Alerts experience refresh and color-coded alerts

Overview

Administrators can now create and manage alerts in a refreshed, guided workflow and assign colors to individual alerts for clearer visual communication. The core purpose of alerts has not changed, but the experience is now easier to use and more flexible for different communication needs.

Before you begin

This feature is intended for Alert managers and other authorized administrators who create and manage alerts.

What is new

The alerts management experience has been redesigned with a more structured, step-by-step flow. In addition, administrators can now choose a color for each individual alert instead of relying on one global alert color.

Experience refresh

• Guided, step-by-step alert creation

• Improved create and edit experience

• Redesigned alerts listing page

• Search and filtering for easier management

Color-coded alerts

• Assign colors per alert

• Use default or custom colors

• Preview colors during setup

• Help employees visually recognize alert types

What changed

The updated alerts experience focuses on usability rather than changing how alerts fundamentally work. Administrators still create alerts for targeted audiences and schedule when those alerts appear, but the workflow is now organized into clearer steps for composing the message, selecting the audience, configuring scheduling, and reviewing the alert before publishing.

Each alert can now have its own color. This helps employees quickly distinguish between different kinds of messages, such as urgent announcements, maintenance notices, awareness campaigns, or general updates.

The core alert functionality remains the same. Existing capabilities such as audience targeting, scheduling, and editing continue to be supported.

How the refreshed alerts workflow works

The new management experience is designed to make alert creation more intuitive. Instead of a fragmented form, the workflow is broken into logical steps that guide the administrator through the required decisions.

1. Message and configuration: Compose the alert and define key behavior settings.

2. Audience selection: Choose the target audience using the updated recipient step.

3. Scheduling: Set when the alert should display.

4. External distribution: Configure supported external delivery options where available.

5. Review: Confirm all details before saving or publishing.

How color-coded alerts work

Color-coded alerts let administrators choose a visual style for each individual alert. This replaces the older approach where one global alert color applied to all alerts.

Organizations can use alert colors in ways that fit their internal communications strategy. For example, one color might be used for critical issues, another for operational updates, and another for informational or awareness messaging.

Additional color behavior

• A live color preview is available while selecting colors.

• The system keeps up to 4 recently used colors to make repeat selection faster.

• If a newly selected color is added after the recent list is full, the oldest saved recent color is replaced.

• If an alert is edited later, its previously saved color remains available for that alert even if it is no longer in the recent swatch list.

Accessibility

Color selection was implemented with contrast and readability in mind. Alerts should remain understandable and readable, and color should support clarity rather than be the only signal conveying the message.

What this means for existing alerts and settings

• Existing alerts continue to work. The refresh focuses on the management experience and per-alert color support. No changes are required for alerts that are already published.

• Legacy global alert color behavior is replaced. When color-coded alerts are enabled, branding-based alert color settings from the previous experience are hidden.

• Create and edit are both supported. Administrators can assign or update alert colors when creating a new alert or editing an existing one.

• Custom colors are optional. Administrators can continue using the default alert appearance when a custom color is not needed.

Best practices

• Use a small, consistent set of colors so employees learn what each one means.

• Reserve stronger or high-attention colors for urgent or high-priority communications.

• Use neutral or softer colors for informational updates and routine notices.

• Consider accessibility and readability when selecting custom banner and text colors.

• Document internal color usage guidelines so alert authors apply colors consistently.

Troubleshooting

The global alert color setting is no longer visible after this update.

• What happened: The legacy global alert color behavior has been replaced by the new per-alert color-coded experience. When color-coded alerts are enabled, the branding-based alert color setting from the previous experience is hidden.

• What to do: Use the color option within individual alert configuration to set the desired color for each alert. If a consistent color is needed across all alerts, apply the same color when creating or editing each one.

A custom color selected for an alert is no longer showing in the recent swatches.

• What happened: The system saves only up to 4 recently used colors. When a new color is added after the list is full, the oldest saved color is removed from the recent swatch list.

• What to do: Manually re-enter the color value when needed. Note that even if a color is no longer in the recent swatch list, the previously saved color for a specific alert remains available when that alert is edited directly.

An existing alert is not displaying with the expected color after the update.

• What happened: Existing alerts were created under the previous experience where a global alert color was applied. The refresh introduces per-alert color configuration, and existing alerts may not have a custom color assigned yet.

• What to do: Open the alert in edit mode and navigate to the color configuration step. Assign the desired color and save the alert. The updated color will apply to the alert going forward.

The color preview is not appearing while selecting a custom color.

• What happened: The live color preview displays within the alert configuration modal when the custom color option is selected. If the preview is not visible, the default option may still be selected, or there may be a display issue with the configuration modal.

• What to do: Confirm that the custom color option is selected in the alert configuration. If the preview still does not appear, try refreshing the page and reopening the alert configuration modal. If the issue persists, contact your administrator or raise a support request.

An alert is not appearing for the intended audience after publishing.

• What happened: The refreshed workflow separates audience selection into its own step. If the audience step was skipped or saved without selecting the correct recipients, the alert may not be targeting the right users.

• What to do: Open the alert in edit mode and review the audience selection step. Confirm that the correct target audience is selected and save the alert again. Review the scheduling step as well to confirm the alert is set to display within the intended timeframe.

Frequently asked questions

Q: Does this update change how alerts work?

Ans: No. The core functionality remains the same. The update improves the workflow for creating, editing, reviewing, and managing alerts.

Q: Can existing alerts still be edited?

Ans: Yes. Existing alerts can still be edited, and administrators can update alert colors during the edit flow.

Q: Can different alerts have different colors?

Ans: Yes. Administrators can assign colors on a per-alert basis, which makes it easier to distinguish different communication types.

Q: Is configuring a custom color mandatory?

Ans: No. Administrators can keep the default alert styling if they do not want to configure a custom color for an alert.

Q: Who can create and manage alerts?

Ans: Alert managers and other authorized administrators who have permissions to create and manage alerts.

Q: How many recently used colors does the system save?

Ans: The system keeps up to 4 recently used colors. When a new color is added after the list is full, the oldest saved color is replaced.

Q: Will a previously saved alert color still be available when editing that alert later?

Ans: Yes. If an alert is edited, its previously saved color remains available for that alert even if it is no longer in the recent swatch list.