6 min read

Email-to-Invoice

Forward invoices to a dedicated email address for automatic processing

Email-to-Invoice lets you capture invoices simply by forwarding them to a dedicated email address. Attachments are automatically extracted and queued for processing.

How It Works

  1. Receive - Invoice arrives in your regular email
  2. Forward - Send to your Capture email address
  3. Process - Flux Capture extracts the attachment
  4. Review - Document appears in your queue
  5. Approve - Create the transaction in NetSuite

Your Capture Email Address

Each Flux Capture installation has a unique email address for receiving documents.

Finding Your Address

  1. Open Flux Capture
  2. Go to Settings
  3. Navigate to the Email section
  4. Your dedicated address is displayed

Address Format

Your address follows this pattern:

capture-[unique-id]@ingest.fluxfornetsuite.com

⚠️ Warning: Keep your Capture email address private. Anyone with the address can submit documents to your queue.

Copying the Address

Click the Copy button to copy your address to clipboard, then:

  • Add to contacts
  • Share with team members
  • Configure in forwarding rules

Forwarding Invoices

Manual Forwarding

When you receive an invoice:

  1. Open the email
  2. Click Forward
  3. Send to your Capture address
  4. Document queues within seconds

Automatic Forwarding

Set up email rules to auto-forward:

Gmail

  1. Go to Settings > Filters
  2. Create new filter
  3. Set criteria (e.g., from vendor domain)
  4. Action: Forward to your Capture address

Outlook

  1. Go to Rules
  2. Create new rule
  3. Condition: From specific sender or subject contains "invoice"
  4. Action: Forward to your Capture address

Microsoft 365 Admin

For organization-wide rules:

  1. Exchange Admin Center
  2. Mail flow > Rules
  3. Create rule with forwarding action

✅ Tip: Start with manual forwarding to test, then set up automation once you're comfortable.

What Gets Processed

Supported Attachments

Email-to-Invoice processes:

  • PDF attachments
  • Image attachments (PNG, JPG, TIFF)
  • Multiple attachments per email

Attachment Handling

Scenario Result
Single PDF attachment One document created
Multiple attachments Separate document for each
No attachments Email ignored
Embedded images Usually ignored
Unsupported file types Skipped with notification

Email Body

The email body text is:

  • Stored as reference
  • Not processed as a document
  • Available in document notes

Processing Queue

Document Appearance

Forwarded documents appear with:

  • Source: "Email Import"
  • Sender email address noted
  • Original filename preserved
  • Timestamp of receipt

Processing Time

Typical processing timeline:

  • Email received: Immediate
  • Document queued: 1-2 minutes
  • Extraction complete: 2-5 minutes

Checking Status

In the queue, email-imported documents show:

  • Email icon indicator
  • Sender information
  • Arrival time

Trusted Senders

For security, you can configure trusted sender lists.

Why Use Trusted Senders

Benefits:

  • Prevent spam documents
  • Auto-approve known vendors
  • Reduce fraudulent submissions

Configuring Trusted Senders

  1. Go to Settings > Email
  2. Add trusted email addresses
  3. Or add entire domains (e.g., @acmecorp.com)

Untrusted Sender Handling

For emails from untrusted senders:

  • Documents still process
  • Flagged for extra review
  • Warning displayed in queue

Best Practices

Create a Dedicated AP Email

Set up a central email for invoices:

  1. Create ap-invoices@yourcompany.com
  2. Share with vendors
  3. Forward to Capture address

Benefits:

  • Single point of collection
  • Easy to manage rules
  • Clear audit trail

Vendor Communication

Inform vendors they can email invoices directly:

  • Faster than mail
  • Automatic processing
  • Confirmation of receipt

File Naming

Encourage vendors to use descriptive filenames:

  • Good: "Invoice-INV2024-001-ACMECorp.pdf"
  • Bad: "document.pdf"

(Though Smart Extract will read the content regardless)

One Invoice Per Email

For best results:

  • One invoice per email
  • Or clearly separate attachments
  • Avoid combined PDF documents

Common Workflows

Centralized AP Inbox

Vendor → AP Email → Forward Rule → Capture → Review → NetSuite

Direct Vendor Submission

Vendor → Capture Email → Queue → Review → NetSuite

Personal Inbox Forwarding

Vendor → Your Email → Manual Forward → Capture → Review → NetSuite

Error Handling

Failed Processing

If a document fails to process:

  • Check attachment format
  • Verify file isn't corrupted
  • Try uploading manually

Missing Attachments

If the email had no processable attachments:

  • The email is logged but no document created
  • Check for embedded images vs attachments
  • Verify attachment format is supported

Duplicate Detection

If the same invoice is forwarded twice:

  • Fraud Shield catches duplicates
  • Second copy flagged for review
  • Choose which to keep

Monitoring Email Capture

Activity Log

View email capture activity:

  1. Go to Settings > Email
  2. Click View Activity
  3. See recent emails and processing status

Statistics

Email capture stats show:

  • Documents received this period
  • Processing success rate
  • Common senders

Troubleshooting Queue

If documents aren't appearing:

  1. Verify you sent to correct address
  2. Check spam/junk folders didn't intercept
  3. View activity log for errors
  4. Contact support if issues persist

Security Considerations

Protecting Your Address

Your Capture email address should be:

  • Shared only with trusted parties
  • Not published publicly
  • Changed if compromised (contact support)

Email Authentication

Flux Capture validates:

  • Email authenticity (SPF/DKIM when available)
  • Attachment safety
  • Source reputation

Access Logging

All email submissions are logged:

  • Sender address
  • Timestamp
  • IP information
  • Processing result

Limits and Quotas

Attachment Size

Maximum per attachment: 20 MB

Emails Per Day

Standard limits:

  • No hard limit on emails
  • Large volumes may queue
  • Contact support for high-volume needs

Rate Limiting

To prevent abuse:

  • Rapid submissions may be throttled
  • Normal usage is unaffected

Integration Options

With Expense Systems

Forward expense receipts for employee reimbursement processing.

With Vendor Portals

Configure vendor portal to email invoices directly to Capture.

With Scanning Services

Point your document scanning workflow to email scanned invoices.

Troubleshooting

Emails Not Arriving

  1. Verify email address is correct
  2. Check sender's outbox/sent items
  3. Look for bounce-back messages
  4. View activity log in Settings

Attachments Not Processing

  1. Confirm attachment format (PDF, PNG, JPG, TIFF)
  2. Check file size (max 20 MB)
  3. Verify attachment isn't corrupted
  4. Try forwarding again

Wrong Documents Appearing

  1. Review your forwarding rules
  2. Check if address was shared too broadly
  3. Enable trusted sender restrictions

Next Steps