Alerts and notifications
Alerts tell you when stock needs attention, without anyone having to check. A site admin decides which kinds are on for the site, and each person decides whether to get them in the app, by email, or both. Alerts go only to people who belong to the site.
The five kinds
| Alert | Fires when | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Low stock | A product's stock drops below its low-stock amount. Only units on the shelf count; used, removed and still-pending units don't. | Skipped for products with a low-stock amount of 0 (set on the product), inactive products, products never received, and products hidden by Stock visibility. Not sent for a product that is already out. |
| Out of stock | A product's last unit is used or removed. | Same product rules as low stock. |
| Expiring soon | Stock on the shelf is about to expire. | Only units on the shelf with an expiry date count. |
| Expired stock | Stock on the shelf has passed its expiry date. | A unit is expired from the day after its expiry date. |
| Recalls | A lot on your shelf matches an active recall. | See Recalls. |
An alert fires when a problem starts, not every day it continues. If it clears and comes back, you hear again, but not within 24 hours of the last alert. One alert covers everything found in one check, naming up to three products and "and N more".
Who gets what
You only get an alert if your role at that site can see what it is about. Roles that see inventory can get the four stock alerts. Roles that see recalls can get recall alerts. Stats viewer gets none. Without a personal choice, the defaults are:
| Role | Stock alerts | Recall alerts |
|---|---|---|
| Owner, Admin, Member, Inventory manager | In app | In app and email |
| Purchaser | In app | In app |
| Compliance | Off | In app |
| Viewer, Visit manager, Clinician, Auditor, Site settings | Off | Not available |
"Off" means you can still switch it on in your profile. "Not available" means your role can't see recalls.
Where alerts show up, and your preferences
Where: Profile › Notifications
The profile page is Profile settings in the top menu and Profile on a phone. Each kind has an In app and an Email switch. You only see kinds your role can receive at one of your sites. Your choices apply at every site you belong to, but can't override the site: if a kind is off for the site, nobody there gets it.
- In the app, the bell in the header opens Notifications, newest first, with alerts from all your sites. Unread ones are bold, Mark all read clears them, and alerts from another site show its name. Tap one to open the product or the recall page. Alerts are kept 90 days.
- By email, one message per check lists everything you got, with links. It is sent as soon as the alert happens, and a failed email is not retried. The alert is still in the app if in-app is on.
- Weekly recall summary: if you can see recalls, this switch (off by default) emails you once a week per site, only when there are new unreviewed matches since the last summary. The first one covers the last seven days. It is separate from instant alerts and still sends when the site's recall alerts are off.
Site settings
Who can: Owner, Admin, Site settings
Where: Settings › Alerts
Every option is listed on Alert settings.
- Switches for each kind. Turning one off stops those instant alerts for everyone at the site. Turning it back on announces whatever is true then.
- Expiring soon window: 7, 14, 30, 60 or 90 days. New sites use 30.
- Site time zone: new sites use Toronto (Eastern time). It decides when the day starts for expiry.
- Daily expiry check: the time it runs, 09:00 for new sites. Click Save to apply.
When checks run
- Low and out of stock are checked within about 15 minutes of a change.
- Expiring and expired are checked once a day, within about 15 minutes after the daily check time in the site's time zone.
- Recall alerts fire when a lot is matched to a recall, including when stock with a lot is added or changed.