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Forward Outlook email to SMS from your alert mailbox

Forward Outlook email to SMS, and alerts already landing in an Outlook or shared mailbox reach the on-call phone as texts. The systems that send them stay untouched, and one inbox rule does the forwarding. Welco strips Outlook's From, Sent and To header block, so the text starts with the alert itself.

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  • One inbox rule in Outlook on the web
  • No change to the systems that send
  • No per-user fees

Works by email with

  • Microsoft 365 / Outlook

Published:

san-a raises “[Alert] Volume DATA02 at 94% capacity”; the email lands in it-alerts@example.org and the mailbox's forwarding rule passes it on. The email reaches Welco and the phone shows: “Welco: [san-a] Volume DATA02 at 94%, over 90% limit at 3:30 AM. Reply STOP to opt out.”

Animation: a long Outlook alert email is trimmed into one short text: "Welco: [san-a] Volume DATA02 at 94%, over 90% limit at 3:30 AM. Reply STOP to opt out."

The alert mailbox, before and after one rule

Today: alerts wait in the mailbox

  • Storage, backup and cloud alerts all land in one shared mailbox.
  • Nobody opens it between closing time and the next morning.
  • Pointing each system at someone new means editing every one of them.

With one forwarding rule

  • Matching alerts leave the mailbox as texts to the on-call phone.
  • The mailbox keeps every original, so the morning team still sees the history.
  • The sending systems stay exactly as they are today.

What you need before you start

Forwarding fits when an alert can only go to one mailbox, or when a cloud service only emails your own domain. It turns that mailbox into email-to-text alerts for IT in about 20 minutes. Our credit union case study started from one shared Outlook mailbox.

  • The Microsoft 365 or Exchange mailbox that receives the alerts, and access to it in Outlook on the web.
  • A Microsoft 365 admin, if your tenant blocks forwarding to outside addresses. Most tenants do by default.
  • A Welco account with your business verified. Start free to get your Welco address.
  • The on-call staff invited to Welco. Each confirms their own phone with a YES reply before any alert reaches it. No app is needed.

How to forward Outlook email to SMS in 5 steps

These steps use Outlook on the web, so the rule runs on the server even when nobody has Outlook open.

  1. Allow forwarding to an outside address

    Microsoft 365 blocks automatic forwarding to external addresses by default. An admin can allow it in the outbound spam policy in Microsoft Defender. A custom policy that covers only the alert mailbox is the tidy way.

  2. Open the rules in the alert mailbox

    Open the alert mailbox in Outlook on the web. Go to Settings, Mail, Rules and add a new rule named Text on-call.

  3. Match only the alerts

    Set the condition to the sender, such as storage-alerts@ your domain, or to words in the subject like [Alert]. Newsletters and replies to the mailbox should not match.

  4. Forward to your Welco address

    Choose Forward to and enter your Welco address. The alert mailbox now becomes the sender Welco sees, so approve that address to accept alerts only from known senders.

    • If you choose Redirect to instead, the original system usually stays in the From line. Approve that address too.

  5. Send a test alert

    Trigger one real alert, or send a test from the alerting system. With test sends that stay in the feed, you check the result without a text going out.

Your alert mailbox can text the on-call phone today

One rule in Outlook and one approved sender in Welco. The alerts keep landing in the mailbox too.

7-day free trial, 15 message creditsCard required for verificationNo charge for 7 daysEmail reminder before billing

Text me my Outlook alertsBook a demo

A forwarded IBM i alert as a text

Alerts that pass through Outlook pick up a header block, a signature and sometimes a disclaimer. Welco removes the Outlook part and keeps the alert.

Alert email from it-alerts@example.org, subject “FW: Halcyon Alert 3307”. Welco trims it to one text of 92 characters: “Welco: [PROD01] Halcyon alert 3307, TCP/IP available 0% at 9:44 PM. Reply STOP to opt out.”

Text received: Welco: [PROD01] Halcyon alert 3307, TCP/IP available 0% at 9:44 PM. Reply STOP to opt out.

Characters360921 credit

Animation: the alert email "FW: Halcyon Alert 3307" is trimmed into one text: "Welco: [PROD01] Halcyon alert 3307, TCP/IP available 0% at 9:44 PM. Reply STOP to opt out."

Disclaimers added by your mail server are not Outlook's, so add a rule for shorter alert texts that cuts everything after the alert lines.

Which Microsoft 365 path, and which sender to approve

An inbox rule is the quickest path. Whichever you pick, Welco sees the last address that sent the mail. Teams on Google Workspace can use Google Group alert forwarding instead.

Inbox rule with Forward to

Who sets it up
Anyone with access to the mailbox
Approve in Welco
The alert mailbox address

Inbox rule with Redirect to

Who sets it up
Anyone with access to the mailbox
Approve in Welco
Each original system's address

Exchange mail flow rule that adds a Bcc

Who sets it up
An Exchange admin, in the Exchange admin center
Approve in Welco
Each original system's address

Your Welco address as a second recipient

Who sets it up
Whoever runs the alerting system
Approve in Welco
That system's address. See any system that sends email.

Keep forwarded alerts clean

Forwarding adds one hop between the system and the phone. These habits keep that hop quiet.

If a forwarded alert doesn't text

Most misses sit in Microsoft 365, not in the alerting system.

A bounce mentioning 5.7.520 and access denied

Where to look
The outbound spam policy blocks external forwarding. An admin allows it for this mailbox.

The rule only works while one PC is on

Where to look
It was built in desktop Outlook as client-only. Rebuild it in Outlook on the web.

Welco refused the message

Where to look
The forwarding mailbox isn't approved yet. Approve the exact address in the From line.

A phone got nothing

Where to look
Check the delivery reports for the reason, such as a STOP reply.

Frequently asked questions

Do the systems that send alerts need any change?

No. They keep emailing the same mailbox as today. The forwarding rule in Microsoft 365 is the only new piece. Nothing is installed anywhere.

Why did my Outlook forwarding rule stop working?

Usually because Microsoft 365 is blocking automatic forwarding to outside addresses. The mailbox gets a bounce mentioning 5.7.520 and access denied. An admin can allow forwarding for that mailbox in the outbound spam policy, then you send a test alert.

Should I use Forward or Redirect in Outlook?

Either works. Forward sends the alert from the alert mailbox, so you approve that one address in Welco. Redirect usually keeps the original system as the sender, so you approve each system's address. Forward is simpler when many systems share one mailbox.

Do Outlook rules run when my computer is off?

Rules made in Outlook on the web run on the server, so yes. Some rules made in desktop Outlook only run while that Outlook is open, and Outlook marks them client-only. Build the forwarding rule in Outlook on the web to avoid that.

Will the From, Sent and Subject lines show up in the text?

No. Welco recognizes the header block Outlook adds to a forwarded message and removes it before sending. Signatures and legal disclaimers added by your own mail server may need a trim rule.

Where does a reply to the text go?

A reply is emailed back to the alert's last sender. With Forward, that is the alert mailbox itself, so the whole team sees who is on it. A reply does not clear or acknowledge the alert in the system that raised it.

What does texting a mailbox's alerts cost?

No per-user fees and no setup fee. Each short text uses one message credit, so trim long alerts. Forward a few test alerts during the 7-day free trial, which comes with 15 credits. See pricing for monthly plans: no overage fees, and your card is charged only after you approve one.

Turn your alert mailbox into on-call texts

Add one forwarding rule. Welco strips the clutter and sends the text.

Text me my Outlook alertsBook a demo

7-day free trial, 15 message creditsCard required for verificationNo charge for 7 daysEmail reminder before billing