Adding WorkApp User: Sometimes it worked, sometimes it don't

I've been having issues with adding a user to the WorkApp this week.

Normally the pop up notification after you successfully added a new user is "contact@email.com" has been added to "role name" and notified"

Now there's specific email addresses that even if how many times I tried to add them to the WorkApp, the notification would only show as "ℹ️ added as client and notified" and then they won't show up as added to the contact list under the role and when I validate it, the client never receives the email notification.

Has anyone experience the same? can anyone tell me why it's been acting like this and what else can I do to successfully add the client's email address without issue?

Appreciate all the help, thank you!

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Accepted answers

Sespedido_23

Hey @MHalvey - tried some of your ideas, thank you, although only one option worked.

Based on my tests, and @BradTMEd is correct (thank you for sharing your experience as well) - this was a change of behavior where a non-Smartsheet user can still be added to a role BEFORE when this wasn't an issue yet, but now, the only way we can add them to the WorkApp even if they don't have an active account yet, is to give them at least a view access to a test sheet, and once that sheet is shared, that's the only time we can add them to the WorkApp without issues.

However since giving direct access to the sheet to an external user is not allowed for our internal processes, after we successfully add them to the WorkApp, we remove them right away to the test sheet.

You may also try this approach @BradTMEd as a workaround.

Thank you to all who participated in this topic. Appreciate you!

All comments

Michelle Choate 2

Since these are system automated emails, the client might need to whitelist the email address to receive. It is also possible that your company has controls that do not allow for external parties to be added as contacts or messaged from within Smartsheet. Have you contacted your IT administrator to see if the domain is allowed?

sespedido23

Hi @Michelle Choate 2 - thank you for the response but I can confirm that we've been adding multiple external parties to the workApp and I even tried it on my personal email as part of the test and it always worked. It's just very odd that for some reason, 3 client emails has been having issues whenever I added them to the workApp.. As for the whitelisting, yes this has been part of our existing notes to our clients prior to adding them in the WorkApp, so I really have no idea why it's happening.

Michelle Choate 2

Definitely a strange behavior. Have you been able to add other parties with this same domain name?

sespedido23

Yes, that is why I can't figure out what could have been the issue why I can't add those new users.

Sometimes even adding an incorrect email address worked, which I will just re-add the client's correct email address, but this one, it's a correct email address, hence it still not working. If there's no workaround then something is really wrong with WorkApp.

MHalvey

I've had some instances where I've added users or Smartsheet User Groups and the access isn't granted. A solution that has worked for me in the past is adding in a new asset but keeping it hidden with the new users being added and then Publishing the new WorkApps. It's almost like a jump start to the WorkApps. Then I would just go back and remove the asset and republish again. I hope this helps you as well. - Michael

Sespedido_23

Thank you @Michael Halvey for the response, unfortunately I'm still having the same issue even after adding a sheet as you advised.

Hope we can find solution for this.

Sespedido_23

If there's anyone looking at this concern right now, we're still unable to fix the issue at this point, so I really need some help for this one out.

MHalvey

@Sespedido_23 - A couple of other questions.

1 - When you add the user in Manage Sharing, if you hit the "Notify newly added people" checkbox and then hit Add. Do those users receive any email?

2 - If you have an email that gains access when you add it to a role. Then I would try adding that user and the one that doesn't at the same time and hit the notify button. I'd be curious to see what notifications are sent out to whom.

3 - Have you tried adding them to a user group and share that group instead of the user? Maybe using the same method in question 2.

4 - My other thought might be if you have Safe Sharing Policy active in your Admin center that may be preventing the user from gaining access. I don't see WorkApps listed on here for integrations so I'm not sure. Configure a safe sharing policy | Smartsheet Learning Center

5 - Have you tried making a new workapps and sharing it with that person to see if they can gain access?

Hoping for the best for you and a solution comes your way - Michael

BradTMEd

@Sespedido_23 I can confirm the same issue.

It almost seems that if the email is associated with an existing Smartsheet user, it will add them without an issue, but for user emails that would require the user to set up an account, nothing appears.

This is a frustrating change from previous behavior - wherein non-Smartsheet users' emails would still appear in the role, then change to a user name once they completed the registration process.

Sespedido_23

Hey @MHalvey - tried some of your ideas, thank you, although only one option worked.

You may also try this approach @BradTMEd as a workaround.

Thank you to all who participated in this topic. Appreciate you!

BradTMEd

@Sespedido_23 and @MHalvey thank you for the workaround suggestion!

I have opened a ticket with Smartsheet, since accounts with the Collaborator Pack (which my company has) should be able to add whomever needed to a WorkApp, with or without previously sharing an internal resource. This function worked without issue before.

Jen Davidson

@BradTMEd have you heard anything back on this? We have the same pack and experiencing the same issues so would be keen to hear any feedback you had gained. Its very frustrating this change has been made! Thanks

BradTMEd

@Jen Davidson, yes. The last I heard from Smartsheet is that new users are expected to already have a Smartsheet account before being added in WorkApps.

I have a "product ideas" post to have this functionality restored. I feel like creating roadblocks to onboarding new users is counterintuitive and is kind of a braindead move that lowers the value of the Collaborator pack. If you are interested in reviewing it, it's here: Restore the ability to add new users to WorkApps

Fortunately, there is a workaround (as mentioned above) that involves first sharing a blank sheet in Smartsheet (you can disable notifications to the new user) and then immediately removing them. Once Smartsheet has a record of their access on an asset, they can be successfully added to WorkApps. It's cumbersome and unnecessary, but it does work - at least for now.

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