An example: an electronic copy and a paper original
A business may want an email copy to accompany a physical letter. The two routes should refer to the intended final document, but their recipient details and outcomes may differ. Check whether email delivery is appropriate for the particular correspondence and use the contact information authorised for that purpose.
Describe how you want to handle an email bounce, an address correction or a recipient asking for another copy. Decide whether the email should carry an attachment or use an appropriately controlled access route when that option is provided. These choices affect the experience and the records needed for support. Epistles' public website does not currently send customer letters. Use this page to plan the proposed email workflow and the separate postal events that need to remain visible beside it.
An electronic copy that is part of the same record
Where the recipient's email address is available and email delivery is appropriate, Epistles should be able to send an authorised electronic copy of the issued letter. The message, finalised document version, recipient, dispatch reference and relevant delivery events should be linked to the corresponding postal record. This avoids the familiar problem of having a paper record in one place and an unrelated email thread elsewhere.
Sensitive letters may need protected document links rather than ordinary attachments. Any delivery system must also handle invalid addresses, retries, bounce notifications and provider failures. Automatic operational notifications should not be confused with promotional marketing, and the sending domain must be properly authenticated before customer correspondence is enabled.
Postal progress and email progress are separate
Sending one letter by post and email creates two delivery journeys. An email service may accept a message without confirming that anyone opened it. A postal order can be paid for and printed before it is handed to a carrier, and carrier handover does not necessarily mean final delivery. Epistles should show these stages separately and record the source of each status.
The customer should be able to understand what is completed, what is still pending and what needs attention. If an email bounces but the postal letter is dispatched, the correspondence record should show both facts, not one misleading green tick. This level of clarity helps people decide whether to follow up, correct an address or retain supporting evidence.