How to configure a Dashboard Broadcast Message for all Staff

Dashboard Broadcast Messages are a useful tool for broadcasting important brief messages to all Staff using SupportAbility. When configured, this message will appear on the Dashboard of all Staff Members.

Simple formatting is available with a choice of three different coloured backgrounds to indicate the level of importance of the message, and URL links to external documents or websites may also be included.

This article outlines what a Dashboard Broadcast Message is, possible situations when these might be useful and how to configure a Broadcast Message to appear on the Dashboard.

This feature was introduced in the upgrade to SupportAbility v7.20 released in February 2022.

Privileges: Staff require the 'Edit System Preferences' Staff Account privilege in order to access the 'Dashboard' tab in System Preferences where configuration is completed.

Audience: Authorised Representatives or Staff Members approved to make announcements across the organisation.

Summary

The following list summarises the content of this article. Click on the links below to take you to the relevant sections:

What is a Dashboard Broadcast Message

Dashboard Broadcast Messages are a useful tool for broadcasting important brief messages to all Staff using SupportAbility.

Once the message has been configured in System Preferences, this message will appear at the top of all Staff Members' Dashboards:

Three different coloured backgrounds (blue, amber, or red) are available to select from to indicate the urgency or importance of the message being posted.

A link to an external document or website may also be included to provide Staff with more detailed information:

We recommend that Broadcast Messages are relatively brief in their content to ensure the other important notification portals displayed on the Dashboard are still readily visible towards the top of the screen. Links to more detailed information may be useful for managing this.

N.B. Only one message can be posted at a time, and messages are visible to all users, i.e. they cannot be configured to appear on the Dashboard of select groups or individuals.

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Possible uses of Dashboard Broadcast Messages

Dashboard Broadcast Messages can be utilised for a variety of reasons that relate to all or the majority of staff, including the following examples:

advise an update to a policy or process managed in SupportAbility
update Staff on NDIA initiated practice changes or requirements
a reminder to Staff to complete an HR requirement e.g. submit immunisation status details
alert staff to a pending or current audit that requires specific actions to be completed in SupportAbility in a timely manner

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How to configure a Dashboard Broadcast Message

To configure a Dashboard Broadcast Message navigate to 'System Preferences' from the Dashboard menu:

Select the 'Dashboard' tab in System Preferences:

The Broadcast Message is configured in the 'Dashboard Broadcast Message Settings' section:

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Formatting the message

Simple formatting is available for this feature which includes Bold, Italic, and ordered and unordered lists:

Adding the message

Begin by either entering a message in the free-text area or copying text from another source and pasting it in the space provided:

N.B. The text field will expand as required to accommodate a larger quantity of information, however, we recommend that messages are kept relatively brief so they don't take up too much space on the Dashboard. This is to allow other important Notification portals to still be readily visible towards the top of the screen. Linking to documents/websites with more detailed information is a useful way to manage this.

Formatting the text

To format the text, either use the icons in the formatting menu above or the keyboard shortcuts outlined below:

Bold - highlight the relevant words, then use Command-B (Control-B on Windows) to bold the text
Italics - highlight the relevant words, then use Command-I (Control-I on windows) to format the text in italics
Ordered List - place your cursor before the relevant text, then add a number followed by a period and select the Return/Enter key to make the line a numbered bullet
Unordered List - place your cursor before the relevant text, then add a * and select the Return/Enter key to make the line a bulleted point

N.B. If the text has been copied and pasted from another source, only the formatting available in this feature will be retained.

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Adding an External Link

Links to documents or websites external to SupportAbility may be added by following these steps:

highlight the relevant text
select the Link icon in the formatting menu
enter the URL link in the 'Enter link' field
select 'Save'

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Broadcast Message Colour

Three different coloured backgrounds i.e. blue, amber, or red are available to select from the 'Broadcast Message Colour' list, which can be used to indicate the urgency or importance of the message being posted:

The Broadcast Message Colour is blue by default, however, if this is updated, the colour of the text will change to match the background, relative to the 'Broadcast Message Colour' selected, for example, Amber: