How to check document attachments sent to a shared inbox
By screenmyform.com · Updated
A shared inbox works better when the team agrees what a complete attachment contains, how the sender hears about corrections and who handles exceptions. Start with one document type and a clear route from arrival to the team's final review.
Map the inbox workflow
Write down where people send their forms, who opens the messages and what happens to an incomplete document today. Include the destination for corrected versions and the person responsible when the usual reviewer is absent.
Choose one frequent document type for the first check. Mixing invoices, request forms and unrelated attachments into one set of requirements makes it harder to interpret the result.
Record the team's starting workload: how many documents arrive, which omissions recur and how long staff spend writing correction replies. You can use the rework cost guide for a simple estimate.
Agree the checks and replies
Define the answers needed before a document can proceed. A request might need a reference, quantity and delivery location. Give senders a receipt while processing happens and a result that explains each correction.
In screenmyform.com, a configured email submission receives a receipt followed by the document-checking result. Keep the receiving team's identity and original inbox clear so the sender understands who needs the document and where to send a correction.
Passing these checks means the document meets the configured requirements. Staff still make any approval or processing decision. Do not promise a completion date merely because an attachment passed.
Pilot the email route
- Set up and review the document requirements in screenmyform.com.
- Make the gate live and use its email forwarding instructions for the inbox you receive documents in.
- Complete the forwarding check to confirm a test message reaches the gate.
- Send an authorised test attachment and inspect the receipt, result and submission record.
- Try a missing answer and an unsupported attachment so the team understands the recovery journey.
Forwarding verification confirms that the message arrived. An attachment test also checks the review and reply journey. Keep the pilot within your organisation's agreed document and mailbox access arrangements.
The supported document formats are .docx and .pdf up to 10 MB. Automatic PDF checking supports up to 10 pages; longer PDF submissions go to human review. Separate image files are not supported. The file support FAQ gives the current limits.
Keep exceptions visible
Agree who handles documents that need a person, unsupported files and senders who question a requirement. Review the original file and the findings before deciding what to do.
During the pilot, reconcile messages arriving in the original inbox with the submission records. Forwarding and automated replies do not replace ownership of the inbox. Keep staff responsible for follow-up when something did not complete.
Use clear correction email templates for manual follow-up. Ask for a corrected document only when it is needed; tell a sender when they should wait for a person instead.