Notifications

Esqase keeps you up to date on the work that matters to you: a task assigned to your name, a new lead, a client payment, an upcoming meeting, and more. Notifications reach you in three places: the in-app bell at the top of the dashboard, browser push (a desktop notification that appears even when Esqase is in another tab), and email. This page explains how to read your notifications, turn on browser push, and choose exactly which events notify you and how.

Before you begin

• Notification settings are personal. Each member of your firm controls their own notifications, so changing yours never affects a colleague.
• You can use notifications in any modern browser. Browser push (desktop pop-ups) requires you to allow notifications for Esqase in your browser, which you do once.
• Your notifications belong to the firm you are currently working in. If you belong to more than one firm and switch between them, the bell shows the notifications for the firm you are viewing.

The notification bell inbox

The bell is your quick inbox. It lives in the top bar of the dashboard, on every page, so you can glance at what is new without leaving what you are doing.

1. Look at the top-right of the dashboard header for the bell icon.
2. When you have unread notifications, a small red badge sits on the bell showing the number unread. Once you pass 99 unread, the badge shows 99+.
3. Click the bell to open the notification panel.

The panel lists your most recent notifications, newest first. Each row shows:

• An icon that hints at the kind of event (for example, a person icon for a new lead, a calendar icon for an event).
• The notification text: a short bold title and, often, a one-line description.
• How long ago it arrived (for example, "2 hours ago"), shown in your firm's time zone.
• A small dot on the right while the notification is still unread. Unread rows also have a light highlight so they stand out.

Opening a notification

1. In the bell panel, click any notification row.
2. If the notification was unread, Esqase marks it read for you automatically.
3. If the notification points to a record (most do), Esqase takes you straight to that page, for example the assigned task, the new lead, or the matter you were added to.

This is the fastest way to act on something: click it, and you land exactly where you need to be.

Marking notifications as read

You have two ways to clear the unread count from the bell.

• One at a time: opening a notification (clicking its row) marks just that one as read.
• All at once: when you have unread notifications, a Mark all read button appears at the top-right of the bell panel. Click it to mark every notification as read in one step. The red badge disappears.

Seeing your full history

The bell shows only your recent notifications. To see everything, scroll to the bottom of the panel and click View all notifications. This opens the full Notifications page.

The Notifications page

The full page is a searchable, sortable table of every notification you have received in this firm. Use it to review history, tidy up, or work through a backlog.

1. Open it from the bell panel by clicking View all notifications, or go to it directly from the address /notifications.
2. The page title reads Notifications, with a table of your notifications below it.

Filter tabs

Above the table are three tabs that filter what you see:

• All shows everything, active and archived together.
• Active shows notifications you have not archived. This is your working inbox and is selected by default.
• Archived shows notifications you have set aside.

Table columns

Each row shows:

• Description: the notification's icon plus its title and short detail.
• Type: the kind of event in plain language, for example "Task assigned to me" or "Payment received".
• Status: a New badge if you have not read it yet, or a Read badge once you have.
• Last updated: when the notification arrived, in your firm's time zone.

Acting on a single notification

On the right of each row are quick actions:

1. Click View to open the notification. As in the bell, this marks it read (if it was unread) and takes you to the linked record.
2. Click the More button (the three-dots icon) next to View for the rest of the actions:
   • Mark as read (shown only while the notification is unread) clears its unread status without leaving the page.
   • Archive moves the notification out of your Active list and into Archived. Use this to keep your inbox tidy without losing the record.
   • Restore (shown on archived rows) brings a notification back into the Active list.
   • Delete (shown on archived rows) permanently removes the notification. Esqase asks you to confirm because this cannot be undone.

Acting on many at once

You can work on several notifications together.

1. Use the checkboxes on the left of each row to select the notifications you want. The checkbox in the header selects every row on the page.
2. A batch-actions menu appears in the toolbar. Depending on what you selected, you can:
   • Mark as read the selected unread notifications.
   • Archive the selected active notifications.
   • Restore the selected archived notifications.
   • Delete the selected archived notifications (with a confirmation prompt, since this is permanent).

Enabling browser push notifications

Browser push lets Esqase send you a desktop notification even when the Esqase tab is in the background or another window is on top. This is the best way to catch time-sensitive things like a meeting invite or a payment without watching the bell.

How it works: the first time you are signed in to the dashboard, Esqase asks your browser for permission to show notifications. You only need to allow it once per browser on each device you use.

1. Sign in to the Esqase dashboard.
2. When your browser shows a permission prompt asking whether Esqase can show notifications, click Allow.
3. That is it. Esqase registers your browser to receive push, and your desktop will show new notifications from then on.

If you missed or dismissed the prompt, you can re-enable push from your browser:

1. Click the small icon at the left of the address bar (often a lock or a sliders/tune icon) while on the Esqase dashboard.
2. Find the Notifications setting for the site.
3. Set it to Allow.
4. Reload the Esqase tab so the change takes effect.

What push does and does not depend on

• Browser push is tied to the browser and device where you allowed it. If you also use Esqase on a laptop and a desktop, allow notifications on each so push reaches you everywhere.
• Push is delivered to your browser even when the Esqase tab is in the background, but your browser and operating system still need to be running. Closing the browser entirely stops desktop pop-ups (the notifications still wait for you in the bell and on the Notifications page).
• Push respects your per-type preferences below. If you turn Push off for a given event, that event will not pop up on your desktop even though browser permission is allowed.

When Esqase is open in front of you

When you are actively using the dashboard and a new notification arrives, Esqase shows a small message in the top-right corner of the screen rather than a separate desktop pop-up. This keeps the alert from doubling up while you are already looking at Esqase. The bell badge and your Notifications list update at the same time.

Managing your per-type notification preferences

You decide which events notify you and through which channels. Preferences are set per member, so this only affects you.

1. Click your account, then open Settings.
2. In the account settings sidebar, click Notifications.
3. The page header reads Notifications with the line "Choose which notifications you receive and how."

The three channels

Each row is one kind of event. For each event, you control three independent checkboxes:

• In-app: whether the event appears in your bell inbox and on the Notifications page. On by default.
• Push: whether the event shows as a browser/desktop push notification (requires browser permission, above). On by default.
• Email: whether Esqase emails you about the event. Off by default.

Tick or untick any box to turn that channel on or off for that event. Changes save immediately, and Esqase confirms with a small Notification settings updated message. There is no separate Save button.

The events you can be notified about

The preferences page lists each event type with a plain-language label. The current list:

• New lead created: a new potential client (lead) comes into your firm.
• Lead assigned to me: a lead is assigned to you.
• Task assigned to me: a task is assigned to you.
• Added to a matter: you are added to a matter (a case or legal file).
• Document shared with me: a document is shared with you.
• Signature requested: someone requests your signature on a document.
• Invited to an event: you are added to a calendar event or meeting.
• Event change requested: a client or attendee asks to reschedule an event.
• Event canceled: an event you are part of is canceled.
• Event reminders: a reminder before an event you are attending.
• Form request completed: an intake form you are tracking is filled out and submitted.
• Payment received: a client payment is recorded.
• Invoice due today: an invoice reaches its due date.
• Comment on my task: someone comments on a task you created, are assigned to, or previously commented on.
• Mentioned in a task comment: someone @mentions you in a comment on a task.
• Comment on my document: someone comments on a document you own, have access to, or previously commented on.
• Mentioned in a document comment: someone @mentions you in a comment on a document.

How notifications relate to assignments, bookings, payments, and reminders

Notifications are not a separate feature you have to configure for each record. They are generated automatically by the everyday work happening across Esqase, so understanding what triggers them helps you predict what you will see.

Assignments

When work is routed to you, you get a notification:

• Being assigned a task triggers Task assigned to me.
• Being assigned a lead triggers Lead assigned to me.
• Being added to a matter as a team member triggers Added to a matter.

This means you do not need to keep refreshing your task list to learn that something landed on your plate; the bell tells you.

Intake and leads

• A new lead arriving at your firm (whether typed in by a colleague or submitted through a public form) triggers New lead created.
• A public intake form being completed triggers Form request completed.

These keep your intake team responsive without watching the leads board all day. See Managing leads and Reviewing form submissions.

Bookings and events

Scheduling generates several notification types:

• Being invited to an event triggers Invited to an event.
• A client or attendee asking to move a meeting triggers Event change requested.
• A cancellation triggers Event canceled.
• An upcoming event triggers an Event reminders notification ahead of the start time.

So when a client books or reschedules through your public booking page, the relevant team member is alerted automatically. See Calendar and events and How clients book meetings.

Documents and signatures

• A document being shared with you triggers Document shared with me.
• A request for your signature triggers Signature requested.

See Sharing documents and Requesting e-signatures.

Comments and mentions

Discussion on tasks and documents keeps the people involved in the loop:

• A comment on a task triggers Comment on my task for the task's creator, its assignees, and anyone who has already commented on it.
• A comment on a document triggers Comment on my document for the document's owner, everyone it is shared with, and anyone who has already commented on it.
• Being @mentioned in a task or document comment triggers Mentioned in a task comment or Mentioned in a document comment. A mention takes priority, so if you are both a participant and mentioned, you get the mention notification rather than a duplicate.

You are never notified about your own comments. See Creating and managing tasks and Editing documents (the file editor).

Payments and billing

• A client payment being recorded triggers Payment received.
• An invoice reaching its due date triggers Invoice due today.

This lets billing staff confirm money in and chase invoices on time without manually scanning the ledger. See Creating and sending invoices and Recording and managing payments.

Reminders run on a schedule

Some notifications are not triggered by a person clicking something. Event reminders and Invoice due today are produced on a schedule by Esqase, so you receive them at the right time even if no one is logged in. As long as your preferences allow the channel, they will reach you.

Common questions

Why didn't I get a notification I expected? Check three things: that the event type's channel is turned on under Settings > Notifications; that you are viewing the right firm in the bell; and, for desktop pop-ups, that your browser is set to Allow notifications for Esqase. Note that Email is off by default, so you will not be emailed unless you turn it on.

I'm getting too many desktop pop-ups. Open Settings > Notifications and turn off the Push checkbox for the noisier event types. They will still appear in your bell, just not on your desktop.

Do my colleagues see my notifications? No. Notifications are personal. Each person is notified about the work assigned to or relevant to them, based on their own preferences.

Are read notifications gone? No. Marking a notification read only clears the unread badge and highlight. To remove notifications from your working list, Archive them on the Notifications page, and only archived notifications can be permanently Deleted.

Related

• Integrations overview
• Connecting Google (Gmail, Calendar, Meet)
• Your profile and personal settings
• Calendar and events
• Recording and managing payments
• Activity timelines and audit logs