Collaboration Connect: Configuration Guide

This feature is available to the following product editions:
  • Standard
  • Premium

Additionally, this feature utilizes Salesforce Sites functionality, which is available to Enterprise and Unlimited editions of Salesforce.

 

This article provides an overview of the configuration process for Collaboration Connect. For an overview of the feature, refer to the following article: Collaboration Connect.

 

Configure Collaboration Connect [Admin]

The configuration process for Collaboration Connect incorporates setting up a designated Salesforce Public Site and then completing the Collaboration Connect utility in Tools and Settings in TaskRay. The feature also leverages a packaged screen flow that allows external users to make updates on assigned tasks. If needed, you have the option to customize the flow and tailor it to your organization's specific use case.

Collaboration Connect requires one TaskRay license, which is included in your subscription. Additionally, make sure that Collaboration Connect is something that your entire organization is comfortable with enabling from a security standpoint. Considering that this feature allows granting access to specific tasks via the Salesforce Public Site, only share relevant tasks and task details with trusted recipients.

 

Collaboration Connect - Configuration Permissions

The following additive permission set is required to manage Collaboration Connect settings:

  • TaskRay - Admin Access

 

Configuration Overview

Below are the high-level steps for configuring and using this feature:

  1. Register Salesforce Site Domain (through Setup)
  2. Create New Salesforce Site (through Setup)
  3. Complete Collaboration Connect Utility (through TaskRay Tools and Settings)
  4. Optional Configurations
    1. Customize Collaboration Connect Assignment Emails
    2. Change Frequency of Reminder Emails
    3. Configure Collaboration View
    4. Customize Collaboration Connect Flow

 

Steps to Configure

Step 1: Register Salesforce Site Domain [Admin]

The first step to set up Salesforce Sites is to register a Salesforce domain. If you have already done this, you can skip to the next section of this article. 

  1. From Setup, navigate to User Interface | Sites and Domains | Sites.
  2. In the box at the bottom of the page, enter a domain name and click on Check Availability. If it is not available, enter a new domain name.
  3. If it is available, select the I have read and accepted the Salesforce Sites Terms of Use checkbox.
  4. Click Register My Salesforce Site Domain.

 

Step 2: Create a New Salesforce Site [Admin]

After your domain is deployed, the next thing that you need to do is create a new Salesforce Public Site that will be used to host the screen flow that allows external users to make updates to assigned tasks.

  1. If you are not already on that page, from Setup, navigate to User Interface | Sites and Domains | Sites.
  2. In the Sites section at the bottom of the page, click New.
  3. Enter a Site Label (i.e. "TaskRay Collaboration Connect").
  4. The Site Name should automatically generate based on the label that you enter.
  5. [Optional] Enter a Site Description.
  6. If necessary, change the Site Contact.
  7. Select Active Site Home Page by clicking on the lookup icon next to the field. In the window that comes up, select trExternalOwnerComplete.
  8. Make sure the Require Secure Connections (HTTPS) and Upgrade all requests to HTTPS checkboxes are checked.
  9. Click Save.
  10. On the Site Details page, click Activate.

eo-site-setup.png

 

Step 3: Collaboration Connect Utility [Admin]

The following steps can be completed directly in the TaskRay app.

TaskRay offers a Collaboration Connect Setup Utility to simplify this process and guide an administrator through the process for deploying the Collaboration Connect Flow. This utility can be accessed in TaskRay Tools and Settings once you complete registration and creation of the external sharing Salesforce Site.

Important! Salesforce Site for the Collaboration Connect feature must be configured prior to going through this utility.

To access the Collaboration Connect Utility, navigate to the TaskRay app in your Salesforce org and open Tools and Settings menu. Tools and Settings can be accessed from the TaskRay toolbar by clicking on the Gear icon in the upper right corner. 

TR_tools_and_settings.png

Within Tools and Settings, under Admin, click on the Collaboration Connect tab to open the utility. 

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This utility will walk you through the steps to configure Collaboration Connect and it will consist of the following steps:

 

1. Register a Domain Name and Public Site

This section correlates with Step 1 (Register Salesforce Site Domain) and Step 2 (Create New Salesforce Site) of the article above. Set the Site Setup Complete? toggle to True if this has been completed. 

If you still need to configure site settings, click on Open Site Setup button and refer to the following sections of this article: Register Salesforce Site Domain and Create New Salesforce Site.

 

2. Select Public Site for Hosting Collaboration Connect Flow

Using the dropdown, select the site that you would like to use for Collaboration Connect (e.g. the site configured in the previous steps). When selected, click on Apply Selection.

 

3. Assign a TaskRay Permission Set and License

Click Assign to automatically assign the TaskRay Collaboration Connect Flow Access Permission Set and a TaskRay License to the Public Site Guest User.

Note: Ensure that you have an available TaskRay License before completing this step. If no license is available, it will not be automatically assigned and you will have to complete this step after making one available. 

 

4. Create a Sharing Rule for the Public Site

Click on Create Sharing Rules to create Sharing Rules that grant the Collaboration Connect Site Guest user read-only access to the TaskRay Tasks that have been assigned an external owner.

 

5. Update TaskRay Task Page Layouts [Admin]

To make tasks available for external ownership, you will need to add three fields to the TaskRay Task Page Layout: External Collaborator Name, External Collaborator Email, and Send External Collaborator Notifications. These fields are necessary to assign tasks to customers and send them notifications of their assigned tasks. In addition to these fields, there are two fields that record the completion information: External Collaborator Complete and External Collaborator Comments

Adding fields to the layout is done through Salesforce Setup:

  1. From Setup, navigate to Objects and Fields | Object Manager.
  2. Select TaskRay Task.
  3. Click Page Layouts.
  4. Select the page layout where you'd like to add the fields.
  5. Move the following fields onto the page layout:
    • External Collaborator Name
    • External Collaborator Email
    • Send External Collaborator Notifications
    • External Collaborator Complete
    • External Collaborator Comments
  6. Click Save
    2024-06-24_17-14-50.png

When you are done, back in the Collaboration View Utility in Tools and Settings, set the Complete? toggle to True.

 

Optional Collaboration Connect Configurations

Now that Collaboration Connect is set up, you can easily customize it for your organization's needs. These steps are options but are a great way to personalize the Collaboration Connect experience for your organization.

 

Customize Collaboration Connect Assignment Emails

Your customers may not be familiar with TaskRay since it's an internal tool used to manage projects. You have the option to white-label the external notification email header so customers can recognize your organization. By default, the email will use the TaskRay logo and color.

To manage these settings, navigate to Tools and Settings within the TaskRay app and open the Collaboration Connect tab. Scroll down to the Collaboration Connect Optional Email Configuration section:

  • To upload a logo, click Upload File and open the file with your company logo.
  • To change the banner color, use the color selector to pick a color. Alternatively, you can enter the Hex # or RGB values. The no color option will reset to the default TaskRay colors. Once your color is set, click Done. 

Once completed, you can view your changes by making a project viewable in the Public Dashboard and viewing the Public Dashboard Link.

eo-notification-email.png

 

[Optional] Change Frequency of Reminder Emails [Admin]

If the reminder emails are enabled, TaskRay will send weekly reminder emails to external task owners who have open tasks on Mondays at 9 a.m. (based on the org time zone). Every reminder email will include an aggregate of incomplete tasks that are assigned to the external user.

If you would like to customize the frequency or change the time at which these emails are sent, follow the steps below:

  1. From Setup, navigate to Custom Code | Apex Classes.
  2. Click on Schedule Apex.
  3. Give the job a name, such as TaskRay External Reminder Emails in the Job Name field.
  4. Choose trExternalOwnerReminder for Apex Class.
  5. Select your chosen Frequency, and populate the related frequency options. 
  6. Add a Start and End Date 
    Tip: Set the End Date several years out, so you don't have to worry about updating it.
  7. Select your Preferred Start Time.
  8. Click Save.

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[Optional] Configure Collaboration View

If you plan on leveraging the Collaboration View with Collaboration Connect to grant external owners read-only access to projects where they are assigned tasks, refer to the following article to get it set up: Collaboration View: Configuration Guide.

Tip: When the Collaboration View is used in conjunction with Collaboration Connect, you have the option to surface the To Do interface in the public link. The To Do portion organizes all externally assigned tasks and groups them by task owner.

 

[Optional] Customize Collaboration Connect Flow

By default, the Collaboration Connect screen flow allows external owners to update the following information on tasks: 

  • External Collaborator Complete
  • External Collaborator Comments

If you would like to incorporate additional task fields or automate related actions, then you can customize the screen flow following the instructions in this article: Customize Collaboration Connect Flow.

 

That's it!

This should complete the setup for the Collaboration Connect feature. Next, in order to assign tasks to external stakeholders, you will need to fill out the external ownership details on applicable tasks. Instructions on how to do this can be found in this article: Collaboration Connect: Internal User Guide.

 

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