How does email tracking work?

Who's this for? Reps and admins

We track whenever an email is opened using an invisible tracking pixel. Each time the pixel is loaded to the recipient’s mail server, we count this as an email open. To track link clicks, Gong replaces link URLs with a custom tracking URL, then redirects the person clicking the link to the intended URL.

It’s important to note that other triggers might cause the pixel to load apart from the intended recipient opening and reading the email. These alternative triggers can cause you to see an inflated number of email opens, also known as false positives.

Some possible triggers that can cause inaccurate numbers of email opens include:

• Opening your own sent email:

  • When will an email open be triggered?

    • If you send an email from Gmail while connected to the Gong Chrome Extension and then open your sent email while not connected to the Gong Chrome Extension, an email open will be triggered

    • If you open a sent email from mobile, whether you have the Gong Chrome Extension or not, an email open will be triggered

  Note

  If you want to review an email you sent and you’re not using the Gong Chrome Extension, we suggest opening it from the activity timeline in Gong so that it won't be counted toward email opens.

  • When is an email open NOT triggered?

    • If you send an email via Gong and then open your sent email from Gmail while connected to the Gong Chrome Extension, an email open is not triggered

    • If you send an email from Gmail while connected to the Gong Chrome Extension and the email is opened by someone else in your company who’s connected to the Gong Chrome Extension, an email open is not triggered

• Your email was forwarded: If the recipient of your email forwards your email to other people, the forwarded email will still contain the tracking pixel. This means each time another person opens the email, an email open is triggered.

• Recipient's mailbox spam filters: If you send an email to a recipient who uses email scanning in their mailbox, the spam filter will likely simulate the opening of the email and render the tracking pixel. This triggers an email open.

• Outgoing mail server filters: If your mailbox is set up to scan outgoing mail, the scanning of outgoing emails can trigger email opens.

• Browser extensions: Like mail server filters, if you're using browser extensions that are enabled to open and scan your outgoing emails, the scanning of the outgoing emails can trigger email opens.

• CC/BCC’d recipients: Any email recipient of your email, internal or external, can trigger an email open, not only recipients listed in the "To" field.