App Notifications

Notifications configured within an application is applicable for various scenarios. These notifications are triggered based on specific actions or events within the application. Let's know the types of notifications in Application.

What are App Notifications?

Notifications in an application are designed to trigger automatically based on specific user actions or system events. These notifications help keep users informed about important updates, changes, or required actions within a workflow.

Notifications can be triggered under the following conditions:

1. When an Action Button is Clicked:

   1. In many applications, action buttons (such as Submit, Approve, Reject, Save, or Update) are used to perform specific operations within a workflow.

   2. When a user clicks one of these buttons, a notification can be triggered to inform relevant stakeholders about the action taken.

   EXAMPLE

   In a leave approval workflow, when an employee submits a leave request by clicking the Submit button, an email or in-app notification can be sent to the manager, prompting them to review and approve the request.

2. When a Particular Workflow Step is Completed:

   1. Notifications can also be set to trigger automatically once a predefined workflow step is completed.

   2. This ensures that users are aware of progress in a process and can take necessary actions based on the workflow stage.

   EXAMPLE

   In an employee onboarding application, when HR completes the verification step, a notification can be triggered to inform the IT team to set up the new employee’s workstation and system access.

While configuring an App Notification, you will notice different types of notification channels available, such as Email, SMS, and WhatsApp Notifications. These notification types can be configured based on the preferred communication method for users.

How App Notifications Work?

Once a notification is configured, it will be triggered when the specified event occurs within the application. These notifications ensure that important updates reach the right users at the right time.

Types of Notifications and Their Triggering Events

1. Email Notification: Sends an email to the assigned users when the configured workflow action is performed.

2. SMS Notification: Delivers a text message to the recipient’s registered mobile number.

3. WhatsApp Notification: Sends a WhatsApp message to the recipient for instant updates.

Triggering Notifications Based on Workflow Events

• These notifications are linked to specific workflow actions.

• They are triggered when a user clicks on a step action button or when a workflow step is completed.

• Once triggered, the notification is sent to the designated roles or users who need to be informed.

Configuring App Notifications

To configure notifications in an application, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the App settings -> Events -> Notifications.

2. Select the notification channel among Email, SMS, and WhatsApp.

3. Click on the + Add Notification to create a new notification.

4. Select Notification Type from the available.

5. Give a unique name to the Event.

6. Select the type of notification type from the drop-down.

   1. Custom notifications: Custom notifications allow administrators to define alerts for specific events or workflows beyond standard triggers.

      • These notifications can be sent based on custom rules and configured to reach selected users, roles, or dynamic recipients from the app data.

   2. Task completed: This notification is sent when a user completes a task assigned to them. It ensures that relevant stakeholders are aware of the task's progress.

   3. Task completed initiator: When a user completes a task, this notification is sent to the task initiator to confirm that the task has been completed.

   4. Task created: This notification is sent when a new task is generated from the application. It ensures that the assigned user or role is notified about their new responsibility.

      Manage Notifications at App Level

      Example Scenario:

      A Project Manager overseeing multiple teams realizes that the current notification settings are overwhelming the team. Every minor change such as updates to task descriptions or due dates triggers a notification, causing several issues such as Inbox Clutter, Disruptions to Workflow, Missed Important Updates.

      To solve this, the Project Manager decides to refine the app-level notification settings to ensure that only essential updates are sent while reducing unnecessary distractions. To create a more efficient notification system, the Project Manager makes the following changes:

      • Enables the notifications such as Task Created, Task Completed Initiator and Custom Notifications

      • Disables the Task Completed notifications.

      Steps to Configure App-Level Notifications

      To implement these changes, follow these steps:

      1. Navigate to App Settings → Events → Notifications.

      2. Toggle "Enable Notifications" ON.

      3. Select the necessary notifications:

      • Enable: Task Created, Task Completed Initiator, Custom Notifications.

      • Disable: Task Completed.

      4. Click Save to apply the settings across the application.

      Note: Disabling app-level notifications overrides workflow-level settings. This means that even if notifications are configured at the workflow level, they will not be sent unless they are enabled at the app level.

   5. Task escalation: When an assigned task is not completed within a specified time frame, Task Escalation Notifications are sent to escalate the issue.

      • Notifications can be configured based on:

        • Time intervals (e.g., reminders every 4 hours).

        • Number of occurrences (e.g., after two missed deadlines).

   6. Task reminder: This notification reminds users about pending tasks before their deadline to ensure timely completion.

      • Task reminders can be scheduled based on:

        • Fixed time intervals (e.g., send reminders every 2 hours).

        • Number of occurrences (e.g., remind three times before the deadline).

   7. Task Re-assigned: This allows users to transfer an assigned task from one user to another. This ensures that tasks continue to progress efficiently, even if the originally assigned user is unavailable or if responsibilities change.

      • Select the level when the notification should be triggered:

        • All Steps and Actions: Triggers at every workflow step and step action.

        • Step Level: Triggers at a selected specific step in the application.

        • Action Level: Triggers at a selected specific step action in the application.

1. Once you click Next, you will land on the Conditions Page, where you need to configure three key sections to create a notification:

   1. Sender & Recipient Details

   2. Message Modal Design

   3. Attachments

Sender & Recipient Details

This section defines who is sending the notification and who will receive it.

1. Sender Details:

   1. Choose the Sender Email:

      1. Quixy: The email will be sent from the default Quixy system email.

      2. Custom: You can configure a custom email address as the sender. (Learn more about Custom Email & SMS)

2. Recipient Details:

   1. Select the Type of Users to Notify:

      • Choose the recipients who should receive the notification from the following options:

        1. Assignee: Sends the notification to the user assigned to the task.

        2. Assignee Manager: Notifies the managers of the assigned user.

        3. Data Field from App: If an email field exists in the application, notifications will be sent to the email addresses specified in that field.

        4. Roles: Allows selection of specific roles within the workspace. A drop-down list will appear, displaying all available roles.

        5. Users: Allows selection of individual users from the workspace via a drop-down list.

CC (Carbon Copy) Recipients:

• Choose users to be CC in the notification:

○ The CC field allows you to select additional recipients who should receive a copy of the notification.

○ The drop-down consists of the same user types as the recipient selection (Assignee, Assignee Manager, Data Field from App, Roles, Users).

2. Message Modal Design

This section allows you to customize the email subject and email body to match your requirements.

Email Subject:

• Enter a subject for the email notification.

• Use "@" placeholders to dynamically insert field values from the application.

• Example:

○ Instead of writing a static subject like "Task Assigned Notification", you can use:

"Task Assigned to @AssigneeName – Please Review"

○ This will personalize the subject line based on the assigned user.

Email Body:

• Use the same "@" placeholders to dynamically insert values from the application into the message content.

• Customize the email layout, format, and design according to preferences.

Example:

"Dear @AssigneeName,

You have been assigned a new task: @TaskName. Please complete it by @DueDate.

Best Regards,

@SenderName"

This ensures the message remains dynamic and personalized.

3. Attachments

This section allows you to include relevant files along with the email notification.

• Send Attachments:

○ Any files uploaded within the application will be attached to the notification email.

• Send Reports:

○ Any reports generated within the platform can be attached to the email as well.

How Conditions Work in App Notifications (Example)

Imagine a company uses an application to process purchase orders (POs). They want to send different notifications based on the PO amount:

• If the PO amount is less than $10,000, notify the Department Manager.

• If the PO amount is greater than or equal to $10,000, notify the Finance Head.

Click on Conditions and create condition.

Set the condition:

If PO Amount < $10,000 → Notify Department Manager

If PO Amount ≥ $10,000 → Notify Finance Head

End Result:

Subject: "Purchase Order Approval Needed: @PONumber"

Body: "Dear @ManagerName, A new PO (#@PONumber) requires your approval. Amount: @POAmount."

Result:

If a PO for $8,000 is submitted → Notification goes to the Department Manager.

If a PO for $15,000 is submitted → Notification goes to the Finance Head.

Create an App Notification to gain a clearer understanding by referring to this article.