Follow up missing enquiry attachments

Define the missing item precisely

“Documents missing” is too vague to act on. List the required drawing, product photograph or delivery-location sheet separately and explain what each one must contain. A file can exist but still be unreadable, outdated or missing the relevant page. Distinguish submission from review. Request only the information needed for the case; do not ask for a complete personal or corporate archive simply because a form makes uploading it easy.

Use a case table and a submission table

Keep case ID, requested document type, request date, due date, received time, reviewer, result and resubmission reason. In sample Q-522, two product photographs and one drawing are separate requirements. Record which requirement each email attachment or form upload fulfils. This avoids treating a new upload as completion of the entire request. Agree a naming approach, including whether personal or customer names should appear in filenames visible to other teams.

Make the resubmission path specific

Use a short resubmission form with the case reference and the missing item instead of asking the customer to repeat the whole original enquiry. Tally offers file-type and size controls; check the current plan and the actual files you expect. A case number in a URL is a matching aid, not proof of identity. Decide who may access uploaded material and avoid exposing existing customer files merely because someone knows the reference.

Separate receipt from approval

Use states such as not requested, awaiting submission, received, resubmission needed and reviewed. A reviewer should open the file and match the case, version and required content before marking it complete. Replacing a drawing must not automatically inherit the earlier file’s approval. Reminders should mention only genuinely missing items, not keep asking for material already awaiting review. Give the review queue an owner so completed uploads do not sit unseen.

Recover from unreadable or misfiled submissions

For an unreadable file, check format, size, access and corruption before repeatedly requesting another upload. If it belongs to a different case, correct the relationship and review whether it was shown to the wrong person. Explain the required format or missing page in the resubmission message. Where links expire, decide how long the material is needed and store it through the approved process rather than relying on an old email link indefinitely.

Define what makes the case ready to proceed

Try a case where everything is uploaded but one item is unreviewed, an unrequested missing document and a resubmitted old version. The case is ready only when all required items are reviewed, unless an authorised person records a specific exception. Some work may proceed without every file; state which work and under what conditions. Do not make blank cells mean that a requirement has been waived, because another reviewer cannot distinguish an omission from a decision.

Q-522: three uploads do not establish completion

Q-522 needs two photographs and one drawing. Three files arrive, but the drawing is an older version. Keep the photographs reviewed and request only the correct drawing with its required page. When the replacement arrives, review that item rather than erasing the completed photo checks. Preserve receipt and review timestamps separately. Mark the case ready only when each required item is reviewed. This example shows why a fast upload acknowledgement cannot safely trigger production before the actual information is complete.

Choose a tool and budget around the actual workload

Email and a document checklist may be enough for a few cases. A form adds value when it makes the required items and remaining gaps clearer for the customer. Compare per-file limits, total storage, access needs and resubmission volume before choosing a plan. Content review still requires time even when receipt is automated. Avoid speeding up uploads while leaving the review queue unstaffed, because that simply moves the bottleneck and can make customers believe their case is ready when it is not.

• Build a Tally file submission form: size, file types and link access
• Choose attachment-request forms by access and retention
• Track approved client file delivery with Make