Add/Edit an Alert
The Alerts feature in Safefood360° allows you to configure an Alert based on criteria that you define. Have you ever wanted to be notified by email when a Corrective Action goes overdue by 3 days? Or get a notice on your Dashboard when a failed result is recorded in an Auditing Record? Or even have your manager notified by SMS when a High Risk Complaint is recorded? The Alerts module allows you to do this and much more.
Only Users with access to the Alerts module can configure and manage Alerts, however, different contacts can be selected to receive Alerts including specific Employees, Suppliers, Customers, Organisations and Sites.
This article will cover the following steps of Alerts creation:
1. Alerts Modules Main Page Overview
2. Adding an Alert
3. Completing the 'Alert Criteria'
4. Completing the 'Alert Details'
5. How to make changes to an existing Alert (Edit, Copy, Delete)
1. Alerts Module Main Page Overview
To access the Alerts module, navigate to 'Utilities>Alerts'. This will bring you to the Alerts main module page where you will be able to add new Alerts, edit exiting ones, and see the Alert description and when the last time the Alert was fired without having to access a specific Alert.
Image: Accessing the Alerts Module and
1. No.: The system will automatically provide a number to each Alert starting from 1 and working its way up. The 'No.' cannot be edited by the User.
2. Date: This is the date on which the Alert was created via the 'Add Alert' or Copy Alert option.
3. Folder: If the Alert was added to a folder, the folder name will be displayed here. If the Alert was not added to a folder, the column will be blank. It is good practice to organise all of your Alerts in logical folders to help increase the efficiency of the Alerts module.
4. Description: This is the description of the Alert as provided in the 'Alert Description' in the 'Alert Details' workflow stage. Clicking on the blue hyperlink will open the Alert Programme main page, from where you can carry out a number of different actions using the 'Actions' button, such as 'Edit' or 'Copy', etc.
5. Last Alert: This is the date and time that the Alert was fired last.
6. Print: Click the printer icon to print the full list of Alerts set up for the Site.
7. Navigation Arrows: Use the Navigation Arrows to scroll between the pages of the Alerts.
8. Displaying: Displaying 1-10 of XYZ - this shows the total number of Alerts built for the Site.
9. Archive: Click the On/Off toggle to display all Alerts, including Archived Alerts. Archive: On = archived Alerts not displayed. Archive: Off = archived Alerts displayed. Toggling the Archive button will cause the total number of Alert Programmes to change, as it will now include the archived Programmes in the list.
10. Search: In this module, you can use the search bar to search for Alerts only by its description.
Image: 'Archive:On' vs 'Archive:Off' - Total Numbers Updated
2. Creating an Alert
There are two ways you can add a new Alert in the Alerts module:
1) via the 'Add Alert' button, which will require you to set up the full Alerts configuration, or
2) via the 'Actions>Copy' button for an existing Alert, where you will only be required to make changes as needed.
The below section will explain how to complete a new Alerts Programme added via the 'Add Alert' button.
There are two sub-workflow stages that need to be completed for an Alert - 'Alert Criteria' and 'Alert Details'.
Image: Adding a New Alert via 'Add Alert' Button (1) vs Adding a New Alert via the 'Actions>Copy' Button (2)
Image: New Alert Programme Added via the 'Add Alert' Button
3. Completing the 'Alert Criteria'
The 'Alert Criteria' workflow stage is used to configure the details and conditions of a specific Record which will cause this Alert to be fired for the Record, when the outlined conditions are met.
Image: Blank 'Alert Criteria' Workflow Stage
Image: Status Condition Enabled When 'Stage' Has Been Selected
1. Folder: Select a Folder to add your Alert to. It is good practice to place your Alerts into relevant logical folders, for example, per module or per Record type, e.g., 'Corrective Actions', 'Auditing', 'Complaints', etc.
Click on the main 'Alerts' folder and then click 'New Folder' to create a new folder for the Alert being built. If you wish to rename a folder, click on the required folder until a gray background appears and then click 'Rename' - when you have made your changes simply click outside the line to save the changes.
If you decide to delete a folder, ensure there are no sub-folders that you need to keep, as the 'Delete' button allows for the main folder and sub-folder to be deleted at the same time.
2. Module: Use the dropdown arrow to select the module for which the Alert should be created for. Depending on the Module selected, the Record and Stage dropdowns will change accordingly. You can select any module from the Management, PRP Control, Supplier Management, and Monitoring Centers.
Please note, the 'Food Safety Plan' and 'Supply Chain Management' modules do not have the option of building an Alert, even though the module names can be selected in this dropdown.
3. Record: Use the dropdown arrow to select a Record for the selected module for which you would like to build your Alert.
The dropdown options will change according to the Module selected.
4. Stage: Use the dropdown arrow to select the Stage of the Record for which the Alert will be configured. All Records in Safefood360° are broken into a series of workflow stages or steps. Ensure you have selected the correct stage for which you would like the Alert to fire.
The dropdown options will change according to the Module and Record selected.
5. Status: Use the dropdown arrow to select an 'Open' or 'Closed' status for the Stage selected above.
If you want the Alert to fire when a Record stage has been completed ('Save & Submit' button has been clicked) select 'Closed'. If you want the Alert to fire when a Record stage has been created ('Save' button clicked) select 'Open'.
6. Days: Enter the number of days that this Record stage should be either 'Open' or 'Closed' for before the Alert is fired.
The maximum value you can enter here is 730 days (24 months).
7. Add Condition: Only once the 'Stage' section has been completed, the 'Add Condition' section will become visible.
The options in the conditions dropdown will depend on the Record and the Stage selected.
Note: Once you have selected the Module, Record and Stage, the option to 'Add Condition' may become available, depending on the configuration. The condition options will differ between Modules, Records and Stages. For example: 'Risk name contains keyword', 'Program name contains keyword', 'Audit Result contains keyword', etc. If conditions are added to an Alert, the Alert will not fire until the conditions have been met within the Record itself. See the article on Alert Conditions for further explanation and examples of condition scenarios.
Image: Selecting a Condition and Entering Condition Value
7.1. With Condition: This is a module dependent dropdown and can range from ‘Program name contains keyword’ to ‘Risk name contains keyword’, etc.
7.2. Condition Value: This can an open-text field used to enter the specific value for the condition selected in 7.1 above, or a dropdown from which you will be required to select the Value for the Condition selected above. You should be very specific about data and the spelling entered here to ensure the Alerts will be fired correctly.
7.3. Add Condition: Click 'Add Condition' button to add multiple conditions for your Alert.
7.4. Remove Condition and Value: To remove any of the Conditions and their Values, click ‘Remove condition and value’. If multiple conditions were added, their numbering will be adjusted accordingly.
Image: Completed 'Alert Criteria' Workflow Stage
Alert Status: Open versus Closed
Image: 'Status' Dropdown Options - 'Open', 'Closed'
Note: The 'Status' refers to whether the Record workflow stage is required to be 'Open' or 'Closed' for the Alert to fire. A Record workflow stage is considered 'Open' if the 'Save' button has been clicked, and the Record workflow stage is still open and awaiting completion. An Alert set up with 'Open = 3 Days' will fire an Alert 3 days from when the selected workflow stage has been opened.
A Record workflow stage is considered 'Closed' if the 'Save & Submit' button has been clicked, and the Record workflow stage has been closed and all of the mandatory fields have been completed. To access the closed Record workflow stage to make changes, you must click the 'Edit' button. An Alert set up with 'Closed = 3 Days' will fire an Alert 3 days from when the selected workflow stage has been closed.
See the article on Alert Status for further explanation and examples of status scenarios.
3.1. Alert Stage Status: Open
Image: Alert Status - 'Open'
3.2. Alert Stage Status: Closed
Image: Alert Status - 'Closed'
4. Completing the 'Alert Details'
The next step is used to define the Alert Details and select 'Who' and 'How' the Alert should reach the intended recipient(s).
Image: Blank 'Alert Details' Workflow Stage
1. Alert Description: This is the exact text that the selected Contact(s) will see on their Dashboard, Email, or SMS. You can state precisely what you want to convey in the Alert Description. However, it is recommended to keep the Alert Description short and to the point.
Image: Completed Alert Description Exceeding Character Limit
Warning: There is a 255-character limit for the Alert description. If you reach this character limit, the Alert description box and text will be highlighted in red and the note will appear when you hover over the field. Take time to rephrase your Alert description to allow it to fit within the character limit. Once you are back in the allowed character limit, the Alert description box and text will revert to black.
2. Send To - Contact: Click the dropdown arrow to select the Contact(s) that should be notified when this Alert fires. The options for the Contact(s) will differ depending on the Module, Record, and Stage chosen in the Alert Criteria. For some Records, this may be only specific Contact(s) selected from the provided folders (Employees, Customers, Suppliers, Organisations, Sites), while other Records will also allow for the selection of the person selected as ‘Responsible’ for a certain section of a Record.
To select a Contact, click on the dropdown arrow, navigate to the relevant folder, and select your required Contact by clicking on their name until a gray background appears and then click ‘Select’. Alternatively, you can search directly for the Contact Name by using the search bar.
Image: 'Send To' Options - A Record Where Contacts + General Responsible (Record, Action, Review) Can Be Selected (Record and Stage Dependent)
Image: 'Send To' Options - A Record Where Only Specific Contacts Can Be Selected
As noted above, the options for the Contacts will differ depending on the Module, Record and Stage selected in the Alert Criteria stage. It will always be possible to select a direct Contact from the following folders in Master Data: Employees, Customers, Suppliers, Organisation and Sites. However, if you select a particular Module, Record and Stage combination, the option to select a generic contact may become possible. For example: 'Auditor', 'Responsible (Record)', 'Responsible (Action)', etc. This generic contact allows the system to pull the contact selected in that relevant field in the Record and send the Alert to that contact.
Note: If you select a specific Contact and a generic contact in an Alert, and if the same Contact has been selected as the specific and also added as the generic Contact in the Record, e.g., ‘Auditor’, the User will receive 2 Alerts.
3. Send To - Dashboard: Tick the box if you would like for the Alert to appear on the 'My Dashboard' of the person(s) selected in the Contact section. Clicking on the displayed 'Category' will open the Record directly in the same browser tab. The Alert will remain in the User's ‘My Alerts’ tab even when the Record has been completed and closed. To Remove an Alert from the list for a closed Record click the ‘-‘ button.
Click here to learn more about navigating the ‘My Alerts’ tab in your Main Dashboard.
Image: Fired Alert in 'My Alerts' Dashboard
4. Send To - Email: Tick the box if you would like for the Alert to be sent directly to the Contact(s) email inbox. The email will include a direct link to the Record that has triggered the Alert - 'View Record'.
Note: Any Contact(s) with the correct set up can receive an email Alert, however, if they are not Users of the system or have restricted Roles they will not be able to access the link to the Record.
Image: Email Notification For a Triggered Alert
5. Send To - SMS: Tick the box if you would like for the Alert to be sent directly to the Contact(s) phone by SMS. The text message will include a direct link to the Record that has triggered the Alert. The text message is limited to 160 characters so you should ensure that your required alert message (Alert Description) is within this limit. Any parts of the message that exceed 160 characters will not be displayed. The SMS will include a direct link to the Record that has triggered the Alert.
Note: Any Contact(s) with the correct set up can receive an SMS Alert, however, if they are not Users of the system or have restricted Roles they will not be able to access the link to the Record.
Image: SMS Notification For a Triggered Alert
Warning: An 'Email' or 'SMS' Alert will only be sent by the system if the correct information has been entered in the Employee/Contact page for that person.
Note: For both the Email and SMS options you must ensure that your Contact(s) in Safefood360° (Employees, Customers, Suppliers, Organisations, or Sites) have a valid email address and/or cell phone number (with the correct international dialing code). The format of the phone number should be as you dial it internationally, e.g., +16463600210. If the entered format is incorrect, the SMS Alert won't fire. For further explanations, see the article on Contact Email/Phone Number for Alerts.
6. Add Line: Click the 'Add Line' button to add multiple Alert recipients and configure the Alert details for each recipient.
7. Remove Line: Click the red 'X' button to remove a recipient and confirm your choice in the pop-up window by clicking 'Yes' or 'No' as required.
8. Attach PDF: Tick the box if you wish to attach a PDF of the Record for which the Alert has fired, to the email Alert. This may be useful if the Contact(s) is not a User of the system, allowing them to review the Record Document without having to access the system.
Image: Email Alert with PDF Option Enabled
Image: Sample PDF Complaint Record in an Email Alert
9. Save: Click 'Save' if you wish to confirm your Alert setup and save it to the Alerts Module. Once the Alert has been saved, it is immediately ready to fire when all of the specified Alert Criteria for a Record have been met.
10. Cancel: Click 'Cancel' if you wish to discard the Alert you have been creating. This Alert will not be saved to the Alerts module.
5. Making Changes to an Existing Alert
To access an existing Alert, click on the blue hyperlink under the 'Description' column. This will open the main Alert page where you will use the 'Actions' button to either Edit, Copy or Delete the selected Alert.
Image: Accessing an Existing Alert
You will know an Alert has fired when the 'Last Alert' information is completed within the Alerts Tab. If the 'Last Alert' column is blank, this is indicative of the Alert not being fired yet.
Image: Main Alert Programme Page - 'Edit', 'Copy' and 'Delete' Buttons
1. Edit: Click the 'Edit' button to access the Alert Programme and make the required changes. Once the changes are made, click 'Save' to apply the changes to the Alert. You will be asked to provide a 'Reason for Change' which will appear in the Audit Log.
Image: 'Reason for Change' Requested when 'Save' Button Clicked in Edit Mode
2. Copy: Click the 'Copy' button to copy an existing Alert Programme. Once you have updated the required fields for the new Alert Programme following the instructions outlined in '3. Completing the Alert Criteria' and '4. Completing the Alert Details' above, click 'Save' to create a new Alert Programme and move it to the Alerts Module main page. The copied programme will be created and an Alert number will be provided in the same way as if it was created via the 'Add Alert' button.
3. Delete: Click the 'Delete' button to delete the Alert Programme. You will be asked to confirm your choice in the pop-up window.
Image: Confirmation to Delete Alert Programme
Although you can Edit any Alert, if notable changes (e.g., Module, Stage, Record, Conditions, etc.) are required to be made for an Alert Programme, it is best practice to create a new Alert Programme instead, either via the 'Add New' button, or the 'Actions>Copy' button. You can then Archive or Delete the Alert that you no longer need.
Archiving an Alert will not stop the Alerts from being created and fired, Deleting an Alert will stop the Alert from being fired in the future.