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Notify Internal Team

This action sends notifications to internal team members via Microsoft Teams, Slack, or email. It's typically used to convey results from previous actions in a workflow, such as reports, summaries, or alerts.

Why is it useful?

Automating internal notifications keeps your team informed about important events, workflow outcomes, or issues requiring attention, without manual intervention. It ensures timely communication and can streamline internal processes.

What It Does​

  • Sends messages to specified internal users or channels.
  • Supports three notification channels: Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Email.
  • Can include messages generated by previous actions in the workflow.
  • Optionally, it can attach a CSV file if the input includes a data table (e.g., from a "Data Analysis" action), primarily for email notifications.
  • Can request feedback from the recipients.
  • Logs the notification attempt and outcome in the Event History.

How It Works​

1. Input Data​

The action primarily receives a list of WorkflowMessages (typically from the default_messages_for_msp output of a preceding action). It also takes configuration for the notification channel, recipients, and other options.

2. Message Assembly​

The executor gathers the messages to be sent. If the workflow is triggered by a ticket, information about that ticket (like ID, title, and company) is automatically prepended to the notification header for context.

3. Notification Dispatch​

Based on the selected notification_channel:

  • Microsoft Teams: Sends messages to the specified users. For this to work, the NeoAgent Teams App must be installed by the recipient.
  • Slack: Sends messages to the specified Slack channel or user.
  • Email: Sends emails to the specified addresses. If a default_response_dataframe is provided (e.g., from a "Data Analysis" action), it will be converted to a CSV file and included as an attachment. Ticket hyperlinks in the header are extracted and moved to the beginning of the email body for better readability.

4. Feedback Request (Optional)​

If ask_for_feedback is enabled, a standardized feedback request link is appended to the messages, allowing recipients to provide feedback on the workflow or the information received.

5. Output Structure​

The action outputs messages confirming the success or failure of the notification attempts to the default_messages_for_dashboard and default_messages_for_msp fields in a SimpleNotificationOutput object.

Configuration Fields​

When you add the "Notify Internal Team" action to a workflow, you'll configure the following:

default_messages_for_msp​

The list of messages to send. This input is typically provided by the default_messages_for_msp output of a preceding action. Each item in the list is a WorkflowMessages object which contains the actual text to be sent.

notification_channel​

The channel through which to send the notification.

  • Options: TEAMS, SLACK, EMAIL
  • (default: TEAMS)

default_response_dataframe​

(optional) A data table (dataframe) that, if provided, will be converted to a CSV file and sent as an attachment. This is primarily used with the EMAIL notification channel.

ask_for_feedback​

If set to True, a link will be appended to the notification asking recipients for feedback on the workflow or information received.

  • (default: False)

users​

A set of users to notify if notification_channel is TEAMS. You can select users from a list of NeoAgent users in your organization who have interacted with the Teams bot.

  • (default: empty set)

slack_channel_id​

(optional) The ID of the Slack channel or user to send the notification to if notification_channel is SLACK.

emails​

A set of email addresses to send the notification to if notification_channel is EMAIL.

  • (default: empty set)

Output Fields​

This action makes the following information available to subsequent actions in the workflow:

default_messages_for_dashboard​

A list of messages summarizing the notification attempts, suitable for display in the Neo Dashboard Event History. This includes which users were successfully notified and which attempts failed.

default_messages_for_msp​

A list of WorkflowMessages containing the same summary of notification attempts as default_messages_for_dashboard.

default_messages_for_end_client​

This field is typically empty for this action, as "Notify Internal Team" is intended for internal communication.

credits_consumed​

The number of NeoAgent credits consumed by this action. Notifying internal teams does not consume any credits.

  • (default: 0)

Use Cases​

1. Report Data Analysis Results​

  • Action 1: Data Analysis - Generates a report (e.g., a table of tickets meeting certain criteria).
  • Action 2: Notify Internal Team - Sends the report (potentially as a CSV attachment via email) to the relevant internal team or manager.

2. Alert on Critical Ticket Events​

  • Action 1: Filter Tickets - Filters for high-priority, unassigned tickets.
  • Action 2: Build Message - Crafts a summary message about these tickets.
  • Action 3: Notify Internal Team - Sends an alert via Teams to the support manager or a specific channel.

3. Inform about Workflow Completion with Issues​

  • A workflow attempts to perform an automated task (e.g., L1 Engineer).
  • Action (Last): Notify Internal Team - If the L1 Engineer action couldn't resolve the ticket and escalated, this action notifies the L2 support team with the details.

Best Practices​

  • Configure Recipients Carefully: Ensure you select the correct users, Slack channel, or email addresses for each notification.
  • Use Clear Messages: Ensure the default_messages_for_msp input provides clear and concise information. Preceding actions like "Build Message" can help craft well-formatted messages.
  • Install Teams App: For Teams notifications, ensure all intended recipients have installed the NeoAgent Teams App and interacted with it.
  • Check Event History: Monitor the Event History to confirm notifications are being sent as expected and to troubleshoot any delivery issues.
  • Consider Feedback: Utilize the ask_for_feedback option to gather insights on the usefulness and accuracy of your automated notifications.
  • CSV Attachments for Email: If sending tabular data, the EMAIL channel combined with the default_response_dataframe input is the most effective way to deliver it as a CSV.

This action is highly versatile and can be used in various scenarios where internal communication about PSA entities is necessary.

Use Case 1: Notify on Escalation​

  • Scenario: When a ticket is escalated (e.g., by the Escalate Ticket action), notify the L2 support team channel in Microsoft Teams.
  • Steps:
    1. Workflow Trigger: Ticket Status Change (to "Escalated").
    2. Filter Tickets action to get the latest ticket details.
    3. "Notify Internal Team" action to send a message to the 'L2 Support' Teams channel with ticket ID, summary, and a link.

Use Case 2: Alert on Negative Customer Sentiment​

  • Scenario: If the Analyze Customer Sentiment action detects a highly negative sentiment on a new customer reply, notify the account manager.
  • Steps:
    1. Workflow Trigger: New Customer Reply.
    2. "Analyze Customer Sentiment" action.
    3. Conditional Logic: If sentiment is "Very Negative".
    4. "Notify Internal Team" action to send a direct message to the Account Manager via Teams, including the customer's message and ticket link.

Use Case 3: Daily Summary of High-Priority Tickets​

  • Scenario: Send a daily morning summary of all open high-priority tickets to the support manager's email.
  • Steps:
    1. Workflow Trigger: Scheduled - Daily at 8 AM.
    2. Filter Tickets action to retrieve all open tickets with "High" priority.
    3. "Notify Internal Team" action to email the summary (ticket ID, summary, assignee) to the support manager.

Best Practices​

  • Be Specific with Channels/Users: Ensure the Microsoft Teams Channel Name or User Email is accurate to avoid miscommunication.
  • Use Clear Message Templates: Craft informative and concise message templates. Use placeholders effectively to include dynamic information.
  • Consider Frequency: For scheduled notifications, choose a frequency that is helpful and not overwhelming.
  • Microsoft Teams Integration: Ensure that Neo has the necessary permissions in Microsoft Teams to send messages to channels and users. Refer to the installation guide for details.
  • Review Event History: Monitor the Event History to ensure notifications are being sent as expected and to troubleshoot any issues.