Turn scanned business mail into an actionable work queue
Convert paper correspondence into tasks with the original evidence attached. Help staff identify requests, deadlines and responsible owners.
How this works
Convert paper correspondence into tasks with the original evidence attached. Help staff identify requests, deadlines and responsible owners.
Turn scanned correspondence into a queue of explicit actions. Keep document dates, received dates and due dates separate; some letters contain information only and should not become tasks.
Before you start
Defined operating scope
Paper correspondence must reach the correct colleague with an actionable request.
Required source material
Obtain Scanned correspondence; Shared intake folder; Routing rules. If connectors are unavailable, use authorized files with the same fields.
Decision and exception rules
Mail contains no requested action. File as information and do not invent a task.
Prepare the inputs
- scan_id
- Required
File ID and page count
Keep the full original scan.
- received_at
- Required
Timestamp
Record the actual receipt date and timezone.
- routing_rules
- Required
Document type to responsible role
Include a fallback owner for uncertain mail.
- deadline_rules
- Required
Explicit dates or stated relative rules
Do not derive legal deadlines without an approved rule.
Implementation, step by step
Establish the working record
- Confirm the selected records, effective versions and responsible owner.
- Check scan_id, received_at, routing_rules, deadline_rules before beginning. Record the source version and the selected scope; an unavailable value stays unknown rather than becoming an inferred fact.
Checkpoint: The input record identifies the selected scan_id and any missing required fields.
Extract readable text while retaining the original scan
- Run available OCR or manually transcribe the necessary passage; record unreadable sections and page references.
- Verify due dates against the source wording, not the OCR summary alone.
Checkpoint: A saved intermediate result for: Extract readable text while retaining the original scan.
Summarize the requested action and explicitly stated deadline
- Extract who asks for what, the requested response channel and the exact deadline wording.
- Ensure multi-page letters remain grouped and every task links to the correct original scan.
Checkpoint: A saved intermediate result for: Summarize the requested action and explicitly stated deadline.
Attach the scan to a proposed task
- Create a proposed task only for an actionable request and attach the original scan rather than an OCR-only replacement.
- Verify due dates against the source wording, not the OCR summary alone.
Checkpoint: A saved intermediate result for: Attach the scan to a proposed task.
Assign an owner and queue uncertain details for review
- Route to the mapped owner with urgency based on confirmed dates; queue unclear ownership or date interpretation for review.
- Ensure multi-page letters remain grouped and every task links to the correct original scan.
Checkpoint: A saved intermediate result for: Assign an owner and queue uncertain details for review.
Package the result and unresolved work
- Staff verify deadlines, routing and document meaning before acting.
- Preparing a task does not authorize a response or payment.
Checkpoint: Mail-processing tasks linked to the original documents. Unresolved items remain visible in the review record.
Decisions along the way
Mail contains no requested action.
File as information and do not invent a task.
A deadline is relative to an unconfirmed delivery event.
Preserve the stated rule and ask the responsible owner for the event date.
A page containing the requested action is missing.
Stop task creation for that letter and request a complete scan.
What you will produce
scanned-mail-action-queue-result.json
JSONMail-processing tasks linked to the original documents. Label proposed and completed states separately.
Include: scan_id · requested_action · stated_deadline · owner · missing_pages · task_status · status · evidence_reference · review_note
scanned-mail-action-queue-review.md
MarkdownKeep the evidence and unresolved decisions needed to apply this result, including exceptions involving deadline_rules.
Include: source_reference · question · owner · next_action
Check the result
- Verify due dates against the source wording, not the OCR summary alone.
- Ensure multi-page letters remain grouped and every task links to the correct original scan.
- Inspect scan_id and received_at in both the original and output; confirm that record identity and interpretation survived the transformation.
- Staff verify deadlines, routing and document meaning before acting.
When something goes wrong
Mail contains no requested action.
File as information and do not invent a task. Retain the affected evidence and recovery status.
A deadline is relative to an unconfirmed delivery event.
Preserve the stated rule and ask the responsible owner for the event date. Retain the affected evidence and recovery status.
A page containing the requested action is missing.
Stop task creation for that letter and request a complete scan. Retain the affected evidence and recovery status.
A worked example
SYNTHETIC EXAMPLE · NOT A REPORTED BUSINESS RESULT
Request
Turn scanned business mail into an actionable work queue for the following bounded example; prepare the result for review.
Inputs
Synthetic example: Letter L-6 received 2 October asks for meter readings by 9 October. Page two is missing and might list required meters.
Expected result
Synthetic expected result: Draft a facilities task with due date 9 October and status clarification needed; request page two before deciding which readings satisfy the request.
Run a small pilot
Start small
Trial a representative batch containing the ordinary case and the exception demonstrated above.
Record the baseline
Record current preparation time, review effort and correction types for the same records.
Agree success criteria
Agree acceptable review and error limits; measure unassigned requests; missed deadlines; handling minutes.
Stop or revise
A page containing the requested action is missing. Pause affected records and apply this recovery: Stop task creation for that letter and request a complete scan.
Keep the scope clear
- Preparing a task does not authorize a response or payment.
- Only route correspondence to roles permitted to see the underlying document.
Check before using
Staff verify deadlines, routing and document meaning before acting.
Business activities
- Coordinate meetings and follow-ups
- Maintain shared company knowledge
FROM A RECIPE TO YOUR WORKFLOW
Bring the company context together.
This workflow needs reliable inputs before it needs a better prompt. Moat8 Vault brings working information into a readable archive for the AI tools you use.
For this recipe: Scanned correspondence · Shared intake folder · Routing rules
Start with one recurring task, agree which sources to use, and review the first result with your team.
Discuss this workflow