At Speakap we help organizations and employees to get their work done, in whatever way they need. We, therefore, offer: ‘Tasks’, a feature in our app to help you manage employee tasks and get instant feedback on to-dos straight from the web version or your app.
With Tasks, your tasks and (company) focus are put in the palm of your hands. Checking your work vitals is easier than ever before: your front liners never lose their daily focus and your operations leaders always stay informed and receive feedback on the spot.
Tasks can be accessed both from desktop and mobile.
Here’s what you can do:
Task management home page
To navigate to the Task Management homepage and view all tasks assigned to you and by you, click on Tasks in the left menu on web or the bottom right menu on mobile.
Once you've hit the Tasks button, you will enter the Tasks Homepage.
To create a task, click on the green button +Add in the upper right corner.
Time to create your first task! Tasks can be created from the desktop website as well as from your mobile device, but from mobile you won’t be able to assign a task to multiple assignees at once. This can only be done from the web version.
Our new update for this feature allows you to create personal tasks for yourself, other individuals one-by-one, or every single individual of a group, as well as create group tasks that will only need to be completed by one group member on behalf of all within the group.
Let’s go over every single case, so that the process is smooth and easy for fulfilling whatever needs you might have:
- Creating a task for yourself
This option may help you when you are trying to stay on top of your to-dos by creating a task of something you need to sort out yourself. An example may be: ‘Answering all emails’. If you would like to create such a task, all you have to do is click on the add task button in the top right of the Tasks page.
A ‘New Task’ window will open and you will be able to insert your title, ‘Answering all emails’, the due date, and assign the task to yourself by selecting the ‘Assign to’. Now if you are a network admin you are able to see all of the people in your network, by using the search function above the list of names in the middle column you can look for yourself and select your name. In case you don’t have administrator permissions, you will need to search for a group you are part of in the left column, and then you’ll be able to find your name in the middle one.
Add a description and any tags if they are necessary, then you are good to go, you have set up your first task!
- Assigning a task to individuals
The process of assigning a task to a single individual or multiple individuals who are not in a group together is very similar to the one detailed above for creating your own task.
The difference will be in the names you select singularly from the list of people within your own network.
There might be a higher chance you would like to individually assign a task to an already existing group of people. For instance, you might want all individuals from your department store to fill in their availability for shifts, or you might want to ask every member of a specific group to come up with a pitch to start a project.
Whatever you may need from every single individual within a group, you can assign at the same time to all by selecting said group within the ‘Select recipients’ lists on the left side of the window. You also have the ability to select only some individual from within a group, or exclude some group members by selecting or deselecting them by name in the central column of the Select Recipients window.
Once you have selected one or more groups and clicked on ‘Assign’, you will go back to the ‘New Task’ window, here you are once again free to add a description and any tags if they are necessary.
Note that you will see the following message: ‘It is not possible to add or remove individuals for this task type. Please revisit your selection in order to check this box’, as the option to have the task only marked as completed by one user is disabled. This is because the option is only possible if the task is assigned to an entire group, without excluding or adding anyone else from other groups.
Please note: If you would like to assign any task type to multiple assignees (multiple groups or individuals) you will need to do this on web as it is not available on mobile.
Whenever you need a task to be completed by a certain group of people, but it is not important to you who fulfills it, or you would like to ask a group to collaborate on a task, you can assign a group task to be completed. This is a task where only one of the members can indicate that the whole group is done with their assigned duties.
If you would like to assign this type of task you need to select a group or multiple groups, following the same process explained above through the ‘select recipients’ window, and this time you will tick the checkbox that says “To be completed by one individual of each of the assigned group(s)”.
When you do this, contrary to when you are assigning a personal task, you will not be able to select single individuals or some individuals within a group, but only entire groups. So, whenever one single individual within a group will mark the task as complete, it will mean the whole group finished the task and they will also see it as complete in their own profile.
It is important to note that when you check the box for this option, you will not be able to remove or add singular individuals from within the same or other groups, you will only be able to select one (or multiple) groups. If you try to do so, you will see this error:
Please note: If you would like to assign any task type to multiple assignees (multiple groups or individuals) you will need to do this on web as it is not available on mobile.
To add a title to your task, please fill out the first text field which says Task. There is the possibility to add a due date to a task in the form of a deadline. Tasks that appear in the task list will be sorted by due date by default. You can choose to add a due date/deadline to your task by clicking on the calendar icon and selecting the desired date. If you don’t want to add a deadline, click on the cross. These tasks will appear at the bottom of the task list.
To add additional information to your task, use the description field. You’re also able to insert links (URLs) in this field.
Feel the need for your description to be more organized or want to highlight salient information? Format the text of the task description to your liking!
A rich text editor is present in the task editor interface. You can find it in the bottom left corner of the task description fill-in box. By clicking on it you will be able to use bold, italics, and strikethrough, and create bullet points and numbered lists.
Now you don't have to worry about lengthy task descriptions as they can be easily organized making communication clear and straightforward.
Last but not least, you’re able to add attachments to your task. You can do this by clicking on one of the three icons under the ‘Tags’ field. This will give you the option to select a file saved on your computer based on the file type you select: image, video, or document attachment, plus from your mobile you have the option of taking a picture directly with your camera.
Once you think your task entails all the information needed, hit the Add button in the bottom right.
Congrats! You’ve just created your first task!
Once a task has been created, it will appear in your Task Management Homepage under the My Tasks tab or Assigned Tasks tab. Where the task appears is based on your permissions as follows:
- If you are an assignee of any type task you will see it in the My Tasks tab
- If you have permission to see the task that someone else assigned this will show up in the Assigned Tasks tab
- If you are the assignee of a group task you will see it in the My Tasks tap
- If you are the original task creator you will see it in the Assigned Tasks tab
By clicking on a task in the task list, you’ll be able to view the task detail page. The task detail page will contain the following:
- Task name
- Name of the person who created the task (‘the creator’)
- Name of the person who the task is assigned to (‘the assignee’)
- Date of creation
- Tags
- If assigned to a group or multiple assignees, who has completed the task
- If selected, a deadline
- If present, the description
- If attached, all file attachments
- Comment section
To better cater to the needs of an international organization, and to make our service accessible to all, we have introduced the option to translate a task to another language. This means you will be able to see all of the task details in the language you set your network to be in on desktop, while on mobile the text will be translated to the phone’s language preference by just following some simple instructions.
To translate a task, hover your mouse on it in the task homepage, then click on the three dots that appear in the top right corner and select ‘Translate’. You can also translate by going into the Task details page, click on the three dots and select the ‘Translate’ option.
In the comment section, you are able to comment on the task you’ve selected. Start writing your comment in the text field below. Once you’re ready to send out your comment, click on Post and your comment will be visible below the task.
It’s also possible to add an attachment to your comment, and edit or delete the content of the text. To attach a file, just click on the paper clip icon in the bottom left corner and select a file from your computer. To edit or delete your comment select on the three dots that appear in the top right corner and select your preferred option.
Once you edit a comment, there will be an indication it was edited and a new timestamp. As far as removing it, your comment will be deleted but it will not completely disappear: instead of the text you will see an empty comment bubble with the wording “This comment is no longer available”.
Reply to a Comment
You can also reply to comments under tasks and mention your colleagues. By doing so you will create a comment thread below the original comment.
Simply click on the speech bubble under the text of one of your colleagues’ comment under the Task. A new text box will appear with the text ‘Write a reply…’ , and you will be free to reply directly to them. The person that created the original comment will be automatically mentioned at the beginning of the reply, so you can easily get their attention.
Have you finished your task? Here comes the satisfying part: mark it as completed!
- Select the required task in the list of tasks which can be found on the Tasks homepage.
- Click on the empty tick box on the left side of the task name. A tick will appear in the box, and the task title will be crossed out.
- You’ve now completed your task!
We also offer the option to mark an assigned task as complete. Having assigned a task as an admin, you have the ability to mark it as done yourself if, for example, it is no longer necessary to complete.
The reverse action is also possible, namely, you are able to mark a task as incomplete by unchecking it. By doing so, the task will reappear in the uncompleted tasks list at the top, still sorted by default per due date.
Made a mistake? No problem: you can quickly undo the action you just completed if you momentarily realize you made a mistake.
Whenever you select any option: marking a task as complete/incomplete, deleting a task or duplicating it, you have the option to reverse your selection by clicking on the ‘Undo’ button.
You will see either a text bubble in the top right corner of your screen if you are on web or a banner at the bottom of your screen on mobile immediately after you complete an action, it being completing a task, marking it as incomplete, duplicating it or deleting it. There you will find the option to instantly revert this with the ‘Undo’ button.
Completed tasks can be toggled on or off in the list view. By default, they are not displayed. If you would like the completed tasks to appear in the task list on your Task Management homepage, please select the Show completed filter from the list you can find within the main Task homepage banner both for your own tasks and the assigned tasks. Once you’ve selected this option, all completed tasks will appear in the task list below the not completed ones. Here, they will by default be sorted by competition date.
On the other hand, if you don’t want the completed tasks to appear on your Tasks homepage under the My Tasks tab, you have the option to filter out completed tasks in the same way. To do this, deselect the Show completed filter. Once you’ve done this all completed tasks will disappear from the list view.
You can also easily duplicate an existing task, so you don’t have to manually recreate the same task which will be often repeated by different colleagues and/or teams. If you would like to duplicate a task, follow these steps:
- Click on the three dots in the right corner of a task on the task list view or the three dots in the Task details page
- Select ‘Duplicate’ from the appearing task options
- If desirable, change task details
- Click on ‘Duplicate’
Your task is now duplicated.
Assigned and Completed Task
You’ll receive push notifications and alerts when:
- A task is assigned to you
- A task you assigned has been completed.
To turn on/off the desktop notifications:
- Click on your avatar in the right-hand corner of the web’s interface
- Select personal settings in the drop-down menu
- Click on notifications
- Select/deselect direct desktop notifications
To turn on/off the mobile app push notifications:
- Click on the menu (three vertical lines) in the bottom-right corner
- Click on the gear icon in the upper right corner
- Select notifications
- Select push notifications
- Select tasks
Toggle on/off the options new task assigned to me and/or completed tasks assigned by me
Due Date notifications
Task assignees will receive a notification 24 hours before their task is due. Both task assignees and task creators will receive a notification when a task becomes overdue.
You are wondering where you can find these notifications in case you dismiss them? All notifications are present within the Speakap platform under the bell icon, so you can always check what you are missing from the drop down Notifications menu.
Due Date Filters
Filter your task list based on tasks that are due in the upcoming week, are already overdue, or both.
Web: In the bar right above the task list. When clicking on the "Due date" filter, a drop-down menu will appear where you can choose your preferred due date filtering.
Android: The due date filter has been added to the existing Sort & Filter options at the top right-hand corner of the screen.
iOS app: The due date filter has been added to the existing Sort & Filter options at the top of the task list.
Assignee Filters
With the Assignee filter, you can easily create an overview to see the productivity of a specific segment, group, or employee of the business.
Web: In the bar right above the task list. When clicking on the ‘Assignee’ filter, a drop-down menu will appear where you can choose your preferred assignee.
Android: You can select an assignee by clicking on the Sort & Filter option at the top right corner of the screen and choosing ‘assignee’.
iOS app: You can select an assignee by clicking on the Sort & Filter option at the top right corner of the screen and choosing ‘assignee’.
Tag creation and Management (network admin only)
With ‘Tags’, it becomes easier to manage task lists and keep an overview of to-do’s.
The first step in using the tag functionality is creating tags. As a network administrator, you are able to create an unlimited amount of tags, each with a character limit of 30. Additionally, you can search, edit or delete them. Tags help group tasks according to projects or themes, making it easier for users to find their next task to do.
To facilitate users who use a different language, you can create custom translations for each tag. If there is no specific translation found for a language, the network language tag will be displayed.
Where can I find it?
This is a web only feature - Navigate to ‘Network Settings’ and click on ‘Tags’ where you can create and manage tags in multiple languages.
Tag Filtering
Out of the Tags created by the network admin, employees can quickly find their next to do by filtering on tags. Users can assign those predefined tags to any task during the creation, editing, or duplication of a task.
Where can I find it?
Web: The tag filter can be found next to the Sorting options on the top right of the Task list view.
Android: The tag filter has been added to the existing Sort & Filter options at the top right-hand corner of the screen.
iOS: The tag filter has been added to the existing Sort & Filter options at the top of the task list.
Task Sorting
With Task Sorting users have an additional way to structure their list of tasks. The sorting options are: due date (default sorting) & task name, all ascending or descending.
Where can I find it?
Web: In the bar right above the task list, a drop-down menu will appear where you can choose a preferred way of sorting.
Android app: Users can click on the sorting bar under ‘my tasks & other tasks’ and select their preferred sorting & option filter.
iOS app: Click on the ‘Sorting and Filtering’ drop-down at the top of your task list.
Network administrators, group administrators, and users who received permission have the option to see, create, edit, assign, and delete tasks. There are different levels of permissions, and this can only be done on a desktop.
By adding permission-based options, we’re providing the network admins and group administrators with the right controls to manage task management in their organization or group. The ability to assign a task, delete a task or edit a task can now be turned on and/or off for users.
Where can I find it?
Please click on your avatar and navigate to network settings. From the menu to the left, select ‘Roles’, then click on the role you would like to change the permissions for and navigate to ‘tasks’. Here you can select whether a user can see, assign, edit and delete any task belonging to a group, business unit or department and/or a user can see, assign, edit and delete any individual tasks.
Now, these permissions can also be edited on a department/business unit level and on a group level, as group administrators have permission to see, edit, create, assign, or delete tasks. If you are a department/business unit head or a group admin, you can find the settings respectively in the Organization settings and in the group settings. The processes for each one of this cases differs slightly, so here it is outlined:
- For business units: Organization settings → Business units → Select the business unit you want to give permission to→ Preferences → check the tasks permissions voice at the bottom of the page
- For departments: Organization settings → Departments → Select the department you want to give permission to → check the tasks permissions voice at the bottom of the page
- For groups: Group Settings → Select a group from the menu on the left → Preferences → check the tasks permissions voice at the bottom of the page