Auto send a completed form to an email address

Ramone Palmer

Hi,

I am fairly new to Smartsheet, and was able to create a sheet and a linked form to replace our old HR blast process.

My question is this, I created a form, and we have a list of users who needs to get an update/notified of all fields in the form when it is completed, however everytime the form is created I have to type the email address of the distribution list every time to send the form. Is there a way to make my specified email address always get the email? With the new items filled out in the form?

Paul Newcome

You could create a contact type column in the sheet which would create another available field for the form. Enter your email address as the default value for this field, then set up an alert automation to send whenever a new row is added to the email address listed in this new column.

Andrée Starå

@Ramone Palmer

Hi Ramone,

You can select what you want to include in the Workflow - Alert.

Would that work?

I hope that helps!

Have a fantastic week!

Best,

Andrée Starå

Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

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Paul Newcome

You could create a contact type column in the sheet which would create another available field for the form. Enter your email address as the default value for this field, then set up an alert automation to send whenever a new row is added to the email address listed in this new column.

Ramone Palmer

@Paul Newcome So you are saying if I did this, and then create an automation rule for the field it would work? My question is, would this also send the entire form that was filled out in it's entirety?:

Andrée Starå

@Ramone Palmer

Hi Ramone,

You can select what you want to include in the Workflow - Alert.

Would that work?

I hope that helps!

Have a fantastic week!

Best,

Andrée Starå

Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

✅Did my post help or answer your question or solve your problem? Please help the Community by marking it as the accepted answer/helpful. It will make it easier for others to find a solution or help to answer!

Paul Newcome

You can pick and choose exactly what gets sent, so you can select only the columns that are filled in on the form and not include any "helper" columns or the column used with the default value.

Ramone Palmer

Thank you guys : @Paul Newcome @Andrée Starå So let me get this straight, to create the automation I would have to select every field as such:

There is no way to Automate just sending a completed form to an email address?

Andrée Starå

@Ramone Palmer

Happy to help!

Who do you want to send the alert to? If it's the submitter of the form and they are logged in to Smartsheet (you can set that as required), then you can use the system column called Created and use that for the send to.

Make sense?

Ramone Palmer

@Andrée Starå No I have a specific distrubution list from HR that I need to send this to, I tested the suggestion from @Paul Newcome and got this as an email with the automation:

I think this could work, have to figure out how to remove a few unwanted fields but I think this may work.

Was this also your suggestion @Andrée Starå

Paul Newcome

That is the idea. It is just a matter of selecting the appropriate fields (columns) within the advanced options of the automation to ensure whatever you want is included and whatever you don't want is excluded.

Here is another option...

Don't send ANY columns.

Change the message to however you want the format to look and use placeholders.

So if you don't like the layout of being sent as in your screenshot above and you would rather it read more like an email...

"Good afternoon,

Thank you for your submission. The information submitted is as follows:

Manager: {{Manager}}

Hire Type: {{Hire Type}}

Job Title: {{Job Title}}"

If the above text was used for the row shown in the screenshot, the email would read as:

"Good afternoon,

Thank you for your submission. The information submitted is as follows:

Manager: Tester Test

Hire Type: Permanent Employee

Job Title: IT Helpdesk NJ"

Basically the way it works is it pulls the data from the specified column for whichever row triggered the automation to be sent.

I personally fell it is a cleaner layout than what appears when the columns are sent, and it allows you do do some customization as well, but if you aren't worried about that, then you should be able to just adjust which columns are sent by the automation.

Andrée Starå

@Ramone Palmer

Yes, then you'd add all the contacts to the alert, and in the three dots in the upper right, you can select which information to include in the message.

Another option could be to use placeholders to get a different structure design on the alert.

Would that work?

Ramone Palmer

You guys rock- it worked perfectly.

Thank you both @Paul Newcome and @Andrée Starå

Both share the credit ;)

Andrée Starå

@Ramone Palmer

Excellent!

You're more than welcome!

Paul Newcome

Happy to help! 👍️

Project Manager Management

@Paul Newcome @Andrée Starå i have similar requirement but i want to add external recipients (stakeholders not from the company) and would like to send the filled up form only not the sheet itself. would that be possible?

Andrée Starå

Hi @Project Manager Management

I hope you're well and safe!

As long as the permissions are correct, you can automatically send them a version of the form.

I'd recommend using placeholders in an alert. Still, another option (not fully automated) could be to use the Document Builder feature to trigger and send a pdf version of the form instead (one by one or in batches).

Make sense?

Would any of those options work/help?

I hope that helps!

Be safe and have a fantastic week!

Best,

Andrée Starå | Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

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Project Manager Management

Hi @Andrée Starå

Thank you for your quick response, i wish you same.

We prefer it to be fully automated.

I'm lost at permissions 😥

if only there is an option to send only the filled up form to other stakeholders.

Again thank you.