“I never got the email.” For a hotel front desk, an accounts department or an online shop in Saint Lucia, this sentence costs time and trust. SMTP statistics let you answer it with facts: when the message was sent, whether it was delivered, and whether it was opened. They also warn you about problems before customers notice.
The statuses you will see
| Status | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Delivered | The recipient’s server accepted the message | Nothing, unless the customer cannot find it; ask them to check spam |
| Soft bounce | Temporary failure: full mailbox, server busy | Usually retried automatically; watch for repeats |
| Hard bounce | Permanent failure: address does not exist | Correct or remove the address; contact the customer another way |
| Opened | The message was displayed with images | Indicative only; some devices open automatically |
| Clicked | A link was followed | A reliable sign of engagement |
What to monitor, and why
Bounce rate
A rising hard-bounce rate points to data-entry problems: typos at check-in, old addresses in your accounting system. Fix the source. Train front-desk staff to read addresses back to guests, especially long international addresses.
Delivery by domain
If messages to one provider, such as Outlook or Yahoo, start failing while others succeed, the issue is usually authentication or reputation with that provider. Check SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
Timing
Confirmations and password resets must arrive quickly. Compare the send time in your software with the delivery time in Mailpro.
Where messages are opened
Geo-tracking shows the countries where messages are opened. For a Saint Lucian tourism business, it confirms which source markets are engaging and helps plan send times across AST and your guests’ time zones.
Turning statistics into action
- A guest says the confirmation never arrived: search the log by address. If delivered, ask them to check spam and add you to contacts. If bounced, correct the address.
- Invoices to one company keep bouncing: their server may block external mail; ask their IT contact to whitelist your domain.
- Opens are low on pre-arrival emails: test a clearer subject line, such as “Your transfer from Hewanorra: details inside”.
Mailpro’s email client analysis shows which programs and devices your recipients use, useful when deciding how much to invest in design for transactional templates.
Before peak season
Before the winter season, when confirmation volumes rise, review the previous season’s statistics. Clean out addresses that hard-bounced, confirm that authentication records are still valid after any website or domain changes, and send a test through every system that relays through Mailpro.
Reports for management
Monthly summaries help owners and managers see trends: volumes by season, bounce rates, and engagement with transactional messages. Mailpro’s statistics and reporting tools export the figures you need.
Privacy
SMTP logs contain personal data. Keep them only as long as needed, in line with the retention principle of Saint Lucia’s Data Protection Act 2011. Mailpro stores logs in Switzerland, outside US jurisdiction.
Not yet using an authenticated relay? See the Mailpro SMTP server for Saint Lucia.