When you send email campaigns through servis.ai using the SendGrid integration, unsubscribes are handled automatically.
This guide explains what happens when a recipient unsubscribes, how that information is stored in servis.ai, how it protects future sends, and what you can do to manage your unsubscribe list.
Key Concepts
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Term
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What it means in servis.ai
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Email Unsubscribes
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A built-in App that stores every email address that has opted out
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Email Opt-Out
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A flag set on a Contact record when they unsubscribe
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SendGrid Subscription Tracking
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A SendGrid feature that automatically appends an unsubscribe link to every campaign email
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Global Suppression
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A SendGrid-side block that prevents any future email from reaching an unsubscribed address
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Event Webhook
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A real-time signal SendGrid sends back to servis.ai when a recipient takes an action (opens, clicks, unsubscribes, etc.)
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How Unsubscribes Work
Step 1 — The unsubscribe link is added automatically
Every email sent through an Email Campaign in servis.ai includes a standard unsubscribe link in the footer. This link is added by SendGrid’s Subscription Tracking feature, which is configured as part of the SendGrid integration setup.
When SendGrid’s Subscription Tracking is enabled, it also adds a List-Unsubscribe header to every email. This gives major email clients (Gmail, Apple Mail, Outlook) a native, one-click unsubscribe button next to the sender’s name — even before the recipient opens the email.
Note: The List-Unsubscribe header is required by Gmail and Yahoo! for marketing emails. Servis.ai’s SendGrid integration supports this automatically.
Missing Unsubscribe Links
If your campaign emails do not contain an unsubscribe link or footer, this means Subscription Tracking is not enabled in your SendGrid account. To fix this:
- Log in to your SendGrid dashboard.
- Go to Settings > Tracking > Subscription Tracking.
- Toggle Subscription Tracking to ON.
- Optionally customize the unsubscribe landing page and footer text.
Note: Servis.ai does not control whether the unsubscribe link appears — this is entirely managed by SendGrid’s Subscription Tracking setting.
Step 2 — The recipient clicks Unsubscribe
When a recipient clicks the unsubscribe link, SendGrid processes the request on their end and adds the email address to their Global Suppression list. This immediately prevents that address from receiving any future emails through your SendGrid account.
At the same time, SendGrid sends an unsubscribe event back to Servis.ai via the Event Webhook.
Step 3 — Servis.ai records the unsubscribe
When servis.ai receives the unsubscribe event from SendGrid, it automatically:
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Creates a record in the Email Unsubscribes App with:
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Email Address — the address that unsubscribed
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Unsubscribe Date — the exact time the event occurred
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Source — set to SendGrid, so you always know where the unsubscribe came from
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Contacts — any Contact records in Servis.ai that match the email address are linked automatically
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Updates the linked Contact record(s) by setting:
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Email Opt-Out → enabled
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Email Opt-Out Date → the timestamp of the unsubscribe
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If a record for the same email address already exists in the Email Unsubscribes App, Servis.ai updates it with the latest Contact links instead of creating a duplicate.
Step 4 — Future sends are suppressed
Contacts with Email Opt-Out enabled are automatically skipped in future email activity:
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Email Campaigns — any Contact in the target list who has opted out will not receive the campaign
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Automation actions — if an Automation includes a Send Email action, it checks the Contact’s Email Opt-Out field before sending and skips the action with a note: “[Contact name] opt-out email”
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SendGrid Global Suppression — independently of servis.ai’s own check, SendGrid will also reject any send attempt to the suppressed address at the API level
This double-layer protection means an unsubscribed contact is protected both within servis.ai and at the SendGrid infrastructure level.
Viewing and Managing Unsubscribes
Viewing the Email Unsubscribes list
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Go to Settings in the left navigation menu.
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Select Email Unsubscribes.
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The list shows all unsubscribed email addresses, their unsubscribe date, source, and any linked Contact records.
Understanding the Source field
The Source field tells you how the unsubscribe was recorded:
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Source
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Meaning
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SendGrid
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The recipient clicked the unsubscribe link in a campaign email sent via SendGrid. The unsubscribe is also held in SendGrid’s Global Suppression list.
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Default
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The record was added manually or through another method inside servis.ai.
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Removing an unsubscribe (re-subscribing a contact)
If a contact unsubscribed by mistake, or explicitly requests to be re-added, you can remove the unsubscribe record. The process differs depending on the source:
For SendGrid unsubscribes:
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Navigate to Email > Email Unsubscribes.
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Find the record for the email address.
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Click the Delete action on the record.
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Confirm the deletion in the prompt.
What happens behind the scenes: Servis.ai calls the SendGrid API to remove the address from SendGrid’s Global Suppression list before deleting the local record. Both the Servis.ai unsubscribe record and the SendGrid suppression are removed in one action.
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After deleting the unsubscribe record, open the Contact record and manually set Email Opt-Out back to disabled.
Note: Always ensure you have explicit consent from the contact before resubscribing them. Sending email to someone who has not re-consented may violate CAN-SPAM, CASL, GDPR, or other applicable regulations.
For Default (manually added) unsubscribes:
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Navigate to Settings > Email Unsubscribes.
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Find the record and click Delete.
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Confirm the deletion.
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Update the Contact’s Email Opt-Out field if needed.
Email Metrics and Unsubscribe Tracking
Every campaign email sent via SendGrid generates an Email record in servis.ai. Each email record tracks the following events sent back from SendGrid in real time:
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Event
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What it means
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Delivered
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SendGrid confirmed the email reached the recipient’s mail server
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Opened
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The recipient opened the email
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Clicked
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The recipient clicked a link inside the email
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Unsubscribed
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The recipient clicked the unsubscribe link
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Bounced
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The email could not be delivered (address issue, full inbox, etc.)
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Dropped
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SendGrid did not attempt delivery (e.g. address was already on the Global Suppression list)
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Flagged as Spam
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The recipient marked the email as spam
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You can view these events on the individual Email record in Servis.ai under the Activity panel.
Note: Unsubscribe, bounce, spam, and drop events are suppression-level signals — they all result in the address being blocked from future sends either in Servis.ai or at the SendGrid level.
Suppression Types: What Gets Blocked and Why
SendGrid may suppress a delivery for multiple reasons. Here is how each suppression type maps to behavior in servis.ai:
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Suppression
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Cause
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Future emails blocked?
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Global Unsubscribe
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Recipient clicked Unsubscribe
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Yes — at both SendGrid and servis.ai levels
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Bounce
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Recipient’s mail server rejected the address
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Yes — at the SendGrid level
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Spam Report
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Recipient marked the email as spam
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Yes — at the SendGrid level
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Dropped
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Address was already suppressed when send was attempted
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Yes — SendGrid skips the send
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Block
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IP address or content blocked by the receiving server
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No — may succeed with future sends
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The Firewall Auto-Click & Two-Step Confirmation
Some corporate email security systems (such as Barracuda, Mimecast, Microsoft Defender / ATP, and similar gateways) automatically pre-scan and click all links in incoming emails as a security measure. This can include the unsubscribe link inserted by SendGrid.
When this happens, the recipient is unsubscribed without their knowledge or intent, because SendGrid’s default subscription tracking uses a single-click unsubscribe mechanism.
Symptoms
- Recipients report they were unsubscribed but never clicked the link.
- A spike in unsubscribes shortly after a campaign is sent, often from recipients at the same organization.
- Unsubscribe timestamps occur within seconds of the email being delivered.
Recommended Solution: Two-Step Unsubscribe Confirmation
To prevent accidental unsubscribes caused by firewall auto-clicks, we recommend configuring a two-step unsubscribe process in SendGrid. Instead of immediately unsubscribing on the first click, this directs the recipient to a confirmation page where they must click again to confirm.
To set this up:
- In your SendGrid dashboard, go to Settings > Tracking > Subscription Tracking.
- Under Landing Page, configure a custom unsubscribe landing page that requires the recipient to confirm their intent (e.g., a page with a “Confirm Unsubscribe” button).
- Alternatively, use SendGrid’s built-in landing page option that requires confirmation. This ensures that automated link scanners — which follow links but do not interact with page elements — cannot trigger unsubscribes.
Note: Servis.ai does not currently provide a built-in two-step confirmation page. This must be configured within SendGrid’s Subscription Tracking settings or via a custom landing page you host.
Best Practices
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Always use SendGrid’s Subscription Tracking when sending Email Campaigns. Servis.ai’s automatic unsubscribe handling depends on it.
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Never bypass suppressions unless you have a legally valid reason (e.g. a critical transactional notification). Bypassing suppression lists for marketing email can violate anti-spam laws.
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Review your Email Unsubscribes list regularly to ensure your Contact records stay in sync with your unsubscribe data.
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Segment your lists using servis.ai Views to filter out Contacts with Email Opt-Out enabled before launching a campaign. This provides an additional layer of protection.
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Honor unsubscribe requests promptly. Failing to do so can harm your sender reputation and may be a legal violation under CAN-SPAM, CASL, GDPR, and similar regulations.
FAQ
Q: What if the same email address unsubscribes more than once?
A: Servis.ai checks for an existing Email Unsubscribes record before creating a new one. If a record already exists for that address with a SendGrid source, it is updated (not duplicated).
Q: Can I add an email address to the unsubscribe list manually?
A: Yes. Go to Settings > Email Unsubscribes and create a new record. Set the Source to Default and enter the email address. Remember to also update the Email Opt-Out field on the corresponding Contact record.
Q: Will an unsubscribed contact still receive transactional emails like password resets?
A: The Email Opt-Out flag and SendGrid Global Suppression are applied to all emails sent through Servis.ai’s SendGrid integration — including those triggered by Automations. If you need to send critical non-marketing communications, consult your Servis.ai administrator about sending those through a separate channel or account.
Q: Why did a contact get dropped without ever unsubscribing?
A: The Dropped status means SendGrid found the address in a suppression list (Global Unsubscribe, bounce, or spam) at the moment of sending and skipped the delivery. Check the Email Unsubscribes App and the contact’s Email Opt-Out status to understand why.
Q: A contact says they did not unsubscribe but they’re showing as unsubscribed. What happened?
A: Some corporate email security tools (firewalls and spam filters) automatically click all links in incoming emails — including unsubscribe links — to check for threats. This can trigger an unsubscribe without the recipient’s knowledge. If you confirm this with the contact, you can remove the unsubscribe record (see Removing an unsubscribe above) after obtaining their renewed consent.
