Create a Work Order from an Email?

If you have received a maintenance request, reactive work notification, or any work-related email, you can turn it into a work order in Teams in under a minute.

What you need before you start:

• The Merlo AI app open in Microsoft Teams
• The email saved as a .msg file (standard when saving from Outlook — right-click the email and choose Save As, then save as Outlook Message format)
• The contractor must have an email address recorded in the system

Steps: #

1. Open the Merlo AI app in Microsoft Teams.
2. In the chat input box, drag and drop the .msg email file directly into the chat window. You can also click the attachment (paperclip) icon and browse to the file.
3. Merlo AI will read the email and extract the key details. Within a few seconds, the assistant will display what it found, typically including:
   • The strata plan number (extracted from the email body or subject)
   • A suggested job title (usually derived from the email subject)
   • A job description (pulled from the body of the email)
   • The priority or urgency level (if mentioned)
   • The estimated due date (if mentioned)
   • The contractor name and email (if identifiable)
4. Review everything the assistant has extracted. If any detail is wrong or missing, simply tell the assistant in plain language — for example:
   • “The strata plan should be Plan 98765, not Plan 12345.”
   • “The estimated completion date is 15 May 2025.”
   • “The contractor is XYZ Plumbing, not ABC Maintenance.”
   The assistant will update the details before proceeding.
5. Once you are happy with the details, confirm by telling the assistant to proceed. For example: “Yes, go ahead” or “That looks correct, create it.”
6. Merlo AI will:
   • Create the work order record in the system with status Pending
   • Log the creation in the work order’s audit timeline
   • Generate a professionally formatted PDF work order document containing all job details, the strata management company’s information, the property address, and three one-click action links for the contractor: Accept, Send Message, and Decline
7. The assistant will then present a draft email addressed to the contractor. The draft includes:
   • The work order PDF as an attachment
   • The same Accept, Message, and Decline action buttons displayed prominently in the email body
   • The job title and key details in the email body
   • Any document attachments that were included inside the original .msg file (e.g. PDFs, Word files, photos)
8. Read through the draft email. If you need to adjust the subject line, body text, or recipient, tell the assistant what to change.
9. When you are satisfied, send the email from Teams. The contractor will receive the email with the PDF attached and action buttons ready to click.

What if the strata plan number isn’t in the email? The assistant will ask you to provide it before creating the work order. Just type the plan number in the chat and the assistant will continue.

What if the contractor isn’t in the system? The assistant will prompt you to provide the contractor’s name and email address. It will create or update the contractor record as part of the work order creation process.