diff --git a/gradesa/src/app/api/talkback/route.js b/gradesa/src/app/api/talkback/route.js
index ba8b9e6..13b5025 100644
--- a/gradesa/src/app/api/talkback/route.js
+++ b/gradesa/src/app/api/talkback/route.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { z } from "zod";
-import { sendEmail } from "@/backend/mailService";
+import sendEmail from "@/backend/mailService";
 
 const talkbackSchema = z.object({
   email: z
@@ -34,7 +34,11 @@ export async function POST(req) {
 
     const { email, subject, message } = result.data;
 
-    await sendEmail(email, subject, message);
+    await sendEmail({
+      to: email,
+      subject,
+      text: message,
+    });
 
     return Response.json({
       message: "Nachricht erfolgreich gesendet.",
diff --git a/gradesa/src/backend/mailService.js b/gradesa/src/backend/mailService.js
index fd285d6..19b04c6 100644
--- a/gradesa/src/backend/mailService.js
+++ b/gradesa/src/backend/mailService.js
@@ -1,38 +1,70 @@
-import axios from "axios";
-
-const pateClient = axios.create({
-  baseURL: "https://api-toska.apps.ocp-prod-0.k8s.it.helsinki.fi/pate/",
-  params: {
-    token: process.env.PATE_TOKEN,
-  },
-});
-
-const template = {
-  from: "Gradesa",
-};
+const PATE_URL = "https://api-toska.apps.ocp-prod-0.k8s.it.helsinki.fi/pate/";
+const isDevelopment = process.env.NODE_ENV === "development";
+const isCI = process.env.CI === "true";
 
 const settings = {
-  color: "orange",
-  header: "Sent by Gradesa",
-  dryrun: false,
-  hideToska: true,
+  hideToska: false,
   disableToska: true,
+  color: "orange",
+  header: "GRADESA",
+  headerFontColor: "white",
+  dryrun: false,
 };
 
-export async function sendEmail(to, subject, body) {
-  if (!process.env.PATE_TOKEN) {
-    throw new Error("PATE token missing");
+const sendEmail = async ({ to, subject, text }) => {
+  if (!to || !subject || !text) {
+    throw new Error("Missing email fields: to, subject and text are required");
   }
 
-  return pateClient.post("/", {
-    template,
+  const mail = {
+    template: {
+      from: "GRADESA",
+      text,
+    },
     emails: [
       {
         to,
         subject,
-        body,
       },
     ],
     settings,
-  });
-}
+  };
+
+  if (isCI || isDevelopment) {
+    console.info("Skipping email sending in CI/development", {
+      to,
+      subject,
+      nodeEnv: process.env.NODE_ENV,
+    });
+    return;
+  }
+
+  if (!process.env.PATE_TOKEN) {
+    throw new Error("PATE_TOKEN missing");
+  }
+
+  try {
+    const response = await fetch(
+      `${PATE_URL}?token=${process.env.PATE_TOKEN}`,
+      {
+        method: "POST",
+        headers: {
+          "Content-Type": "application/json",
+        },
+        body: JSON.stringify(mail),
+      }
+    );
+
+    if (!response.ok) {
+      const errorBody = await response.text();
+      throw new Error(
+        `PATE email sending failed with status ${response.status}: ${errorBody}`
+      );
+    }
+  } catch (error) {
+    console.error("PATE fetch error:", error);
+    throw error;
+  }
+};
+
+export default sendEmail;