Deal with older invoices, new mail and supplier contacts
If a colleague is leaving and suppliers send invoices to their work email, āweāll forward the mailā is not enough. Establish where the authorised successor will find existing documents, where new messages will arrive and who will update each supplierās billing contact.
In this fictional example, a colleague receives the companyās hosting invoices. Septemberās invoice has arrived; Octoberās will arrive after she leaves. Forwarding may help with October, but does not tell the successor where to open Septemberās PDF. While the supplier uses the old address, delivery still depends on what happens to it.
List the suppliers, the period you need, the documents already in company storage and any missing invoices. Review this with the colleague and administrator within authorised company access. A document handover is no reason to share passwords or browse private mail.
Record what is ready and what remains for each supplier
The example below covers one supplier. Copy its eight fields for other services or use them as spreadsheet columns. Replace ādoneā with a specific file, location and check result, and leave unfinished work visibly open.
Download the example invoice handover record (.csv)
| Field | Example hosting record |
|---|---|
| Supplier | Company website hosting |
| Older documents: period and location | JanuaryāSeptember; company folder Documents / Hosting. Septemberās PDF still needs adding. |
| Authorised successor | Colleague taking over document preparation; the administrator must confirm folder access. |
| Destination for new invoices | Agreed company billing email; delivery has not yet been checked. |
| Person updating the supplier contact | Person authorised to manage the hosting customer account. |
| Mailbox administrator | Company Microsoft 365 administrator; arrangements for historical and future mail still need confirmation. |
| Missing document | September invoice; arrange retrieval with the departing colleague. |
| Verification record | The successor opened Augustās PDF from the destination folder. September and the first new delivery remain outstanding. |
Tell your administrator the outcome you need
Provide the mailbox address, document scope, authorised successor and agreed destination address. Let the administrator assess the technical solution. Ask for separate confirmation of historical access and future delivery. Record the location of any invoices kept elsewhere.
Adapt the message to your organisation. Do not include passwords or entire private messages; attach the document list separately if needed.
Select the text, copy it into an email and fill in the details in square brackets.
In Microsoft 365, forwarding handles new mail
Microsoft distinguishes forwarding, which routes new incoming mail, from conversion to a shared mailbox, which retains existing messages. Ask your administrator about both. Forwarding alone does not confirm that the successor can access old attachments.
A licence must be assigned before conversion. An unlicensed shared mailbox has a 50 GB limit; archives, retention requirements or a hybrid environment may need a different solution. A shared mailbox is not automatically a free archive for any volume of mail.
An administrator with the appropriate permissions must assess the conditions. An ordinary shared mailbox needs its associated account; compliance-inactive mailboxes are an exception. Do not request account deletion simply because conversion is complete. Conversion alone also does not establish that the former userās access has been revoked; handle their full access removal separately with the administrator.
Source for this section: Microsoft: forwarding mail and preserving a former employeeās mailbox Ā· Microsoft: conditions for converting to a shared mailbox
Agree where an export will live and how documents will open
If the administrator proposes an export, agree its storage location and how the successor will retrieve individual invoices. An archive filename in the record is not proof that a needed PDF can be opened. Check this together before the planned account change.
Google says downloading data does not delete it from its servers, and a work-account administrator can restrict downloads. Do not treat an export on the Google Drive of an account marked for deletion as final storage. Request an agreed location that will remain accessible after the account changes.
For another provider, use the same request for historical access and future delivery. Have its administrator confirm the options and conditions; do not apply the Microsoft 365 procedure to a different service.
Source for this section: Google: downloading data and export restrictions
Update the supplierās invoice delivery address
The person authorised to manage the supplier account should check the invoice address and arrange its update. Contact email, login name and billing address may be separate fields. If the settings are unclear, ask the supplier to confirm where future documents will go.
Record who is handling the change and whether the supplier has confirmed it. Temporary forwarding may remain part of the administratorās arrangement, but does not prove the supplier has stopped using the departing colleagueās address.
Check an older document and a new message separately
The authorised successor opens an agreed older invoice from its destination using their own access. Record the document and date. This confirms usable access to that file; check the completeness of the period separately against the invoice list.
Check future delivery using an actual new message or a test agreed with the administrator. Record the message, destination and date. If you are waiting for it, leave the item open and name the person who will check it.
In the hosting example, opening Augustās PDF is not enough. September, the billing contact and the next delivery still need attention. Give your accountant the saved documents with a precise note of what is missing and who is dealing with it. The next handover will show whether you are waiting for a file, access or a supplier response.