Decision emails carry the funder’s verdict and the exact terms that move a deal forward or close it out. When those emails land in crowded shared inboxes, teams spend valuable time reading free text and rekeying numbers, which creates delays and increases the risk of mistakes.
Heron automates the parsing of decision emails so approvals, declines, counteroffers, and stipulations become clean, structured fields in your CRM.
The platform reads subjects, bodies, and attachments to pull amounts, rates, holdbacks, term lengths, and conditions, then links the results to the correct record automatically.
Use Cases
Parsing decision emails unlocks speed and accuracy across busy queues. The following scenarios show how Heron converts unstructured messages into decision-ready data.
- Extract decision terms reliably: Heron captures funding amount, factor rate or APR, holdback percentage, term length, and repayment cadence from text or attached letters. The parsed values populate dedicated CRM fields, so underwriters and ops see the same numbers everywhere.
- Capture stipulations with clarity: The system parses stips such as bank statements needed, ID copies, or proof of ownership and records them as actionable items. Each stip is timestamped and routed to the correct follow-up track for fast resolution.
- Normalize mixed formats and templates: Different funders write decisions in different ways, and some only send PDFs. Heron reads both free text and documents, then normalizes language into a consistent schema that reporting tools can use.
- Support multi-deal threads and batch decisions: In long email chains or daily batches, the platform separates decisions by merchant and maps each to the correct deal. This prevents cross-posting and keeps histories clean across records.
- Detect counteroffers and changes: When a funder updates terms or sends a counter, Heron parses the new values and marks the prior ones as superseded. Teams get a clear view of what is curren,t so they do not act on stale offers.
- Write back status and notes automatically: After parsing, Heron updates the deal stage and adds a concise summary note that names the funder, the decision type, and the key terms. Everyone can scan a single line and understand what happened.
Operational Impact
Parsing converts inbox work into a controlled, repeatable flow. Teams save time and reduce errors while keeping every stakeholder aligned on the latest decision.
- Speed: Manual reading and rekeying is replaced with instant field capture and status updates. This shortens the time from decision receipt to broker response.
- Accuracy: Parsed fields match the letter, and confidence scoring plus review queues catch edge cases before write back. This reduces rework and miscommunication later.
- Consistency: Every funder’s language maps to the same field names and picklists. This improves analytics and makes performance reviews more meaningful.
- Scalability: Busy days with high decision volume no longer create backlogs. The same automation handles spikes without adding staff.
Decision Terms and Field Mapping
A strong field model makes parsed data useful across the deal lifecycle. Heron follows consistent mapping rules and offers light configurability so your CRM reflects how you actually work.
- Core economics: Amount approved, factor rate or APR, holdback percentage, terms in days or months, and repayment frequency map to typed fields. Each field accepts validated formats, so reporting stays clean.
- Timing and validity: Offer date, expiration date, and funding window are captured as date fields. These values drive alerts and help teams prioritize expiring offers.
- Conditions and stips: Stipulations parse into a checklist with categories such as financials, identity, legal, and bank verification. Each item carries a status so teams track what remains.
- Decision context: Funder name, program name, and decision type populate controlled picklists. These values support cohort reporting and partner reviews.
- Narrative detail: Free-text notes summarize context that does not fit a field. This keeps nuance available without sacrificing structure.
Data Integrity and Compliance
Decision handling touches core economic terms, so control and traceability are essential. Heron adds safeguards that protect quality without slowing flow.
- Source anchoring: Each parsed field links back to the email or PDF location. Reviewers can click through to confirm values when questions appear.
- Confidence scoring: Low-confidence extractions route to a review queue for a quick check. Teams make sure sensitive fields are correct before the write-back.
- Change logging: Old values are preserved when terms update, and write-backs include timestamps and user attribution. Auditors can follow the entire history in one place.
- Security posture: Processing runs in a SOC 2 Type II environment with encrypted storage and transport. Access logging records who viewed what and when.
Collaboration and Broker Experience
Parsed decisions help brokers act fast and close more deals. Clear fields, statuses, and stip lists reduce confusion and cut back-and-forth.
- Structured broker updates: Status moves to Approved, Conditional, or Declined automatically, and the CRM sends the right notification template. Brokers know exactly where the deal stands.
- Actionable stips: Each parsed requirement shows up as a task with an owner and due date. Brokers do not need to translate narrative emails into checklists.
- Cleaner negotiations: When a counteroffer arrives, the new numbers are written in cleanly, and the old set is archived. Brokers speak to merchants with confidence because the system reflects the latest terms.
Performance and Reporting
Structured decisions improve visibility across programs, partners, and time periods. Leaders can make decisions using complete and comparable data.
- Offer-to-accept cycle time: See how long it takes to act on decisions after arrival and target bottlenecks.
- Decision mix by funder: Measure approval, decline, and conditional rates to guide relationship and pipeline planning.
- Offer expiry risk: Track offers nearing expiration and auto-create reminders that protect win rates.
- Stip resolution velocity: Monitor how fast conditions clear by category and broker. Use those insights to refine templates and coaching.
Implementation Best Practices
Light process design makes parsing effective without heavy operations overhead. The following practices help teams stand up a reliable flow quickly.
- Standardize field names and picklists: Align decision fields across all programs before connecting write back. This avoids remapping later.
- Seed with real decisions: Train on a representative set from your top funders. Make sure odd formats and multi-page PDFs appear in the sample.
- Define escalation rules: Decide which fields need review when confidence drops. Keep it simple so reviewers move fast.
- Tune CRM notes: Agree on the one-line summary format that every user can read at a glance. This becomes the daily shortcut for ops and sales.
- Monitor early metrics: Track label accuracy, exception rate, and time to status update during the first weeks. Use those results to refine rules.
Risk Controls and Edge Cases
Decision emails vary in tone and structure, and some include tricky patterns. Heron handles these edge cases while keeping the flow stable.
- Ambiguous outcomes: If a message mixes approval language with heavy conditions, the system marks it conditional and adds a confidence note. Reviewers can confirm and proceed.
- Multiple merchants in one chain: Heron splits by identifiers and links each subset to the correct record. Cross-posting is avoided by default.
- Image-only PDFs: When a letter is a scan, OCR runs first, and parsing applies after extraction. Low-quality images are routed for review with a quality flag.
- Superseded terms: A new decision marks the prior one as outdated. Reports reflect the active offer, so teams do not sell the wrong terms.
Operational Impact Scenarios
Real workloads highlight how parsing changes day-to-day execution. Each scenario shows a pain point and the resulting benefit.
- Evening batch approvals: Fifty approvals land at once and are parsed in minutes. Statuses update, brokers receive notices, and owners see morning queues ready to call.
- Large counteroffer set: A funder lowers the amount and adjusts the holdback for a set of merchants. New fields write in, tasks update, and managers track acceptance across the group.
- Conditional offers with many stips: Stips parse into tasks assigned by category. Brokers receive a clear list and send targeted requests to merchants without manual triage.
- High decline volume after a program change: Declines parse cleanly, and closeout tasks are generated for callbacks. Leadership sees the shift by program in real time.
Benefits of Using Heron for Parsing Decision Emails
- Speed: Decision data moves from the inbox to structured fields within seconds, which shortens response time.
- Accuracy: Field-level parsing and confidence checks reduce rework and avoid miscommunication.
- Consistency: Every funder’s language maps to one schema and one set of picklists.
- Scale: Spikes in decision volume do not create backlogs or accuracy drops.
- Transparency: Users see the source, the summary, and the history in a single view.
FAQs About Parse for Decision Emails
How does Heron extract terms from different funder formats?
Heron combines pattern recognition on email bodies with PDF text extraction to find amounts, rates, holdbacks, and terms. The system normalizes synonyms and varied phrasing into a single schema, which keeps reporting and workflows consistent across partners.
If a layout is unusual or new, confidence scoring prompts a quick review so accuracy stays high.
Can the platform distinguish approvals from conditional approvals automatically?
Yes. Heron looks for approval language and checks for condition phrases and lists in the same message or attachment. When conditions exist, the decision is labeled as conditional, stips are parsed into tasks, and the record reflects both the outcome and the required next steps.
What happens if a decision email references more than one merchant?
Heron splits the message by identifiers such as merchant name, deal ID, or thread context and links each decision to the correct record. This prevents cross-posting and avoids the common error of updating the wrong opportunity when multiple decisions arrive together.
How are changes or counteroffers handled after an initial decision?
When a counteroffer arrives, Heron parses the new terms, marks the earlier decision as superseded, and writes the latest values to the fields.
A concise note captures what changed and when, so brokers and underwriters can act with confidence and avoid quoting outdated terms to merchants.
How does parsing improve compliance and audits?
Every parsed value links back to its source message or PDF location, and each write back is logged with a timestamp and user attribution.
Access logs, version history, and field-level change records make audits faster and give compliance teams a complete trail without requiring manual reconciliation.
