Email to Podio

How it works

1. 1

   Forward the email to your ForwardThis address with some simple instructions, like "add this to the Leads app with the budget at £4,800, and give Priya a task to call them by Friday".

2. 2

   The item lands in the app your instructions ask for, with the values matched onto that app's own field labels. A budget goes into the money field with its currency checked, a category value is matched to one of that field's real options, and a person is matched to a real member rather than typed in as text.

3. 3

   The task is hung off the new item, with its due date set and the colleague responsible for it named. It shows up on their Podio tasks as well as on the item.

4. 4

   You receive a confirmation email showing the item and the task, plus an undo button if something doesn't look right.

FAQs

How do I send an email to Podio?

Forward the email to your ForwardThis address with some simple instructions, like "add this to the Leads app with the budget at £4,800". ForwardThis creates the item and replies with a link to it. The first time, you will need a free ForwardThis account with Podio connected - it takes about 30 seconds.

Which app does the item go into?

The one your instructions ask for. Podio workspaces hold a lot of apps and they are all called something different, so if there is no app by that name ForwardThis replies with the apps it can see rather than guessing at one.

How does it know which fields to fill in?

Every Podio app has fields somebody in your company designed, so ForwardThis reads the app's own labels and matches your details onto them. An amount becomes a proper money value in the currency that field allows, a category has to match one of the real options, a linked item is looked up inside the app it links to, and a person is matched to a real contact. Ask for a field the app does not have and it replies with the field names it does have.

Can it add a task to the item, or attach the email's file?

Both. A task can be hung off the item with a description and a due date, made the responsibility of someone in that workspace or left unassigned, and an existing task can be marked done, reopened or rescheduled. The attachment on the forwarded email can be uploaded and attached to the item too.

Can it look things up in Podio and reply?

Yes. It can answer which apps you have, read one item back with its fields, its recent comments and the names of its files, and narrow a search by that app's own fields: a category option, a date range, a money or number range, a linked item or a person. Podio's filters do not work on text fields, so a plain phrase is searched across the app instead.

Could I use a Podio webform instead?

You could, when the other person is willing to fill one in. A webform puts the typing on them; forwarding the email means nobody has to do it. Both end up as an item in the same app.

Does it work with Outlook and other email apps?

Yes. ForwardThis works with any email provider: Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail and everything else. If it can forward an email, it works.

What happens to my email afterwards?

It gets deleted. ForwardThis holds your email briefly in case you press undo, then removes it completely. Nothing is stored long term.