Splitting Update Request

MatR

So, we send out quarterly update requests to various different departments...more specifically, to named individuals within those departments whose details are held within a Contacts column. These updates are timed so that they automatically go out a number of days before a data entry deadline. Due to the variation in data that we collect from each department, each person receives a form containing between 1 and 15 pages.

So, for example, John Smith will have information we need updating on rows 1,2,3,8, whilst Janet Jones has information to be updated on rows 4,5,6,9. John gets an update form containing pages for rows 1,2,3,8 whilst Janet gets the same form but for rows 4,5,6,9.

I know you know this, it just helps me with my flow to explain.

Often, we have a problem where these people will go off sick or away on leave and won't tell us. When the deadline for update passes and we contact them to say 'where's the data?' we get an 'Oh sorry, they're not here. Can anyone else help?' and we have to send the request to a different person. This then requires us to create a new form and send it out for those specific rows.

These departments don't have generic email addresses that we can use as a CC-like substitute and the substitute suggested by the department is never the same so we can't have a named second person in a CC contacts column.

We (or, more specifically, I) had the genius idea to include our generic email box in a new contacts column as a CC for every row so that when someone is unavailable we simply find the email we sent to them in our inbox and forward it to the new person.

You can see where this is going, right?

Obviously, when the email hits our inbox it isn't separate emails each containing a form: one for John and one for Janet, it's a single email containing a single form for all rows 1-9. Only, because John and Janet are fictional and we have 45 data providers completing loads of rows, it's a single email containing one huge form.

Does anyone have any idea how I might split the emails up so that our inbox receives a copy of each individual update request sent out rather than one containing all rows? Is it possible? Am I missing something obvious? Or do I just want the moon on a stick?

Andrée Starå

Hi Mat,

I'd suggest another solution. 

You could add a checkbox column and a separate contact column and use those to send to the new person.

Make a copy of the Update Request action and set it to trigger when that checkbox is checked and use the contact column for sending.

Would that work or do you still rather have a copy sent to an inbox?

Have a fantastic week!

Best,

Andrée Starå

Workflow Consultant @ Get Done Consulting

MatR

Andrée you brilliant genius!

Thank you! I'm going to implement that immediately.

Andrée Starå

Wow! Genius! Thanks!

I'm always happy to help!

Best,

Andrée

Sheryl P

Great suggestions ... My Contact column has "allow multiple contacts per cell"  enabled.  Perhaps a condition/set of conditions could connect one of the multiple contacts to checkbox a or checkbox b - especially the contact/contact roles changes - I may be role a on row 1, and I may be role b on row 2 (requiring different update forms.

I could separate and have Contact list A, Contact list B columns - I assume @MattR is using Dept to drive which Update form to send.

 

Any other thoughts?

Andrée Starå

Hi Sheryl,

Thanks!

You probably could use a FIND function combined with a checkbox that would trigger the rule.

Would that work?

Have a fantastic week!

Best,

Andrée Starå

Workflow Consultant @ Get Done Consulting