Decision emails contain the terms that decide what happens next. These messages confirm approvals, declines, counteroffers, and conditions that must be cleared. When teams read and interpret them by hand, errors creep in and responses slow down.
Delays frustrate brokers and create risk for funders who depend on accurate, real-time information across the pipeline.
Heron automates scrubbing for decision emails so every critical term is checked, validated, and ready for action. The system confirms that decision type, amounts, rates, holdback percentages, term lengths, and stipulations are present and consistent.
It also checks that values match the merchant and the in-flight deal. Scrubbing turns messy inbox threads into clean, decision-ready data that supports fast, confident next steps.
Use Cases
- Detect incomplete or ambiguous decisions: Heron flags emails that announce an outcome but omit key terms like amount or holdback. The team gets a clear list of what is missing, so outreach is targeted and fast.
- Validate economics against policy: Heron checks parsed amounts, factor rate or APR, and repayment cadence against configured limits. Out of range values route to review with context for the underwriter.
- Confirm conditional language and stip scope: Heron identifies conditions and converts them into structured stip items. Each item gains status, owner, and due date, so nothing is missed.
- Catch conflicting updates in long threads: Heron spots cases where a later reply supersedes an earlier decision. The system marks the newer terms as current and keeps a traceable record of the change.
- Match decision to the correct record: Heron cross-checks sender, subject, attached letter, and identifiers to link the email to the right merchant or opportunity. Suspicious mismatches route to review before status changes.
- Guard against duplicate processing: Heron recognizes when the same decision arrives twice from a broker or funder. Duplicates are suppressed, and the original handling is preserved.
These scenarios replace ad hoc inbox reading with a consistent, rules-guided scrub that supports clear decisions and fast movement.
Operational Impact
Scrubbing turns decision handling into a predictable workflow. The result is less rework and more speed with stronger control.
- Speed: Teams move from read and retype to instant verification. Response windows shrink from hours to minutes.
- Accuracy: Field checks, policy checks, and record matching reduce manual errors. Data quality remains high even during volume spikes.
- Consistency: Every funder and program is measured against the same criteria. Reporting becomes comparable across partners.
- Visibility: Exceptions are explicit and actionable. Leaders see where decisions wait and why.
- Scalability: Busy days do not overwhelm staff. Automation absorbs surges with stable performance.
Decision Term Validation Checks
Decision emails vary by sender format and wording. Scrubbing applies clear checks so values are trustworthy before the system updates records.
- Decision type confirmation: Heron confirms whether the email signals an approval, decline, or conditional outcome. The label must match content and attachments.
- Core economics presence: Amount approved, factor rate or APR, holdback percentage, term length, and repayment cadence must be present. Missing values open a focused follow-up.
- Numerical sanity: Amounts and percentages must be valid numbers and within configured bounds. Invalid formats or outliers trigger exception handling.
- Date and timing checks: Offer date and expiration date are captured when present. Expired decisions route to a review path so teams do not act on stale terms.
- Consistency with prior data: Scrub compares decision values to earlier application figures when useful. Flagged gaps appear with a plain description for fast resolution.
These checks make sure the numbers you act on are the numbers the funder intended.
Stipulations Handling and Readiness
Heavy decisions can stall deals when details are unclear. Scrubbing turns narrative into action, so stips clear quickly.
- Structured stip capture: Items like updated statements, proof of ownership, or ID verification become checklist entries with type, owner, and due date.
- Clarity on completion rules: Each stip gains acceptance criteria such as a date range or page count. Reviewers do not guess what good looks like.
- Automated outreach: When allowed, Heron sends a missing info request that lists stips in plain language. The message links to an upload path to reduce back and forth.
- Status feedback loop: As stips arrive, Heron updates the checklist and the deal record. Partial progress is visible, and complete sets move forward immediately.
- Aging and risk signals: Stips that sit too long surface to a hot list. Teams can re-engage the broker before offers expire.
Stip clarity turns a conditional decision into a predictable workflow with short cycles.
Record Matching and Audit Integrity
Scrubbing does more than parse numbers. It protects record integrity so your system of record stays clean.
- Linkage confidence: Heron matches decisions to records using email domain, merchant name, deal ID, and thread context. Low confidence matches the route to review before any write-back happens.
- Duplicate suppression: Identical letters or near-duplicate messages are detected with fingerprints and content comparison. Only the first accepted instance updates fields.
- Version control: When updated terms arrive, Heron marks the earlier terms as superseded and preserves the prior state. History remains traceable without cluttering the active view.
- Source anchoring: Each field links to its source location in the email or PDF. Reviewers can click through to confirm values within seconds.
These controls keep CRM data accurate while maintaining a complete audit trail.
Performance and Analytics
Scrubbing produces structured signals that drive operational insight. Teams can manage by numbers instead of inbox anecdotes.
- Offer acceptance velocity: Measure time from decision arrival to broker outreach and to accepted status. Target bottlenecks with precise playbooks.
- Decision mix by partner: Track approval, decline, and conditional ratios per funder. Use trends to refine program alignment and expectations.
- Exception profile: See which checks fail most often and why. Improve templates and training for the highest impact categories.
- Expiry risk tracking: Monitor offers nearing expiration and trigger reminders. Stop losing deals to preventable lapses.
- Stip clearance pace: View average time to clear each stip category. Focus improvement where it will move the overall turnaround time the most.
These views help leaders guide resources and improve outcome rates over time.
Implementation Best Practices
A light framework is enough to launch scrubbing with confidence. Start simple and refine with real mail.
- Agree on the minimum fields: Decide the smallest set of terms that move a deal. Capture those first and expand later.
- Set clear bounds for flags: Define acceptable ranges for amounts, rates, and holdbacks. Keep rules readable so reviewers move fast.
- Establish a one-line summary: Standardize a short note format that names the funder, outcome, and key terms. Everyone reads the same summary across the company.
- Tune exception routing: Send content errors to operations and policy errors to credit when that split makes sense. Ownership reduces idle time.
- Review the first month weekly: Look at exceptions and corrected items. Update patterns, phrases, and limits based on what you observe.
This approach achieves fast value while building accuracy through real usage.
Collaboration and Broker Experience
Scrubbed decisions help brokers act quickly and communicate clearly with merchants. The experience is smoother for everyone.
- Immediate clarity: Brokers see decision type and terms in the CRM without waiting for manual entry. They can call the merchant right away.
- Targeted requests: Stip lists are clear and complete. Brokers know exactly what to collect and how to submit it.
- Reduced confusion: When terms change, the current set is obvious, and the prior set is archived. No one argues about which message is the source of truth.
- Faster closes: Clean, timely decision data shortens negotiation cycles and improves win rates on acceptable offers.
A better broker experience turns into more funded deals and stronger relationships.
Risk and Compliance Advantages
Scrubbing supports operational control while keeping compliance tight.
- Policy enforcement: Checks catch out-of-policy terms and unusual patterns early. Reviewers focus on real risk rather than scanning every email.
- Complete audit chain: Each step from intake to scrub to write back is logged with timestamps. Auditors can follow the story without manual reconstruction.
- Access controls and logging: Sensitive data is handled with a strong security posture and clear user activity logs. Compliance teams gain confidence without slowing operations.
- Consistent language mapping: Free text becomes controlled fields and picklists. Reports align with internal and partner standards.
Compliance becomes a byproduct of a clean, automated process.
Benefits of Using Heron for Scrubbing Decision Emails
- Speed: Clean decisions move from inbox to action in minutes.
- Accuracy: Field checks and policy checks keep numbers and statuses correct.
- Consistency: The same logic applies to every partner and program.
- Transparency: Exceptions and superseded terms are visible and traceable.
- Scale: High volumes and peak days run smoothly without added staff.
Heron turns decision email chaos into a predictable, high-integrity workflow that keeps teams focused on funding outcomes.
FAQs About Scrub for Decision Emails
How is scrubbing different from parsing for decision emails?
Parsing extracts values like amount and rate into fields. Scrubbing verifies that those fields are present, valid, and consistent with policy and record context. The combination gives you clean data with control and auditability.
What happens when a decision email lacks key terms like the holdback percentage?
Heron flags the gap and adds a clear note that lists missing items. The system can trigger a targeted follow-up to the broker or funder so the missing terms arrive without guesswork.
How does scrubbing handle conflicting terms in a long email thread?
Heron detects later updates that change amounts or rates. The newest values become current, and the earlier set is marked as superseded. A history view shows what changed and when.
Can scrubbing identify conditional approvals that include stips?
Yes. Heron confirms conditional language and converts stips into structured tasks with the owner and due date. Progress updates appear as items arrive, so the deal moves forward when the list is complete.
How does scrubbing improve compliance without slowing the team?
Scrubbing applies clear checks automatically and logs every result. Reviewers only see the items that need attention. Audit trails and access logs are complete, which makes compliance faster instead of heavier.
