-In​

Reading Emails​

When you open an email, click the Readybuild button to see information about the sender.

Contact Card

  • Name and company
  • Phone numbers
  • Address
  • Contact type (color-coded badge)
  • Quick link to open in Readybuild

Related Projects

  • All projects linked to this contact
  • Stage status (Open, Won, Lost)
  • Sold amount

Activity History

  • Previously logged emails, calls, and meetings
  • Activity category and result
  • Date logged

Logging the Email

  1. Select a project from the dropdown (or leave blank for no project)
  2. Add optional notes
  3. Choose whether to include attachments
  4. Click Log Email
Duplicate Detection

The add-in tracks which emails you've already logged. If you try to log the same email twice, you'll see a warning.

Composing Emails​

When composing a new email or reply, click the Readybuild button to log the email when you send it.

  1. Click Readybuild while composing
  2. Select a recipient from the dropdown (populated from your To/CC fields)
  3. View the recipient's contact info and projects
  4. Enable Log when sent to automatically log the email
  5. Select a project and add optional notes
  6. Finish composing and click Send

When you send the email, it's automatically logged to the selected project.

Reply Chain Handling

When logging email replies, you can choose to:

  • Include full chain - Log the entire email thread
  • Strip previous replies - Log only your new message

Calendar Events​

When viewing an appointment in Outlook, click Readybuild to see information about attendees.

  • View organizer and attendee contact details
  • Browse related projects for each attendee
  • See activity history
note

Logging appointments from the add-in is read-only. To log meetings as activities, use the Readybuild calendar or activity features.

What Gets Logged​

When you log an email, the following data is captured:

Email FieldCRM Activity Field
SubjectActivity subject
BodyActivity description
Date/timeActivity date
Sender/recipientsLinked contacts
Attachments (optional)Activity attachments
Your notesActivity notes

Logged emails appear in:

  • The contact's activity history
  • The project's activity timeline (if a project was selected)
  • Your activity reports

Preferences​

The add-in remembers your preferences per contact:

  • Default project - The last project you selected for this contact
  • Reply chain handling - Your preference for stripping or including reply chains
  • Auto-log setting - Whether to automatically log outbound emails

Preferences sync across devices via your Microsoft account.

Troubleshooting​

Add-in Not Appearing​

Check these items:

  1. Installation complete - Verify the add-in was installed successfully
  2. Supported client - Ensure you're using a supported Outlook version
  3. Administrator approval - Some organizations require admin approval for add-ins

Try this:

  1. Close and reopen Outlook
  2. If using Outlook Desktop, try Outlook Web to confirm the add-in works
  3. Contact your IT administrator if add-ins are blocked

Contact Not Found​

If the add-in shows "Contact not found":

  1. Check email address - The contact may use a different email in Readybuild
  2. Alternate email - The add-in checks both primary and alternate email fields
  3. Add new contact - If the person isn't in your CRM, you'll need to add them in Readybuild first

Login Issues​

Session expired:

  1. Click Sign Out in the add-in
  2. Close and reopen the add-in panel
  3. Sign in again with your Microsoft account

Wrong account:

  1. Sign out of the add-in
  2. Clear your browser cache (for Outlook Web)
  3. Sign in with the correct Microsoft account

Email Not Logging​

Check these items:

  1. Connection status - Ensure the add-in shows "Connected"
  2. Required fields - Some configurations require a project to be selected
  3. Wait for confirmation - Auto-logged emails may take a moment to appear

Limitations​

  • Shared mailboxes - The add-in works with your personal mailbox only
  • Mobile Outlook - Works with a simplified interface; core features (contact lookup, email logging) are available
  • Offline mode - Requires internet connection to function
  • Recurring events - Calendar sync handles individual occurrences
  • Public folders - Not supported

Setup​

The best way to set up Readybuild for Outlook is to have your administrator deploy it to all users. This ensures everyone has access automatically and simplifies management.

For Administrators:

  1. Sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center
  2. Go to Settings > Integrated apps
  3. Click Add-ins
  4. Search for "Readybuild" in the Office Store
  5. Click Deploy and select which users should have access

Once deployed, the Readybuild button appears in Outlook automatically for all selected users.

Why Company-Wide Deployment?
  • Users don't need to install anything themselves
  • Ensures consistent access across your team
  • Easier to manage and update
  • IT maintains control over add-in permissions

Individual Installation​

If company-wide deployment isn't available, users can install the add-in themselves.

From Outlook Desktop:

  1. Open Outlook
  2. Click Get Add-ins in the ribbon (or Home > Get Add-ins)
  3. Search for "Readybuild"
  4. Click Add

From Outlook Web:

  1. Open Outlook on the web
  2. Open any email
  3. Click the ... (More actions) menu
  4. Select Get Add-ins
  5. Search for "Readybuild"
  6. Click Add

After installation, the Readybuild button appears in your Outlook ribbon.

Other Microsoft 365 Services​

Need Help?​

If you encounter issues not covered in this documentation, contact Readybuild support at support@readybuild.com.