Types of Alert Functionalities
There are four different ways that you can use the Alerts module to configure the Alerts in Safefood360°. Within this article, you will find the suggested Alert functionalities that can be built for your Safefood360° site, as well as good examples for each type to help you understand the Alerts better.
The system does not have different types of Alerts by default, but by carefully defining the Alert Criteria, mainly the 'Status' and 'Condition', and the Alert Details, namely the 'Alert Description' and the 'Send To Contact', an Alert can have different functionality, firing based on different reasons, not just the 'Module', 'Record' or 'Stage' selection.
1. Task Notification Alerts
2. Reminder Alerts
3. Incident Alerts
4. Escalation Alerts
1. Task Notification Alerts (Open/Closed 0 Days)
A great use of the Alerts is to issue tasks to specific Contact(s) as events unfold throughout your facility and in your Safefood360° site. It is possible to add an Alert for a defined Record workflow stage. This Alert will allow the system to inform the chosen Contact(s) when a particular Record workflow stage, for a Record that they are responsible for, has been opened and is ready for them to complete and/or review.
These Alerts are handy for Records that may require different Contact(s) to complete different parts of the Record stage workflows. For example, a data entry or junior member of staff may complete the ‘Complaint Details’ within the first workflow stage of the Complaints Record, while the ‘Complaint Review’, which is the second and final workflow stage of the Complaint Record where the Complaints Details are reviewed, will be completed by a manager or senior member of staff. The Alerts module allows you to set up multiple Alerts to alert the two separate individuals when their tasks are ready to be completed, by defining the Record stage and Contact for each separate Alert.
Image: Example 1 - Corrective Action Record: 'Investigation' Required Alert
Image: Example 2 - Corrective Action Record: 'Review' Required Alert
Image: Example 3 - Monitoring Record Has Been Opened Alert
Image: Example 4 - Monitoring Record: 'Verification' Required Alert
Image: Example 5 - Audit Record Has Been Opened Alert
2. Reminder Alerts (Open/Closed '0+X' Days and/or With Conditions)
Another great use of the Alerts module is to follow up and remind the selected Contact(s) that Records that may have become overdue or a stage has been opened for a Record for several days in Safefood360° need to be completed. It is possible to add an Alert with a status defined as being ‘Open’ for a number of specified days. This Alert will allow you to remind the selected Contacts to complete their 'Open' records. You can create as many 'Reminder' Alerts as you need.
Image: Example 1 - Complaints Record: 'Review' Reminder Alert
Image: Example 2 - Corrective Action Record: 'Actions' Reminder Alert
Image: Example 3 - Document Review Record: 'Review' Reminder Alert
Warning: For Document Review ('Management>Management Review' module), there is an automatic, default email notification that will fire to the Contact(s) responsible for the Document Review 10 days before the Start/New Review Date. Remember to amend your 'Days' by +10 when building Document Review Alerts to ensure the Alert will fire on the correct day. In the example above, the Alert is set to fire when the Document Review is 5 days overdue, therefore the 'Days' have been added as 15 to take into consideration the automatic email notification that will be sent by Safefood360° 10 days before the Start/New Review Date.
3. Incident Alerts
Another potential use for the Alerts module is to notify Contact(s) when important or critical events occur throughout your facility and in your Safefood360° Site. For example, you may have a company policy that requires a senior member of staff to intervene when a critical Nonconformance is found within an Internal Audit Record, or when a high risk customer Complaint Record is raised, or you may want to notify your Crisis Team when a Recall or Withdrawal Record is initiated - this can all be done using the Alerts Module.
Image: Example 1 - Critical Non Conformance Raised in an Internal Audit Record
Image: Example 2 - High Risk Customer Complaint Record
Image: Example 3 - Crisis Team Notified of Actual Recall Record Created
Image: Example 4 - Particular Test in a Monitoring Record With a Fail Result
4. Escalation Alerts
You can also use Alerts to ‘Escalate’ issues to specific Contact(s) when tasks are not being completed in a timely manner throughout your facility and in your Safefood360° Site. For example, you may have an Internal Audit (or a workflow stage within the Record) that is overdue by 5 days. You may want to notify a manager or another senior staff member that the assigned task(s) are not being completed/actioned as required. This can be done by creating 'Escalation' Alerts.
Image: Example 1 - Audit Record: 'Audit Details' is Overdue by 5 Days
Image: Example 2 - Corrective Action Record: 'Action Details' With Critical Risk is Overdue by 2 Days
Image: Example 3 - Monitoring Record: Specific Programme Record is Overdue by 2 Days
