Overview
Notifications in Practifi help your team stay connected to the work that matters most by providing real-time updates through the Notification Bell and email. This article outlines the notification types available in Practifi, how to configure them for your organization, and important considerations when implementing notification strategies. As a System Administrator, you control which notification types are enabled and can help users optimize their personal notification preferences.
- What Is the Notification Bell?
- Feed Notifications
- Task Notifications
- Queue Notifications
- Other Notifications
- Recommended Configuration
- Troubleshooting and Considerations
What Is the Notification Bell?
The Notification Bell located in the upper-right corner of Practifi serves as a central hub for all user notifications. This feature helps users stay informed about relevant activity without constantly monitoring multiple areas of the platform. When an event requires attention, such as a Task assignment or a Feed mention, the Notification Bell displays a red circle showing the number of unread notifications.
Clicking the Notification Bell opens a comprehensive list of all notifications, regardless of read status. This view provides a complete activity history, allowing users to track engagement patterns and ensure nothing falls through the cracks.
Clicking any notification in the list opens the related record, whether it’s a Task or Feed post. Once clicked, notifications are automatically marked as read and no longer count toward the unread total. The red indicator disappears entirely when all notifications have been reviewed. Users can also click the Mark all as read button in the notification header to clear multiple notifications at once without opening each one individually.
Feed Notifications
Feed notifications keep your team connected and engaged with important conversations across your organization. These notifications help ensure that mentions, comments, and collaborative discussions don’t go unnoticed, supporting stronger team communication and faster response times.
You will receive a notification when your user or a group you belong to is @mentioned in a Feed post. This ensures that relevant team members are immediately aware of when their input or attention is needed on client matters, project updates, or operational discussions.
Please note: For questions about @mentioning other teams or team members, we recommend reviewing Salesforce’s @mention guide.
You will also receive a notification for additional comments on posts you have commented on, bookmarked, or liked. This keeps you connected to ongoing conversations without requiring you to manually check back on posts.
Notification Bell
Feed notifications within the Notification Bell display the user who created the post and the message content from either the feed message or the additional comment.
Each Feed post or comment generates its own notification within the Notification Bell. Clicking the feed notification opens the post directly, allowing you to comment, like, or review the full conversation thread.
For additional information regarding Feed functionality, please consult our Using the Feed article.
Email Notifications
By default, email notifications are enabled for feed activity. These notifications are sent when someone follows you, mentions you in a post, or comments on a post you have interacted with or created. Email notifications provide an additional layer of visibility for users who may not be actively logged into Practifi but still need to stay informed about critical discussions.
Email notifications will not be sent when @mentioning yourself in a post or when you are @mentioned as part of a group you belong to. These emails will also not be sent for subsequent comments on posts where you were @mentioned but did not participate in the discussion.
Individual users can customize their email notification preferences for their feed. To access these settings, click the user icon in the upper-right corner of Practifi, then click Settings.
Once in personal settings, click Email Notifications from the Chatter section in the left-hand menu.
This page displays checkboxes for different scenarios in which the system will send a Feed email. Users can deselect any options they do not want to receive, then click the Save button to finalize the changes. To disable all feed emails, deselect the Receive Emails checkbox under General on this page before clicking Save.
Task Notifications
Task notifications help your team stay on top of client work and operational responsibilities by providing immediate visibility into new assignments. Like feed notifications, task events are reflected in both the user’s Notification Bell and email notifications, ensuring assignments are communicated through multiple channels.
Practifi provides two separate email notification systems for Tasks: Practifi-specific workflow Task notifications and standard Salesforce Task notifications. These systems can work independently or together based on your configuration. Depending on your setup, users may receive notifications from one or both systems for Practifi workflow Tasks.
Notification Bell
When tasks are assigned to your user profile, you will receive a notification in the Notification Bell. These notifications occur only when another user assigns a task to you or to a group you belong to. This prevents notification overload by not sending alerts when users create tasks assigned to themselves.
Task notifications display the name of the user who assigned the task and the task subject. Clicking this notification opens the Task record where users can view details, mark the task as complete, and fulfill any Deliverables if your firm uses this functionality.
Practifi Workflow Task Email Notifications
Practifi includes a user-level setting that controls email notifications specifically for Tasks created through Practifi workflows and processes. This setting operates independently of all Salesforce notification settings, providing dedicated notification control for Practifi-generated Tasks.
The Send Emails When Assigned Workflow Tasks field on individual user records determines whether that user receives Practifi's workflow Task email notifications. When enabled, users receive email notifications for workflow Tasks assigned to them by other users or to groups they belong to.
To configure this setting for a user:
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Click the Setup cog in the upper-right corner of Practifi, then select Setup from the drop-down menu.
- Once in Salesforce Setup, use the Quick Find search bar on the left-hand side to search for Users.
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Click Users under the Users header in the Quick Find search results.
- Click the name of the user you want to configure.
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In User Detail, scroll down and locate the Send Emails When Assigned Workflow Tasks checkbox.
- Click the checkbox to enable Practifi workflow Task email notifications for this user, or deselect it to turn them off.
- Click Save to finalize the change.
Please note: This setting applies only to Practifi workflow and process Tasks. It does not control standard Salesforce Task assignment emails, which have their own configuration settings described below.
Enabling Standard Task Assignment Email Notifications
Standard Salesforce Task assignment email notifications can be enabled to provide additional notification coverage for all Tasks in your organization, including Practifi workflow Tasks. These notifications are not enabled by default but can be activated through several org-wide and user-level settings.
Please note: If both Practifi workflow Task notifications and standard Salesforce Task notifications are enabled, users may receive two separate email notifications for the same workflow Task. Consider your organization's notification needs when deciding which systems to enable.
To enable standard Task assignment email notifications within your organization, follow these steps:
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Click the Salesforce Setup cog in the upper-right corner of Practifi, then select Setup from the drop-down menu.
- Once in Salesforce Setup, use the Quick Find search bar on the left to search for Activity Settings.
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Click Activity Settings in the Sales section in the Quick Find search results.
- In Activity Settings, select the checkbox beside Enable User Control over Task Assignment Notifications.
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Click Submit to finalize this change.
- Use the Quick Find search bar to search for Notification Delivery.
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Click Notification Delivery Settings from the search results.
- Click the caret button located next to Activities to expand this section.
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Ensure that the Task assignments row displays a checkbox under Desktop.
- If the checkbox is not displayed, click the caret button in the farthest right column in the Task assignments row and select Edit from the drop-down options.
- Select the Desktop checkbox under Supported Channels in the Edit Delivery Settings pop-up.
- Click Save to finalize these changes.
- Use the Quick Find search bar on the left-hand side to search for Email Settings.
- Click Email Settings in the Chatter section in the Quick Find search results.
- In the From Name field, enter a name if you would like the sender's name to contain a static value, such as your company's name. This helps recipients immediately recognize that emails are coming from your organization's Practifi instance.
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In the Email Address field, enter an email address that you would like the notifications to be sent from. For example, add your company's email address, such as notifications@yourfirm.com.
Please note: This field is required for email notifications to be sent. Notifications will not be sent if an organization has no value in the Email Address field in Chatter Email Settings.
- Click Save to finalize these changes.
- Use the Quick Find search bar to search for Process Automation Settings.
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Click Process Automation Settings from the search results.
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On the Process Automation Settings page, locate the section titled "Send an email notification every time a process, workflow, rule, or Apex trigger creates or updates the same record that triggered the automation. When this setting is disabled, no email notification is sent when the same record is updated via automated updates". Make sure the checkbox next to Send an email each time automation updates the same record is checked.
- Click Save to finalize these changes.
Please note: For a user to receive a standard Task assignment email notification, they must also have the Email me when someone assigns me a task checkbox selected. This checkbox is selected by default.
If a user is not receiving notifications, ensure that this checkbox is enabled under their login by completing the following steps:
- Have the user click their user icon in the upper right-hand corner of Practifi.
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Click Settings from this pop-up.
- Use the Quick Find search bar to search for Activity.
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Click Activity Reminders from the search results.
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Ensure the checkbox next to "Email me when someone assigns me a task" is selected. If not, select this checkbox and click Save to enable this option.
Queue Notifications
Queues enable efficient work distribution by creating groups of users who can be assigned tasks together. When a task is created and assigned to a queue, members of that queue can receive notifications according to your organization’s preferences. This functionality helps ensure that tasks assigned to shared queues receive prompt attention without requiring users to check for new assignments manually.
Notification options for queues include: no notifications; only an email; only a Notification Bell alert; or both an email and a Notification Bell alert. The configuration below lets you set your firm’s notification preferences for all queues in your organization.
For steps on creating a queue in your Practifi organization, please consult our Creating and Managing Queues article.
Enabling Queue Notifications
To enable queue assignment notifications within your organization, follow these steps:
- Click the Setup cog in the upper-right corner of Practifi, then select Setup from the drop-down menu.
- Once in Salesforce Setup, use the Quick Find search bar on the left-hand side to search for Custom Metadata Types. Click the Custom Metadata Types option under the Custom Code header.
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Locate the Practifi Feature Settings option on the All Custom Metadata Types table and click the Manage Records option beside the Practifi Feature Settings label.
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Click the Edit action beside the Default label.
- Locate and click the When a Record is Assigned to a Queue field.
- From the drop-down menu, select the notification option that best suits your firm’s needs. Options include:
- None
- Send an email
- Send a system notification
- Send an email and a system notification
- Once your preference is selected, click the Save button to finalize your changes.
Other Notifications
The Notification Bell will notify you when a Deep Deletion is completed within your organization. This notification displays either a success message or an error alert for the deletion job. This functionality helps System Administrators monitor data management tasks and quickly identify issues requiring attention.
Clicking the notification opens the batch deletion information page, which displays details about the deletion job and its status. If errors occur during the Deep Delete process, this page provides diagnostic information to help troubleshoot the root cause.
Please note: This functionality may not be available depending on your user’s permission access within your organization. You will not encounter this notification if you do not have permission to use Deep Delete.
Recommended Configuration
Due to the overlap between Practifi's native notification path and Salesforce's standard Task notification settings, configuring these settings incorrectly can result in duplicate or missing notifications. The table below outlines the recommended configuration for most organizations, using Practifi's email path for workflow Tasks while disabling Salesforce's overlapping notifications.
| Setting | Value | Why |
| Practifi User Setting | On (per user) | Sends Practifi's own email for workflow Tasks. |
| Flow Task Notification | Off | Prevents duplicate bell notifications. |
| Apex Delegated Notification | Off | Prevents duplicate bell notifications. |
| Enable User Control | Off | Prevents Salesforce's standard Task email from overlapping. |
| Email me when assigned | N/A (hidden when Enable User Control is off) | Not applicable. |
| Automation re-send | On | Intended to support reassignment notifications. |
| Bell flows | Off | Avoids the no-bell gap when Flow Task Notification and Apex Delegated Notification are off. |
Please note: This configuration represents the recommended setup for most organizations. Your firm's specific needs may require adjustments. If you have questions about your organization's configuration, please reach out to Practifi Support.
Troubleshooting and Considerations
When configuring and using notifications in Practifi, several important behaviors and troubleshooting scenarios are worth noting to help you and your users get the most out of this functionality.
Duplicate Task Notifications
Because Practifi provides two separate Task notification systems that can operate independently, users may receive duplicate email notifications for the same workflow Task if both systems are enabled. This occurs when:
- The user has the Send Emails When Assigned Workflow Tasks checkbox enabled on their user record (Practifi's workflow Task notifications)
- AND the user has the Email me when someone assigns me a task checkbox enabled in their personal settings (standard Salesforce Task notifications)
- AND the Enable User Control over Task Assignment Notifications setting is enabled at the organization level
If users report receiving duplicate Task notification emails, you can resolve this by choosing one notification system to use:
Option A: Use only Practifi workflow Task notifications by ensuring the "Send Emails When Assigned Workflow Tasks" checkbox is enabled for users, while keeping the "Enable User Control over Task Assignment Notifications" setting disabled at the organization level. This prevents standard Salesforce Task notifications from being sent.
Option B: Use both notification systems if your organization also needs standard Task notifications for non-Practifi Tasks. Users who want to receive both types of notifications can enable both settings, accepting that they will receive two emails for Practifi workflow Tasks.
Task Reassignment Notifications
When a workflow Task is reassigned to a different user through Practifi's automation or manual owner changes, the new owner may not receive email or Notification Bell notifications about the reassignment. This can occur even when all notification settings are properly configured.
If your organization frequently reassigns workflow Tasks and notification visibility is important, you may want to establish a practice of manually notifying team members when Tasks are reassigned until this behavior is addressed. Consider using Feed @mentions or direct communication to ensure reassigned Tasks receive appropriate attention.
Feed Notification Behaviors
If you @mention yourself in a Feed post, the system will not generate a notification in your Notification Bell or send an email. This is designed to prevent unnecessary self-notifications. Additionally, copying and pasting an @mention from an existing Feed post to a new Feed post will not trigger notifications. This Salesforce limitation occurs because the Feed displays the copied @mention as a URL link rather than a true @mention. For additional information about Feed notification emails, please consult this Salesforce article.
Email Notification Delivery
Notifications sent to email may take time to arrive for Feed mentions or Task notifications. For the fastest access to information, we recommend that users rely primarily on the Notification Bell. Note that notifications will remain in the Notification Bell drop-down menu even after being marked as read, providing a persistent record of activity. For additional considerations about Task email notification limitations, please consult this Salesforce article.
Email Delivery Issues
If users are not receiving email notifications despite having the appropriate settings enabled, your IT systems may be blocking communication from Salesforce. This commonly occurs when anti-spoofing software blocks emails from Salesforce IP addresses. To resolve this issue, we recommend reaching out to your internal IT team to pull email logs within Salesforce to confirm whether emails are being sent but blocked at the network level.
To address email-blocking issues, Salesforce does not recommend an allow-list strategy. Instead, Salesforce recommends implementing standard email security protocols, such as SPF and DKIM, to authenticate it as a legitimate sender.
Configuration Requirements
Email notifications will not function if the Allow Email setting is turned off in Chatter email settings. As a System Administrator, verify that this setting is enabled in your organization if users report missing email notifications.
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