Did you get a chance to look at the new Announcements feature in our latest release?

The new SysAid UI launched in SysAid 9.1 introduced many improvements to the user experience, including a more organized menu layout (with new permissions system per menu item!), better usage of page width, and one structured page for all Settings..

But on top of all that, I think the new Announcement feature is absolutely the best. It’s right on the top menu bar, in a bright green color that stands out so you can’t miss it. This is the place where all important messages appear for the IT administrator(s). In previous versions, the messages used to show up in three different places, depending on the message type. With the new Announcements feature, all messages are now showing in one location – visible anywhere within SysAid – and all admins on the system are instantly updated when a new message is posted.

The types of messages showing in Announcements are:

• News published in SysAid by the administrator
• Instant messages between IT admins
• Notifications on new Service Records
• Notifications from SysAid regarding new releases, maintenance alerts, etc.

How to Make Good Use of the Announcements Feature

Keeping the Announcements list clean and tidy will allow you to benefit from it. Here’s a few tips on how you can do that:

1. Disable unnecessary notifications.
   If you find it difficult to keep up with all the announcements (you get more messages than you can read), then it becomes useless. Therefore, I recommend disabling notifications on new Service Records (you get them by email anyway, don’t you?). To disable these messages, go to the Service Desk General Settings page, and uncheck “Send instant message to administrator regarding a new Service Record”.
2. Dismiss messages as you read them.
   News that you already read and instant messages you already replied to are irrelevant to keep. You can easily dismiss all messages with the DISMISS ALL link.
   
3. Educate others in the organization to read Announcements.
   The more people use it, the more chance you have to benefit from it. Truth is that nowadays people are more responsive on instant messages – everyone appreciates how information is easily transferred in this manner. They just need to learn what’s available and how to use it.
4. Look for the SysAid icon.
   SysAid posts important updates to the Announcement list. This is most relevant for Cloud customers (updates about upcoming maintenance alerts, new versions, etc.) but it is also relevant for On-Premise customers, who will get announcements telling them about the availability of new versions.
   

If you’ve been using the Announcements, please let me know how it’s going. Maybe you have even more tips. You can easily reach me on Twitter: @josephzargari or any of the SysAid channels as written below.

Please share your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter, Google+, or Facebook where we are always listening.