Receiving requests: files, email, WhatsApp
The four channels a price request gets into Vuntus through: file upload, pasted email, a branch-specific email address and WhatsApp. Accepted files and limits.
On this page
- Which routes can a request come in by?
- How do I take a request by uploading a file?
- Which files are read?
- What do the statuses in the Documents list mean?
- How do I take a request by pasting an email?
- How do I set up the inbound request email?
- Forwarding rules in Gmail and Outlook
- What happens to an incoming message?
- Address status: test mode and live mode
- How do I take a request from WhatsApp?
- What Vuntus does not do at intake
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources
A price request gets into Vuntus through four channels (WhatsApp has two routes): file upload (PDF, PNG, JPEG, Excel .xlsx, CSV), pasting the email text, forwarding from your sales inbox to a branch-specific Vuntus address, and WhatsApp (pasting the messages or uploading an exported chat). Every route ends the same way: the file or text is virus-scanned first, then the lines are extracted and the request lands in the Request queue on the dashboard.
Which routes can a request come in by?
| Route | Where | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| File upload | Documents › Upload file | The customer sent the request as an attachment (PDF, Excel, CSV). |
| Pasted email | Documents › Paste email | The request is written in the body of an email; a quick way to take a single email. |
| Inbound request email | Settings › Request intake | To forward requests from your sales inbox continuously. Set up once. |
| Documents › WhatsApp | The request came by WhatsApp: paste the messages or upload the exported chat. |
Who can take requests: the Owner, Manager and Sales roles, each only for the branches and customers they have access to. Viewers cannot submit documents. Only the owner and managers manage inbound request email addresses.
How do I take a request by uploading a file?
- Open the Documents page
Go to Documents in the sidebar (or select Upload request on the dashboard). The Upload file tab opens first.
- Choose the branch and customer
Pick where the request belongs in the Branch and Customer fields. Only the branches and customers you have access to are listed.
- Choose the file
In the Document file field, select Choose file. Accepted: PDF, photo (PNG/JPEG), Excel (.xlsx) or CSV, up to 5 MB.
- Upload the document
Select Upload document. You see "Document received. The security check is starting"; follow the result in the Uploaded documents list.
- Open the request
Once the lines are extracted, the request gets a number (e.g. TLP-2026-0012) and lands in the Request queue on the dashboard. Open it and review the lines.
Which files are read?
| File | Accepted? | Lines read? |
|---|---|---|
| Text-based PDF (created on a computer) | Yes | Yes |
| Scanned PDF, photo (PNG, JPEG) | Yes | No. The request page says "No lines could be extracted from this document"; you enter the lines with Add line. |
| Excel (.xlsx) | Yes | Yes; up to 5 sheets, 5,000 filled rows and 50 columns |
| CSV | Yes | Yes |
| Old Excel (.xls) | No | Open the file in Excel and save it as .xlsx. |
| Excel with macros (.xlsm) | No | Save it as a macro-free .xlsx. |
| Word (.doc, .docx) | No | Paste the text into the Paste email tab or save it as a PDF. |
If you upload the same file twice, no second record is created; the screen says "An earlier upload was found".
What do the statuses in the Documents list mean?
Every file and every pasted text is virus-scanned before any lines are extracted. A file that does not come back clean is not processed.
| Status on screen | What it means |
|---|---|
| Awaiting scan | The file has been received and is waiting to be scanned. |
| Security check complete | The file is clean; lines are being extracted or have been extracted. |
| Threat found · not processed | Harmful content was found; no request is created. Ask the sender for a clean copy. |
| Scan could not be completed | The file could not be scanned and was not processed. Upload it again; if it keeps happening, tell your manager. |
| Extracting lines… | The scan is done and the lines are being read. |
| Lines extracted | The request has been created and is waiting for review on the dashboard. |
| Lines could not be extracted — no request created | The document could not be read (e.g. a damaged or password-protected file) or contained no request lines. |
How do I take a request by pasting an email?
- In Documents, open the Paste email tab.
- Choose the Branch and Customer.
- Fill in Subject and Email text. The text can be up to 1 MB.
- Select Create request. The email is scanned like a file and its lines are extracted.
Subject: Price request, 3 items
Hello,
Could you quote the following, please:
NAOH-99 Caustic soda 99% flakes 1000 kg
HCL-37 Hydrochloric acid 37% 250 kg
H2O2-50 Hydrogen peroxide 50% 60 kg
Many thanksIf you paste the same email twice, no second record is created ("This email has already been received").
How do I set up the inbound request email?
Instead of pasting requests from your sales inbox by hand, you can set up a forwarding rule there that sends them to a branch-specific Vuntus address. The setting is under Settings › Request intake, and the section heading is Inbound request email. Only the owner and managers see this section.
- On the Request addresses card, choose the branch and select Create address. The address starts with
talep-and is generated so it cannot be guessed (e.g.talep-london-7c2a@vuntus.com). The person who creates it becomes Recorded for: requests sent to the address are recorded on their behalf. - On the Test senders card, add the addresses you will send test messages from. An address in test mode accepts messages from these senders only.
- On the Customer mapping card, link a domain or a full address to a customer (e.g.
example.com→ Example Coatings, a sample customer). Free email domains such as Gmail or Outlook cannot be mapped as a domain; add the sender's full address instead. How customers and branches are set up: Customers, branches and assignment. - Use Copy next to the address and set up a forwarding rule in your sales inbox. The steps are under How do I set up a forwarding rule in my sales inbox? on screen and summarised below.
Forwarding rules in Gmail and Outlook
| Email service | Steps |
|---|---|
| Gmail / Google Workspace | Settings → See all settings → Forwarding and POP/IMAP → Add a forwarding address → paste the Vuntus address. Google sends a message to that address so you can confirm it; the message appears under Documents › Incoming email requests (temporarily add Google's sending address as a test sender). To forward only requests, use Create a filter on subject or customer domains. |
| Outlook / Microsoft 365 | Settings → Mail → Rules → Add new rule. Condition: sender domain or subject. Action: Redirect to. Choose "Redirect", not "Forward": the original sender is kept and the customer is recognised automatically. If automatic forwarding outside your organisation is blocked, ask your IT team to allow this address. |
What happens to an incoming message?
- If the sender is mapped to a customer and the sender is verified (the DMARC check passed), the request is created on its own and shows as Accepted automatically.
- Other messages wait under Documents › Incoming email requests. You choose the customer and select Accept as request, or give a reason and select Reject. A message with no decision after 30 days is rejected automatically.
- Attachments: PDF, PNG, JPEG, XLSX and CSV; up to 10 attachments per message and 5 MB each. The reason an attachment was not taken is shown on screen (e.g. "old Excel (.xls) — must be saved as .xlsx"). A message larger than 12 MB is returned to the sender.
- A message sent to an unknown or paused address is returned to the sender with the reason.
Address status: test mode and live mode
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Receiving | The address is open and taking messages. In test mode, from test senders only. |
| Not receiving | The address is in test mode but has no test senders; no messages are taken right now. |
| Paused | You paused the address (Pause address). Open it again with Reopen address. |
| Stopped | The person it is recorded for is no longer authorised. A manager takes it over with Record requests on my behalf. |
How do I take a request from WhatsApp?
Vuntus does not connect to WhatsApp; the WhatsApp row under Settings › Request intake says No automatic connection for that reason. You take the request from the Documents › WhatsApp tab in one of two ways: copy and paste the messages, or export the chat "Without media" and upload the .txt or .zip file (up to 5 MB). Media such as photos and voice notes is not opened. Step by step: Bringing a WhatsApp price request into Vuntus.
What Vuntus does not do at intake
- It does not read lines from scanned PDFs or photos (there is no OCR).
- It does not connect to your Gmail, Outlook or IMAP mailbox; it only receives what you forward.
- It does not connect to WhatsApp automatically.
- It does not accept Word, .xls or macro-enabled Excel files.
- It does not send an automatic reply or acknowledgement email to the customer.
Once a request is created, the next step is reviewing its lines: Reviewing request lines.
Frequently asked questions
Can I upload a Word file?
No, .doc and .docx are not accepted. Copy the request text into the Paste email tab, or save the file as a PDF and upload that.
Does Vuntus read a photo taken on a phone?
No. PNG and JPEG files are accepted and scanned, but Vuntus does not read lines from an image. On the request page you enter the lines yourself with Add line, picking each product from the catalog.
Can I connect my Gmail or Outlook account to Vuntus?
No, there is no mailbox connection (IMAP, Gmail or Outlook). Instead you set up a forwarding rule in your sales inbox that sends requests to your branch-specific Vuntus address.
What happens to an email from an address I don't know?
If the address is in test mode, only messages from test senders are taken; others are returned to the sender. If a message is taken but the sender does not match a customer or cannot be verified, no request is created on its own; it waits for your decision under Incoming email requests.