Keep supplier instructions and original emails available to the bookkeeper
Use a Contact Note for recurring supplier context in a folder and open the original email for document-specific information. Save recurring accounting decisions in the actual coding rules.
Put recurring supplier context where the reviewer sees it
Use a Contact Note for recurring context about a supplier or customer in a particular folder. The note appears when that contact is assigned to a document, so the reviewer can see the instruction without finding an older message.
For example: “Repair invoices from this supplier need the site manager to confirm which location received the work. Check the invoice reference against the job before choosing the location.” This tells the reviewer what to investigate.
Contact Notes require a connected Xero, QuickBooks Online or FreeAgent folder. They are both contact-specific and folder-specific. See the Contact Notes guide.
Read the original email for document-specific context
Open the original message when the email body contains an explanation or instruction for a particular invoice. Compare that information with the source document and the person who can make the decision. An unusual charge may need a supplier question, accounting review or the configured approval process.
If a document has not appeared, check Stopped Emails and import status before asking for another copy. A first-time sender’s held message needs a review before it creates documents. See email routing.
Turn the context into the right action
| Information found | Action |
|---|---|
| One-off account or location instruction | Review it and update the accounting fields on that invoice |
| Recurring treatment for a stable description | Test and save the appropriate coding rule |
| Purchase dispute | Use the configured approval or correction process |
| Changed payment instruction | Follow the organisation’s payment-verification process |
| General working arrangement | Update the maintained team process document |
A Contact Note helps the reviewer understand context. A keyword rule carries a recurring coding decision. The keyword rules guide explains the matching controls.
Help the next colleague continue
Use search to find the supplier, invoice reference or other supported criteria. Use Document History or Audit Trail for recorded activity when investigating a change. Keep supporting contracts and general documents in Files when that fits the team’s setup, and keep invoices in the processing workflow.
A short note plus a clear next owner lets another bookkeeper continue the work without reconstructing the conversation.
