Action Item Notifications

Action Item notifications are a fundamental part of how Vantaca communicates throughout workflows. Notifications automatically inform users, homeowners, service providers, and board members when an action item reaches specific steps in its workflow process. These notifications ensure that the right people receive the right information at the right time, enabling efficient task management and clear communication.
 

Contents

• How Notifications Work
• Notification Types
• Best Practices
• Setting Up Notification Settings
  • Configuring Send To and Reply To
  • Configuring Notification Rules
  • Homeowner Communication (Mail Format)
• Notification Content and Attachments
• Special Notification Features
  • Other Email Field Override
• Viewing Notifications and Messages

How Notifications Work

When an action item advances to a new step, Vantaca can automatically send notifications based on how that step is configured. The notification system is controlled by three key components:

• Send To: Determines which role will receive the notification. This can be set to any role (Homeowner, Manager, Customer Support, Service Provider, Board Member, etc.) and will send to all applicable people assigned to that role.
• Reply To: Determines which role will receive responses from this step. These show in your Unread Messages. It's important to note that the Reply To field is based on the current step of the action item when the reply is received, not the step when the notification was originally sent.
• Portal Reply: These roles display as the options that homeowners can Send to through an action item in the Vantaca Home portal. When they reply to a message, the roles in this column display as options in the Send To dropdown list.

For more information, see the "What are the Send To, Reply to, and Portal Reply Options on Action Item Steps?" article.



Notification Types

Vantaca offers several notification methods to accommodate different communication needs:

• General User Preference: The default notification method that checks the user's communication preferences and sends notifications via their chosen method: email, text, mobile app, or paper. If multiple methods are selected, notifications are sent through all of them.
• Email: Notifies the roles in the Send To field at this step by email only. It sends any attachments, letter templates, documents, or reports as attachments on the email. However, if a homeowner does not have a primary email on file, then the system will not send them an email notification.
• Paper: Sends physical letters through the Print Queue for printing. This requires at least one attachment (letter template, report, or document) to be configured on the action step. Note that if a step notification is set to Paper, and there is an email template on this step, it will not send or print.
• No Notifications: The action step will not send any notifications, though internal staff can still view the action item in My Action Items or All Action Items pages.
• Electronic (General User Preference): Sends notifications electronically through the user's selected preferences: email, text, or mobile app. If the user does not have an electronic preference (email, text, or mobile app) it will force an email if they have an email address on file.
• Paper and Electronic: Attempts to notify the homeowner electronically while also always sending a paper notification. Sends both an electronic notification (email or text) and a paper copy to the print queue. This option ensures homeowners receive timely notification via their preferred electronic method while also fulfilling any requirements for paper documentation. This notification type is commonly used for violations or other communications where dual delivery is necessary.
• Billing User Preference: Sends billing notifications to the homeowner using their Billing User Preference set on their homeowner account.
• Electronic Preference, If None Then Paper: Vantaca will attempt to send an email, text, or app notification if they have an electronic preference. If they do not have an electronic preference set, it will default to an email if one is on file. If there is no email on file the item will send via paper.

Note: Email notifications use the Primary Email listed on the Homeowner's account. However, if the Send to all emails rule is enabled in the step's Notifications settings (displayed after enabling Show Advanced Fields), notifications will go to all email addresses on the homeowner's account.

Best Practices

Use the following best practices when setting up your action item notifications:

• Configure Notifications Thoughtfully: Consider who truly needs to be notified at each step to avoid notification fatigue.
• Keep Templates Updated: Regularly review and update email and letter templates to ensure clear, accurate communication.
• Test Before Deploying: When creating new action types or modifying existing ones, test the notification flow to ensure messages are delivered as expected.
• Consider Response Handling: Always configure Reply To settings appropriately so responses are routed to the correct team members.
• Use Merge Tags: Leverage merge tags in templates to personalize notifications and provide relevant information automatically.
• Monitor My Messages Daily: Make checking My Messages a daily habit to ensure timely responses to homeowner and internal communications.
• Document Your Workflows: Maintain clear documentation of which steps send which notifications to help with troubleshooting and training.

Setting Up Notification Settings

Use the procedures in this section to set up your notifications. Refer to the "Action Type Rules" article for more information. 

Configuring Send To and Reply To

1. Navigate to Settings > Action Types/Steps.
2. Find the Action Type you wish to modify and click the caret to expand it.
3. Locate the step you want to configure in the list and click Edit to make the Send To or Reply To fields editable.
   
   
    
4. Select the appropriate role from the dropdown.
5. Click Update.

Important: Only roles listed in the Send To field (also known as the default followers) can be selected for Send To or Reply To. You can see these default followers by creating a new action type or clicking Edit on the action type. For more information about this screen, see the "Action Item Configuration: Overview" article. 



Configuring Notification Rules

1. Navigate to Settings > Action Types/Steps.
2. Find the Action Type you wish to modify and click the caret to expand it.

3. Locate the step you want to configure in the list and click Rules next to it. 
   The Edit Rules screen opens.

   
   
    

4. In the Notifications section, select the appropriate notification type from the available options. For more information about this screen, see the "Action Type Rules" article.
    

Homeowner Communication (Mail Format)

The Homeowner Communication field (labeled as Mail Format for non-Generation category action types) controls which owners receive communications and how many documents generate per property.

Generation Category Action Types

Generation category action types use the Homeowner Communication field with the following options:

• Primary Owner - Primary Contact: Sends to the primary owner's primary contact address only (one communication per property).
• All Owners - Primary Contact: Sends to each owner's primary contact address (one communication per owner, using only their primary contact).
• All Owners - All Contacts: Sends to all mailing addresses for all owners (multiple communications per owner if they have multiple mailing addresses).

Non-Generation Category Action Types

All other action categories use the Mail Format field with the following options:

• Primary Mailing Address Only: Generates letters only for the primary mailing address.
• Mailing Addresses: Generates separate letters for all mailing addresses on file.
• All Addresses - "Mailing Address with Name" tag: Generates mailings to all addresses using the Mailing Address with Name merge tag.
• All Addresses - "Mailing Address with Name" tag (Current Resident): Same as above, but sends to the property address with "Current Resident" if the mailing address differs from the property address.

Important: The Homeowner Communication/Mail Format setting determines recipient selection, while the Notifications setting controls the delivery method (paper, email, or text). For Generation category action types, child action item notification settings also influence the actual delivery method.

Notification Content and Attachments

Action item notifications can include various types of content to provide recipients with the information they need. Content is configured on each action step through the Rules configuration screen:

Note: For paper notifications to work properly, you must have at least one attachment (letter template, report, or document) configured on the action step.

• Email Templates: Configure the email template for how you want the message to appear. If left empty, Vantaca will send a default email with minimal information. You can use merge tags in email templates to customize messages sent to users. When sending email notifications, all attachments selected on the step (letters, reports, documents) will appear as email attachments.
• Letter Templates: Select one or more letter templates (the list displays those previously set up under Settings > Letter Templates). These are formatted documents that can include merge tags for personalized information. The Order Number determines the order in which multiple templates (letters) display.
• Reports: Select one or more reports to include with the notification. The Order Number determines the order in which multiple reports display.

• Documents: Select documents uploaded to the Association > Documents page. You can also configure steps to automatically export documents to that page. This feature allows for dynamic workflows that can send association-specific items without additional setup. For more information, see the "Documents on Action Items" article.

   

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Special Notification Features

You can enable the following items in the Edit Rules screen when setting up a notification step (make sure to enable Show Advance Fields):

• Hide Sender: Hides the step author from the portal and uses the email account's From Name instead. You can set the From Name in Mailroom > Email Accounts.
• Hide from Portal: Hides this action item from all portal users while in this step. The action item reappears when moved to another step.
• Send to All Emails: Notifications will be sent to all email addresses listed on the homeowner's account, not just the primary email.
• Combine attachments: Combines all eligible attachments from this step into one PDF file.
• Send as Bcc: BCCs emails so recipients see only themselves, not other recipients. Enabled by default. Disable for intentional group emails like Board/Committee communication.
• Repeat Notifications: The Repeat (# of Days) rule repeats the notification on the step once the specified number of days has been reached.

Other Email Field Override

When creating or editing an action item, the Details section includes an Other Email field that allows you to send notifications to a specific email address that bypasses standard notification routing and configuration.


 

When you enter an email address in the Other Email field:

• The notification sends to that address even if the action step is configured for No Notifications.
• The notification sends even if the recipient's account (homeowner, user, or service provider) has no email address on file.
• Standard notification preferences and Send To settings are bypassed for this specific communication.
• All configured attachments (letter templates, reports, documents) are included in the email.

To use this field:

Note: This is useful for one-time communications to alternate contacts, temporary representatives, or specific recipients who are not configured in the system.

1. Open the action item and locate the Details section.
2. Enter the recipient's email address in the Other Email field.
3.  Step or update the action item normally. 

Viewing Notifications and Messages

You can view your messages within Vantaca in the following locations:

• My Messages: Navigate to Action Items > My Messages to view your messages. Think of this section as your email inbox. It displays all messages received as part of action items. Check this section regularly throughout the day to ensure effective communication. Messages remain in My Messages as long as the action item is open. When a homeowner replies to a notification, the action item will automatically reopen in the appropriate response step.
• Dashboard Notifications: The Vantaca dashboard displays unread messages at the top, allowing quick access to new communications. You can click on messages to view them or use the right-click menu for options like Mark Read, send a Message, or Select the associated action item.



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FAQ

Q: An email was sent from an action item that doesn't match the email template configured for that step. Where did this email come from?

A: This email was generated by clicking New Message on the action item step. The content comes from templates configured in Mailroom > New Message Templates, not from the step's standard email template. Multiple templates can be saved in this location and selected from the Message Template dropdown when sending a message on an action item. The template selected determines the content that is sent. For more information on email message templates, review our Email Message Templates article.
 

Q: How do I stop a Vantaca user from receiving email notifications on an action item step?

A: Email notifications for action item steps are controlled by the step's Notifications setting. Follow the steps below to locate this setting and determine the appropriate fix.

1. Go to Settings > Action Types/Steps
2. Locate the action type and click the caret (▶) to the left of the category name to view its steps
3. Locate the step sending the email and click Rules
4. On the Edit Rules screen, find the Communication Settings section and check the Notifications setting

If Notifications is set to Email: Change the setting to No Notifications. This will stop emails from being sent on this step for all users.

If Notifications is set to (General User Preference): The user receiving emails has eMail selected in their personal communication preferences. You have two options:

• Change the Notifications setting to No Notifications to disable emails on this step for all users, or
• Have the user navigate to Help > Comm Preferences and replace eMail with Mobile App to stop emails for that user only