Alert

Event alerts are used to update active tasks based on subsequent events. For example, if a task is created when a new start is processed, an alert might be set up to add a note to the task if the subscriber then stops. Transaction entry and processing are the only two event types that can update tasks based on alerts. Alerts can do one or more of the following:

• Add a note

• Reprioritize the task

• Adjust the due date

• Reassign the task

• Escalate the task

• Complete the task

• Send an e-mail message

Once alerts are defined, they can be linked to specific tasks, as described below.

Adding Alerts

To add an alert:

• Select Setup | Alert to display the Current Alerts window.

  
• Click Add and complete the following fields.

  Field	Type	What to enter
  EVENT	predefined	Indicate which process should update tasks: Account Payment Entry, Overdue Task, Payment Processing, Resolved Invoice, Transaction Entry, or Transaction Processing. Note: When using Overdue Task events, the overdue tasks must be triggered by running the Overdue Tasks option on the Utilities menu.
  TRANSACTION, BILL SOURCE, or DAYS OVERDUE [event specific]	predefined	Select the specific event that should update tasks. For Payment Processing, Transaction Entry, and Transaction Processing, you can choose from a list of appropriate transactions. For Account Payment Entry or Resolved Invoice, you select a bill source in this field. For Overdue Task, you select the number of days that the task is overdue.
  START DATE, END DATE	date	Enter the date range during which the alert will be in use. End Date can be blank.
  ADD NOTE	yes/no	Indicate whether this alert should add a note to the task with details of the event selected above. Also, select a reason.
  CHANGE PRIORITY	yes/no	If the task should be assigned a different task priority, select a reason and enter a new priority.
  CHANGE DUE DATE	yes/no	If the task due date should be extended by the alert, enter a reason and the number of days to extend. Note that you cannot shorten the due date (negative numbers may not be entered).
  REASSIGN	yes/no	If the alert should reassign the task to a different group or user, enter a reason, set Reassign Type to individual or group, and enter the group or user in Reassign To.
  ESCALATE	yes/no	If the alert should escalate the task, rather than just reassigning it, enter a reason, set escalate Type to individual or group, and enter the group or user in escalate To.
  COMPLETE	yes/no	Select this checkbox if the alert should mark the task as complete, and enter a reason. This field will be open only if no other updates are entered for the task in the fields above.
  SEND EMAIL	yes/no	Select this checkbox if the alert should generate an e-mail message to be sent to the recipient in the To field. Only users who have an e-mail address set up in User Notification will be available for selection in this field. Note: This checkbox is currently available only for the “Overdue Task” event.
  The remaining fields are optional
  PRODUCT	setup	If the task should only be updated for this event if a certain product is entered, specify the product here, or select “*” to multi-select products using the Ctrl key.
  SELECTION TYPE	predefined	If a product is entered above, you can specify a particular area, region, zone, or district for the alert, or choose mail. If a value is selected here, tasks will only be updated when the event involves a subscriber in the area, region, zone or district(s) entered below, or a mail subscriber.
  SELECTION	setup	If a value other than “mail” is entered in SELECTION TYPE, specify the area, region, zone or district that should trigger the alert.
  SOURCE, REASON	setup	You can specify a source or reason code that should trigger the alert, or select “*” to multi-select using the Ctrl key. If specified, tasks will be updated only if the transaction has the source or reason code entered.

• Click OK to add the alert.

Linking Alerts to Tasks

Once alerts are defined, you can link them to the relevant task(s). For example, a task may be created if a subscriber perm stops, so that a Customer Service associate can follow up with the subscriber (this is done with the Task option). However, if the subscriber then starts again, this would not be necessary. Therefore, you could define an alert that completes a task if a start is processed, and link it to the perm stop task configuration. An alert may be linked to several tasks, and several alerts may be linked to the same task.

To link an alert to a task:

• On the Current Alerts window, select the alert that should be linked.

• Click the Link button in the lower-right part of the window. The Alert Task Link window will open.

• Select the appropriate task from the Other Active Tasks list (the tasks in the Currently Linked Tasks list are already linked to this alert and so cannot be selected).

• Click the Link button to link the task and alert.

Note: Rather than linking alerts to tasks via the Alert option, you can link tasks to alerts via the TASK option. It does not matter which option is used to make the link.

Once an alert is linked to a task, it can be removed by clicking Remove. Tasks currently linked to an alert may be displayed by clicking the View button.