When to Use Announcements
Announcements are useful when you need to notify multiple users at once.
Common scenarios include:
• Cloud or service outages
• Scheduled maintenance windows
• Security alerts or patch notifications
• Network interruptions
• System upgrades
• Important IT communication to customers
Where Users Receive Announcements
Announcements are delivered across all IT-Connect channels, ensuring users don’t miss critical updates.
Users will receive the message through:
• IT-Connect Web Portal
• IT-Connect Desktop App
• IT-Connect Mobile App
• Microsoft Teams (IT-Connect app)
• Email notification
Users can also acknowledge the announcement, allowing technicians to see who has viewed the message.
Creating an Announcement
Follow these steps to create and send an announcement.
Step 1: Navigate to Announcements
Go to:
DeskDay → Announcements
You will see three sections:
• Sent
• Scheduled
• Drafts
Click Announcement + to create a new message.
Step 2: Write the Announcement
Enter the announcement details.
Title
A short message summarizing the announcement.
Example:
Scheduled maintenance on your system @ 6 PM Today
(Maximum 100 characters)
Message
Provide a clear explanation of the update.
Example:
We need to install security updates on your system. Please leave the system ON.
(Maximum 500 characters)
You may also attach an image if needed.
This can be helpful for:
• outage status screenshots
• maintenance instructions
• security alerts
Step 3: Select Recipients
Choose who should receive the announcement.
You can send announcements to:
Customers
Select one or multiple customer organizations.
Users
Select specific users inside those customers.
This allows you to notify:
• a full company
• a specific site
• individual users
Step 4: Choose Delivery Channels
Select how the announcement should be delivered.
Available channels include:
• IT-Connect apps (Web, Desktop, Mobile, Teams)
• Email
You can send through one or both channels depending on urgency.
Step 5: Choose When to Send
You have three options:
Send Now
Send the announcement immediately.
Send Later
Schedule the announcement for a future time.
Save as Draft
Save the message and send it later.
Step 6: Set Expiry Time
You can control how long the announcement remains visible to users.
Preset options include:
• 1 hour
• 3 hours
• 6 hours
• 8 hours
• Custom duration
After the expiry time, the announcement automatically disappears from user notifications.
How Announcements Appear to Users
Users will see announcements directly in their IT-Connect apps and Email.
Desktop System Notification
A pop-up notification appears on the user’s desktop alerting them of the new announcement.
IT-Connect Desktop Announcement Feed
Announcements appear inside the Announcement tab within the IT-Connect Desktop app.
Users can open the message to read full details.
IT-Connect Microsoft Teams App
Users receive an interactive card inside Teams with the announcement details and an Acknowledge button.
Web Portal
Announcements also appear in the IT-Connect web portal dashboard.
Tracking Announcement Status
DeskDay allows technicians to monitor engagement with announcements.
You can see:
• Who received the announcement
• Who has seen the announcement
• Who has not seen it yet
This helps ensure important messages reach the intended users.
