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Cases are designed to modernise and automate complex multi-step workflows that involve external contacts. A Case is the central unit of work in Penbox. Each case represents a single process that your team needs to track and manage from start to finish, usually involving external contacts.

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What is a Case?

Think of a case as a complete digital workspace that contains everything related to a specific piece of work:
  • Structured Data: All the information collected about the matter, organized in sections
  • Multi-Party Contacts: Various parties involved (clients, beneficiaries, partners, advisors)
  • Dual Communication: Emails and SMS with both internal notes and external communications
  • Document Management: Files, attachments, signatures with complete traceability
  • Immutable History: Complete audit trail of every action, change, and decision
  • Flexible Status: Custom workflow stages that match your exact process
  • Intelligent Workflow: Automated steps, customer-facing portals, and task assignments

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When to Use Cases

Cases are ideal for work that requires:
  • Complex processes over time - Multi-week or multi-month projects with many stages
  • Multiple coordinated steps - Sequential and parallel workflows with different actors
  • Regulatory compliance - Complete audit trails, data integrity, and accountability
  • Team collaboration - Multiple people with different roles working on the same matter
  • Comprehensive data collection - Gathering information and documents
  • Customer-facing interactions - Collecting data, approvals, signatures from external parties
  • Legal/regulatory documentation - Managing sensitive documents with proper tracking
  • Business logic - Complex conditional workflows based on data and decisions

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How Cases Work

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How Cases Are Created

Cases can be created in four different ways, depending on your workflow:

Manual from App

Team members create cases directlyA user in your team manually creates a case from the app. This is the most common method for internal processes.Best for: Customer onboarding, project kickoffs, internal requests

Online Forms

External contacts submit formsContacts complete a public form (e.g., claims declaration, support request) which automatically creates a case in your system.Best for: Customer intake, claims reporting, support requests, general inquiries

Dedicated Mailbox

All emails to a mailbox create casesEvery email sent to a specific address (e.g., [email protected]) automatically creates a case. Perfect for support and intake workflows.Best for: Support tickets, customer inquiries, claims submissions via email

Email Labels

Connected mailbox with labelsEmails marked with a specific label in a connected mailbox automatically create cases. Requires mailbox integration setup.Best for: Routing specific emails to workflows, organizing high-volume email intake
You can combine multiple case creation methods. For example, customers can both fill online forms AND email claims to your support address, with both automatically creating cases.

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Creating and Structuring Cases

Cases do not require a template, but we strongly recommend creating case templates for repetitive processes to save time and ensure consistency. When creating a case manually in the app, you have two options:
  • Blank Case: Start with a completely empty structure. You can add fields, sections, and contacts as needed. This is best for unique or one-off situations that don’t fit a standard process.
  • Case Type: Select a case type (such as “Claims,” “Onboarding,” or “Project”), which automatically applies the matching template by default. The template provides a pre-defined structure with recommended fields, sections, and contact roles—saving time and ensuring consistency for repeatable processes.
After creating a case, you always have the flexibility to tailor the structure for that specific case:
  • Add fields: Capture extra information as your workflow requires.
  • Modify sections: Add or reorganize sections to match the unique needs of the case.
  • Update contacts: Include or edit different types of contacts as needed.
  • Change statuses: Customize workflow stages just for this case.
This approach combines the efficiency of templates with the flexibility to handle exceptions and special situations. Important: Changes to an individual case’s structure do NOT affect the original template. The template remains unchanged and other cases created from it will use the original structure.
Use templates for standardized processes to ensure consistency across cases. Use individual modifications for unique situations that need customization.

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Working with Cases

Once created, you can:
  • Update data: Fill in fields as information becomes available
  • Modify structure: Add fields, sections, or contacts as needed (case-level only)
  • Change status: Move the case through workflow stages reflecting actual progress
  • Add contacts: Associate people with different roles (client, beneficiary, advisor, etc.)
  • Send forms: Request information and signatures from external parties
  • Send communications: Email or SMS both internal notes and external communications
  • Upload files: Attach and organize documents with complete version control
  • Add internal notes: Document decisions, conversations, and internal context
  • Route for approval: Assign tasks to specific team members
  • Track compliance: Maintain audit trail of all actions and decisions

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Main Contact

Every case requires at least one Main Contact to function effectively. The main contact is the primary recipient for all external communications and interactions. The main contact:
  • Receives forms sent from the case
  • Receives email communications and notifications
  • Is the primary point of contact for the matter
  • Can be an individual person or organization representative
  • Must have at least an email address or phone number to receive communications
A case without a main contact cannot send forms or communications to external parties. Always add a main contact to enable full case functionality.
You can add additional contacts with different roles (billing, legal, technical, etc.) as needed, but the main contact is essential for the case workflow.
If you create a case from a form submission or email, the sender’s information is automatically added as the main contact.

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Case Reference

Each case is automatically assigned a unique 6-character alphanumeric reference (e.g., AB12XY) for easy identification and external communication. Uses for reference numbers:
  • Quick lookup and search in your system
  • Share with customers and partners (instead of internal IDs)
  • Reference in emails and customer communications
  • Tracking and reporting
  • Linking to external systems (CRM, accounting software, case management)
  • Regulatory/compliance documentation
  • Phone support and customer inquiries
Reference numbers provide a human-friendly way to discuss cases with external parties while maintaining internal organization.

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Case Owner

Every case can be assigned to an owner - a team member responsible for managing the case. The owner:
  • Receives notifications about case updates
  • Can update case data and status
  • Is accountable for case progress
  • Appears in case history
Assigning clear ownership prevents cases from falling through the cracks and ensures accountability.

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Waiting For Status

Cases track what they’re waiting for to help teams prioritize work:
  • None: No action required, case is progressing
  • Owner: Waiting for internal team action
  • Contact: Waiting for external contact response
This status helps you:
  • Identify cases that need immediate attention
  • Filter cases waiting on external parties
  • Prioritize your workload
  • Prevent cases from stalling
The “Waiting For” status can be set manually or updated automatically by Penbox AI based on email content.

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Case Timeline & Activities

Cases automatically track all activities in a chronological timeline:
  • Case created
  • Status changes
  • Field updates
  • Emails sent and received
  • SMS sent
  • Forms sent to contacts
  • Form responses received
  • Notes added
  • Workflow steps completed
This creates a complete audit trail of everything that happened with the case.

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Archiving Cases

Cases can be archived when they’re no longer actively needed but should be retained:
  • Don’t appear in default case lists
  • Can still be searched and accessed
  • Retain all data and history
  • Can be unarchived if needed

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Intelligence Features

Penbox includes AI-powered features to help manage cases:

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AI-Generated Case Titles

When enabled, Penbox can automatically generate meaningful case titles based on the case data, making it easier to identify cases at a glance.

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Email Analysis

Penbox automatically analyzes emails sent from cases to:
  • Generate concise summaries
  • Determine who needs to take the next action
  • Update the “Waiting For” status automatically

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Smart Data Extraction

AI can help extract information from documents and emails to automatically populate case fields.

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Best Practices for Complex Workflows

Map your workflow on paper before creating statuses. For example, an insurance sales process might have: lead_qualification → data_collection → quote_generation → proposal_review → contract_negotiation → signed → activated.
Forms create a professional customer experience and maintain records. Use them for data collection, signature collection, approvals, and confirmations. Every form interaction is timestamped and audited.
Set “Waiting For Contact” when external parties need to act. This creates accountability and helps prioritize follow-ups. Combine with email automation to send reminders.
Every case should have an owner. Document who did what and when using internal notes and the automatic timeline. This is essential for compliance.
Use sections to organize complex data. Use “hide when empty” for optional fields to keep the case view uncluttered while maintaining complete data storage for compliance.
Store IDs from external systems (CRM, accounting, case management) in structured fields. This enables bidirectional synchronization and reporting across systems.
For compliance-heavy workflows, use the template description to document what regulatory requirements this case type must meet. This guides team members.
Archive closed cases to keep your active list clean, but maintain searchability for legal holds, audits, and historical reference.
Use internal notes and timestamps for all key decisions. Cases maintain a complete history that cannot be altered - this is essential for regulatory compliance and dispute resolution.

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Industry-Specific Use Cases

For admin-intensive industries like insurance, brokers, accountants, and lawyers:

Sales to Contract

Complex Sales ProcessGuide customers through data collection, quote generation, offer presentation, contract signing, and post-sale onboarding. All interactions in one traceable case.

Claims Management

Claims ProcessingFrom claim submission through investigation, document collection, adjudication, and resolution. Track approvals, denials, appeals, with complete audit trail.

Compliance Updates

KYC/AML & RegulatoryAnnual information updates, due diligence checks, compliance reviews. Auto-trigger forms, verify data, route for approval, and maintain regulatory proof.

Customer Journey

Customer OnboardingMulti-step onboarding: initial contact, data collection, verification, compliance review, contract signing, account activation. Hundreds of data points tracked.

Project Management

Customer ProjectsManage customer-specific projects: scope definition, approvals, updates, delivery, sign-off. Keep customer informed with customer-facing interactions.

Legal Matters

Legal CasesDocument-intensive legal work: case facts, evidence collection, witness statements, legal opinions, court filings, with complete chain of custody.
Key difference from ticketing systems: Cases are designed to handle the entire lifecycle of complex matters. They support customer-facing forms, sophisticated approval workflows, and maintain complete regulatory compliance through immutable audit trails.

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Next Steps

Case Data

Learn about fields, sections, and contacts

Case Statuses

Understand status workflows

Case Templates

Design case templates

Forms

Use forms to collect data for cases