On Autopilot – Automatically Forward Your Documents Directly Into LedgerDocs

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 (E.g. abcconsult@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):

1. Click the “File” button on the top left of the screen.
2. Select “Rules and Alerts” from the menu that appears.
3. Now, select “New Rule…” and specify “Apply rule on messages I receive”
4. Specify the desired criterion for matching emails for forwarding under Step 1: Which messages do you want this rule to apply to?
5. Make sure Forward to is picked under Step 2: What action do you want to apply?.
6. Enter the address to which new messages matching the rule should be sent automatically under Forward to.
7. Click Finish.

Outlook (Web):

1. Click the settings gear in the Outlook.com toolbar. Select “Mail”.
2. Select “Inbox and Sweep Rules” from the menu that appears.
3. Click the “+” icon to create a new rule.
4. Specify the desired criterion for matching emails for forwarding under Step 1: Which messages do you want this rule to apply to?
5. Make sure Forward to is picked under Step 2: What action do you want to apply?.
6. Enter the address to which new messages matching the rule should be sent automatically under Forward to.
7. Click Save.

Gmail:

1. Open the Gmail account that you want to forward from.
2. At the top right, click the gear.
3. Select Settings.
4. Select the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.
5. Click Add a forwarding address in the “Forwarding” section.
6. Enter the LedgerDocs email address you want to forward to.
7. Select the Filters tab and Click Create a new filter.
8. Specify the desired filter for matching emails for forwarding
9. Now select the LedgerDocs forwarding email address you previously setup and cllick create filter.

Apple Mail:

1. Click “Mail” from the menu, then choose “Preferences”.
2. Click “Rules” – “Add Rules”.  Type a name for the rule in the description box, such as “Bank Statements”
3. Click on the “If Any of the Following Conditions Are Met” pull-down menu, and choose the forwarding conditions.
4. 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.