Recurring Task Automation

This example details how to set up a Custom Process to create a recurring Task, for example, to send out a monthly newsletter to your clients. 

A recurring Task can be created for any instance where you would be repeating the same task frequently.

The following is an example of the Task that is sent to the team member responsible for the monthly newsletter mailout.

Watch the tutorial and follow the steps below to get started with recurring task automations for your practice.

Creating the Recurring Task Automation

Step 1 - Add the Custom Process

1. In Automation – Processes, click Add Custom Process.
   
   
2. Enter the Details for the Process. 
   
3. Add the Name. For this example, the Name is set to "Recurring Task – Monthly Newsletter”.
   
   
4. If required, add any additional description of the Process in the Description.
   
   
5. The Trigger is set to “Schedule”. In this example, the schedule is set to begin from the 1st of October and re-runs on the last weekday of each month.
   
6. Set the Filter to your requirements. In this example, we've used "Client - Select Filter" and selected and selected the Practice Client - Growth Partners (as this is an internal task).
   
7. Set the Owner of the task to the appropriate practice team member.

Step 2 - Add the Step to Create the Task

1. Click Add Step, select FYI Actions, and click Create Task.
   
   
2. Expand the Task section, and enter the details of the task.
   Note: In this example, we've used Advanced Merge Fields to automatically populate the name of the month into the Task automatically: "Draft {{ "now" | add_interval: "+1 month" | date: "%B %Y" }} Newsletter". Refer to Formatting Merge Fields.
   
3. Select a Delegator to be notified when the task is completed.
   
   
4. Click Save.

Step 3 - Testing and Running the Process

When setting up a Custom Process, it is very important to test it to ensure it is working as expected.

You can test a Scheduled Custom Process directly from the Process itself and this can be done while the Process is still "Draft".

1. Click Test.
   
2. The Select Test pop-up will display a list of matching records according to your Filter. In the example below, 
   Note: A Test Client is handy for testing scheduled automation.
   
3. Select the client by clicking the row.
   
   
4. From the Select Test, search and select a specific record (as required) to run the test for and click Run Test.

Refer to Testing Custom Processes. 

Step 4 - Review the Process History

When a Process has run (from a Test or at any other time) you can review the status and check what was processed. The Process can be reviewed from the Process itself, or from the Client workspace for the relevant client.

Refer to Automation History, Client Processes and Process History and Client Process History Checklist.

Step 5 - Set the Status of the Process to "Active"

When you are ready, set the Status of the process to "Active" by clicking the Status toggle.

Once the Status is set to "Active", the Process will run automatically according to the schedule that was set. In this example, the process has been scheduled to run every hour. 

For details on the different ways to run a Custom Process, refer to Running Custom Processes.

Other Use Cases for Recurring Tasks

There are many scenarios that you can consider when setting up this process, some other administrative task examples you might like to consider setting up for your practice:

• Monthly internal reporting
• Stationery Stocktake
• Organise EOFY event
• Organise Christmas period lockdown

Consider any other items you complete regularly and whether you can create a Custom Process to get visibility in FYI and ensure nothing slips through the cracks.