Internal comments on a service request and messages sent to an external recipient serve different purposes. A Completion comment added in the browser is saved in the same comment history as a comment added in the mobile app. External conversations are saved separately on the Communication tab.
Select the request and check permissions
Open Service requests and select the correct request. Check the title and the request's target Spot, if one has been specified.
In the browser, the Manager role responsible for the service request category can add completion comments and attachments. Executor managers can also add them and mark the request as completed. Manager observers can add information to the request if Allow adding comments and attachments is selected for the category. An observer's permission to comment does not grant permission to complete the request.
Sending an external message requires separate communication permissions. The responsible Manager role can manage conversations. A Manager observer's permission to add comments and attachments also grants permission to send messages. Having only Executor manager permissions allows users to read conversations, but not to start a new conversation or send a message.
On mobile, request visibility and permission to add information depend on mobile roles and the request's status. The manager selections in the browser do not replace the mobile settings. If a function you need is missing, ask the user who configures permissions to check service request visibility and permissions.
Add an internal comment in the browser
- Open the request's Comments tab.
- In the Completion comment field, describe what has been investigated or done and what is needed next.
- Click Save new comment. An empty comment cannot be saved.
- Check that the new text appears in the history on the same tab with the correct author and time.
The completion comment has its own save button. Simply entering text in the field does not add it to the history. A saved comment also appears in the comment list for the same request on mobile.
You can open a comment for editing using the pencil icon on its history row and delete it using the trash icon. Both actions require permission to edit the request; permission to add comments alone is insufficient. Editing changes the existing comment, and deleting removes it from the comment history.
Add a comment on Android or iOS
Android: tap the plus button on the right of the Comments card in the open request. Enter your comment, tap Save and accept the confirmation Do you want to send the comment?. Then open the Comments card and check the saved text in the list.
iOS: tap the plus button next to Comments in the open request, or open the comment list and select ADD. Enter your comment and tap SAVE. Check that it has been saved in the comment list.
On mobile, you can only edit your own comments, and you still need permission to comment or edit. Open your own comment using the pencil icon and save the change using the Update button on Android or UPDATE on iOS. Comments are deleted in the browser with permission to edit the request. The option to add a comment to a cancelled request is hidden on mobile.
Adding a comment does not itself mark the request as completed or send an external message. Marking the request as completed requires at least one comment and fulfilment of the other completion conditions. Signatures on the Signatures tab are separate information and do not replace a comment.
Add attachments to the request
In the browser, open the request's Basic info tab and expand the Files section. Click Add files and select the attachments. Files selected for an existing request begin uploading immediately. Wait for the upload to finish and check that the files appear on the request and can be opened.
On Android, tap Add in the request's Attachments section or the add icon next to it. On iOS, use the plus button in the same section. Select Document, Camera or Gallery depending on whether you want to select a file, take a photo or use an existing image. If necessary, grant the permission requested by your device and confirm your file or image selection. Wait for the upload to finish and check the attachment in the Attachments section.
There is an additional restriction on attachments for a newly created request that has not yet been changed: during the first five minutes, adding attachments requires permission to create requests, and the request reporter's email address must match the signed-in user's address. At other times, permission to add attachments is checked against permission to edit the request or permission to add comments and attachments.
The request's own attachments and message attachments in an external conversation are separate attachments. If the recipient needs to see a file on the reply page, add it to the form for the message you are sending.
Send a message to an external recipient in the browser
External communication is handled on the browser's Communication tab. The buttons for starting a new conversation and sending a new message are unavailable when the request is Completed, Cancelled or Forwarded.
- Select Start a new conversation. To continue an existing conversation, open it using the recipient's email address or the pencil icon on the row, then click Send a new message to this recipient.
- Select Language. Your own interface language is selected by default. Changing the language replaces the email subject with the default text and changes the language of the automatic instructions shown on the form. Select the language before finalising the subject.
- Enter the Recipient separately for a new conversation. Check the email address. The recipient of an existing conversation is locked; start a new conversation if you want to message another person.
- Check the required Email subject and enter an Email body if needed.
- Enter the actual, required Message to the recipient. Email text or an attachment alone is insufficient to send the message.
- Add any necessary message attachments using the form's Add files button. Check both text sections and the recipient, then click Send a new message to this recipient.
The language selection does not translate text you have written yourself. It determines the language of the automatic email text. The reply page uses the language of the most recent message sent by a person handling the request in that conversation.
What does the recipient see, and how do I check their reply?
The email shows the request title, the Email body, automatic instructions and a link to the reply page. The Message to the recipient and message attachments appear on the reply page; they are not included as such in the email body.
The reply page shows the request's title, description, status and creation time, along with the messages, authors, times and message attachments in this recipient's conversation. The internal comment history and the request's own attachments are not included in this conversation view. Before sending, therefore, also check the request description: the recipient can see it through the link.
The recipient replies on the reply page through the link in the email, rather than by replying to the automated email's sender address. Opening the link does not require signing in to Spotilla. Instructions for the recipient: follow-up communication on a public service request.
After sending, check the recipient, the latest message details and the message count on the Communication tab. Open the conversation and check the text and attachments. Attachment uploads begin after the message is saved, so wait for them to finish as well. The Message sent notification means that the message was saved successfully and the email was queued; it does not confirm that the email has arrived in the recipient's inbox.
If the recipient's address has been anonymised, the form indicates this. You can still save a message in the conversation, but no email will be sent.
Check incoming replies by opening the same conversation. A reply notification is sent to the responsible managers only if reply notifications are enabled in the service request settings and email addresses are available for the responsible managers. Saving a reply does not change the request's status.
Delete a conversation or message
Delete an entire conversation using the trash icon on its row on the Communication tab. Delete an individual message using that message's trash icon in the open conversation. Deleting requires permission to manage the conversation; permission to send messages alone is insufficient.
Deleting an individual message also deletes its attachments and removes the message from the conversation on the reply page. Other messages and the conversation's reply link remain available. Deleting the entire conversation deletes all its messages and attachments and prevents use of the old reply link. It does not delete the service request, its internal comments or the request's own attachments. Deleting does not recall emails that have already arrived.
The reply page also cannot be opened when the request is Completed, Cancelled or Forwarded. Deleting a conversation and completing a request are separate actions: completing the request does not itself delete the conversation history.