Problem
You've set up your email domain in ServiceTitan (Settings > Communications > Email Domains) and your DNS records show as verified. But emails ServiceTitan sends on your behalf — invoices, estimates, appointment confirmations, and follow-ups — are still landing in your customers' spam or junk folders.
This is expected in some situations, and there are steps both you and your customers can take to improve delivery over time.
Note: This article covers transactional emails — invoices, estimates, appointment confirmations, and follow-ups. If you're having deliverability issues with Marketing Pro email campaigns, see Master email marketing: Automation, deliverability, and engagement instead. Marketing emails use a different email system, and the steps to fix them are different.
Why this happens
When you set up your email domain in ServiceTitan, you're telling email providers like Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook that ServiceTitan has your permission to send email on behalf of your company. You do this by adding a few records to your domain settings that act as a digital stamp of approval. Before you set up your domain, your emails come from noreply@onservicetitan.com instead.
That stamp of approval is necessary, but it isn't the whole picture. Email providers don't only check whether an email is authorized — they also look at things like how long your domain has been sending email, whether recipients open your messages, and whether anyone has marked your emails as spam before.
Think of it like a new business opening in town. A business license (your domain setup) proves you're legitimate, but it still takes time for people to trust you and come through the door. Your email reputation works the same way: it builds gradually as your customers engage with your emails.
Identify the cause
Most spam placement after domain setup comes down to one of four causes. Review each one to find which applies to you.
Cause 1: Your domain has a new or limited sending reputation
Before domain setup, your emails were sent from a ServiceTitan address (noreply@onservicetitan.com). After setup, they come from your own domain, which may have little or no history of sending email at this volume. Providers like Gmail treat new or low-volume sending domains with extra scrutiny. Reputation builds gradually as recipients open and engage with your emails over time.
Cause 2: Your subdomain is missing an MX record
If your authenticated domain uses a subdomain (for example, mail.yourcompany.com instead of yourcompany.com), that subdomain needs a valid MX (Mail Exchange) record in your DNS settings. Some providers with strict spam filters reject or flag email from subdomains that don't have an MX record, even when every other record is correct.
Ask your IT team or hosting provider to check whether an MX record is configured for the sending subdomain.
Cause 3: DMARC is not set up
DMARC is a DNS record that tells email providers what to do if an email fails authentication checks. It isn't required for domain setup, but not having one can cause some providers to trust your email less.
If you don't have a DMARC record, ask your IT team to add this TXT record to your DNS:
Type: TXT
Host: _dmarc
Value: v=DMARC1; p=none;
This is a monitoring-only policy that won't block any emails. Your IT team can adjust it over time.
Cause 4: Low recipient engagement
Email providers track whether recipients open your emails, click links, or mark them as spam. If many recipients aren't engaging, providers may start routing your emails to spam. This is especially common in the first few weeks after domain setup, while your reputation is still being established.
Improve delivery yourself
These are the steps you can take directly.
Check your domain reputation. Use Google Postmaster Tools to see how Gmail views your domain's reputation, spam rate, and authentication results. It's free, takes a few minutes to set up, and is the best way to tell whether your domain reputation is the issue.
Verify your DNS records are complete. Go to Settings > Communications > Email Domains, click your domain, and confirm all records show as Verified. If any record shows an issue, see Set up your email domain for ServiceTitan communications for troubleshooting.
Confirm your subdomain and DMARC records. Ask your IT team to confirm your subdomain has a valid MX record (if you send from a subdomain) and that a DMARC record is configured.
Ask your customers to help
These are actions your customers (the people receiving your emails) can take on their end to help your messages reach the inbox. Consider letting customers know to check their spam or junk folder if they don't see your email.
Mark your emails as "Not Spam." When a customer finds your email in their spam folder and marks it as "Not Spam," it sends a positive signal to the email provider. Over time, this helps build your domain's reputation.
Add your email address to their contacts. Adding your sending address to their contact list tells the provider the recipient trusts your messages. This is one of the most effective things an individual recipient can do.
Create an inbox filter or add you to Safe Senders. Gmail users can create a filter to always deliver your emails to the inbox. Outlook users can add your address to their Safe Senders list. Both options let your emails bypass the spam filter for that recipient.
What ServiceTitan checks
When you report a deliverability issue, our support team verifies that your domain authentication records are passing correctly and that your emails are not being flagged or blocked by our email platform. If everything checks out on our end, the inbox-or-spam decision is being made by the recipient's email provider.
Frequently asked questions
Does setting up my email domain guarantee my emails will reach the inbox? No. Domain setup proves your emails are legitimate, but the recipient's email provider (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, and others) makes the final delivery decision based on your domain's reputation, recipient engagement, and other factors.
How long does it take for my domain reputation to improve? It varies. For domains with no prior sending history, it can take several weeks of consistent sending and positive recipient engagement before providers begin routing your emails to the inbox reliably.
My emails were going to the inbox before, but now they're going to spam. What changed? This can happen if recipients start marking your emails as spam, if your sending volume changes suddenly, or if your DNS records were modified. Check Google Postmaster Tools for reputation changes and verify your DNS records are intact in Settings > Communications > Email Domains.
Is there anything else my customers can do? Yes. In addition to marking emails as "Not Spam" and adding your address to their contacts, Gmail users can create a filter to always deliver your emails to the inbox, and Outlook users can add your address to their Safe Senders list.
I'm sending from a subdomain. Is that causing the issue? It could be. If your authenticated domain uses a subdomain (like mail.yourcompany.com), make sure that subdomain has a valid MX record in your DNS. Some providers flag subdomains without MX records as suspicious. If you're unsure, contact ServiceTitan Technical Support and we can check your configuration.
I use Marketing Pro too. Does this article apply to my marketing emails? No. This article covers transactional emails (invoices, estimates, confirmations). Marketing Pro emails use a separate email system with its own deliverability considerations. For marketing email deliverability, see Master email marketing.
Related content
See Set up your email domain for ServiceTitan communications
See Master email marketing: Automation, deliverability, and engagement — for Marketing Pro email deliverability