What are Cases

A Case is an intelligent workflow involving a case manager (workspace member) and one or more contacts. Cases combine email, SMS, forms, documents, and data collection into a single managed workflow. A case can be as simple as sending a single form or email, or as complex as a multi-month process with dozens of steps, multiple contacts, document generation, digital signatures, and intelligent automations. Every case has a timeline with events and steps (the complete journey of what happened and what’s next), contacts (people involved), a data schema (information to collect), statuses (where the case stands), and optionally, automations (rules that drive the workflow forward). Cases don’t require a template. You can create a blank case and build it as you go. For recurring workflows, templates let you pre-configure the structure so every new case starts with the right steps, contacts, and data schema already in place.

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Main Contact

Every case requires at least one Main Contact to function effectively. The main contact is the primary individual the case is about and the 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

You can add additional contacts with different roles as secondary contacts, but the main contact is essential for the case workflow. Learn more about Contacts →

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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)
• Regulatory and compliance documentation
• Phone support and customer inquiries

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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

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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

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Case Timeline

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
• Internal 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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Document Intelligence

AI can help extract information from documents and emails to automatically populate case fields. AI descriptions on data points guide the extraction process, helping Intelligence understand what to look for.

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Next Steps