With so many tools available for businesses, the idea of a paperless office is becoming more realistic, and more importantly, easy. Many of our users, have adopted the idea of going paperless, and use the tools within LedgerDocs to help super charge their workflow while automating the management and sharing of their financial documents. One of the most interesting features within LedgerDocs is the email upload function, which allows for users to upload documents directly into the application via email. This is an important feature because when used properly, users are able to completely automate the process of uploading invoices, statement, and receipts into the LedgerDocs application.
How Does It Work
The “Email Upload” feature within LedgerDocs allows for users to upload their important financial documents into the LedgerDocs application via email. Creating a unique email address for your project is easy – simply go into the project you are working on, and click the “Email Upload” tab. You are able to enter any email address into the text bar, although most users will label the email with their project name (Ex. vandelay@app.ledgerdocs.com). Now click request, and your email address will be activated. Any documents sent to this unique email address will be uploaded directly into the application, and the bookkeeper/accountant will be instantly notified.
Now that you have a unique email address that allows for you to upload document into the application, it is time to automate the process. If you are like me, you have the majority of your bills, invoices, receipts, and statements sent directly to your personal email account. By applying a forwarding rule within your mail server, you are able to automatically upload these documents into the LedgerDocs system with no extra effort on your part. How Do You Set-up a Forwarding Rule?
The process of setting up a forwarding rule differs from mail server to mail server, and is a relatively simple task. Below, you can find instructions on how to set up a forwarding rule for some of the main mail servers that our clients use – Outlook, Gmail, and Apple:
Outlook (Desktop):
- Click the "File" button on the top left of the screen.
- Select "Rules and Alerts" from the menu that appears.
- Now, select "New Rule..." and specify "Apply rule on messages I receive"
- Specify the desired criterion for matching emails for forwarding under Step 1: Which messages do you want this rule to apply to?
- Make sure Forward to is picked under Step 2: What action do you want to apply?.
- Enter the address to which new messages matching the rule should be sent automatically under Forward to.
- Click Finish
Outlook (Web):
- Click the settings gear in the Outlook.com toolbar.
- Select “More Mail Settings” from the menu that appears.
- Now select Rules for sorting new messages under Customizing Outlook.
- Click New.
- Specify the desired criterion for matching emails for forwarding under Step 1: Which messages do you want this rule to apply to?
- Make sure Forward to is picked under Step 2: What action do you want to apply?.
- Enter the address to which new messages matching the rule should be sent automatically under Forward to.
- Click Save.
Gmail:
- Click the down arrow in your search box. A window that allows you to specify your search criteria will appear.
- Enter your search criteria. If you want to check that your search worked correctly, click the search button.
- Click Create filter with this search at the bottom of the search window. If you need to verify the search results, you can click the x to collapse the filter options. Clicking the down arrow again will bring the window back with the same search criteria you entered.
- Choose the action(s) you want the filter to take.
- Click the Create filter button.
Apple:
- Click “Mail” from the menu, then choose “Preferences”.
- Click “Rules” – “Add Rules”. Type a name for the rule in the description box, such as “Bank Statements”
- Click on the "If Any of the Following Conditions Are Met" pull-down menu, and choose the forwarding conditions.
- Click on the pull-down menu under "Perform the Following Action," and then click "Forward Message." Click in the "To" text box, and type in your unique LedgerDocs email address. Click on the "Message" button if you want to add notes before within the document. Click "OK.”
By utilizing the email feature within LedgerDocs, you are able to save time while super charging your workflow. Many businesses send receipts, invoices, and statements directly to your personal email, as it reduces paper on their part, while adding a green aspect into the business. The ability to forward these documents from a personal email server into the LedgerDocs application is a great feature that allows for users to automate the process of uploading documents instantly into LedgerDocs, and notifies the bookkeeper and accountant of the newly added documents.