Every sales and recruiting manager has the same complaint: the Salesforce record goes quiet, but the rep swears they emailed the client three times. They probably did. Outlook does not log email to Salesforce on its own, and anything that depends on a rep remembering to click "Log email" decays within a month. This guide walks through the options, from manual to automatic, and what each one actually captures.
Option 1: The Salesforce Outlook add-in (manual)
Salesforce's own Outlook integration adds a side panel. For each email the rep can see matching records and click to log it. It is accurate when it is used, and it is used far less than anyone plans. It also works one email at a time, so a long thread with a client means a lot of clicking.
Captures: whatever the rep logs. Misses: everything they forget, which is most of it.
Option 2: Email to Salesforce (BCC address)
Each user gets a long BCC address. Add it to an outgoing email and Salesforce files the message against the matching Lead or Contact by email address. It is free and simple, and the catch is in the word outgoing: it only logs mail the rep sends, and only when they remember to add the BCC. Replies from the client are not captured unless the rep forwards them.
Captures: sent mail with the BCC. Misses: received mail, and any sent mail where the BCC was skipped.
Option 3: Einstein Activity Capture
Salesforce's built-in automatic capture connects to the mailbox and shows email and events on records. It needs no clicking, which is the point. The trade-offs are worth knowing before you turn it on: captured email is stored outside the standard Salesforce activity objects, so it does not behave like an ordinary Task or Email record in reports, triggers and custom code, and it is kept for a retention window rather than forever. For some teams that is fine; for teams that report on activity, or that integrate Salesforce with other systems, it is a surprise.
Captures: sent and received mail automatically. Misses: nothing on the capture side, but the records aren't standard activities and aren't permanent.
Option 4: A connector that writes standard email activities
The fourth approach reads each rep's sent and received mail from Microsoft 365 after they opt in, finds the Contact or Lead that matches each outside address, and creates a normal email activity on that record, owned by the rep. Nothing to install in Outlook, no BCC, nothing to click, and the result is an ordinary Salesforce activity you can report on, trigger from and keep.
That is what Bridge Hound does. A few design choices matter for anyone evaluating a tool like this:
- One integration user for Salesforce. The admin connects Salesforce once with a dedicated integration user, so no rep's personal login is involved and nothing breaks when people leave.
- Opt-in per rep. Each rep turns logging on with their own Microsoft work account. Nothing from before they turned it on is touched.
- Clear rules for what is skipped. People who aren't in Salesforce (nothing gets created), internal-only mail, meeting invites, automatic replies, no-reply senders, and bulk mail to more than 20 outside addresses.
- A private escape hatch. Anything marked Private or Confidential in Outlook, or given a "Private" or "Don't log" category, is kept out.
- Minimal storage by the connector. The message goes to Salesforce; the connector keeps only the subject, the addresses and what happened, so you can see what was logged. Attachments are listed by name, not uploaded.
Choosing between them
| If you need… | Pick |
|---|---|
| Zero cost and you trust reps to BCC | Email to Salesforce |
| Automatic capture and you don't report on activity | Einstein Activity Capture |
| Automatic capture as standard, permanent, reportable activities | A connector like Bridge Hound |
| A rep to choose each email deliberately | The Outlook add-in |
Most teams that have tried the manual options already know the answer: if it depends on a human remembering, the record goes quiet.
Quick answers
Does logging email to Salesforce require an Outlook add-in?
No. Add-ins are one approach. Email to Salesforce uses a BCC address, and connectors like Bridge Hound read mail through Microsoft 365 after the rep opts in, with nothing installed in Outlook.
Will received email be logged, or only sent?
It depends on the method. BCC only captures sent mail. Einstein Activity Capture and Microsoft 365 connectors capture both directions.
What gets created in Salesforce?
With Bridge Hound, an email activity on the matching Contact (or Lead when there is no Contact), owned by the rep, containing the new part of the message. Earlier quoted messages in the thread are left out so the record stays readable.
Can reps keep personal email out?
Yes. Mail with people who aren't in Salesforce is never logged, and anything marked Private or Confidential, or categorised "Don't log", is skipped.