⚡️ Vendor Portal Expert - Workflow Phase Notifications ⚡️

Improve your automated communications with suppliers for better engagement and user experiences!

 

---

 

Sections in this Article

Introduction

Configuration

Subject Line

Content

Labels

How it Looks: Before

How it Looks: After

"FYI" Phase Notifications

 

---

Introduction

This aspect of workflows is very often overlooked and it's baffling when you consider the implications....

As a Gatekeeper Admin, you might use workflows all the time.

You probably have a good idea how they work and have oversight of the whole end-to-end process

 

 

However, for some Vendor Portal Users, they will probably interact with a Gatekeeper workflow maybe once ever (perhaps 2-3 times for an average Vendor user)...

Most of the time, the only information these Vendor Users get is through the keyhole of the notification email which lets them know that they have an action to perform

As such, each notification email sent from Gatekeeper is one of very few chances to convey meaningful information about your Onboarding process and to drive engagement

 

To maximise this engagement and provide a satisfying experience, Vendor Users should be given short and clear context about:

• • Why they're receiving a form
  • What they have to do
  • What to expect next

Without any of these, Gatekeeper is just another piece of admin with little incentive or clarity regarding the actions they're being assigned

The below article content will demonstrate the options you can leverage to make your workflows more informative and engaging for external users

 

---

 

 

🛠 Configuration 🛠

The Notification Subject Line

1. Hit Edit This Phase for the phase where you wish to configure the notification

2. Head to the Form Access Tab

3. Enable the relevant email

4. Hit the Email Template edit icon

5. Populate the Subject text box

💡Here you can use concise titles, emoji's and even dynamic content to make the subject clear & eye-catching 💡

6. Hit ✅ Update, then ✅ Save to lock in this new email

The Notification Content

Same steps as the Subject text configuration

💡Here you can use the below options to improve email content while making it easy to read 💡

• Html tags for formatting, such as
  • <strong>Text here will be bold</strong>
  • <i>Text here will be in italics</i>
  • <a href="www.google.com">Text here will be linked to the google website</a>

  • ---

    <hr>Text here will have a linebreak above it
• Emojis 
• Dynamic content, such as
  • {{ recipient.full_name }} can be included to populate the recipient's name
  • {{ actor.full_name }} can include the name of the user who has sent the workflow card to them. Not only does this give them more context about the process but can let them know whom to contact with questions/issues!

• • {{ card.name }} to include the name of the workflow card
  • {{ enter_phase.sla_due_date }} to include the deadline for their action to be completed

• Conditional content
  • Including "if" tags can be a handy way to send different emails, depending on the method in which the card has been sent to the Supplier, for example:
    • If the card has been sent to the supplier for the first time (via a standard submission), you can type the content within the below tags:

{% if submission %}

You are invited to complete an onboarding form on behalf of {{ card.name }}

{% endif %}

• • • If the card has been sent back to the Supplier (i.e. if their first submission was rejected), you can type the content within the below tags:

{% if approval.rejected %}

Your supplier onboarding form has been returned to you for updates by {{ actor.full_name }} ({{ actor.email }})

<strong>Comments:</strong> {{ approval.reason }}

{% endif %}

💡 Once you have configured all this Content, you can preview it in the template editor by hitting the Submitted Preview | Approved Preview | Rejected Preview links 💡

 

Labels 🏷

 

Phase Name Label

1. Hit Edit This Phase for the phase where you wish to set the label

2. In the Core tab, set a phase Label which would make sense when viewed internally or externally

3. Hit ✅ Save

 

Workflow Name Label

1. Head to the Workflows menu

2. Below your desired workflow, click the 3 vertical dots followed by Edit this Workflow

3. Set a workflow Label which would make sense when viewed internally or externally

4. Hit ✅ Save

 

 

---

 

 

How it Looks: Before 🥱

 

Notification Configuration Screen:

 

Email to Supplier:

 

How it Looks: After 🤩

 

Notification Configuration Screen:

 

Email to Supplier:

(In this email, "Gatekeeper's" name has been included where your organisation's would naturally be)

 

 

---

 

"FYI" Phases 👀 

The above configuration demonstrates the necessary steps to take for phases where you need involvement from the Supplier.

However, it is worth considering using the same configuration options for other phases where it would be beneficial (and considerate) to inform the supplier of the workflow status without needing any action from them (i.e. keeping them in the loop about their form's progress)

 

A simple example of this (below) would be an automatic email to update them when their onboarding has been fully approved & completed (i.e. moved to a "Done" phase)

 

---

 

 

Other Articles in this Series ⚡️

 

• Coming Soon: Vendor Portal Branding
• Best Practice: Invitation Emails
• Best Practice: Workflow Reminder Emails
• Best Practice: Workflow Phase Instructions
• Best Practice: Leveraging SLA Deadlines