Automatic Reminders in Outlook

I need a macro and/or set of Outlook 'Rules'? to run in MS Outlook 2007 that will look for designated keywords in the subject and message body of received emails and perform automated functions.? Based on specific keywords in the original email, the macro will do one or more of the following: 1. Automatically insert a http link under a new separate field (column? viewable within the Outlook Inbox), next to the original email. ? 2. Automatically flag the email? for follow up in a defined delay of anywhere from 5 to 1,440 minutes. 3.? The macro should allow the user to stop/halt/terminate the deadline timer based on them taking action.? 4.? Once the follow-up deadline is reached and no action was taken to terminate the deadlline timer, , the macro/rule should automatically forward the original email to the original recipient, to confirm that the deadline has been reached. ## Deliverables I need a software solution (based on a macro and/or set of Outlook 'Rules') to run on a stand-alone version (client-side) of ? MS Outlook 2007 (not in a server environment) that will perform actions based on: ·? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? The keywords in the subject and message body of emails that are received in the Inbox o? ? ? These keywords may show up anywhere in the text of the email, so the solution must be able to find e.g., ‘apple’, ‘box’ and ‘today’ within the subject and/or message body even if the words are not consecutive. ·? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? The time of day that the email is received It is OK if the solution requires some add-ins or plug-ins.? It is preferred if the solution can be designed to be invoked at the discretion of the user, e.g., click to run macro, click to halt. The environment is one where ‘cases’ occur and must be resolved by the User (an operator).? The case will be received as an email to the User’s Inbox in Outlook 2007.? The case may require a few steps to resolve.? The Solution must help the User by reminding them to take an action, remind them of a deadline, and point them to specific instructions to follow in order to close-out (resolve) the ‘case’.? Documentation about the case therefore becomes a trail of emails based on the original incoming email about the case.? All other emails about the case will be essentially created by the User forwarding the original email to themselves with comments about their actions to resolve the case.? These forwarded emails will be sent by the User to themselves (to arrive in the same Inbox), and viewable as a ‘thread’, as in a Newsgroup.? The objective is that ultimately, each case ends with an email that the User emails to his own Inbox with the words, e.g., “*END*??. Based on specific keywords in the original email, the solution will do the following: 1.? ? ? Automatically insert a http link under a new separate field (column? viewable within the Outlook Inbox), next to the original email.? a.? ? ? ? In my Inbox for example, I see the columns ‘Received’, ‘From’, ‘Subject’, etc.? The solution should allow the user to see one more column that would in effect be a http link to another file, based on analysis of the email contents and time of arrival. b.? ? ? So when an email arrives, based on a combination of specific keywords in the email, *and the time of day that the email was received*, a corresponding http link will appear in e.g., the rightmost column in the Inbox. c.? ? ? ? When the user clicks on this link, it will point to specific portions of a Word or Excel file that will be open on the Desktop, depending on the combination of keywords in the original email.? The link itself will be e.g., "Instructions".? d.? ? ? *The link will differ depending on the time of day that the original email was received.? For example, during 09:00 to 17:00, the link would point to one portion of the Word/Excel file.? From 17:00 to 23:59, the link would point to another.? From 00:01 to 08:59, the link would point to yet another portion.? So the macro/rule must be able to read the receipt time for the email and behave accordingly*.? So the link itself would be created by the solution based on analysis of the email’s contents and time of arrival. ? 2.? ? ? Automatically flag the email? for follow up in a defined delay of anywhere from 5 to 1,440 minutes.? a.? ? ? ? This will be in effect a reminder for the User (the receiver of the emails) to take action.? Currently Outlook 2007 allows me to only choose Today, Tomorrow, etc. as follow up times.? b.? ? ? The Follow Up time would depend on the combination of keywords in the original email subject or message body. For example, if the words 'apple', 'box' and today' were in the email, the follow up deadline? might be 30 minutes, whereas another combination of words would trigger a deadline of 60 minutes.? ? c.? ? ? ? *The delay? will differ depending on the time of day that the original email was received.? For example, during 09:00 to 17:00, the delay might be 30 minutes.? From 17:00 to 23:59, the delay might be 60 minutes or might be a set time, e.g., 09:00 the next day.? ? From 00:01 to 08:59, the delay might be 4 hours or might be a set time, e.g., 09:00 the next day.? So the macro/rule must be able to read the receipt time for the email and behave accordingly* ? 3.? ? ? The macro should allow the user to stop/halt/terminate the deadline timer based on them taking action.? a.? ? ? ? Preferably, the action would be that the User? forward the original email to themselves with a special keyword/s in the message body documenting what they did and that no further action is needed (therefore no need for the deadline timer to keep ticking). b.? ? ? For example, if there was no further action required, the User would forward the most recent email about the case with e.g., *STOP*, and when this was received in the Inbox, the solution would halt the timer for that case. c.? ? ? ? Once this forwarded email is received (in the Inbox), it should be visually easy to link it to the original email (i.e., like a thread in newsgroup postings). ? 4.? ? ? Should the follow-up deadline be reached and no action taken by the User to terminate the deadline timer, the macro/rule should automatically forward the original email to the User, to confirm that the deadline has been reached. ? 5.? ? ? The User should be able to easily determine/sort which emails are still considered 'outstanding', i.e., are awaiting some sort of action, so that they can easily follow up on any neglected emails.