Clever Clerk FAQ

Question 1

What is CleverClerk?

Accepted Answer

CleverClerk is an AI-powered SaaS platform that helps AEC firms automatically capture, organise, and search project emails, creating a complete and defensible project correspondence record.

Question 2

Who is CleverClerk built for?

Accepted Answer

CleverClerk is built for architecture, engineering, design, and multidisciplinary AEC firms that manage multiple projects and rely heavily on email communication.

Question 3

Why was CleverClerk created?

Accepted Answer

CleverClerk was created to solve a common problem in AEC firms: critical project decisions often happen over email, but those emails are difficult to retrieve when they matter most. Clever Clerk automatically captures project correspondence to create a searchable, complete, and defensible project record.

Question 4

What makes CleverClerk different?

Accepted Answer

Unlike generic email or document management tools, CleverClerk was built specifically for AEC firms based on years of real-world experience. It automatically captures project correspondence, uses AI to make it easier to search and understand, and works alongside Outlook and your existing project systems instead of replacing them.

Question 5

What types of projects benefit most from CleverClerk?

Accepted Answer

Projects with multiple stakeholders, long timelines, high volumes of email communication, and a need to preserve project history benefit the most.

Question 6

Has CleverClerk been used in a real AEC environment?

Accepted Answer

Yes. CleverClerk was developed from a system that has been used inside Perkins & Will for years before being brought to market.

Question 7

Is CleverClerk a project management system?

Accepted Answer

No. CleverClerk is not a project management platform. It works alongside your existing PM, ERP, and document management systems by capturing and organising the project correspondence that typically remains in Outlook.

Question 8

Do users need to file emails manually?

Accepted Answer

No. CleverClerk captures project emails automatically, so teams do not need to sort, tag, or file messages themselves.

Question 9

Can I search for old project emails?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Users can search across project emails and attachments from one place using AI-powered search, making it easy to find information without searching multiple inboxes.

Question 10

Can CleverClerk help with long email chains?

Accepted Answer

Yes. AI Chat lets you ask questions about captured project correspondence, making it faster to understand conversations without reading every email.

Question 11

Are attachments included?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Emails and their attachments are captured together, preserving the full context of every project conversation.

Question 12

How does CleverClerk know which project an email belongs to?

Accepted Answer

CleverClerk automatically associates emails with the correct project, creating a central project correspondence record without requiring manual filing.

Question 13

Can new team members quickly understand a project's history?

Accepted Answer

Yes. By combining project-wide search, AI summaries, and complete correspondence records, CleverClerk helps new team members quickly understand previous discussions and decisions.

Question 14

Does CleverClerk keep a history of project correspondence?

Accepted Answer

Yes. CleverClerk continuously builds a complete project correspondence record, making it easy to retrieve emails, attachments, and project history whenever they are needed.

Question 15

Why do we need CleverClerk if everyone already uses Outlook?

Accepted Answer

Outlook is great for sending and receiving emails. The challenge is finding complete project correspondence months or years later. CleverClerk automatically keeps project emails organised at the project level, making them easier to retrieve without searching multiple inboxes.

Question 16

Does CleverClerk replace Outlook?

Accepted Answer

No. Your team continues using Outlook exactly as they do today. CleverClerk works alongside Outlook in the background without changing how people send or receive emails.

Question 17

Does CleverClerk replace our project management software?

Accepted Answer

No. CleverClerk complements your existing project management and ERP systems by capturing and organising the email correspondence that typically sits outside those platforms.

Question 18

Does CleverClerk work with Microsoft 365 and Outlook?

Accepted Answer

Yes. CleverClerk works with Microsoft 365. The Outlook Add-in lets your team map conversations to projects without leaving Outlook. You can also connect a mailbox for automatic mapping based on your organisation’s settings.

Question 19

Can CleverClerk connect with our existing systems?

Accepted Answer

Yes. CleverClerk provides APIs to connect project information with the systems your organisation uses. Your IT team can use these to build connections around your workflows.

Question 20

Will our staff need to change how they work?

Accepted Answer

No. Your team continues working in Outlook as usual while CleverClerk automatically captures and organises project correspondence behind the scenes.

Question 21

Do we need to migrate our existing project data?

Accepted Answer

Migration is supported. We work with your team to import the project information needed for CleverClerk and guide you through the onboarding process.

Question 22

Does CleverClerk support webhooks?

Accepted Answer

Yes. CleverClerk can send automatic notifications to connected systems when selected project events happen. These notifications use webhooks, so your team doesn’t have to check for updates manually.

Question 23

Does CleverClerk support MCP?

Accepted Answer

Yes. CleverClerk connects with compatible AI assistants, including Claude and ChatGPT, through MCP, a standard that lets assistants access information from connected tools. You can ask about project decisions, discussions and details from the assistant you already use. you already use.

Question 24

Which plans include integrations?

Accepted Answer

Outlook integration is available on all plans. Webhooks are included in Basic, AI and AI Pro. MCP integration is available on AI and AI Pro. See our pricing comparison for the full breakdown.

Question 25

Can we connect using our organisation’s own Microsoft 365 app?

Accepted Answer

Yes. On Basic, AI and AI Pro, your IT administrator can connect your organisation’s own Microsoft 365 app through Settings at no additional charge. This controls how CleverClerk connects to Microsoft 365. Hosting CleverClerk in your own cloud is a separate Enterprise option.

Question 26

Do I need an administrator to connect CleverClerk to Microsoft 365?

Accepted Answer

It depends on your organisation’s Microsoft configuration and consent policies. Some organisations may require an administrator to approve the application before users can connect their mailboxes.

Question 27

What is a defensible project record?

Accepted Answer

A defensible project record is a complete and reliable history of project correspondence that preserves emails, attachments, and the context behind project decisions. It helps firms confidently retrieve information when it's needed for project continuity, audits, claims, or disputes.

Question 28

Why is project email such a big issue?

Accepted Answer

Many critical project decisions, approvals, and client communications happen over email, but those emails often remain scattered across individual inboxes. When they're needed later for project handovers, audits, claims, or disputes—they can be difficult to find and reconstruct.

Question 29

How does CleverClerk reduce project risk?

Accepted Answer

CleverClerk automatically captures project correspondence, preserving a complete and searchable record that makes it easier to retrieve emails, attachments, and decision history whenever they're needed for handovers, audits, claims, or disputes.

Question 30

How can CleverClerk help during disputes or claims?

Accepted Answer

When project correspondence is needed, teams can quickly retrieve the complete email conversation, attachments, and project history instead of spending hours searching through multiple inboxes.

Question 31

Will CleverClerk create extra work for project teams?

Accepted Answer

No. CleverClerk works in the background, automatically capturing project emails so teams don't need to spend time manually filing messages.

Question 32

What happens if a project manager or employee leaves the company?

Accepted Answer

Project correspondence stays with the project rather than an individual's inbox. New team members can quickly understand previous discussions and decisions without relying on one person's email history.

Question 33

How does CleverClerk support project handovers?

Accepted Answer

New project team members can access the complete correspondence history, helping them understand previous decisions, client communication, and project context more quickly.

Question 34

Can CleverClerk help with audits and record requests?

Accepted Answer

Yes. CleverClerk provides a structured project correspondence record that makes it easier to locate, review, and retrieve project communications when they're requested for audits or compliance purposes.

Question 35

Do we have to move our data to your servers?

Accepted Answer

No. CleverClerk supports deployment in your own cloud or in our managed cloud. You can choose the deployment model that best fits your security, compliance, and governance requirements.

Question 36

Can CleverClerk be deployed in our own cloud?

Accepted Answer

Yes. CleverClerk can be deployed in your own cloud environment or in our managed cloud, depending on your organisation's requirements.

Question 37

Can we control who sees project information?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can manage access to project correspondence using role-based permissions, ensuring users only have access to the projects and information they are authorised to view.

Question 38

Does CleverClerk keep a record of user activity?

Accepted Answer

Yes. CleverClerk maintains a complete audit trail that records actions performed within the platform, helping organisations monitor access and maintain governance.

Question 39

Is project correspondence stored securely?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Project correspondence is stored within your chosen deployment environment and protected using the security controls available within that environment.

Question 40

Do we need to commit to a company-wide rollout?

Accepted Answer

No. Most firms begin with a pilot on a single project, evaluate the results, and then decide whether to expand to additional projects or roll out more broadly.

Question 41

What does the pilot involve?

Accepted Answer

The pilot runs on a single project with agreed success criteria. During the pilot, your team can evaluate how CleverClerk captures project correspondence, improves retrieval, and fits into your existing way of working.

Question 42

How long does the pilot last?

Accepted Answer

A typical CleverClerk pilot runs for 30 days, giving your team enough time to evaluate the product in a real project environment.

Question 43

How do we know if the pilot has been successful?

Accepted Answer

Before the pilot begins, we work with your team to define clear success criteria. At the end of the pilot, we review the results together and determine whether a broader rollout makes sense.

Question 44

Who should be involved in evaluating CleverClerk?

Accepted Answer

The most successful evaluations involve both business and technical stakeholders. This often includes project leadership, IT, and the teams responsible for managing project correspondence.

Question 45

What happens after the pilot?

Accepted Answer

If the pilot meets the agreed success criteria, you can expand CleverClerk to additional projects or roll it out more broadly across your organisation at your own pace.

Question 46

How do I request a demo or pilot?

Accepted Answer

Simply contact our team to schedule an introductory conversation. We'll learn about your current project correspondence process and determine whether CleverClerk is a good fit before recommending the next steps.

Frequently Asked Questions

About CleverClerk

Product & Features

Compatibility & Integrations

Business Value & Project Risk

Security & IT

Getting Started

Stop Losing Critical Project Emails