People User

5 minute read Last updated on December 03, 2024

People User Node Icon

Use the People User node to send jobs to a licensed Dispatcher Stratus User. The job may be reassigned, depending on workflow configuration. The People User node is designed for jobs that are intended to be completed by the recipient, typically an individual with specialized skill or authority. Common uses for the People User node include:

  • Final checks/approvals
  • Tasks that require job-specific input, such as photography, proofreading, etc.

For more information about how People nodes function in workflows, see the Building a Workflow with People Nodes section and the Interacting with Workflows page.

To open the People User node’s configuration window, add a People User node to your workflow and double-click on it.

Configuring the People User Node

People User Node

  • Enabled - To enable this node in the current workflow, ensure the Enabled toggle is to the right. By default, nodes are enabled upon creation. If you disable the node, the workflow will ignore it. While the workflow will still validate, jobs and documents will pass along all Normal and User-Selectable connections configured from this node. Error and Negative connections will be ignored.

  • Node Name - The node name defaults to this field. This name appears in the workflow below the node icon. Use this field to specify a meaningful name for the node that indicates its use in the workflow.

  • Node Description - Enter an optional description for this node. A description can help you remember the purpose of the node in the workflow or distinguish nodes from each other.

Buttons

  • Help - To access Online Help, click this button.
  • Cancel - To exit the window without saving any changes, click this button.
  • Save - To preserve your node configuration and exit the window, click this button.

Activate Response Options

There are several options available in the People User node that allow the job’s owner to understand the status of the workflow.

  • Allow user to see next step in workflow - Selecting this option allows the job owner to see what the next step in the workflow is before completing their assigned job.

  • Send email notification for each status change - When this option is selected, Dispatcher Stratus will send an email to any previous owners of a job (not the user currently performing the action). This option has no effect on job notifications within Dispatcher Stratus.

    For example, if User A reassigns a job to User B, User A will get an email when User B accepts the job. Then, if User B reassigns the job to User C, User A will get an email that the job has been reassigned, and both User A and User B will get emails when User C accepts the job. If user C then completes the job, Users A and B will get emails saying the job is complete.

    Notes:

    • Selecting this option does nothing if the “Allow job reassignment” option (below) is not also enabled.
    • This option is node-specific. Every past job owner (except the current owner taking the action) will receive an email for each action until the job passes to the next node, but will not receive further emails as the job progresses through the workflow. Similarly, users will not receive emails for actions taken in previous nodes.

Selecting a User

Within the People User node, you can type the name of a user you would like to send documents and jobs to or you can search.

To use the search feature, do the following:

  1. Click in the User field.

  2. Enter your search term.

  3. After a moment, the search results for the search term will appear, as in the following illustration:

People User Node

Note: Only licensed users will appear as search results.

  1. Click on the user you would like.

  2. Select whether jobs assigned to this user will have the option to be reassigned. Then, you will be provided with a list of the User Groups. The user will be able to reassign the jobs from this workflow to any user who is also a member of the selected group.

People User Node

  1. Click the Save button to save the configuration and close the node.

Activity Reminder

In the “If No Activity” section, you can set reminders for the user assigned to jobs from this node. After a specified amount of time, the owner of the job will recieve an inbox notification and an email reminding them of their task. To configure the activity reminder, do the following:

  1. Select the + button to add a rule.

  2. Select the Time and Time Frame for the notification.

  • For example, if you would like the user to be notified after 24 hours of inactivity, you could select:
    • “24” in the Time field and “Hours” in the Time Frame field.
    • “1” in the Time field and “Days” in the Time Frame field.

People Group Node

Notes:

  • You can configure as many reminders as you would like by selecting the + button multiple times.
  • If there is at least one rule configured and a user interacts with a job, the timer will be reset for any pending reminders. However, any previously-sent reminders will not be reset.
    • For example, say a job has reminders set for 1, 2, 3, and 4 days. A user interacts with the job on the 3rd day (reminders 1 and 2 have been sent out already). The user will not get a reminder after 1 or 2 days of inactivity, but will receive one after 3 additional days of inactivity (and then the 4th day of inactivity).

To delete a reminder, select the trash can icon.