Internal and External Request Messaging

You can add messages to requests to communicate with both requesters and internal staff. External messages allow staff to communicate with requesters. Internal messages allow staff to communicate with each other and coordinate the fulfillment of a request. All staff on a request will receive an email with the message content (unless they have 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, please review the Message Templates article.

Add an Internal Message

You can use internal messages to communicate with other members of your organization and to coordinate the 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.

1. Sign in to your account.
2. Click the All Requests tab in the upper-left corner of the Portal's dashboard
   
3. Select the request you want to send a message about
   
4. Click the Message Staff icon (speech bubble)
   
5. Ensure the Notify a user field is set to the appropriate user(s)
   
   
   • All Assigned Staff: Notifies all staff users who have been assigned or have worked on the request.
   • Specific User: Notifies a specific user who is assigned to the request.
     
     Note: The message will still be posted to the timeline regardless of whom you choose to notify.
6. Type in the Message contents textbox or insert a Message Template
   
7. Click the Send internal message button in the lower-right-hand corner of the pop-up window
   

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Add an External Message

You can use external messages to communicate with requesters about their request status. External messages will only be visible to requesters and staff by default. They will not show on the timeline for published requests. Learn more about Requester Email Communications.

1. Sign in to your account
2. Click the All Requests tab in the upper-left corner of the Portal's dashboard
   
3. Select the request you want to send a message about
   
4. Click the Message Requester icon (envelope)
   
5. Select a Message Template from the drop-down menu or write in the Message contents text field
   
   
   Note: This message will be visible to both the requester and staff members.
6. Click the box labeled Yes, send to requester (required)
   
7. Click the Send external message button in the lower-right-hand corner of the pop-up window
   

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Add a Public Message

You can make any message public that you think is a 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. 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.

1. Sign in to your account
2. Click the All Requests tab in the upper-left corner of the Portal's dashboard
   
3. Select the request you want to send a message about
   
4. Select the Message Requester icon (envelope) or Message Staff (speech bubble) icon
   
5. Select a Message Template from the drop-down menu or write your message in the text field
   
   
   • For a New External Message, remember to click the box labeled Yes, send to requester (required).
     
   • For a New Internal Message, remember to select the correct user in the Notify a User field.
     
6. Select the Send External Message or Send Internal Message button in the lower-right-hand corner of the pop-up window
   
7. Locate the message on the Timeline and click the Change Visibility icon (eye) in the lower right-hand corner of the message tile
   
   
   Note: The message should be the first visible event on the timeline.
8. Click the Visibility drop-down menu and select Public from the list
   
9. Click the Change Message Visibility button
   

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Change the Visibility of a Message

You can change a message's visibility. The requester will receive an email notification if you change a request's visibility from internal only to visible to the requester or the public.

1. Sign in to your account
2. Click the All Requests tab in the upper-left corner of the Portal's dashboard
   
3. Select the request you want to send a message about
   
4. Locate the message on the Timeline and select the Change Visibility icon (eye) in the lower right-hand corner of the message tile
   
5. Select a Visibility option
   
6. Click the Change Message Visibility button in the lower right-hand corner of the pop-up window
   

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Edit a Posted Message

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

1. Sign in to your account
2. Click the All Requests tab in the upper-left corner of the Portal's dashboard
   
3. Select the request you want to send a message about
   
4. Locate the message on the Timeline and click the Edit icon (pencil) in the lower right-hand corner of the message tile
   
5. Edit the Message contents
   
6. Click the Save Edited Message button in the lower right-hand corner of the pop-up window
   
   
   Note: Updated messages will have a red pencil icon next to the event's title.
   

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Reply to a Message Outside of NextRequest

Depending on your notification preferences, NextRequest will send an email each time 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 you are replying to an email that includes the text “-- Write ABOVE THIS LINE to post a reply --” and has the 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 response will be posted as an external message and will be visible to the requester

If you have sent an external message to the requester you may need to see if they were able to open it successfully. Whenever an outbound email is sent to the requester the email status is captured on the request under the view email status link. Learn how to View the Email Status of a request. 

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Resources

• Requester Email Communications
• Notification Configuration for Requesters
• Request Management Resources