ExtendSync Outlook helps your organization make important Outlook emails, events, and Microsoft 365 files available from the appropriate NetSuite records.
Use these recommendations to establish consistent internal processes, reduce unnecessary email clutter, and help users choose the right saving method.
This guide outlines best practices to maximize efficiency! ✨
✅ One Single Source of Truth
Individual inboxes are private, while NetSuite provides shared access to customer and business information.
Saving relevant communication to NetSuite can provide:
Centralized communication history
Better collaboration between teams
Faster access to customer context
More accurate reporting
Continuity when account ownership changes
📘 Recommended reading: Why Visibility Matters
✅ Establish an Internal Process
Define which emails users should save, where they should save them, and which saving method they should use.
Your internal guidelines should explain:
Which NetSuite record types users should select
When to use One-Time Save or Autopilot
Which emails should remain private
Whether attachments should be included
How users should handle internal or confidential communication
Who will monitor adoption and answer process questions
Include these guidelines in onboarding materials and revisit them during refresher training. Your organization’s requirements may change as teams adopt new NetSuite processes.
✅ Choose the Right Email-Saving Method
ExtendSync provides four ways to save Outlook emails to NetSuite.
Method | Best for | How it works |
One-Time Save | A single email or isolated conversation | Saves only the selected email to the chosen NetSuite record |
Thread-Based Autopilot | A conversation related to a specific transaction or business process | Automatically saves future replies from the same email thread |
Email Address-Based Autopilot | Ongoing communication with a customer, contact, lead, prospect, or another entity | Automatically saves eligible messages exchanged with a selected email address |
Global Autopilot | Organization-wide email synchronization | Administrators configure matching rules, exclusions, attachment behavior, and participating mailboxes |
One-Time Save
Use One-Time Save when:
Only one email needs to be available in NetSuite.
Future replies may not relate to the same record.
You want complete control over which messages are saved.
One-Time Save manually associates the selected email with one or more NetSuite records.
Thread-Based Autopilot
Available with Enterprise Edition
Use Thread-Based Autopilot for conversations tied to a specific transaction or business process, such as:
Opportunities
Estimates
Sales Orders
Invoices
Cases
After you enable it, future replies in that Outlook conversation are automatically saved to the selected NetSuite record.
Email Address-Based Autopilot
Available with Enterprise Edition
Use Email Address-Based Autopilot when ongoing correspondence with a specific email address should be saved to an entity-level record.
Be selective when enabling it. Eligible messages exchanged with that address can be saved even when their subjects are unrelated.
Email Address-Based Autopilot monitors eligible messages in the Outlook Primary Inbox and Sent Items folders.
Global Autopilot
Available with Enterprise Edition
Global Autopilot allows administrators to automatically sync emails for enrolled users without requiring each user to configure Autopilot.
Administrators can:
Select participating users and shared mailboxes
Configure organization-wide matching rules
Exclude internal domains or specific email addresses
Control attachment behavior
Choose how unmatched email addresses are handled
Review synchronization activity and retry failures
Enrolled users see Global Autopilot enabled by admin in ExtendSync. Users can review the applicable rules, but only an administrator can change them.
Global Autopilot can also support shared mailboxes. Each shared mailbox must have an ExtendSync license and an assigned Shared Mailbox Manager with active Microsoft and NetSuite connections.
✅ Save Emails to the Most Relevant NetSuite Records
ExtendSync can save emails to many standard and custom NetSuite record types. Choose the record that best represents the purpose of the conversation.
🚨 HOT TIP
To maintain data integrity, attach emails to transaction-level records (e.g., Sales Orders, Invoices, Support Cases) instead of the general Customer/Company record.
✅ Do: Attach emails to a Sales Order or Support Case to keep conversations contextual.
🚫 Don’t: Attach all emails to a Customer record, as it can clutter the timeline.
We typically advise against attaching emails at the Customer/Company level.
Use Email Rollup
Emails saved to related child records can roll up to the parent record. This allows users to view communication in context while maintaining broader visibility from the parent.
✅ Keep NetSuite Free from Unnecessary Email Clutter
Easy email saving does not mean every message belongs in NetSuite.
Before saving an email, ask:
Will this information help someone else understand the customer, transaction, or business decision?
Consider leaving out:
Casual or unrelated messages
Duplicate copies of the same information
Internal discussions that provide no useful customer context
Messages containing information that should remain private
Automated notifications that do not require a record history
Saving only useful communication makes it easier for users to find the information that matters.
For Global Autopilot Administrators
Configure domain and email-address exclusions before enabling Global Autopilot for your organization.
Domain exclusions help prevent internal email conversations from being saved automatically. Review the exclusions periodically, especially when your organization adds or changes email domains.
✅ Measure Accountability and Identify Training Needs
Review ExtendSync usage regularly to understand how your team is using the application.
NetSuite saved searches and dashboards can help administrators review email and event activity by:
User
Sender or recipient
NetSuite entity
Record type
Date range
Use this information to recognize successful adoption, identify teams that may need additional training, and improve your internal guidelines.
📈 If usage dips, forward the report to the user(s) and remind them of best practices.
Need help setting this up? Email cloudextend-support@celigo.com and we'll help you configure it.
✅ Find and view emails in NetSuite with ease
Users can access saved emails from several locations in NetSuite.
Communication → Messages
Open the related NetSuite record and go to Communication → Messages to review its communication history.
You can also customize the Messages tab to display message snippets in the list.
Customer Dashboard Timeline
The Timeline provides a consolidated view of emails, activities, and transactions associated with a Customer, Lead, or Prospect.
To add it:
Open the Customer, Lead, or Prospect.
Click View Dashboard.
Add the Timeline portlet.
Customer 360
Customer 360 provides a broader view of customer information, including financial data, transaction history, and related activity.
✅ Use OneDrive and SharePoint Integration
Enterprise feature
The CloudExtend Files tab allows users to manually associate OneDrive or SharePoint files and folders with NetSuite records.
Users can:
Search for files and folders in OneDrive or SharePoint.
Associate existing files and folders with NetSuite records.
Upload files to OneDrive or SharePoint and link them to NetSuite.
Access linked documents from the corresponding NetSuite record.
Store files outside the NetSuite File Cabinet.
The CloudExtend Files tab does not automatically create folders or save Outlook attachments.
ExtendDocs Automation
Requires an ExtendDocs subscription
ExtendDocs adds automation to the OneDrive and SharePoint integration.
Depending on your organization’s configuration, ExtendDocs can:
Automatically create folders when NetSuite records are created or viewed.
Link those folders to the appropriate NetSuite records.
Automatically save Outlook email attachments to OneDrive or SharePoint.
Display secure file links under Communication → Messages and the CloudExtend Files tab.
Additional Search Tips
✅ Exclude Inactive Records from Search
Excluding inactive records can reduce irrelevant results when users search from ExtendSync.
In NetSuite:
Go to Home → Set Preferences.
Open the Analytics subtab.
Clear Include Inactives in Global and Quick Search.
Save your preferences.
✅ Use NetSuite Search Prefixes
Search prefixes help users narrow results to a specific NetSuite record type.
For example, instead of searching for 3M, enter:
cus: 3M
This tells NetSuite to return matching Customer records.
Other examples include:
con:for Contactopp:for Opportunityinvo:for Invoicesales:for Sales Orderiss:for Issue
Include enough information in the search term to distinguish the correct record from similar results.
Help Users Find Support
Share these resources during onboarding:
Your organization’s internal ExtendSync guidelines
Recordings from your team’s training sessions
Users can also:
Search the CloudExtend Help Center.
Use the in-app messenger.
Contact their Customer Success Manager for subscription or account questions.