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Email Tasks - Communicating with Tenants and Contacts

Learn how to create, edit, and send email tasks to communicate with tenants, service providers, and other contacts from your cases

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Written by Nick Laffey

Time required: Approximately 8-10 minutes

Prerequisites:

Expected results: After reading this guide, you will be able to create, edit, and send emails to tenants, service providers, and other contacts directly from cases.

A tenant reports a broken heater. You switch to your email client, compose a response, then remember you need to include the service provider's contact info. You search for it, paste it in, then realize you forgot the tenant's apartment number. Ten minutes later, the email is finally sent - and you still need to document everything back in the case.

Captured Knowledge's Email Tasks eliminate this context-switching. Everything you need - tenant contacts, case details, attachments - is already in one place. You can review AI-drafted responses or create your own, then send with confidence that everything is documented automatically.

What are Email Tasks?

Email Tasks are workflow items that let you send emails to contacts associated with a case. They appear in the Workflow panel on the right side of each case.

How Email Tasks are created:

Method 1: AI-Suggested (Automatic) Email Tasks are drafted automatically when:

  • A new case is created

  • You request an email draft through Gustav (e.g., "Draft an email to the tenant about the repair")

  • An automated workflow requires communication

Tip: You can also ask Gustav to edit existing email drafts from the case chat — for example, "Change the recipient to the property manager" or "Add details about the appointment time." See Using Gustav in Cases for more.

Method 2: User-Created Tasks You can create Email Tasks yourself anytime using:

  • Add Task button in the Workflow panel

  • Select Email from the task type menu

  • Fill out the form with your custom content

  • Save as draft or execute immediately

Common email types include:

  • Acknowledgment emails to tenants

  • Appointment notifications

  • Issue updates

  • Follow-up communications

Draft vs Sent Status:

  • Draft - Email has been created but not sent. You can edit all fields freely.

  • Sent - Email has been delivered. Cannot be edited after sending.

When to use Email Tasks:

  • Acknowledge receipt of tenant complaints

  • Notify tenants about scheduled appointments

  • Provide status updates on ongoing repairs

  • Send building-wide announcements

  • Communicate with service providers

  • Follow up after work completion

Note: Email Tasks send from your team's configured email address (e.g., [email protected]). Recipients will see this address as the sender.

Replying to and Forwarding Received Emails

Email Tasks are for composing a new email. For an email you have received on a case, there are two direct actions in the email view:

  • "Forward email" — Send the received email on to one or more recipients. The original message and its attachments stay intact, and you can add your own note and attachments.

  • "Reply in new Email Action" — Answer an incoming email directly. CK prepares a draft addressed to the sender, takes over the subject, and quotes the original message where it is still available; a panel shows exactly which message you are replying to. Replying is rolling out to selected teams first — contact us if you would like it enabled for your team.

Both create a regular email draft that you review before anything is sent.

Creating an Email Task

You can create Email Tasks in two ways: use AI-suggested tasks that appear automatically, or create them yourself for immediate control.

Method 1: Using AI-Suggested Tasks

Finding AI-Suggested Email Tasks:

  1. Open a case

  2. Look at the Workflow panel on the right

  3. Scroll through the suggested tasks

  4. Find tasks labeled "Send Email"

  5. Click on an Email Task to open the form

To request additional suggestions, use Gustav (e.g., "Draft an email to [recipient] about [topic]").

Method 2: User-Created Tasks

Creating Email Tasks Yourself:

  1. Open a case

  2. Look at the Workflow panel on the right

  3. Click the "Add Task" button at the top of the workflow panel

  4. Select 📧 Email from the task type menu

  5. Fill out the email form with your content

  6. Choose to save as draft or execute immediately

When to create tasks yourself:

  • Need immediate control over timing and content

  • Sending routine communications without waiting for AI

  • Creating emails that AI might not suggest

  • Unique situations requiring custom communication

The Email Task form has five key fields:

1. Recipients

Who receives the email.

Field details:

  • Autocomplete dropdown - Shows contacts from the case (tenants, property managers, reporters)

  • Type and press Enter - Add email addresses not in the system

  • Multiple recipients - Select multiple contacts from the dropdown

  • Quick population - Click "All building occupants in bcc" button (if enabled) to add all occupants automatically

Examples:

  • Select "Sarah Martinez" from dropdown (tenant contact from case)

  • Type "[email protected]" and press Enter to add external address

  • Add multiple tenants by selecting each from dropdown

Email validation: Captured Knowledge validates email addresses and sanitizes input to prevent errors.

When building functionaries are available as recipients, they appear in a grouped section with their role, name, and email address. If multiple functionaries share the same email address, all their roles are shown in a single entry — for example, "Maier House Cleaning — Hausaushänge, Hausreinigung, Winterdienst".

Best practice: Verify recipient list before sending. Recipients see each other's addresses unless you use BCC.

2. BCC (Blind Carbon Copy)

Hidden recipients who receive the email without being visible to others.

Field details:

  • Type and press Enter - Add BCC recipients one at a time

  • Limit of 10 visible tags - Additional recipients are collapsed

  • Helper text - "Type and press enter to add additional BCC recipients"

When to use BCC:

  • Building-wide announcements (so tenants don't see each other's addresses)

  • Internal copies to property managers or team members

  • Compliance documentation (send copy to legal/compliance)

Privacy note: BCC recipients are hidden from all other recipients (both To and other BCC recipients).

Example:

3. Subject

Email subject line.

Field details:

  • Text field - Single line subject

  • Copy to clipboard - Click the copy icon to copy subject text

  • Pre-filled by AI - Usually populated with contextual subject (e.g., "Re: Urgent - Kitchen faucet leaking in Apt 4B")

Best practices:

  • Keep subjects clear and specific

  • Include property/unit references when relevant

  • Use "Re:" for replies to maintain email thread

  • Keep under 60 characters when possible (displays fully in most email clients)

Examples:

  • "Repair scheduled for Apartment 4B - Kitchen faucet"

  • "Re: Urgent - Heating issue in Unit 3C"

  • "Building maintenance notification - Riverside Building"

4. Message

Email body content.

Field details:

  • Markdown editor - Supports rich text formatting

  • Minimum 250px height - Provides adequate space for longer messages

  • Maximum 600px height - Scrollable for very long content

  • Pre-filled by AI - Usually contains context-appropriate message

Supported formatting:

  • Bold - **text**

  • Italic - *text*

  • Lists (bulleted and numbered)

  • Line breaks and paragraphs

  • Headers

Example AI-drafted message:

Hi Sarah,Thank you for reporting the leaking faucet in Apartment 4B. We havereceived your request and are working on scheduling a plumber toresolve this issue.We will update you shortly with the repair appointment time.Best regards,Property Management Team

Editing tips:

  • Personalize AI-drafted content to match your tone

  • Add specific details (appointment times, contact numbers)

  • Proofread before sending (cannot edit after sending)

  • Keep messages professional and clear

Markdown editor interface showing rich text formatting capabilities for email messages

5. Attachments

Files to include with the email.

Field details:

  • Upload new files - Click to browse and upload (max 10 files, 20MB each)

  • Browse Case Files - Click "Browse Case Files" to attach existing files from the case

  • File picker dialog - Shows all files already uploaded to the case

  • Remove attachments - Click X on attachment tag to remove before sending

Attachment limits:

  • Maximum 10 files per email

  • Maximum 20MB per file

  • Total email size should stay under 25MB

Two ways to attach files:

Method 1: Upload New Files

  1. Click the upload area or drag files

  2. Select files from your computer (up to 10)

  3. Files appear as tags below the upload area

  4. Click X to remove if needed

Method 2: Browse Case Files

  1. Click "Browse Case Files" button

  2. File picker dialog opens showing case files

  3. Select files to attach (checkboxes)

  4. Click "Attach Selected Files"

  5. Files appear in the attachment list

Common scenarios:

  • Attach inspection photos to update email

  • Include service provider invoice in completion notification

  • Send building policy documents with announcements

  • Attach repair estimates to approval requests

Note: Files are already associated with the case, so attaching them to emails creates a copy for the email—it doesn't remove them from the case.

Recipient Management

Populating Recipients from Case Contacts:

The Recipients field automatically suggests contacts from the case:

  • Tenants (occupants)

  • Property managers

  • Reporters (who originally reported the issue)

  • Service providers (if involved in the case)

Adding recipients:

  1. Click in the Recipients field

  2. Dropdown appears with case contacts

  3. Click a contact to add them

  4. Repeat for multiple recipients

Adding external recipients (not in case):

  1. Click in the Recipients field

  2. Type the email address

  3. Press Enter to add

  4. Email address appears as a tag

All Building Occupants Button:

If enabled for your team, you'll see an "All building occupants in bcc" button:

  1. Click the button above the Recipients field

  2. System fetches all occupants from the case's building(s)

  3. Occupants are added to BCC field automatically

  4. Loading indicator shows while fetching

Use cases:

  • Building-wide maintenance notifications

  • Policy updates for entire building

  • Emergency announcements

Note: This button is only visible if your team has enabled the feature and the case has buildings associated.

Email Validation

Captured Knowledge validates email addresses automatically:

What gets validated:

  • Proper email format ([email protected])

  • No spaces or special characters

  • Domain has valid structure

What gets sanitized:

  • Extra whitespace is removed

  • Duplicate emails are prevented

  • Invalid characters are stripped

Error messages:

  • "Invalid email address format" - Email doesn't match pattern

  • "Email already added" - Duplicate recipient

Sending vs Saving as Draft

Draft Status:

When you open an Email Action, it's in Draft status by default:

  • All fields are editable

  • No email has been sent

  • You can save changes without sending

  • Can return later to finish and send

Sending:

  1. Review all fields (recipients, subject, message, attachments)

  2. Click "Send Email" button at bottom of form

  3. Email is sent immediately

  4. Status changes to Sent

  5. Timestamp recorded (visible in Activity Timeline)

After Sending:

⚠️ CRITICAL: Cannot edit after sending.

Once you click "Send Email":

  • Email is delivered to recipients immediately

  • Form becomes read-only

  • Cannot change recipients, subject, message, or attachments

  • Cannot unsend or recall the email

Best practice: Always review carefully before sending. Check:

  • Recipient list is correct

  • Subject is clear

  • Message is proofread and complete

  • Attachments are correct (if any)

  • Tone is appropriate and professional

Sharing Email Drafts to ERP Ticket Steps

Instead of sending an email, you can share a drafted email directly as a step on the associated ERP ticket. This documents the communication in your ERP system without actually sending a separate email.

When to use:

  • You want to document drafted communication in the ERP system

  • The content has already been communicated through other channels (phone, in person)

  • You need a record of planned communication in the ERP ticket

How to share a draft to ERP:

  1. Open an email task in Draft status

  2. Review the email content (recipients, subject, message)

  3. Click "Share to ERP Ticket Step" instead of "Send Email"

  4. The email content is saved as a step on the associated ERP ticket

  5. Timestamps and your user information are set automatically

What happens:

  • The draft content is added as a new step on the ERP ticket

  • Your username and the current timestamp are recorded

  • The farewell/signature block is automatically removed from the ERP step

  • The email task remains in draft status (it is not sent)

Note: This feature is available when the case has an associated ERP ticket. If no ERP ticket is linked, the option will not appear.

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Tenant Acknowledgment Email

When: Immediately after receiving a tenant complaint

Example:

  • Recipients: Sarah Martinez (tenant from case)

  • BCC: [email protected]

  • Subject: Re: Urgent - Kitchen faucet leaking in Apt 4B

  • Message:

Hi Sarah,Thank you for reporting the leaking faucet in Apartment 4B. We havereceived your request and are working on scheduling a plumber toresolve this issue urgently.We will update you shortly with the repair appointment time.Thank you for your patience.Best regards,Property Management Team

Result: Tenant receives confirmation within minutes, feels acknowledged.

Scenario 2: Appointment Notification

When: After scheduling a service provider

Example:

  • Recipients: Sarah Martinez

  • Subject: Repair scheduled for Apartment 4B - Kitchen faucet

  • Message:

Hi Sarah,We've scheduled a plumber to repair your kitchen faucet.**Appointment Details:**- Date: Wednesday, March 15- Time: 2:00 PM- Service Provider: Quality Plumbing ServicesThe plumber will call you at 555-0123 about 15 minutes before arrival.The repair should take approximately 30-45 minutes.If this time doesn't work for you, please let us know as soon aspossible so we can reschedule.Thank you for your patience.Best regards,Property Management Team

Attachments: None (or optionally attach service provider contact info)

Result: Tenant knows exactly when to expect the plumber and can plan accordingly.

Scenario 3: Building-Wide Announcement

When: Notifying all tenants about scheduled maintenance

Example:

  • Recipients: (leave empty)

  • BCC: Click "All building occupants in bcc" button

  • Subject: Scheduled water shutoff - Riverside Building - March 20

  • Message:

Dear Residents,We will be performing scheduled maintenance on the main water linefor Riverside Building.**Important Details:**- Date: Monday, March 20- Time: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM- Impact: Water service will be unavailable during this timePlease plan accordingly. Water service will be fully restored by12:00 PM.If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.Thank you for your cooperation.Best regards,Property Management Team

Result: All building occupants receive notification, privacy preserved (BCC).

Scenario 4: Issue Update with Attachments

When: Providing an update with supporting documentation

Example:

  • Recipients: Sarah Martinez

  • Subject: Re: Kitchen faucet repair - Invoice and completion report

  • Message:

Hi Sarah,The kitchen faucet repair has been completed successfully. Attachedyou'll find the completion report and invoice for your records.The plumber replaced the worn washer and tested the faucet to ensureno further dripping.If you experience any issues within the next 30 days, please let usknow and we'll have the plumber return at no additional charge.Thank you.Best regards,Property Management Team

Attachments:

  • Browse Case Files → Select "Completion Report - WO-9012.pdf"

  • Browse Case Files → Select "Invoice - Quality Plumbing.pdf"

Result: Tenant receives documentation, complete transparency.

Best Practices

Before Sending:

  1. Verify recipients - Double-check email addresses and BCC settings

  2. Proofread message - Check spelling, grammar, and tone

  3. Review attachments - Ensure correct files are attached

  4. Check subject - Clear and specific to help recipient identify purpose

  5. Consider timing - Send during business hours when possible

Writing Effective Emails:

  • Be clear and concise - Get to the point quickly

  • Include action items - Tell recipient what to expect or what action is needed

  • Provide contact info - Give recipients a way to respond or ask questions

  • Use professional tone - Formal but approachable

  • Format for readability - Use line breaks, bullet points, and bold text

Privacy and Compliance:

  • Use BCC for multi-recipient emails to protect privacy

  • Don't share tenant information with other tenants

  • Include only necessary attachments (avoid over-sharing)

  • Comply with GDPR and data protection regulations

Attachments:

  • Keep file sizes reasonable (under 20MB per file)

  • Use descriptive filenames ("Invoice-March2024.pdf" not "doc1.pdf")

  • Attach only relevant documents

  • Consider file formats (PDF is most universally accessible)

Communication Strategy:

  • Acknowledge tenant issues promptly (within hours if possible)

  • Provide updates at key milestones (appointment scheduled, work completed)

  • Confirm completion and tenant satisfaction before closing cases

  • Save all email correspondence in the case for audit trail

Troubleshooting

Problem: Recipients field validation errors

Symptoms:

  • "Invalid email address" error

  • Cannot add recipient

Causes:

  • Email address format is incorrect (missing @, invalid domain)

  • Extra spaces or special characters

  • Duplicate email address

Solutions:

  1. Verify email format: [email protected]

  2. Remove extra spaces before/after email

  3. Check for typos in domain name

  4. Remove duplicate entries

Problem: Attachment size exceeded

Symptoms:

  • "File size exceeds 20MB limit" error

  • Cannot upload attachment

Solutions:

  1. Check file size (must be under 20MB)

  2. Compress large files (use ZIP compression)

  3. Reduce image quality for photos

  4. Split large documents into multiple smaller files

  5. Use cloud storage links instead of attachments for very large files

Problem: Email not sending

Symptoms:

  • Click "Send Email" but nothing happens

  • Error message: "An error occurred submitting the email action"

Causes:

  • Network connectivity issue

  • Server error

  • Missing required fields

Solutions:

  1. Check internet connection

  2. Verify all required fields are filled (Recipients, Subject, Message)

  3. Try refreshing the page

  4. Check browser console for errors

  5. Contact support if issue persists

Problem: Cannot edit sent email

Symptoms:

  • Form is read-only

  • Cannot change recipients or message

Explanation: This is by design. Once an email is sent, it cannot be edited because it has already been delivered to recipients.

Solutions:

  1. Create a new Email Action to send corrections or updates

  2. Reference the previous email in the new message

  3. For urgent corrections, consider calling the recipient directly

Prevention:

  • Always review carefully before clicking "Send Email"

  • Use the Draft status to save incomplete emails and return later

  • Have a second person review important communications

Problem: "All building occupants" button not working

Symptoms:

  • Button shows "Loading occupants..." indefinitely

  • Error message after clicking button

Causes:

  • No buildings associated with the case

  • Network issue fetching occupant data

  • Feature not enabled for your team

Solutions:

  1. Verify case has buildings assigned (check Real Estate section)

  2. Check internet connection

  3. Refresh the page and try again

  4. Contact administrator to verify feature is enabled for your team

Related Articles

You're now ready to communicate effectively with tenants and contacts using Email Tasks. Remember to always review before sending—emails cannot be edited after delivery.

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