Presenting the Email to case feature In this video, I explain the Email to Case feature, which...
In the quick digital environment, efficiency is everything, especially when it comes to customer support. Organizations of all sizes are continuously seeking tools and strategies to streamline operations, and one of the most impactful, yet often badly applied, features in the world of customer service platforms is Email-to-Case automations.
This powerful capability doesn't just enhance support efficiency, it plays a crucial role in broader workflow automation, enabling businesses to respond to customer enquiries faster, smarter, and with more consistency.
What is Email-to-Case Automation?
Email-to-Case Automation is a feature found in customer relationship management (CRM) systems like Salesforce, Freshdesk, Zendesk, and others. It automatically converts incoming customer emails into support tickets or "cases". Rather than relying on a support agent to manually create a record from each email, the system does it automatically.
The process is simple:
- A customer sends an email to a designated support address.
- The system captures the email, extracts key information (like sender, subject, and body), and creates a new case in the service platform.
- From there, automated rules can assign the case, prioritize it, and trigger responses or escalations.
Email-to-Case and Workflow Automation: A Perfect Match
At the heart of workflow automation is the idea of minimizing manual intervention and standardizing processes. Email-to-Case sits at the very beginning of a support workflow, making it a critical touchpoint for automation. Here’s how it fits into a broader automation strategy:
1. Automated Case Assignment
Once a case is created, it can be automatically routed to the correct department or agent based on predefined rules. For instance, emails containing the tag "Billing" can be routed to the finance team, while “Technical” queries go to IT support.
2. Priority and SLA Management
Using triggers, metadata, or customer history, cases can be automatically prioritized. High-priority issues can be flagged and escalated without waiting for human review. This ensures response time commitments (SLAs) are met.
3. Template Responses and Autoreplies
Email-to-Case can trigger an instant autoreply, acknowledging the customer's message and providing estimated resolution time. It can also suggest knowledge base articles automatically, which may resolve the issue before an agent even intervenes.
4. Workflow Triggers and Alerts
Once a case is logged, a whole host of workflow actions can follow, tasks created, reminders set, managers notified, or integrations triggered (e.g., updating inventory or billing systems).
Real-World Example: A Retail Support Centre
Imagine a retail company receiving hundreds of customer emails daily. Without automation, support agents must manually read, assess, and sort each message, a time-consuming process prone to errors and delays.
With Email-to-Case and workflow automation:
- Each email automatically generates a support ticket.
- The ticket is tagged based on the email’s content (e.g., “return request”, “late delivery”).
- It’s assigned to the correct team with the appropriate priority.
- The customer receives a branded, personalized confirmation.
- If no one responds within 24 hours, an escalation rule sends a notification to a supervisor.
This automation reduces manual workload, shortens response times, and improves customer satisfaction.
Example Use Case: Automating Payment Request Submissions via Email-to-Case
To illustrate the capabilities of the Email-to-Case feature within the WKS Platform, we’ll walk through a practical example: automating the submission and review of a Payment Request. While this scenario focuses on payments, the same approach can be applied to a wide range of use cases across departments and industries.
1. Email Received by the Platform
The process begins when an email is sent to a designated address monitored by the WKS Platform. This email contains all the required data for a new payment request, such as vendor details, invoice information, and supporting attachments.
2. Automatic Case Creation
Upon receipt, the platform parses the email contents and automatically generates a new case. In this scenario, the case is classified under the Payment Review category and includes pre-configured metadata extracted from the email (e.g., subject, body, and attachments).
3. Reviewing Case Details
The case appears in the initial Review stage of the workflow. Users can access and verify critical information directly within the case, including:
- Company and vendor information
- Payment details and line items
- Attached documents or receipts
- Email content and conversation history
This consolidated view ensures all necessary information is at hand before proceeding.
4. Approving and Advancing the Case
Once the reviewer has validated the information, the task is marked as complete. This action automatically advances the case to the next stage of the workflow (e.g., Payment Processing or Finance Approval), according to the predefined business logic.
5. Finalizing the Process
After all relevant steps are completed and approvals are secured, the responsible user can close the case, marking the end of the process. The platform logs every interaction and maintains a full audit trail for transparency and compliance.
Final Thoughts
The Email-to-Case feature in WKS unlocks a powerful and flexible way to bring unstructured email communication into your structured workflows. Whether you're processing payment requests, handling customer support, or managing cross-departmental approvals, WKS provides a seamless bridge between inbox and action.
With its open-source foundation, scalable architecture, and low-code configurability, WKS empowers your teams to automate intelligently, act faster, and stay fully in control of business-critical processes.
👉 Start gaining more time and control over your workflows with automation and focus on areas of your business where you excel in to grow your business further, and let WKS handle the rest. Click here to book a call or request a demo.
