Why are SNDS and SFMC reports showing discrepancies in email delivery data, and how to resolve it?

Marketer from Email Geeks explains that, as far as they know, Microsoft does not do deferred bounces for blocks; they just bounce them immediately.

Email marketer from Mailjet suggests Monitoring engagement metrics, such as open rates and click-through rates, to gain insights into the performance of the campaign. If email engagement metrics are low, it may be a sign that emails are being filtered into spam folders, which can cause variations when compared with the reported data.

Email marketer from Reddit suggests checking the specific bounce codes reported by SFMC. Discrepancies may occur if SFMC categorizes certain soft bounces or deferred deliveries differently than SNDS.

Email marketer from StackExchange suggests analyzing SMTP logs for detailed information on email transactions. This can provide a more granular view of delivery issues and help pinpoint the source of discrepancies between SFMC and SNDS.

Email marketer from EmailGeekForum suggests segmenting your email lists and closely monitoring the delivery metrics for each segment. This can help identify specific issues affecting certain types of recipients, potentially revealing discrepancies in reporting.

Email marketer from Email Deliverability Blog recommends contacting Microsoft support directly if discrepancies persist. Microsoft's support team may be able to provide insights into filtering or delivery issues affecting your domain.

Email marketer from LinkedIn suggests verifying the IP reputation of your sending infrastructure using tools like Talos or SenderScore. A poor IP reputation may lead to filtering or blocking by Microsoft, which can be reflected differently in SFMC and SNDS.

Email marketer from MarketingProfs advises maintaining consistent sending practices, including consistent volume and sending times. Sudden changes in sending behavior can trigger filtering and lead to reporting discrepancies.

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that they have noticed a lot more cases with "silent drops" at Microsoft. DATA column not showing the full volume that is being sent could be an indication of that, even though it shouldn't be when it comes to SMTP level functionality.

Email marketer from EmailOnAcid suggests using seed lists and inbox placement testing to get insights into how your emails are being treated by Microsoft and other mailbox providers. The result of the tests can then be compared with SFMC and SNDS data, and can help to identify potential discrepancies.

Expert from Email Geeks shares that you can verify the numbers in SNDS with the numbers from SFMC.

Expert from Email Geeks asks if SFMC's reports of “delivered” match the numbers that SNDS is giving.

Expert from Email Geeks shares that mail going to the spam folder will show in the RCPTs.

Expert from Spam Resource explains that differences often arise from the distinct methodologies used by SFMC and SNDS. SFMC reports on emails sent from its platform, while SNDS observes data post-delivery attempts. This difference in perspective can lead to variances, especially around deferred or filtered messages.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that implementing proactive reputation management is key. Addressing deliverability problems, monitoring bounce rates, and actively managing your sender reputation directly will improve data consistency across both SFMC and SNDS.

Documentation from Microsoft provides guidance on interpreting SNDS data and troubleshooting discrepancies. Suggests focusing on trends over individual data points and understanding how different filters and metrics correlate.

Documentation from Microsoft explains that data in SNDS might be delayed due to processing times and aggregation. Discrepancies can arise when comparing real-time SFMC data with SNDS, which reflects aggregated data with potential delays.

Documentation from Salesforce explains that SFMC handles bounce processing and categorizes them based on different response codes. It is important to understand how SFMC classifies bounces, especially differentiating between hard and soft bounces, and how it could affect the aggregation of data when compared with SNDS.

Documentation from Salesforce explains that SFMC's deliverability reports are based on the platform's internal tracking of email events. These reports may differ from SNDS due to variations in how Microsoft defines acceptance, filtering, and bounces.

Documentation from SparkPost suggests setting up feedback loops to identify and address spam complaints. Feedback loops will give the sender insights into user-reported spam issues, providing important feedback on email content and sending practices, which will impact the data aggregated.