Channel Configuration — Incoming Documents
In the Incoming Documents section, you define how documents enter a channel. Workist supports three input channels that can be enabled and configured independently of one another:
- Email — documents arrive as an attachment (or as the email content itself) via a mailbox.
- Voice Agent — orders are captured by phone call; an AI voice assistant conducts the conversation.
- Self-Service Forms — your customers enter data directly into a web-based form, which is processed like a document.
Each of these inputs has its own configuration page. You can enable multiple inputs at the same time.
Prerequisites
- Access to the channel configuration.
- For Email: knowing which address the intended senders will send to, or a forwarding rule from your mailbox.
- For Voice Agent: a phone number managed by Workist; optionally uploaded knowledge files (e.g. terms and conditions, product catalogs).
- For Self-Service Forms: enabled customer master data, so the form can select a customer.
Step 1 — Email Configuration
In the navigation, under Incoming Documents, select the Email entry.
The most important fields:
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Enabled | Main switch — while it is off, the channel does not accept any emails. |
| Mailbox name | The individual part of the Workist inbound address (e.g. orders-5 produces an address like workist-orders-5@inbox.workist.com). Must be unique within your tenant. |
| Also identify the assigned user by the sender name | When active, Workist additionally assigns incoming emails to the customer based on the name in the From field (not only based on the email address). |
| Process emails without attachments as a document | When active, Workist also treats plain text emails (without a PDF attachment) as an order/invoice/… and extracts the fields from them. |
| Filter email conversation messages by document type | When an email is part of a conversation (thread), only the messages whose content matches the document type are considered first. Useful for long threads. |
| Extract only from the topmost matching conversation message | A stricter variant of the filter: Workist considers only a single message (the topmost matching one), not the entire conversation. |
The email mailbox address shown in the General section is automatically assembled from the mailbox name. If you change the mailbox name, the inbound address changes as well — in that case, inform your senders.
Click Save.
Step 2 — Voice Agent Configuration
In the navigation, under Incoming Documents, select the Voice Agent entry.
The voice agent is an experimental feature and is set up and configured exclusively together with your contact at Workist. The following fields are provided for an overview — do not make any changes here on your own.
The voice agent is an optional feature. As long as it is not enabled for the channel, this page shows an Enable Voice Agent button. Only after enabling it do the form fields appear in which the behavior of the voice assistant is defined.
The most important areas:
| Area | What you define here |
|---|---|
| Introduction language | The greeting text with which the voice assistant answers the call. |
| Personalized introduction message | A variant of the greeting into which Workist inserts the caller name ({{caller_name}}) and company name ({{client_name}}) as soon as master data recognizes the caller. |
| Consent question | The mandatory question about recording and data processing. It is played right after the greeting — without consent, the call is ended. |
| Company name / company description | Context for the voice agent so it can introduce itself appropriately to callers and put follow-up questions into context. |
| Additional input for customizing the agent behavior | A free-text field with special instructions for the agent (e.g. "Decline orders over €10,000 and ask for a callback"). |
| Phone number | The phone number managed by Workist under which the voice agent can be reached. Your own numbers (e.g. via SIP trunk) are possible on request — please contact your contact at Workist for this. |
| Transfer phone number | When callers request human support, the voice agent forwards them to this number. Leave empty to disable forwarding. |
| Language | Language of the voice agent (German / English / …). |
| Tools | Several switches for functions the voice agent is allowed to use: Article search, Order history, Open quotes, Delivery address. |
| Knowledge files | Uploaded files (e.g. terms and conditions, product range lists) that the agent accesses during the conversation. |
| Test voice assistant | Opens a dialog in which you can generate a test link and try out the agent. |
The contents of uploaded knowledge files are referenced to callers via the voice assistant. Do not upload any sensitive or purely internal documents whose content should not reach the outside.
Save using Update Voice Agent Configuration at the end of the form.
You can fully deactivate the voice agent again via the separate Delete Voice Assistant button — this action is final.
Step 3 — Self-Service Forms
In the navigation, under Incoming Documents, select the Self-Service Forms entry.
Via self-service forms, your customers can capture orders directly in a web-based input mask. The form mirrors the field configuration of the channel (see Document Processing) — the entries are then processed exactly like an uploaded document.
For each form, you set:
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Customer name | Selection from the master data customers. Once selected, the form is "locked" to this customer — only they can fill it in. |
| Customer display name | Shown at the top in the read-only header area of the form. Filled automatically from the selected customer, but can be overwritten if needed. |
| Introduction text (optional) | Any text that appears at the top of the form — suitable for instructions, notes on delivery times, or context. |
| Form fields | List of the fields from the channel's field configuration. Use the checkboxes to enable or disable individual fields in the form. |
After saving, a shareable link is generated, which you can send directly to your customers.
Which fields can be displayed in the form at all depends entirely on the field configuration in Document Processing → Header Fields / Line Item Fields. If a field is missing, you must first enable it there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I enable Email and Voice Agent in parallel? Yes — both inputs are independent. Workist treats incoming calls (voice agent) and incoming emails as separate documents of the same channel.
What happens if I disable the email configuration? Emails that have already arrived are retained and remain in processing. New emails to the address no longer land in the channel — the sender usually receives no notice, so coordinate the approach with your contact.
Who sees the link to the self-service form? Only the person(s) who receive it from you. The link contains the assigned master data customer — accordingly, you should only pass it on to that customer.
Help and Support
If an input channel does not work as expected, have the following information ready when contacting Workist:
- the channel name and which input (email / voice agent / form) is affected,
- for email issues: the mailbox name and the sender address from which a test mail was sent,
- for voice agent issues: the phone number used and an approximate time of the call,
- for form issues: the customer name to which the form is assigned, and, if applicable, the link the customer-side person opened.