Request files instead of waiting for email attachments

The problem with documents by email

Anyone who needs documents from others usually gets them by email. This leads to familiar difficulties: the attachments are too large and do not arrive. Photos are shrunk in messengers and end up blurry. Several files arrive in several emails, and in the end something is still missing. And confidential documents then sit unencrypted in your mailbox.

For your clients it is often just as tedious. They have to find out how to send large files, and end up with services they do not know and do not trust.

On your side it costs time: you gather attachments from different emails, ask for missing documents and save everything by hand. The more clients send you files, the greater the effort. With confidential documents there is also the question of how long they sit unencrypted in the mailbox and who in the team has access to them.

The solution: an upload link

Instead of waiting for an email with attachments, you send your client a link. They open it in the browser, select the files or drag them in, and upload them. The files land directly with you, in your Fairsend account. Your client needs neither an account nor a program for this.

The advantage: you decide the route. The files are encrypted in the sender's browser before they are uploaded, and you receive a notification as soon as something has arrived.

Size is no longer an issue either. Photos, scans and videos arrive in the quality in which your client recorded them, and not as a shrunken version from a messenger. Several files end up together in one case instead of being spread over many emails.

Step by step: request files with Fairsend

The function is available in every account, including on the free plan. How large the uploaded files may be depends on your plan: up to 5 GB on the free plan, up to 100 GB on the paid plans.

• Sign in to Fairsend and open “Request files”.
• Enter the email address of the person you need files from and briefly write what you need.
• Set how long the upload link is valid and, if needed, protect it with a password.
• Your client receives an email with the link, opens it and uploads the files.
• You are notified and download the files from your account.

When it is especially worthwhile

An upload link is practical wherever you regularly receive documents from outside:

• Tax advice and bookkeeping: receipts, bank statements and annual documents from clients.
• Law firms: contracts, correspondence and photographic evidence from clients.
• HR departments: applications and supporting documents, without them ending up in the general mailbox.
• Insurance brokers and property management: photos of damage, invoices and forms.
• Agencies and print shops: print data, logos and raw material in full quality.
• Medical practices and counseling centers: findings, applications and supporting documents from patients or clients.

Accepting files permanently: the form on your website

If you do not want to send a separate link for every request, embed an upload form in your website. With Fairsend Secure Inbox, clients upload their files through your site at any time, and each submission lands as a separate case in your inbox. You decide which details are asked for and adapt the form to your appearance.

Secure Inbox is included from the Premium plan. The individual request by link works in every account.

Tips for a smooth request

• State in the request exactly which documents you need, for example “2025 wage tax statement and bank statements January to March”.
• Choose a period that gives the client enough time but does not stay open longer than necessary.
• Announce the email briefly, so the link is not mistaken for spam.
• Download the files promptly and store them in your own system. Fairsend is a transfer service and not an archive.

Security for both sides

An upload link is deliberately restricted: it only allows uploading to you, not viewing other files. It expires after the period you chose, and after that it accepts nothing more. With a password you make sure that only the intended person can upload, even if the email is forwarded.

For your client, this route is also safer than an attachment. The files are encrypted in their browser and do not remain in their Sent folder afterwards. And they do not have to look for a service to entrust their documents to.

How to explain it to your clients

Many clients do not know upload links yet. One sentence in the request removes the uncertainty, for example: “Please upload the documents using the link in this email. You do not need an account, and the files are transferred encrypted.” If needed, give a phone number for questions.

If you set a password, give it to the client by phone or SMS, not in the same email. For recurring occasions, such as monthly bookkeeping, a fixed routine is worthwhile: same period, same description, same filing after receipt.

In short

• An upload link saves your clients from searching for a way to send large or confidential files.
• The files are encrypted in the browser and land directly in your account.
• The sender needs neither an account nor a program.
• For permanent receiving through your own website, there is Secure Inbox from Premium.