What is a Shared Inbox?
In Microsoft Exchange, a shared mailbox is a mailbox that multiple people, and Sterling, can access.
A shared mailbox:
Has its own email address, like [email protected].
Can be opened by multiple users who have been granted access.
Does not usually require its own paid license, depending on size and your Microsoft plan.
Sterling can connect to a shared mailbox so it can read and send emails as part of your workflows.
Before you start
Confirm you have Microsoft 365 admin access.
Decide whether Sterling will authenticate using a dedicated service user (recommended) or an existing user that already has access.
If licensing comes up internally, note that shared mailbox licensing often depends on mailbox size and your Microsoft plan.
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✅ Recommended configuration
Use a dedicated service user (for example, [email protected]) for continuity.
Grant access only to the specific shared mailbox Sterling should manage.
Email flow diagram
1. Microsoft Exchange: Shared Mailbox ([email protected])
1.1 Create the Shared Mailbox
Go to Microsoft 365 Admin Center: https://admin.microsoft.com
Navigate to Teams & groups → Shared mailboxes
Click Add a shared mailbox
Enter:
Name: Accounts
Email: [email protected]
Save
📘 Microsoft Help:
Create a shared mailbox: https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/admin/email/create-a-shared-mailbox
1.2 Create the Sterling Service User (if needed)
You can authorise Sterling using your own user (if your user already has access to the shared mailbox).
If you prefer to use a dedicated service account, create one and grant it access to the shared mailbox.
Go to Users → Active users → Add a user
Create [email protected]
Assign a Microsoft 365 license that includes Exchange Online
📘 Microsoft Help:
1.3 Grant sterling@ Access to the Shared Mailbox (if using a service user)
Go to Teams & groups → Shared mailboxes → accounts@
Under Members, click Add members
Add:
Save
This user has full access and can authenticate via OAuth to read and send mail from the shared mailbox.
📘 Microsoft Help:
Add members to shared mailbox: https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/admin/email/add-users-to-shared-mailbox
2. Sterling Setup: Enable the Communications Skill
2.1 Navigate to Skills
Log in to Sterling
Go to Skills → Communications
Select Microsoft Exchange
2.2 Enable the Provider
Click Enable
The Email Handling configuration panel will appear
2.3 Configure Email Handling Instructions
Fill in the instructions that tell Sterling what to do with emails at each stage of a task.
Start of Task (examples)
Move the email into an “In Progress” folder
Mark the email as read
Send a reply acknowledging the email is being handled
End of Task (examples)
Move processed email to “Completed”
Add categories for record-keeping
Notify the vendor or requester
Sterling will use these rules to manage the mailbox automatically.
3. Connect the Mail Account (OAuth)
3.1 Microsoft Exchange
Click Add Account
Sign in using [email protected] if you are using a service account, or your own user if you are not.
Approve Microsoft OAuth permissions
Sterling will show available mailboxes
Select the shared inbox:
Save
Sterling will sync:
Emails from the selected mailbox
Follow your Email Handling rules
📘 Microsoft Help:
Identity platform overview: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/active-directory/develop/
Troubleshooting
Sterling cannot see the shared mailbox: The signed-in user might not have access to the mailbox, or mailbox selection was not saved during setup.
Replies come from the wrong identity: Check whether the mailbox has the needed “send as” or “send on behalf” permissions, and confirm what Sterling is configured to do.
✅ Final Outcome
You now have:
An Exchange Shared Mailbox (accounts@)
Access granted to sterling@ (if using a service user)
Sterling connected via OAuth with mailbox selection
Sterling will follow your configured Email Handling behaviour during task execution.