A request is a checklist of documents you need from one or more contacts.
Sending one
- From a contact's page or the dashboard, select Create Request.
- Build the checklist by adding each document you need, or start from a saved template so you don't rebuild the same list every time.
- Pick one or more contacts to send it to.
- Send. Each contact gets an email — and a text, if you've enabled SMS and have their number — with a secure link to their upload portal.
Sending to several people at once
If you select more than one contact, docEvault sends an individual copy of the request to each of them. They get separate portal links and upload separately; nobody sees anyone else's documents. This is what you want for something like an intake packet that both spouses need to complete.
Writing a checklist your client can actually follow
The single biggest driver of how fast a request gets completed is how clearly each item is labelled. Some things that help:
- Name the document the way your client's bank or employer names it, not the way your internal file does.
- Say how many. "Bank statements, last 3 months" gets a better result than "Bank statements".
- Split combined items. One line per document beats one line asking for four things, because partial progress is visible.
Items that don't apply
Within a request, each checklist item can be marked N/A if it doesn't apply to a particular contact. An N/A item won't block the request from completing.
After you send
Track progress from the request's detail page, where each item shows its current status. docEvault follows up automatically on a schedule — see Reminders and message sequences — so you don't have to chase anyone manually.