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Penbox is a case management and form automation platform designed for interaction and data gathering through customer portals, forms, and integrated communication channels. The system is built on interconnected concepts that work together to provide flexible, scalable case management.

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How Penbox Works

At its core, Penbox helps you manage two main types of work:
  1. Cases - Internal work items that your team manages, tracks, and resolves
  2. Forms - External data collection from customers, clients, or contacts
These two concepts work together: forms can create cases, cases can trigger forms, and both can be automated to create powerful workflows.

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The Two Core Workflows

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Case Management Workflow

Use cases:
  • Customer onboarding
  • Support tickets
  • Compliance requests
  • Internal approval workflows
  • Document collection processes

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Form Collection Workflow

Use cases:
  • Customer intake forms
  • Document requests
  • Data collection surveys
  • KYC/AML information gathering
  • Application submissions

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Core Concepts

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1. Cases

A Case is the fundamental unit of work in Penbox. Each case represents a single matter, request, or issue that needs to be tracked and resolved by your team. Key characteristics:
  • Contains all data, contacts, communications, and history for a specific matter
  • Follows a defined structure from its Case Template
  • Progresses through statuses (draft, pending, in_progress, closed, etc.)
  • Can be assigned to team members
  • Tracks what you’re waiting for (contact response, team action, or nothing)
Learn more about Cases →

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2. Case Templates

A Case Template defines the blueprint for your cases. It determines what information is collected, how it’s organized, and what workflow steps are available. Case Templates define:
  • Custom fields and their types
  • Contact types and roles
  • Available statuses
  • Workflow steps (forms, emails, SMS, notes)
  • Default values and structure
Important: Case Templates are themselves cases with a special flag (is_template: true). This means you use the same interface to design templates as you do to work with cases. Learn more about Case Templates →

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3. Forms (Requests)

A Form (technically called a “Request” in Penbox) is an individual form instance sent to a specific contact. Each form has a unique link and can be protected with various security methods. Key characteristics:
  • Unique, shareable link for each recipient
  • Security options: OTP (email/SMS), password protection, or open access
  • Tracks status: draft, pending, completed, declined, or processed
  • Can expire after a set time period
  • Stores contact information and responses
Learn more about Forms →

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4. Form Templates (Flows)

A Form Template (called a “Flow” in Penbox) defines the structure, appearance, and behavior of your forms. This is what you design in Penbox Studio. Form Templates include:
  • Form structure: steps, fields, and validation rules
  • Portal pages: welcome page, form steps, confirmation page
  • Notifications: invitations, reminders, completion emails
  • Automations: actions triggered when forms are submitted
  • Multi-language support
Versioning: Form Templates have versions. When you publish a version, it becomes available for use in Form Presets. Learn more about Form Templates →

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5. Form Presets (Flow Customizations)

A Form Preset (technically called “Flow Customization” in Penbox) is a saved configuration of a Form Template with specific options, settings, and defaults. Why use Form Presets?
  • Reuse the same form template with different settings
  • Customize security requirements per use case
  • Set different default values
  • Configure specific invitation templates
  • Track usage by preset
Example: You might have one “Client Onboarding” form template, but create multiple presets:
  • “Premium Client Onboarding” - requires password + OTP
  • “Standard Client Onboarding” - requires only email OTP
  • “Partner Onboarding” - different default values and branding
Learn more about Form Presets →

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How Concepts Work Together

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Example: Client Onboarding Flow

  1. Admin creates a “Client Onboarding” Case Template that defines:
    • Fields to collect (company info, contact details, documents)
    • Contacts needed (primary contact, billing contact)
    • Statuses (pending, documents_requested, review, approved, closed)
    • Steps (initial form, ID verification, final approval)
  2. Admin creates a “KYC Information” Form Template with:
    • Multi-step form for collecting data
    • Document upload requirements
    • Email notifications
  3. Admin creates a Form Preset from the KYC template:
    • Enables OTP email security
    • Sets custom welcome message
    • Configures reminder emails
  4. When a new client arrives:
    • Team member creates a new Case from the template
    • Case is assigned to account manager
    • System sends a Form (request) to the client
    • Client fills out the form securely
    • Form response creates data in the case
    • Automations send notifications to the team
    • Team progresses the case through statuses
    • Case is closed when onboarding complete

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Next Steps

Cases

Learn how to work with cases

Case Templates

Design case structures

Forms

Understand form requests

Form Templates

Build form templates