Want to Suppress Contact Creation from Transactional Email API Call

[PhilQuorumFCU]

Need some help understanding the API call for Transactional Emails. In running some tests we noticed that if a an email address we made an API call to send to did not exist in our list of contacts, HubSpot would automatically create a contact with that email address as the only property. Is it possible to suppress this feature?

[IsaacTakushi]

Thanks for the feedback, @PhilQuorumFCU. I'll be sure to pass this along.

[IsaacTakushi · Accepted solution]

Hey again, @PhilQuorumFCU.

I've confirmed that it's not possible to send emails through the Single-send API without also creating contact records.

While the SMTP API allows this because it essentially just adds tracking parameters, the Single-send API assumes more ownership, as HubSpot infrastructure is used to send the email. Like marketing emails sent through our systems, contact records are required.

Apologies for the inconvenience; please let me know if I can clarify further.

[PhilQuorumFCU]

Hi Isaac,

This is what we had feared, based on our reading of the tech notes. If items for enhancements comes up we would definitely request you add the ability to suppress
contact creation for Single-send API calls.

Thank you.

Phillip
Geller

Sr. Business Systems Solutions Analysts

Quorum Federal Credit Union

2500 Westchester Avenue – Suite #411

Purchase, NY 10577

914.641.3881 phone

914.641.3730 fax

phillip.geller@quorumfcu.org

This message and any attachments contain confidential and privileged information and are intended only for the individuals to whom it is addressed. This communication
should not be reviewed, retransmitted, disseminated or otherwise used by persons or entities other than the intended recipient. If you received this message in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from your computer system(s). Thank you.

[IsaacTakushi]

Hey, @PhilQuorumFCU.

Apologies for the delayed response. I was in a couple meetings.

Thanks for the clarification! My gut tells me that it is not possible to prevent HubSpot from automatically creating contacts for each email sent through the Single-send API, but I am verifying with the email team. Stay tuned; hopefully I'll have a more detailed explanation for you soon.

[IsaacTakushi]

Hi, @PhilQuorumFCU.

Happy to help.

The setting is usually located here (Settings > Marketing > Email > SMTP), however I don't see any SMTP tokens generated for account 3851812. (I checked on the back end as well.)

If you had tokens for this account, we would expect the page to look more like this:

list_tokens.png1125×539 144 KB

Is it possible the tokens were generated in a different account you have?

If you're not sure, could you share links to a few contacts who were created spontaneously through what we believe to be the SMTP token?

To address your other question, it sounds like you are describing contacts created through the Contacts API. If this is true, modifying the SMTP token will not affect that process! To be sure, though, could you also share a link to a contact created through that job?

[PhilQuorumFCU]

Hi Isaac,

Not sure you saw my other email, but we are using the Single-send API call to send out our Transactional emails. A couple of reasons for this:

1^st we are using HubSpot to house our templates and send out our emails. On the comparison sheet it does not look like the
SMTP API call allows for this

2^nd we are using custom properties to personalize each email that is sent out

3^rd as in the comparison table we are triggering these emails from an external system

Unfortunately, it does not look like the SMTP API call allows for this required functionality. So back to my main question, considering we need to use the Single-send
API is it possible to block HubSpot from automatically creating contacts that do not currently exist?

Thanks

Phillip
Geller

Sr. Business Systems Solutions Analysts

Quorum Federal Credit Union

2500 Westchester Avenue – Suite #411

Purchase, NY 10577

914.641.3881 phone

914.641.3730 fax

phillip.geller@quorumfcu.org

This message and any attachments contain confidential and privileged information and are intended only for the individuals to whom it is addressed. This communication
should not be reviewed, retransmitted, disseminated or otherwise used by persons or entities other than the intended recipient. If you received this message in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from your computer system(s). Thank you.

[IsaacTakushi]

Welcome, @PhilQuorumFCU.

Yes, automatic contact creation can be prevented, but you will have to generate a new SMTP token for your app to use. Per the Transactional Email API Overview documentation:

The optional ability to create contact information is decided upon the SMTP token creation.

I don't have transactional email enabled in my own account, so I can't get a screencast of the setting's location. If you share your Hub ID, though, I'd be happy to show you!

[PhilQuorumFCU]

Isaac,

So I am starting to read through the documentation and right away I noticed we are utilizing the Single-send API. Is it possible to use the Single –send API
and prevent contacts from automatically being created?

Thanks

Phillip
Geller

Sr. Business Systems Solutions Analysts

Quorum Federal Credit Union

2500 Westchester Avenue – Suite #411

Purchase, NY 10577

914.641.3881 phone

914.641.3730 fax

phillip.geller@quorumfcu.org

This message and any attachments contain confidential and privileged information and are intended only for the individuals to whom it is addressed. This communication
should not be reviewed, retransmitted, disseminated or otherwise used by persons or entities other than the intended recipient. If you received this message in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from your computer system(s). Thank you.

[PhilQuorumFCU]

This is great news Isaac.

My HubID is 3851812.

We do have a daily job running that will insert new members to our credit union into HubSot. Can I assume that making the change to the SMTP token will not stop
those contact creations from occurring?

Thanks

Phillip
Geller

Sr. Business Systems Solutions Analysts

Quorum Federal Credit Union

2500 Westchester Avenue – Suite #411

Purchase, NY 10577

914.641.3881 phone

914.641.3730 fax

phillip.geller@quorumfcu.org

This message and any attachments contain confidential and privileged information and are intended only for the individuals to whom it is addressed. This communication
should not be reviewed, retransmitted, disseminated or otherwise used by persons or entities other than the intended recipient. If you received this message in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from your computer system(s). Thank you.