Adding a New Auto Task

Creating a New Preservation Auto Task

Important:

• • When creating an auto task, it is important to remember that auto tasks are not property specific. What you are creating is a task template to be used on all preservations that meet the condition(s) that you specify. Therefore, the information you provide in the screens below must be generic.

1. From the Admin tab, click the Auto Tasks tab at left, then click the Preservation sub tab (at right), as shown below:

2. To create a new auto task, click on the + next to Add New Preservation Auto Task. The following is a portion of the screen that will appear:

3. In the Task field, type the name of the task you are creating.

4. In the Type field, indicate which type of task you are creating.

• • Task - This is the default auto task setting. A task is an action that needs to be performed by a specific user within a specified time frame. Tasks are assigned to users and must be marked as completed in the system when finished.

  • Start Task Plan - The purpose of this type of task is simply to kick off a string of other tasks. A Start Task Plan task is the top level task in this string (see Start Task Plan for information on how to set this up).

  • Email Notification - This feature allows you to use the Auto Tasking system to generate automatic Email Notifications to users inside or outside the Broker Brain system. An Email Notification task requires no action from your user(s).

  • Task & Email Notification - A Task & Email Notification generates both a task and an email. This type of task requires an action to be performed by a user, and also sends an automatic email notification regarding the task. In this instance, the task must be shown as complete by the task owner once it is finished.

5. Add any instructions for the task owner in the Task Instructions field.

6. Enter the duration of the task in the Days to Complete field. Entering a 0 will make the task due on the same day it is created. Entering a 1 will make the task due the following day.

7. Entering data into the Recurrence fields will cause the task to occur repeatedly based on the parameters you set. In the appropriate fields, indicate how many times you wish the task to occur and the number of days between each task. If you do not wish the task to recur, it is not necessary to enter anything in these fields.

Important:

• • If you set a recurring task to trigger every certain number of days, you must use the occurrence field to indicate how many times you want the task to occur. If you leave the occurrence field blank, the task will reoccur indefinitely.

• For a detailed explanation of recurring tasks, click here.

8. Set your task triggers. Triggers control how and when a task will be generated. Following is an explanation of the different types of triggers:

• • Auto Task Completed – This field is used for linking tasks together in order to create a string of dependent tasks. In other words, once task A is marked as complete by its owner, task B will automatically generate, and when Task B is completed, Task C will kick off. See Creating Auto Tasks using a Start Task Plan below for information on how to set this up.

  • Manual Trigger – Checking this box creates a task that can be triggered at the property level. This type of auto task is designed to generate when you tell it to, and will only generate from the properties you add it to. For more detail on the use of manually triggered tasks, click here.

  • Property Auto Task Completed – This field allows you to link the task you are creating to an existing property auto task so that the task you are creating will kick off when that property task is completed.

  • Date Triggers – Date triggers allow you to create tasks that will generate before or after certain activities occur within the system. For instance, you could create a task that would be set to occur a few days before a scheduled service date, or you could create a task that would be set to occur a few days after a preservation is approved. The only date triggers available for Preservation Auto Tasks are: service date, bid approved date, and estimated completion date, and these triggers will only work for preservation bids that have been approved. Date trigger auto tasks will activate when dates are added to the Info section of a property on the property's preservation tab, as in the example below:

• • Status Triggers – Using status triggers, you can set a task to automatically generate when a preservation enters a certain status. For example, using the Preservation Status section, you could create a task or an email notification to generate each time a preservation is approved. There are two types of statuses you can use to set triggers: Preservation Status and Billing Status. It is important to note that from the Admin>Statuses section of Broker Brain, any statuses you create will become check box options here. For more information on creating statuses, see Statuses.

  • Important:

    • You may have certain tasks that need to be repeated at various stages of the process. Because of that, you can assign multiple status triggers to any auto task.

    • If multiple status triggers are used, a separate auto task will generate for each trigger assigned. If you wish to have multiple conditions met in order to fire off a single auto task (for example, a task to be generated after another auto task is complete AND after it reaches a specified status), set only one trigger and use the Conditions section to specify the other statuses that must be met.

9. In the Conditions section (shown below), select any conditions that apply to your task. Conditions are for use on any task that should only be created IF a property meets some kind of criteria. Some examples of this are tasks that should only be generated: IF the preservation is out for bid, IF the property has a pool, IF the client (bank) is Fannie Mae, etc. Conditions can be related to the previous preservation status, the previous billing status, the client (bank), the current property status, the bid type (flooring, painting, etc.), if the property has a pool or spa, who the assigned agent or transaction coordinator is, what the type of payment is, or if the preservation is an item, a group, or an item within a group. Off to the right is a section labeled Additional Conditions, in which you can set a task to generate only if a preservation is currently in a certain status. Checking a status in this section will not cause any tasks to fire off, however. If you wish to have tasks generate based on their current status, this must be done in the Status Triggers section above.

10. In the Assignment section, use the Group Assigned box to select the group that should own this task when it is generated. If you wish for a certain individual within the group to work the task, select their name from the Assigned User drop-down box, which will appear once a group has been selected.

Important:

• When you assign a user to a task, the user will get an email from Broker Brain when the task is generated, letting them know that they have a task assigned to them. If the task has a group assigned but no user, all users within the group will receive the email. If you wish to opt out of these emails, click here and read the information provided.

11. If you are separating your workflow by agent, check the Override Agent Group Type Restrictions check box; otherwise, disregard it. If you would like to restrict access in this way, please contact support for assistance in setting this up.

12. Click the green Add button to create your task.