A well-run team is a well-informed team, but it can be challenging to create the right workflow. Learn how Forrest Parker, a Business Systems Analyst and Oldcastle Materials, uses QuickBase notifications to drive workflow and keep users working at maximum efficiency. You'll also learn how to maximize your report-building strategy to keep the clutter out of your inbox. By the end of this session, you'll be full of new ideas for improving your team's efficiency and end user satisfaction with your QuickBase apps.

2. Notifications:
Keep Your Team Moving with Perfect
Reminders and Subscriptions

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① Introductions
② Notifications
③ Subscriptions
④ Reminders
⑤ Discussions, Questions, and Comments
Relationship Therapy

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Adam Hoover, QuickBase - Sales Engineer
A QuickBase Sales Engineer since 2013, Adam is a passionate supporter of the Intuit philosophy of making complex processes more
accessible. Having worked for Homeland Security, providing automation support to an organization that is incredibly large, and also at a
startup with less than 50 employees, providing software solutions to IT Service Providers, Adam loves to use his experience, spanning
the full spectrum of industry size, and is always trying to gain and provide insights to an increasingly diverse community of QuickBase
users.
Forrest Parker, Oldcastle Materials – Business Systems Analyst
Forrest began his career in 2009 and is currently pursuing a master's degree in information systems. Forrest has a passion for
improving processes and workflows. He stands out as a problem solver and as someone who pays attention to detail. Forrest enjoys
small coding projects and loves SQL. He is a lifelong learner and is willing to share what he has learned with anyone who is interested.
Notable projects/roles include: Agile Business Analyst on an awesome construction timecard app, and Project Lead on a point-of-sale
system switch at over 60 aggregate pits and asphalt hot plants.
Who We Are

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① Mobile Accessibility – A 2014 study indicates that users check
their phone on average, 221 times per day
Benefits of using Emails
② Instant Awareness – Fortune Magazine found that people spend at
least 28% of their work day on Email
③ Quicker Action – Some companies are recommending that
users follow up on emails within 12 hours, even on weekends

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Notifications
“It happens when they change something.”
- The Matrix

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Time Card App Enhancements
• The End Goal
– Collect and decide on enhancements for our time card web app (inField)
– Implement the enhancements that will benefit Oldcastle Materials as a whole
• The Problem
– Oldcastle Materials companies are scattered throughout the entire US
– Each company has its own preferences and procedures
– How do we know which ideas are best for the most people?
• The Solution
– House all enhancement ideas in a QuickBase App
– Notify inField Leads when enhancement ideas are submitted and request their feedback

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New Idea - Form
A user submits his/her
enhancement idea into
the inField Enhancement
Hub

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Email sent to inField Leads
Each inField lead receives
an email containing details
of the enhancement idea.
The “Rate Now” link takes
them to QuickBase where
they can provide feedback.

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General
• Permission Type
(Recipient or Open)
• Notification Name
• Notify Whom
• Notify When
Email Contents
• Message Type
• Subject
• Message Format (HTML
vs. Plain Text Only)
• Single record options
Advanced Options
• Operations
• From Address
Creating Notifications
• Getting there
– “Settings” -> “Tables” -> Choose the table -> “Notifications, subscriptions, &
Reminders” - > “New”
• Options

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Subscriptions
“If I’d had more time, I’d have written a shorter letter.”
– Mark Twain

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Blue Stakes Managed
• The End goal
– Keep Blue Stakes Current
• The Problem
– I don’t want to have to look at the Blue Stake’s unless there is some kind of action required
• The Solution
– Create a report that shows only the records that require action
– Set up a daily subscription to the report (Only have the report sent if it contains something)

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Email sent with
subscription report
The report is sent out each
day there are tickets that
need to be updated.
Custom Subject Line
Custom Message

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General
• Subscription Name
• Select Report
• Deliver by Email (Daily, Weekly,
Monthly)
• Deliver to: (Me, All users, or Select
Roles)
Mail Options
• From Address
• Subject
• Custom Message
Creating Subscriptions
• Getting there
– “Settings” -> “Tables” -> Choose the table -> “Notifications, subscriptions, &
Reminders” - > “New”
• Options

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Reminders
“Men more frequently require to be reminded than informed.”
– Samuel Johnson

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Using Reminders
• The End Goal
– Keep your users abreast of items that would normally fall off their radar, to eliminate the chances
of anything slipping through the cracks
• The Problem
– Users may often find themselves caught up in other priorities, and in those situations, it can be
incredibly helpful to provide them with the information they need in order to follow up with any
outstanding activities
• The Solution
– Create a date field, or series of date fields, or even a formula date field, that we can use to tell
QuickBase when users should be receiving a reminder that something should be addressed

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Setting up Reminders
Using the Reminder Wizard,
you can choose who, what,
and when a user receives a
reminder.
Custom Message

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• Provide a descriptive name
• Give adequate thought to the “Notify When” and “Notify
Whom” sections (Don’t overload the inbox)
• Always test before going live
Best Practices

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Questions
“I don’t pretend we have all the answers, but the questions are certainly
worth thinking about.”
– Arthur C. Clarke