Fulfilling Requests
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      Sending Messages about a Request

      You can add messages to requests to communicate with both requesters and internal staff. External messages enable staff to communicate effectively with requesters (and vice versa) while internal messages enable the staff to communicate effectively with each other and coordinate fulfillment of a request. All staff on a request will receive an email containing the contents of the message (assuming they have not turned off those notifications). The requester will receive an email containing the contents of an external message.

      You can use templates for messages that your users will send on a regular basis. For information about how to create and manage templates click here.

      This document covers everything you need to know about sending messages about requests. Click on any of the links to jump to that section:

       

       

      Adding an internal message

      You can use internal messages to communicate with other members of your organization and to coordinate fulfillment of a request. Internal messages will only be visible to staff who have access to the request. They will not be visible to requesters or the public.

      Steps for adding an internal message

      1. Sign in to your account
      2. Navigate to the request you want to send a message about
      3. Click the Chat icon (). A message window will appear entitled "Internal Message"
      4. (Optional) Review the "Notify a User' field and determine if you want to notify all assigned staff for the request of individuals, or only notify a particular user. The message will still be posted to the timeline regardless of you choose to notify.
      5. Type a message or click the Insert Template link to insert a template
      6. Click the SEND MESSAGE button

       

       

      Adding an external message

      Note: Publishers and Admins can post external messages. Staff can only post internal messages

      You can use external messages to ask requesters questions about their request and to communicate updates about their request’s status. By default an external messages will only be visible to requesters and staff and will not show on the timeline for published requests. For steps for making a message visible to the public click here.

      Steps for adding an external message

      1. Sign in to your account
      2. Navigate to the request you want to send a message about
      3. Click the Envelope icon (). A message window will appear entitled "External Message".
      4. Type a message or click the Insert Template link to insert a template
      5. Click the box "Yes, send to requester (required)".
      6. Click the MESSAGE REQUESTER button

       

       

      Adding a public message

      Note: Publishers and Admins can make a message public. Staff can only post internal messages

      You can make any message public that you think is relevant context for anybody viewing the request. For example if a message to or from the requester changes the scope of the request you may want to publish the message as part of publishing the request. While it is not possible to publish a message when it is created, you can make a message public by first posting it as an internal or external message and then changing its visibility.

      Steps for adding a public message

      1. Sign in to your account
      2. Navigate to the request you want to send a message about
      3. Select the Internal () or External () message icon
      4. Enter the message and click the SEND MESSAGE / MESSAGE REQUESTER button
      5. Locate the message at the top of the timeline
      6. Click the Change Visibility icon (release_eye) next to the visibility label to the right
      7. Select the Public option
      8. Click the SAVE button

       

       

      Changing the visibility of a message

      Note: Only Publishers, Department admins,  and Admins can change the visibility of a message

      If you accidentally post an external message that should be staff only, or you change your mind about who should be able to see a message, you can change the message's visibility. If you make a request that was previously internal only visible to the requester or the public, the requester will receive an email notification.

      Steps for changing the visibility of a message

      1. Sign in to your account
      2. Navigate to the request with the message you want to edit
      3. Locate the message in the request timeline and hover your cursor over it
      4. Click the Change Visibility icon (Screen Shot 2022-02-10 at 10.38.03 AM) next to the visibility label to the right
      5. Select a visibility option. The options are:
        • Public (everyone with access to the request)
        • Requester + Staff
        • Staff Only
      6. Click the SAVE button

       

      Editing a posted message

      Note: Publishers and staff can only update messages they posted themselves. Admins can update any message, including ones from requesters.

      Steps for editing a posted message

      1. Sign in to your account
      2. Navigate to the request with the message you want to edit
      3. Move your cursor over the message you want to edit without clicking
      4. Click the Edit icon () that appears at the bottom right of the message
      5. Make edits to the message text
      6. Click the UPDATE NOTE button. The message will be updated but no emails will be sent.

       

       

      Deleting a posted message

      Note: Publishers and staff can only delete messages they posted themselves. Admins can delete any message, including ones from requesters.

      When an external message is deleted it will no longer be visible on the external timeline. It will still be visible (although crossed out) in the internal timeline and an internal update will be added to the timeline that the message was deleted. When an internal message is deleted it is removed from the internal timeline entirely and an update is added to the timeline that the message was deleted.

       

      Steps for deleting a posted message

      1. Sign in to your account
      2. Navigate to the request with the message you want to delete
      3. Move your cursor over the message you want to delete without clicking
      4. Click the Delete icon () that appears at the bottom right of the message
      5. Click OK

       

       

      Replying to a message outside of NextRequest

      Depending on your notification preferences, NextRequest will send an email each time that a request you are assigned to is updated. When you reply to one of these emails, it will post a message to that request's timeline, without you having to log in. Be sure that you are replying to an email that includes the text “-- Write ABOVE THIS LINE to post a reply --” and has correct request number in the subject line. The type of message posted depends on both the type of message that you are replying to and your role:

      • Internal messages: Any reply to an internal message will be posted as an internal message and will not be visible to the requester, regardless of your role
      • External messages: If a staff user replies to an external message their reply will be posted as an internal message and WILL NOT be visible to the requester. If a publisher or admin user replies to an external message their reply will be posted as an external message and WILL be visible to the requester

       

      For information about how to update your notification preferences click here.