Overview
When you need to keep teammates informed about a request or contract but they aren’t owners or task assignees, Followers provide a simple way to give them visibility without changing the workflow or permissions.
You can add anyone as a follower, allowing them to view the request or contract page, follow the activity feed, and comment. Followers receive email and Slack notifications when they are added, giving them a direct path into the request or contract.
This keeps collaboration centralized and ensures everyone who needs context has it.
Why This Matters
- Give visibility without extra steps: You can add followers so your teammates stay informed without needing extra permissions.
- Keep everyone aligned: You can provide teammates with real-time visibility into the request or contract page, allowing them to follow updates as they occur.
- Collaborate in one place: You can keep all comments and questions in Tropic instead of using separate tools.
- Move faster: You can reduce back-and-forth and make decisions happen faster with everyone seeing the same information.
📌 Requestors and approvers don’t receive notifications when approval tasks are completed or when a request closes. If you want to stay informed about progress or completions, follow the request to receive those updates automatically.
How to Add Followers
You can add followers from both the Contract and Request detail pages.
- Open the contract or request you want to share.
- Click Followers in the top right corner of the page.
- Use the search bar to find your teammate by name or email.
- Select one or more teammates.
- Click away to close the modal.
Once added, the follower count appears next to the Followers button. An entry also appears in the Activity Feed showing who was added.
📌 When someone adds you as a follower, you receive an email and a Slack notification with a direct link to the page.
Add Followers Through Comments
- You can also add someone by mentioning them in a comment.
- Type @ followed by their name.
- You can tag any active user in your organization, regardless of their role or department.
- When you mention someone in a comment, they receive an email and Slack notification and are added as a follower.
How to See Who’s Following
- Click the Followers button to view everyone currently following the contract or request. You’ll see their names and email addresses in the list.
- Owners and task assignees can add or remove followers directly from this menu.
- Followers can add other teammates by mentioning them in a comment.
- The follower count updates automatically when someone is added or removed.
What Followers Can Do
- View the request or contract page and activity feed
- Comment and reply in the activity feed
- Add other teammates by mentioning them in comments
- Control their own notifications for that record
Note: Followers cannot complete or be assigned tasks, edit the request or contract, or access other contracts or requests unless they’ve been added as followers.
Comment Reactions
You can use comments to ask questions, clarify details, or keep a conversation moving on a request or contract. Sometimes you do not need to reply at all. A quick thumbs up is enough to show that you have seen the message or agree.
You can add a reaction to any comment in Requests and Contracts. Just hover over the comment and click the thumbs up. If you hover over the reaction later, you can see who added it.
Note: Reactions do not send email or Slack notifications.
Notifications for Followers
Followers receive notifications for key activity on the request or contract. Notifications are sent by email and Slack.
Followers are notified when:
Someone added you
Someone mentions you in a comment
You’re removed as a follower
Requests: Followers receive notifications when approval tasks are completed or skipped, and when the request closes.
Contracts: Followers receive notifications when a contract renewal reminder is sent.
You can manage notifications using the bell icon in the top right corner of the page. Notification options appear once you are following a request or contract.
To update your general notification preferences (email or Slack), click on your avatar and go to Profile & Notifications. For more information, see Change Your Notification Settings.
FAQ
Q: What is the difference between a follower, a task assignee, and an owner?
- Owner: You create and manage the request or contract.
- Task Assignee: You’re responsible for completing specific tasks in the workflow.
- Follower: You can view the request or contract, follow updates, and comment, but you don’t complete any tasks unless you’re assigned one.
Q: Will followers receive notifications every time something changes on a request or contract?
A: Followers receive notifications for major events such as being added, mentioned, removed, and key updates on requests and contracts. Notification preferences can be adjusted in Settings. Please refer to the Notification Settings article for more information.
Q: Can followers add other followers?
A: Yes, followers can mention other users in comments, which will add them as followers.
Q: How does this feature address security concerns?
A: This feature actually reduces security risks by keeping collaboration within Tropic rather than forcing users to share sensitive information through screenshots, email, or Slack. However, organizations should establish guidelines for when it's appropriate to add followers to sensitive requests or contracts.
Q: Will this work with the permissions I already set up?
A: Yes. Adding someone as a follower doesn’t change your permission structure. It simply gives that person view and comment access to the specific request or contract you added them to. Your existing roles and permissions stay the same.
Q: Do followers receive Slack notifications?
A: Yes. Followers receive Slack notifications for the same events as email, as long as Slack is enabled for the organization.