Conversation notifications

Robin Herrick

When I @mention myself from a second account I get a notification in Smartsheet and by email. If I post a subsequent conversation message without an @mention then I don't get any notification. How do people keep up with conversation threads with no notifications without explicit @mentions? I am used to threads in Slack where, once you tag someone, they get notified for every subsequent message in that thread.

I wondered about using the "insert latest comment column" tag and having a notification automation based on that, but it still wouldn't naturally bring team members who get mentioned into the notification group. You'd need another column to capture who wants to get notifications.

Is this the best way forward? What do other people do?

Jeff Reisman

Ok so here's how I believe this works:

Someone @ mentions you in a comment: Notified

Someone replies to the comment in which you're @ mentioned: Notified

Someone replies to comment you create even with no @ mention: Notified

Someone adds a new comment on that row without @ mentioning you: Not notified

Someone replies to someone else's comment that you're not @ mentioned in: Not notified

I think it's set up this way so that you don't get blown up by notifications if two people are having an endless comment thread on a row you've commented on before, unless one of them @'s you.

If you want to be notified about every new comment, you can create an automation rule that would do that.

Jeff Reisman

@Robin Herrick Do you have all of these boxes checked under your personal settings?

Robin Herrick

Yes!

Which makes me wonder what following a conversation actually means.

Jeff Reisman

Ok so here's how I believe this works:

Someone @ mentions you in a comment: Notified

Someone replies to the comment in which you're @ mentioned: Notified

Someone replies to comment you create even with no @ mention: Notified

Someone adds a new comment on that row without @ mentioning you: Not notified

Someone replies to someone else's comment that you're not @ mentioned in: Not notified

I think it's set up this way so that you don't get blown up by notifications if two people are having an endless comment thread on a row you've commented on before, unless one of them @'s you.

If you want to be notified about every new comment, you can create an automation rule that would do that.

Robin Herrick

That makes sense. I'm still getting used to this conversation tool so I hadn't appreciated the difference between a comment and a reply.

The only thing I have noticed is that the email notification came through straight away but my mobile notification took a couple of minutes. A badge never appeared on the notification bell on the desktop but the notification was there.

I tried it again and the mobile and desktop notifications, message and desktop badge came through almost immediately I sent the message.

So it works, but like everything in Smartsheet, the synchronisation is hit or miss.

Jeff Reisman

So it works, but like everything in Smartsheet, the synchronisation is hit or miss.

LOL, the number of times a week I tell users "Relax, just give it a second to work!.... See, there it is!"

Robin Herrick

Yeah, they really need to up their game in this area.

Thanks for the support.

Jeff Reisman

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/331651#Comment_331651

My pleasure.

Yeah there are some things to improve, fortunately they are making things a little better all the time.

You can submit a request for enhancements/fixes/improvements here:

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