Does free / evaluation version send email notifications?

Ray1

Testing out smartsheet, when team members make changes no one is getting email notification despite setting that up in preferences. Is this feature only for paid version?

Ray1

Ok thank you - that explain it :) the settings are correct, I'm Editor-can share,

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but it's a free account so I guess the trial period is over! Appreciate all your help!

Genevieve P.

Hi @Ray Michael

Notifications can be received by any user-type, even including emails that don't have Smartsheet accounts. There are a number of settings you may want to check, if you're not receiving an email notification from a workflow.

First, check that your personal notification preferences has all the boxes checked, including the one that says "include my changes in sheet notifications".

Next, check the sheet-specific workflow permission settings (Automation > Manage Workflows > small gear icon). See Control Who Is Notified About Alerts and Requests:

Then if both of these settings are correct, check to see if the users are receiving notifications from the bell icon within Smartsheet. If they are, then the workflow is triggering properly, but the reason they're not seeing an email may be due to their email's spam filter. Ask them to check their junk folder.

Please see this article for more email troubleshooting steps: Issue: Email Not Received from Smartsheet

Finally, if none of the above has helped, it would be helpful to see a screen capture of the workflow you have set up and the source sheet for the workflow to ensure that it's configured correctly (but please block out any sensitive data!)

Cheers,

Genevieve

Ray1

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It appears that feature is not active for trial version, only with premium

Genevieve P.

Hi @Ray Michael

My apologies, I thought you were asking about receiving notifications from Smartsheet.

Yes you are correct, there are limits to who can create workflows within Smartsheet in order to automate these notifications.

This Help Article goes through Permissions Required to Create and Edit Automated Workflows.

Let me know if the chart in the article above has the information you're looking for, or if I can clarify anything further.

Cheers,

Genevieve

Ray1

Hello Genevieve - Thank you for the very detailed reply; so my basic question is: can a team evaluating Smartsheet receive email notification? Don't care yet about workflows yet, just want to know if we can receive email notification when a team member makes changes so the rest of team knows to go check, as opposed to having periodically to check sheet for changes. The feature CAN be enabled but it does NOT send email notifications. Just trying to confirm :)

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Genevieve P.

Hi @Ray Michael

Yes, anyone can receive email notifications from Smartsheet. You can be a free user (see here), a trial user, or even someone who has never heard of Smartsheet but has an email address.

However, you need to have a License or an active Trial account in order to create the workflow that enables these automations and sends out those emails, does that make sense?

The Workflow set up on the sheet is what sends out the automatic email when someone makes a change.

If the owner of the sheet has successfully set up an Alert workflow that should be sending out to users, but your users aren't seeing these emails, then you'll want to check the three settings in my first comment:

1 - Personal Notifications

2 - Sheet Automation Permissions

3 - Their email's Junk folder.

In this most recent screen capture you've cut off the bottom check mark. Can you ensure that you have the box checked that says "include my changes in sheet notifications"? This may be why you're not receiving emails: if you're the person making the change Smartsheet won't send you notifications of your own edits.

Cheers!

Genevieve

Ray1

Sorry, here's the full screen; how do I tell if we have an active trial account or jut a trial account?

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Genevieve P.

Hi @Ray Michael

Great! So that is the first thing from the checklist that is set up correctly. What about the other two, have you checked your Junk folder? Are you the owner of this sheet, or just shared to it? (If you're just shared to it, what are your permissions? Click on the blue "Share" button to find out.)

What I meant by "active Trial" is just that you are still currently within the 30-day trial period, and haven't switched over to a Free User account. The 30-day Trial allows you to test out functions as if you had a Smartsheet License. Here are some Trial FAQs you may want to review: Smartsheet Free Trial: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

If you’re using a trial of Smartsheet, your plan type will be listed as Trial, and you’ll see the Upgrade Options button at the top of the Account Administration window. See this other Help Article fore more information: Identify Your Smartsheet Plan and User Type

I hope this helps!

Cheers,

Genevieve

Ray1

Ok thank you - that explain it :) the settings are correct, I'm Editor-can share,

sheetsfreeaccount.PNG

but it's a free account so I guess the trial period is over! Appreciate all your help!

Genevieve P.

Hi @Ray Michael

The reason you're unable to create workflows or edit the workflow permissions for the sheet (as seen in your first screen capture) is also due to your sharing permissions as Editor. You will need to be a licensed Admin or Owner of the sheet to adjust these settings.

However, even as a Free user, you should still receive emails from workflows set up in Smartsheet. Can you contact the Owner of this sheet and ask them to check the workflow that sends you alerts/emails? Did you find anything in your email's Spam folder?

Ray1

Hello Genevieve - no, there is nothing in spam / junk folders - I do receive notifications from Smartsheet when you reply / comment but not for team sheet changes.

Owner is out this week so will have to wait till next week and ask about workflows they may have setup.

Genevieve P.

Hi @Ray1

Ok yes, it sounds like you'll need to connect with the owner about their workflows and ask them to set up an Alert workflow so you'll be notified about any changes. (You can pass along this Help Article on Alert workflows).

In the meantime, you may want to turn on Highlight Changes to show anything that has changed since you last viewed the sheet. See: Highlight Changes Made to a Sheet

This is an action you can enable as a Free collaborator with Editor permissions.

Cheers!

Genevieve