In a field operations context, compliance means making sure that your team follows prescribed procedures and meets certain standards during their work (store visits, audits, merchandising tasks, etc.). FieldKo supports this by allowing administrators to set up Compliance Alerts – automatic notifications or actions that occur when defined rules are not met.
In this article, we’ll explain how FieldKo administrators can configure Compliance Alerts to catch issues like failed audits, skipped tasks, or missing visit data. We’ll also explore real-world examples (such as temperature checks or stock levels) and the benefits of using these alerts, including real-time response, improved oversight, and consistent standards across your field team.
What are Compliance Alerts?
Compliance Alerts are essentially automatic warning signals generated by the system when something isn’t done according to your standards. Instead of finding out days later that a procedure was skipped or an audit failed, the system will immediately flag the issue and notify the right people. These alerts act as a safety net, ensuring that important exceptions don’t go unnoticed.
In FieldKo, Compliance Alerts can be implemented using Salesforce’s powerful automation tools (including Flows). Because FieldKo data lives in Salesforce, you can set up logic to monitor that data and trigger alerts when conditions indicate non-compliance. For example, you might have a rule: “If a required task is marked as skipped, then alert the supervisor.” A Salesforce Flow or similar automation can watch for that scenario and automatically generate an alert when it happens.
Key aspects of Compliance Alerts
They are rule-driven: you decide what conditions count as a compliance issue (e.g. a certain survey answer, a missing check-in, a task status).
They are automatic: once configured, the alert will fire immediately when the condition is met – no manual monitoring needed.
They can take various forms: an alert might be an in-app notification (a banner or prompt), an email, a created Task, or even a text message or push notification, depending on how you set it up. FieldKo primarily surfaces alerts via on-screen banners, tasks, or emails, which we’ll detail below.
They ensure nothing slips through: every time a rule is broken, the system consistently reacts the same way, enforcing your standards uniformly.
Configuring Compliance Alerts in FieldKo
FieldKo administrators (typically Salesforce admins) have the ability to configure these alerts. There isn’t a single “Compliance Alert” button in FieldKo; rather, you’ll use Salesforce’s native tools (like Flows, Validation Rules, or Process automations) to implement the logic for alerts. Flows are a popular choice because of their flexibility.
To set up a Compliance Alert, follow a general approach like this:
Identify the Condition: Clearly define what constitutes a compliance issue. For example, “Visit completed without check-in photo” or “Cooler temperature outside acceptable range recorded in survey.” You’ll typically use FieldKo fields or records to represent this. (e.g. a Visit record might have a checkbox “Check-in Photo Attached” that is false, or a Survey Response record “Temperature” value that exceeds a threshold).
Choose the Trigger Point: Decide when the system should check for this condition. Often, it’s when a record is saved or updated. For instance, when a Visit is marked “Completed”, or when a Survey Response record is saved. This will be the trigger for your automation. In a Salesforce Flow, you’d set this as a record-triggered Flow on the relevant object (Visit, Task, Survey, etc.).
Build the Alert Logic: Using Flow Builder (or another tool), configure the logic:
Add a Decision or conditional check for the compliance condition. Example: If Visit.Completed = True AND Visit.Check_in_Photo_Attached = False then... (non-compliance detected).
Under that condition, define the alert action (we’ll detail options in the next section).
If using Flows, you might create different paths for different issues. For maintainability, it’s often better to create separate Flows for distinct alert types, unless they are related. For instance, one Flow could handle “missing check-in photo” alerts, while another handles “failed survey audit” alerts.
Select the Alert Type (Action): Decide how you want to notify or record the issue. FieldKo allows a few channels:
In-App Banner/Prompt: Show a warning to the user right in FieldKo’s interface. For example, if a rep tries to complete a visit far from the store location, FieldKo can prompt them immediately. (This was shown in the check-in distance example, where a pop-up prompt warned the user they were out of the allowed range.) Banners might also appear on a record page in Salesforce/FieldKo to highlight a compliance issue (like a red banner saying “Visit completed with missing data” visible to a manager reviewing the record).
Task Creation: Automatically create a Task assigned to a user (or queue) to follow up on the issue. This ensures there’s a tangible follow-up item that can be tracked to completion. For example, if a required task was skipped, the system might create a new Task for the field rep’s manager: “Review skipped task on Visit X and ensure completion.” This method integrates with Salesforce’s task management so nothing is forgotten.
Email Notification: Send an email to relevant personnel outlining the issue. Emails are great for escalations – e.g., alerting a regional manager or compliance officer. FieldKo’s demo, for instance, showed an automatic email being sent when a check-in location was too far from the store, indicating a compliance issue. (You could also consider Salesforce custom notifications or Chatter posts as additional channels, though these are not FieldKo-specific. Some admins use custom notifications to pop up alerts in the Salesforce mobile app, for instance.)
Test and Refine: Just like with any Flow or automation, test your Compliance Alert in a sandbox or with test records. Make sure the condition catches the right records and that the notifications go to the correct people. It’s important that alerts are actionable and not overly noisy – you don’t want to spam managers with emails for trivial issues, so fine-tune the criteria as needed.
Deploy to Production: Activate the Flow or rule. Educate your team that the alert is in place so they know what to expect. For example, let field reps know: “If you skip a required task, the system will flag it and notify your manager.” This transparency can also encourage compliance (people tend to follow the rules when they know a system is watching for exceptions).
Real-World Examples of Compliance Alerts
Let’s explore a few concrete examples of compliance rules and how alerts could be used in each case:
Failed Audit Survey: Imagine your field team conducts store audits via a FieldKo Survey. One of the questions is “Did the store pass the audit?” If the rep answers “No” (indicating a failed audit), that’s critical information. A Compliance Alert could immediately email the area manager with details of the failure and perhaps create a Task for the manager to follow up with the store. This way, management is looped in right away when an audit fails, rather than finding out in a weekly report.
Required Task Skipped: Let’s say for each visit, a certain task is marked as “Required” (for example, checking the fire exit compliance in a store). If a rep marks this task as “Skipped” or fails to complete it by the end of the visit, the system should flag it. The alert might be a Task assigned to the compliance officer: e.g. “Follow up on why Task ‘Check Fire Exit’ was skipped in Visit #123”. The Task ensures accountability, and the rep’s manager can then address the lapse. In addition, the next time the rep syncs the app, FieldKo could show a banner notification reminding them that a required task was missed, reinforcing the importance of completing it.
Visit Completed with Missing Check-In/Check-Out Data: FieldKo logs check-in and check-out times, GPS location, and possibly photos for each visit. If a visit is marked complete but, say, the check-out timestamp is missing (meaning the user might have forgotten to properly check out), that’s a compliance issue. A Flow can detect that upon visit completion. The alert could be a banner on the visit record visible to managers, and an email to the supervisor saying “Rep Jane Doe did not record a check-out for Visit XYZ.” This allows the supervisor to quickly reach out to Jane and clarify the situation. In some cases, companies might even configure an immediate push notification to the rep: “You forgot to check out of your visit!” prompting them to correct it if they’re still in the field.
Temperature Reading Out of Range: For businesses dealing with perishable goods, reps might record fridge or freezer temperatures during visits. Suppose the acceptable range is 0–5°C for a cooler. If a rep logs a temperature of 9°C, that’s a serious compliance issue (food safety risk). A Compliance Alert here could do multiple things: create a high-priority Task assigned to the quality control team and send an urgent email to the regional manager. The alert message might include the store, the reported temperature, and perhaps advise immediate action (e.g. “Instruct staff to check cooler maintenance”). This real-time alert can prevent potential losses or health hazards by enabling a rapid response.
Product Availability Below Threshold: In merchandising, a common check is product stock levels. If a survey question or task notes that Product X has stock = 0 or below a minimum threshold, an alert can be triggered to relevant stakeholders. For instance, FieldKo can automatically notify the supply chain team or distributor if a certain product is out-of-stock at a location. The alert might be via email or even an integration (like creating a restock order), but at minimum, an email alert ensures the issue is flagged. It could say: “Product XYZ is below minimum stock at Store ABC (reported 2 units on hand, threshold 5).” This helps maintain consistent product availability by prompting action right away.
These examples show how versatile Compliance Alerts can be. Essentially, any scenario where you think “If X happens (or doesn’t happen), someone should know immediately” is a good candidate for a Compliance Alert.
How Alerts Appear to Users
It’s important not only to configure an alert but also to know how the end users or managers will see them. FieldKo leverages Salesforce’s notification framework and its own app interface to surface these alerts in effective ways:
Tasks in Salesforce: When an alert creates a Task, the assigned user will see it like any other Salesforce task. It will appear in their tasks list, on their homepage (if they use Salesforce/FieldKo desktop), and in email notifications if they have those turned on for new tasks. The Task will contain details of the compliance issue. Because it’s a standard Task record, managers can track its completion, ensuring the issue was addressed. Using tasks for compliance issues is great for oversight — you can even run reports on “open compliance tasks” to see how many issues are outstanding and who is handling them.
Email Notifications: If the alert triggers an email, the recipients will get an email from Salesforce (or FieldKo’s configured email) with the details. The email can use a template you design to include relevant information like the record link, the date/time, what rule was violated, and suggested next steps. In the earlier check-in distance example, an email was sent to notify the team that a rep was out of location boundsfile-eanmsyycwvovfjinc5ae13. That email included data about the visit and the distance issue. Emails allow people who might not be in the FieldKo app daily (like higher-level managers) to stay informed of critical issues in real time.
Other Channels (if set up): Though not explicitly a FieldKo feature out-of-the-box, remember that Salesforce Flow can also send custom notifications (which appear in the Salesforce mobile app or desktop bell icon), or integrate with external services. Some companies integrate SMS alerts for the most urgent compliance issues. This might be overkill in many cases, but it’s technically possible if needed (it would require additional setup, like an SMS service or Salesforce’s digital engagement). In most cases, FieldKo customers find that on-screen notifications, tasks, and emails suffice.
Benefits of Compliance Alerts
Implementing Compliance Alerts in FieldKo yields several key benefits for your organisation:
Real-Time Action: Perhaps the biggest advantage is immediacy. The moment an issue occurs, an alert can be raised. This real-time feedback loop means problems can be addressed before they escalate. For example, if a critical safety check is missed in the morning, an alert can prompt corrective action the same day, rather than a month later during an audit. One customer observation was that FieldKo’s automated alerts eliminated the need for supervisors to manually chase reps for updates; they no longer have to send WhatsApp messages asking “Did you do X?” because the system notifies them if something’s amiss.
Better Oversight and Accountability: Compliance Alerts provide managers with greater visibility into field activities. Instead of blindly trusting that “no news is good news,” managers get concrete notifications of issues. This leads to better oversight. Every alert is essentially an audit trail of something that went wrong – and who responded. By assigning tasks or sending notifications, you’re also creating accountability. The responsible parties are clearly informed that they need to take action. Over time, you can even report on these alerts: e.g., how many compliance alerts were generated this quarter, which types are most common, which regions have the most alerts, etc. This data can highlight training needs or process improvements.
Consistent Standards: With automated rules enforcing your processes, you ensure consistency. Human supervisors might occasionally overlook an issue, or different managers might enforce rules with varying strictness. But a system-triggered alert happens every single time the condition occurs, without bias or forgetfulness. This helps maintain a uniform standard across all your field operations. Whether a visit is done in Sydney or Perth, the same rules apply and the same type of alert fires for the same infraction. Consistency in enforcement leads to a culture of compliance – field staff know that if they don’t do something required, the system will catch it. This often improves overall discipline and care in executing tasks.
Proactive Issue Resolution: Compliance alerts shift your team’s approach from reactive to proactive. Instead of discovering non-compliance after the fact (when it might already have caused damage, like a lost sales opportunity or a safety risk), you catch it in flight. For instance, by knowing immediately that a product is out of stock at a location, you can send a restock before significant sales are lost. Or by catching a failed audit, you can support that store sooner. In short, it enables timely interventions.
Audit Trail & Reporting: Every alert generated can be logged (e.g., tasks created, emails sent, fields updated to mark an issue). This creates a historical log of compliance incidents. When audit time comes or when management wants to review performance, this trail is extremely valuable. You can demonstrate that issues were caught and handled promptly, and you can identify patterns (maybe a particular team has more skipped tasks – indicating they need additional training or resources). Without alerts, many compliance issues might go unrecorded or only be found through laborious manual reviews.
Conclusion
Compliance Alerts in FieldKo are about working smarter and safer. By configuring automated checks and notifications, you extend FieldKo from just a data capture tool to an active guardian of your processes. Administrators can set up a wide range of rules, tailored to your business’s priorities – from simple ones like ensuring a form is filled out, to complex ones like detecting anomalies in data. And because these alerts leverage Salesforce’s robust platform, they are reliable and flexible (you can continuously refine the logic as your needs evolve).
To get started, pick one critical compliance area and implement a basic alert for it. Maybe start with something like the “failed audit survey” example or “skipped required task.” Use the guidance above to build a Flow that sends a notification to the right person. Test it out and gather feedback from the users receiving the alerts. You might find you need to adjust the criteria to get the alert frequency “just right.” Once dialed in, you’ll likely see immediate benefits – quicker responses, fewer repeated mistakes, and peace of mind that the system is watching out for those rare but important exceptions.
In summary, FieldKo’s Compliance Alerts (powered by Salesforce automation) ensure that when something important doesn’t happen, someone knows about it. They reinforce your standard operating procedures automatically. By taking advantage of this capability, you can enhance field compliance, reduce risk, and keep your operations running smoothly and transparently. FieldKo not only helps your team do the right things but also promptly points out when something goes wrong, allowing you to fix it before it becomes a bigger problem.