CONTACT RECORDS · Workflow idea
For an organization that has a clear reason to maintain business correspondence records, capture a sender’s name and email address from incoming messages and update an existing matching record. Restrict access, collect only necessary details, honor correction and deletion requests, and do not infer permission for marketing or unrelated outreach from the fact that someone sent an email.
01 / The starting point
An incoming message from a person contacting the organization
“Maintain accurate contact records for correspondence while respecting people’s choices and privacy.”
02 / The work
Helps a team record sender names and email addresses from incoming correspondence and update matching contacts.
Use a mailbox the organization controls and a documented reason to retain contact details.
Keep the sender’s name and address without copying message content by default.
Avoid overwriting another person’s details and flag uncertain identity matches.
Limit who can access the record and process corrections, deletion requests, and opt-outs.
Check contact permission and purpose separately before sending any marketing or sales message.
03 / The result
A deduplicated contact record with a source and purpose that can be reviewed.
Email · Example outcome
A deduplicated contact record with a source and purpose that can be reviewed.
A sender’s address is personal information, and an inquiry is not permission for unrelated messages. Limit access and retention, verify matching rules to avoid merging different people, and honor opt-outs and data requests.
04 / Make it yours
A few choices shape the work around your team.
Document why sender details are retained and which team owns the records.
Use reliable identifiers and send ambiguous duplicates for human review.
Keep contact details limited to staff with a business need and remove them when appropriate.
Require a separate recorded permission before adding anyone to promotional communications.
Keep exploring
Check whether a person’s correspondence record is current and useful.
Turn business card details into a checked contact record while respecting the context in which the card was shared.