Signature on Compose (SoC)
Signature on Compose is currently available to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace clients. Signature on Compose pulls the signature design and the personal data held in the Rocketseed database into the compose email window and this allows you to see your signature content when you write your email.
The Microsoft 365 Add-in is supported by the Outlook Web Access application, the Outlook Progressive Web application, Classic Outlook and New Outlook email clients as well as the Outlook Mobile app on iPhone and Android.
The Add-in is supported by the Google Web Application on your desktop and the Gmail application on iPhone.
Please note: As this feature is not supported by all applications on all mobile devices, the signatures for emails sent from your mobile device for unsupported applications will be added once the mail is routed via the Rocketseed server.
FAQs
Which add-in version should I choose?
If most of your Microsoft 365 users are still using the Classic Outlook desktop version, you should use the v1.4.22 version as this has enhanced support for Classic Outlook.
Benefits of v1.4.22
- The signature auto-populates while using Classic Outlook
Drawbacks of v1.4.22
- No support for mobile devices
- No support for shared mailboxes
- No support for embedded images
If most of your users have already upgraded to New Outlook, then the v1.6.0 version is for you. This has many more features
Benefits of v1.6.0
- Can be used on iPhone and Android mobile devices
- Switching between shared mailboxes switches the signatures
- Images can be embedded or referenced
Drawbacks of v1.6.0
- The signature does not automatically show when creating an email in Classic Outlook
What do I need to do to use the add-in?
Rocketseed Signature on Compose will be enabled by your Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace administrator so you should not need to do anything to access the add-in. You do need to make sure you are composing email in HTML and not Plain Text otherwise the design will not render correctly in your newly composed email.
How do I see what my signature looks like?
When you compose your email the add-in will automatically connect to your Rocketseed account and pull the signature design and personal information to create the signature in your new email.
Will my signature be in my sent items?
If you are using Rocketseed Signature on Compose on your Desktop and/or on a Webmail application, your signature will be visible in your sent items.
What about mails sent from my mobile device?
If you’re using one of the supported email applications mentioned above your signature will also appear in your sent items.
For all other mobile applications on iPhone and Android, you will not see your signature on compose within the email, nor will they be shown in your sent items. When you send an email from the mobile device however, Rocketseed will insert your signature before the mail gets delivered to the email recipient.
What format are the images in my signature?
The images added by the Rocketseed Signature on Compose can be referenced or embedded (preferred).
Referenced means that a link to the hosted image is included in the email rather than the image itself (much like used in newsletter formats). Email recipients may need to download the image for it to be visible and this will be automatic or manual depending on recipient settings.
Embedded means that the image is sent as a part of the email and the image will automatically be displayed when the recipient opens their email without having to download the image from the server.
How do I change my contact details in my signature?
You can update the information in the email at compose time but please note that this will not update the details held in the Rocketseed database. The recommended solution is to contact your Rocketseed administrator who will update it centrally for you.
Why don’t my image maps hotspots work?
Image maps are unfortunately not supported by Microsoft‘s or Google’s Signature applications, this means that while Rocketseed supports this feature, it cannot be used if you’re using the Signature on Compose Addin. Each image would have to be added separately and then linked to the landing page accordingly.
What about my banners will they still be added?
Signature on Compose only applies signatures to your email in the compose window. Once you hit send, the mail will route to the Rocketseed server and the banners and/or disclaimers assigned will be added.
When my mail routes through the server will a second signature be added?
No. Rocketseed knows that there is already a signature in the email you’re sending and will only add the additional banner and/or disclaimer.
Can I use my reply signature?
When a reply/forwarded signature is set the Rocketseed Signature on Compose in Microsoft 365 will include the list of full and reply signatures so you can choose which signature should be added. By default, the reply signature assigned will be added to a reply or forwarded email.
With Google on Compose, this feature is not available and by default the full signature is added.
How do I swap between a full and reply signature?
This feature is only available to Microsoft 365 Signature on Compose users. If a reply signature has been applied to your mail but you would rather have the full branding, you are able to open the Rocketseed application in your email client and simply choose the full signature. The signature in your reply window will update and show you the newly selected signature instead.
Will the tracking on my signature clicks still work?
Yes, your clicks will still be recorded but the recipient information will not be recorded.
What about shared mailboxes?
Yes but only for Microsoft 365 users. Signature on Compose pulls information for accounts that are registered on the Rocketseed server. So if you change the “from” email address to a shared mailbox that has a signature assigned and information attributed to it on the Rocketseed server, the shared mailbox information will be shown.
Can I use Signature on Compose without routing my emails through Rocketseed?
Yes you can. If your company does not want to route their mails via the Rocketseed server, then Signature on Compose is still a viable way to have your emails branded. The branding is still centrally controlled and the sender data can still be sync’d from our Active or Google Directories but there are some limitations to using the application in this way. These are as follows:
- You are only able to use a bottom banner (as part of the signature design)
- You are not able have multiple banners in rotation
- Banners cannot be scheduled to run for specific times
- You are not able to target recipients/groups of recipients with specific banners
- There is no tracking available and clicks are not recorded
What is the latest version of the Microsoft Signature on Compose Add-in?
There are currently two add-in versions in production as follows:
- Version 1.4.22 – this version has better support for Classic Outlook. The signature auto populates when creating a new email
- Version 1.6.0 – this version supports embedded emails, mobile applications and shared mailboxes
How do I know what version of the Signature on Compose Add-in I’m using?
This is done in a three step process as shown below:
Step 1
When you’re logged into your Outlook email client, select the ellipses, and then the “Get Add-ins” option from the menu that will be displayed
Step 2
The Office Add-ins screen will then be shown. Select the “My add-ins” option from the side menu
Step 3
Scroll down to the “Custom Addins” section and search for the Rocketseed logo. Under the logo you will see “Rocketseed Addin vXXXX”. The “vXXXX” will be the version of the Add-in you are using.
Error Codes Explained
When using Signature on Compose, and opening a new email the users may see an error code. This indicates that the system is unable to allocate a signature to the sender. This can occur for a number of reasons.
Below is a list of possible error codes, their meanings, and guidance on how to resolve them.
EV400 – Signature on Compose not activated
Cause:
Signature on Compose (SOC) is not enabled in the Rocketseed account.
Resolution:
Log in to Rocketseed.
In the left-hand menu click ‘Edit Account’
Open ‘Email Branding Preferences’
Select ‘Apply Signature on Compose’.
Scroll down and click ‘Save Account’.
EV500 – Unable to fetch images from the server
Cause:
The system is temporarily unable to retrieve images due to server load or bad gateway issues.
Resolution:
This is usually a temporary issue and will resolve automatically once connectivity to the database is restored. No action is required unless the issue persists.
EV600 – User not found or no signature assigned
Cause:
The user does not exist in the Rocketseed account, or
The user exists but does not have a signature assigned.
Resolution:
Log in to Rocketseed.
Confirm that the user exists and has a signature assigned to their profile.
If the user cannot be found:
Manually add the user, or If directory sync is enabled:
In the left-hand menu ‘Edit Account’.
Scroll to the bottom of the page and open ‘External Directory Configuration’ , select ‘sync directory’ when you save this form.
Click ‘Save Account’.
Once the sync is complete, search for the user again and ensure a signature is assigned.
EV900 – Outlook Classic issue
Cause:
On Mac Outlook Classic: does not support the version of JavaScript required to auto-populate the signature.
On Windows Outlook Classic: Indicates an incorrect compose format (for example, Plain Text instead of HTML).
Resolution:
Ensure the email compose format is set to HTML.
For Mac Outlook Classic- Users are encouraged to use ‘New Outlook’ – this will resolve any issues
TP1000 – User exists in multiple Rocketseed accounts
Cause:
The user’s email address exists in more than one Rocketseed account. A sender can only belong to one account at a time.
Resolution:
Identify the other Rocketseed account where the user exists and remove the user from that account.
Please Note: These errors only occur when composing an email. If your email address is set up to route via the Rocketseed server then your emails ought to be branded with a signature on outgoing emails irrelevant of the code above.