5.10 Deep Dive: Notifications and Collaboration

This page explains how Opstream keeps people informed about requests (in the app, by email, and in Slack or Microsoft Teams) and how people work together on a request through comments, reassignment, search and exports.

5.10.1 Where Notifications Appear

Channel	What you get	Can you act from it?
Email	Reviews assigned to you, overdue reminders, your request approved or rejected, new comments, requests shared with you, export files	Yes: Approve / Reject buttons, and replying to a comment email
Slack (if you connected it)	Reviews assigned to you, overdue reminders, your request approved or rejected, comments	Yes: approve or reject on the card, and reply to comments in the thread
Microsoft Teams (if you connected it)	Reviews assigned to you, overdue reminders, your request approved or rejected, comments and mentions	The buttons open the request in Opstream
Inbox (speech-bubble icon in the header)	Comment threads you are part of	Yes: open and reply
Bell (header)	Software and vendor date reminders, requests created on your behalf, and agentic workflow results	Open or dismiss

The bell does not show approvals or comments. Look for those in your email, Slack or Teams, and in the Inbox.

5.10.2 Email Notifications

Opstream emails you when:

• A review is assigned to you. The email has View Request plus Approve and Reject buttons.
• A review is overdue. You get a reminder at the halfway point of the step’s target time, and again when it is reached.
• Your request is approved or rejected.
• You are added as a “user to notify” on a workflow step. This email is for information only and has no approve buttons.
• Someone comments on a thread you’re part of, or mentions you.
• A request is shared with you or created on your behalf, or an export you asked for is ready.

Approving from email: clicking Approve or Reject opens the request in Opstream and starts that decision, so you can add a note or complete an approver checklist first. If the review has already been decided, nothing changes.

Replying by email: reply to a comment notification email and your reply is posted to the comment thread. Send the reply from the email address you use for Opstream.

Email notifications can’t be turned off per user. Admins choose who gets notified on each workflow step (see Approval Flows).

5.10.3 Slack and Microsoft Teams

Each person connects Slack or Teams for themselves from profile menu → Integrations. For setup steps, see Personal Integrations.

In Slack:

• Approve on a review card records your approval straight away.
• Reject asks for an optional note first.
• View Details opens the request.
• Reply in the thread under a comment notification to post your reply to Opstream.
• Type /opstream request to get a link for creating a new request.

In Teams:

• Notifications arrive as a chat message and in your Teams Activity feed.
• Approve, Reject and View Details open the request in Opstream, where you complete the decision.
• Comment notifications have Open Thread.
• Message the Opstream app request for a link to create a request, help for the list of commands, or disconnect to unlink your account.

5.10.4 Comments and Mentions

You can comment on requests, vendors, software and documents.

• Start a thread: click NEW THREAD. Type @ to mention someone, and the people you mention are notified.

  

• Who can read it: everyone who can view the record can read its comments. There are no private or internal-only comments, and vendors never see comments.

• Mentioning someone without access: if you mention a person who can’t see the request, Opstream offers Post comment and Share access, which shares the request with them so they can read and reply.

• Managing threads:

  • Resolve thread when a discussion is finished, and Unresolve thread to reopen it.
  • Turn on Show Resolved Comments to see resolved threads again.
  • Show thread in context jumps to the part of the request a thread is about.
  • You can edit or delete your own replies.

• Emoji: the smiley button adds an emoji to your comment text.

5.10.5 When an Approver Is Away

Opstream doesn’t have out-of-office or delegate settings, and it doesn’t move reviews automatically when someone is away. Instead, an Admin or Approver can use the review’s ⋮ menu on the request:

• Reassign Review gives the review to someone else.
• Extend Review Time gives the reviewer more time before the review is overdue.
• Remind {name} to Review sends a nudge.
• Add Reviewer to this request adds another approver (only users with the Approver role are listed).

5.10.6 Finding Things: Global Search

Click the magnifying glass in the header and search for requests, vendors, software or documents. Search matches:

• request titles and request ID numbers
• answers to request questions
• attribute values
• vendor and software names
• file and link names

Results are grouped into REQUESTS, VENDORS, SOFTWARE and DOCUMENTS, with See more under each group. Search tolerates small typos.

You only see results you have access to. Limited Requesters don’t see vendors or software.

5.10.7 Exporting Data

Where	Button	How you get the file
Requests list	EXPORT CSV	By email, using your current filters and columns
A single request (⋮ menu)	Export CSV	Downloads straight away
My Vendors, My Software	Export CSV	By email
Dashboard	Export CSV	By email
Custom dashboard	Export dashboard tables	Downloads straight away (table widgets only)
Departments	Export CSV → Export CSV for Departments and Users	By email
Events	EXPORT	Downloads straight away

For exports sent by email, confirm the address, choose CSV or XLSX, and submit. The file arrives by email shortly afterwards. Document Comparison and Playbook results have their own Export Results / Export to PDF options.