Your day to day
When they reply on WhatsApp instead of using the link
It happens constantly, and dropping the document into a chat has a cost.
You send a link and they reply with a photo on WhatsApp. Or answer your email with the PDF attached. It happens constantly and it is not ill will: they did whatever was easiest for them.
What is lost if it stays there
| What is lost | And that means |
|---|---|
| The real delivery date | There is no record of when it arrived, only when you uploaded it |
| Who delivered it | The record shows you uploaded it, not them |
| The case stays incomplete | Nobody else sees it is resolved |
| The document lives on a phone | And on the sender's, uncontrolled |
Important
The first one is what genuinely matters. If you later have to prove that supplier delivered on time, a document you uploaded two weeks later does not prove it — it proves you uploaded it two weeks later.
What to do, by case
- 1
If it is one-off, upload it and note where it came from
Worse than the normal circuit, but better than leaving it in the chat.
- 2
If it always happens with that person, change their channel
If WhatsApp is their natural habit, send the request on WhatsApp: the link works the same.
- 3
If it happens with many, look at your request
When most reply elsewhere, the problem is not them: the link is not understood or not visible.
Watch out
Be careful with what arrives by chat unchecked. A document arriving on WhatsApp from a number you do not have saved deserves the same suspicion as an unexpected email, more so if it comes with urgency.
Worth knowing
The link working from WhatsApp is exactly what solves this: you do not have to choose between their convenient channel and the circuit that leaves a record.
›Can I forward the document into the case myself?
Yes, and note that it arrived on another channel and when.
›Can I request via WhatsApp with a link?
Yes, it is the same link on another channel.
›What if they insist on emailing it?
Upload it, but check whether your request is understood: it usually is that.
A real case
The situation
A supplier always sends certificates on WhatsApp and someone uploads them manually days later.
What you do
- Their request channel is switched to WhatsApp
What you get
They deliver through the link from their phone, and the delivery date is theirs again rather than the uploader's.
The situation
A supplier sends a photo of the certificate on a messaging app and the file stays empty.
What you do
- Uploads the photo to the file on receipt
- Replies with the link for next time
What you get
The delivery is recorded and the supplier learns the route without argument.
The situation
The photo stays on the phone of whoever received it.
What you do
- Uploads it at the moment, from that phone
What you get
The record does not depend on a handset.
The situation
It arrives by messaging and nobody knows if it is the requested document.
What you do
- Checks before treating it as delivered
What you get
The file reflects what is really there.
The situation
The supplier always sends that way because it is what they use.
What you do
- Sends them the link on that same channel
What you get
They use the channel they know, with the record you need.
The situation
It is accepted by messaging and nothing is recorded.
What you do
- Records which route it arrived by
What you get
The history reflects what happened.
This article answers
- the supplier sends documents by whatsapp
- they reply to my email instead of using the link
- documents arriving through another channel
- uploading what they send me by chat