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Email Pending Queue Documentation

Menu Location: Tools > Communications > Email Pending Queue

Access Level: Manager and above

Last Updated: 2026-03-01

Overview

The Email Pending Queue displays all emails scheduled to send but not yet delivered. This queue management tool allows you to review, edit, cancel, or force-send pending emails, ensuring critical communications reach customers and preventing accidental sends.

Primary Functions:

  • View all emails waiting to send
  • Review email content before delivery
  • Cancel individual emails or batches
  • Force immediate send for urgent emails
  • Troubleshoot stuck or delayed emails
  • Monitor queue health and processing speed

Page Layout

Header Section

  • Queue Status: Total pending, sending rate, last processed time
  • Filter Controls: By recipient, email type, scheduled time, priority
  • Bulk Actions: Cancel selected, Force send selected, Pause queue

Main Content Area

Table of pending emails with recipient, subject, type, scheduled time, status, and actions.

Queue Health Panel

  • Processing rate (emails/minute)
  • Average wait time
  • Queue depth trend graph
  • Warnings or errors

Report Data & Columns

Column Description
Queue ID Unique identifier for queued email
Recipient Customer email address
Subject Email subject line
Email Type Order confirmation, Marketing, Password reset, etc.
Scheduled Time When email is scheduled to send
Priority High, Normal, Low
Status Pending, Processing, Delayed, Failed
Attempts Send attempt count (for retries)
Actions Preview, Edit, Cancel, Force Send

Email Statuses

Pending

Normal state - email waiting in queue for scheduled time.

Processing

Currently being sent by email system.

Delayed

Scheduled time passed but not yet sent (queue backlog or throttling).

Failed

Send attempt failed (bounced, rejected, or error). Will retry automatically.

Cancelled

Manually cancelled by admin, will not send.

Actions & Operations

Preview Email

Purpose: Review email content before it sends

Steps:

  1. Locate email in queue
  2. Click "Preview" button
  3. Review recipient, subject, body
  4. Check for:
    • Correct recipient
    • Accurate content/data
    • Proper formatting
    • Correct links
  5. Close preview

Cancel Email

Purpose: Prevent email from sending

Steps:

  1. Locate email to cancel
  2. Click "Cancel" button
  3. Confirm cancellation
  4. Email removed from queue
  5. Will not send

Common Reasons:

  • Sent to wrong customer
  • Content error discovered
  • Customer requested no contact
  • Duplicate email queued
  • Business need changed

Force Send Email

Purpose: Send email immediately instead of waiting

Steps:

  1. Locate email in queue
  2. Click "Force Send" button
  3. Confirm immediate send
  4. Email sends within seconds
  5. Verify delivery in email log

Use When:

  • Customer waiting for time-sensitive email
  • Urgent notification needed
  • Queue is backed up but this email is critical

Edit Queued Email

Purpose: Modify email before it sends

Steps:

  1. Click "Edit" button on queued email
  2. Modify:
    • Recipient email
    • Subject line
    • Body content (if editable)
    • Scheduled time
  3. Save changes
  4. Email remains in queue with updates

Note: Some automated emails may not be fully editable (template locked).

Bulk Cancel

Purpose: Cancel multiple emails at once

Steps:

  1. Apply filters to select emails to cancel
  2. Check boxes next to emails
  3. Click "Cancel Selected" button
  4. Confirm bulk cancellation
  5. Selected emails removed from queue

Common Scenarios:

  • Campaign cancelled
  • Wrong email template sent to batch
  • Duplicate batch queued by error

Common Use Cases

Use Case 1: Review Marketing Campaign Before Send

Goal: Verify bulk marketing email before delivery

Steps:

  1. Filter to marketing email type
  2. Filter to scheduled time: next hour
  3. Preview first email to verify content
  4. Check recipient list for accuracy
  5. If correct: let queue process normally
  6. If error: cancel entire batch, fix, re-queue

Example: 500 promotional emails scheduled for 10 AM. At 9:55 AM, review queue. Preview shows broken product image link. Cancel all 500, fix email template, re-send corrected version.

Use Case 2: Stuck Queue Troubleshooting

Goal: Determine why emails not sending

Steps:

  1. Check queue health panel for errors
  2. Review "Delayed" status emails
  3. Common causes:
    • Email service rate limit reached
    • Email service integration down
    • Too many queued (processing backlog)
    • Failed authentication with email provider
  4. Check system log for email errors
  5. Contact administrator if integration issue
  6. For backlog: be patient or increase send rate

Example: Queue shows 1,200 pending, processing rate 0/minute. Check system log: "SMTP authentication failed". Email service password expired. Administrator updates credentials. Queue resumes processing.

Use Case 3: Cancel Accidental Customer Email

Goal: Stop incorrect email from reaching customer

Steps:

  1. Customer service gets call: "I ordered beef but email confirmation shows chicken"
  2. Search queue for customer email
  3. Find order confirmation email
  4. Preview confirms incorrect content
  5. Cancel email immediately
  6. Correct order in system
  7. Manually send corrected confirmation

Example: Prevents customer confusion and maintains trust by catching error before delivery.

Use Case 4: Prioritize Urgent Communication

Goal: Ensure time-sensitive email sends immediately

Steps:

  1. Customer locked out of account, needs password reset
  2. Search queue for password reset email to this customer
  3. Email scheduled (normal processing) but customer is on phone
  4. Force send email immediately
  5. Customer receives within seconds, can reset password
  6. Issue resolved quickly

Use Case 5: Monitor Queue Health

Goal: Ensure email system is processing normally

Steps:

  1. Check Email Pending Queue once or twice daily
  2. Review queue depth (should be under 100 for normal operations)
  3. Check processing rate (should match send rate setting)
  4. Look for:
    • Growing queue (backlog building)
    • Many failed statuses (integration issue)
    • Very old pending emails (stuck)
  5. Investigate and resolve anomalies

Normal: 20-50 pending, processing 30/minute Alert: 500+ pending, processing 5/minute = problem

Troubleshooting

Emails Stuck in "Processing" for Long Time

Solutions:

  1. Check system log for email errors
  2. Verify email integration (SMTP/API) is functioning
  3. May need to restart email queue processor (administrator)
  4. Check if specific recipient's email server is blocking
  5. Cancel and retry if stuck more than 30 minutes

Queue Depth Growing Continuously

Causes:

  1. Send rate set too low for volume
  2. Email service rate limit reached
  3. Too many emails queued at once
  4. Integration performance issue

Solutions:

  1. Increase send rate if below email service limits
  2. Spread large sends over longer time period
  3. Check email service dashboard for throttling
  4. Contact administrator if persistent

Email Not Appearing in Queue

Check:

  1. May have already sent (check email log)
  2. May have failed and been removed (check failed email log)
  3. Email generation may have failed (check system log)
  4. Search by recipient email to find it

Cannot Cancel Specific Email

Reasons:

  1. Email already sent (too late)
  2. Email in "Processing" status (sending now)
  3. Insufficient permissions

Solution:

  • Contact email service to recall if just sent (rarely possible)
  • Follow up with customer if necessary
  • Email Log - Sent email history
  • Email Templates - Manage email content templates
  • Email Settings - Configure email service integration
  • Failed Emails Report - Emails that bounced or failed to deliver

Permissions & Access

Required Access Level: Manager or higher

Access Level Capabilities:

  • Manager: View queue, preview emails, cancel own queued emails
  • Administrator: All Manager + cancel any emails, force send, edit queue, bulk actions
  • Kiva Admin: All features + pause queue, adjust send rate, integration diagnostics

Best Practices

Daily Monitoring

  1. Check queue depth morning and afternoon
  2. Review any "Delayed" status emails
  3. Verify processing rate is normal
  4. Clear any errors or stuck emails

Before Large Sends

  1. Preview email content carefully
  2. Verify recipient list accuracy
  3. Test send to yourself first
  4. Schedule during off-peak hours
  5. Monitor queue during first 10-15 minutes
  6. Be ready to cancel if error discovered

Quality Control

  1. Always preview before bulk sends
  2. Cancel immediately if error discovered
  3. Test links in emails before mass send
  4. Verify personalization tokens populated correctly
  5. Check unsubscribe links work

Things to Avoid

  • Don't ignore growing queue (indicates problem)
  • Don't force-send large batches (overwhelms recipients)
  • Don't cancel emails without understanding why queued
  • Don't edit queued emails without testing changes first
  • Don't assume queue is processing if depth growing

Quick Reference Card

Task Action
Check queue status Open page, review queue health panel
Preview email Click preview button on email
Cancel email Select email, click Cancel, confirm
Force immediate send Click Force Send button
Find customer email Search recipient email address
Cancel campaign Filter to email type, select all, cancel
Check stuck emails Filter to Delayed status
Monitor queue health Review depth, processing rate, trends

FAQs

How long do emails stay in pending queue?

Depends on scheduled time and processing rate. Typically minutes to hours. Very delayed sends (next week) may queue closer to send time.

Can I edit email content after it's queued?

Some emails editable (manual emails, some automated). Template-based automated emails may not be fully editable. Can cancel and re-send with corrections.

What happens to cancelled emails?

Removed from queue, will not send, logged as cancelled. Cannot be uncancelled - must manually re-send if needed.

Why are some emails "High Priority"?

Critical emails (password reset, account security, order issues) set high priority to process first.

Can customers see emails in this queue?

No - pending queue is admin-only. Customers don't know email is coming until they receive it.

What's normal queue depth?

Depends on volume. Small business: 10-50. Medium: 50-200. Large: 200-1000+. Concerning if growing continuously.

How fast should queue process?

Depends on email service limits. Common: 10-100 emails/minute. If much slower, may indicate throttling or issue.

Change Log

2026-03-01

  • Initial documentation created

End of Documentation

For additional help, contact your system administrator or Kiva Logic support.