Getting started
Connect your inbound mailbox in ten minutes.
You don't need to wait for your signup link to do this part. Set it up now and the moment your workspace opens, real shipments are already flowing in. On Google Workspace it's ten minutes with no IT. On Microsoft 365 it's ten minutes plus one two-click approval from IT, and the exact text to send them is below.
Your forwarding address
Sent with your signup link
Microsoft 365: one approval, then ten minutes
By default, Microsoft 365 blocks automatic forwarding to outside addresses, and rules you set yourself will bounce silently. So the order is: IT first (two clicks), then you.
- Send IT the request from the The text for IT tab. They either grant admin consent to the Epoch app in Entra (recommended, two clicks) or allow external forwarding for your one inbound mailbox.
- Once consented, sign in to Epoch and choose Connect mailbox. Pick the shared inbound mailbox. Done: no rule to maintain, nothing that can be deleted by accident.
- If IT chose the forwarding route instead: open the mailbox in Outlook on the web, Settings → Mail → Rules → Add new rule. Apply to all messages (or narrow to your forwarders' domains), action Forward to your Epoch address. Leave Stop processing more rules unticked so your team still gets the originals.
If you set a rule before IT has acted, you'll see a bounce mentioning 5.7.520 Access denied, Your organization does not allow external forwarding. That's expected; it means step 1 hasn't happened yet.
Google Workspace: ten minutes, no IT
- Open the mailbox that receives supplier and forwarder emails.
- Settings (gear) → See all settings → Forwarding and POP/IMAP → Add a forwarding address. Paste your Epoch forwarding address and confirm.
- Gmail sends a verification code to that address. Epoch catches it and confirms automatically within a minute; refresh the settings page and the address shows as verified. If it doesn't within five minutes, reply to your signup email and we'll confirm it by hand.
- Go to Filters and Blocked Addresses → Create a new filter. Leave it broad, or filter by your forwarders' domains.
- Tick Forward it to, choose the Epoch address, create the filter. Originals stay in your inbox.
If your admin has disabled external forwarding on Workspace, use the The text for IT tab; the OAuth connect works there too.
The text for IT
Copy this into a ticket or a Teams message. Pick the option that fits your tenant; either one takes IT under five minutes.
Hi, we're connecting our inbound logistics mailbox [mailbox name] to Epoch by Holocene (Holocene GmbH, Berlin; EU data residency; DPA available on request). It's a read-only feed of supplier and forwarder emails; originals stay in the mailbox.
Option A (recommended): please grant admin consent to the Epoch app in Entra: [admin consent link, sent with your signup link]. Two clicks, scoped to mail read on that mailbox.
Option B: please allow external auto-forwarding from [mailbox name] to [Epoch forwarding address] (Exchange admin → Anti-spam → Outbound policy → Automatic forwarding: On, or a per-mailbox exception).
Thanks.
Most IT teams turn this around the same day. If they have questions about data handling, point them to our privacy policy or reply to your signup email and we'll join the thread.
What happens once emails arrive
Within minutes of the first email, Epoch starts rebuilding arrival dates line by line. Sample data stays in your workspace until you have enough real shipments, then a one-click purge removes it. Invite teammates from the workspace whenever you're ready.
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