Everyone has their favorite browser add-ons! On my Google Chrome, I have Pinterest, Wisestamp, Moz, SproutSocial, and Buffer. Of those, I use Buffer and Pinterest the most.

And now I’m beginning to use Signals from HubSpot, the new, free browser add-on that notifies you when emails that you’ve sent have been opened.

Signals also lets you know if links within your emails have been clicked.

Signals works with a handful of email services, including Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail. Signals also connects with Salesforce and HubSpot.

I use Gmail, and have my work email forwarded to it. Signals works with my work email sends, which means you aren’t limited to using Gmail-branded accounts to use this free service.

In my browser, I see an activity count.

If I view my Activity Stream on the Signals site (which I can easily get to by clicking on the Signals icon in my browser bar), I can see the specific email-by-email activity.

I admit that I’m a bit unsure about the true need for a tool like Signals. While I can come up with several examples of how it could be valuable, I’m just not sure that this type of tracking is necessary, and can definitely see how it could become a bit of a time waster.

I’d love to hear what others think about Signals! Have you found this to be a helpful, useful tool?