@mentions and overdue task escalation in Quick tasks

Overview

Quick tasks helps frontline and operational teams coordinate work inside Simpplr. Two collaboration gaps had become clear as the feature matured:

• Task comments did not offer a direct way to bring specific colleagues into a conversation. Pulling the right person in at the moment action was needed required a separate chat or email thread.

• Overdue tasks could stall without enough visibility, especially when an assignee needed support or when a manager needed awareness of slipping work.

The 26.08 release addresses both gaps. Users can bring people directly into task discussions with @mentions, and overdue tasks can escalate to the assignee's manager to reinforce accountability and timely completion.

Availability: General availability in the 26.08 release for the mobile collaboration and escalation experience, with supporting web and task platform foundations delivered through related Quick tasks work.

Who this is for: Task creators, task assignees, managers, and administrators using Quick tasks on Simpplr web and mobile.

What's included

• @mentions in task comments. Users type @, search for colleagues with typeahead, select a user, and post a comment that includes a highlighted mention.

• Mention notifications. Mentioned users receive notifications so they can respond without relying on separate chat or email threads.

• Mobile support for mentions. The mention workflow works in the Simpplr mobile app, including comment entry and mention interaction behavior on iOS and Android.

• Task escalation to manager. Overdue tasks can escalate to the assignee's manager to increase visibility and encourage completion.

• Escalation notification controls. Administrators can set app-level defaults for escalation notifications, and users can manage their own preferences in notification settings.

How @mentions in task comments work

The mentions capability improves collaboration directly within the task record. The core behavior:

• Detects the @ trigger while the user types in a task comment field.

• Shows a user suggestion dropdown with typeahead support.

• Lets the user select the right person from the results.

• Displays the mention with visual highlighting in the comment UI.

• Sends a notification to the mentioned user.

• Links the mention to the user profile where supported.

Best use cases for mentions. Use mentions when you need clarification, want to request an update, need a handoff, or want to pull in a manager or teammate without leaving the task.

The same collaboration model extends to mobile. Users can tag others in task comments using @mentions with typeahead support, mention click handling works on iOS and Android, and mentions are supported across common task comment actions such as reopen and mark complete comment flows. The mobile experience is not just a plain text input enhancement. It is a broader collaboration update that makes mentions usable across common task activity scenarios on both major mobile platforms.

How task escalation works

Task escalation improves accountability when a task is not completed on time. The goal is automatic escalation of tasks when the assignee has not acted on them within defined timelines.

In the current release, escalation centers on the assignee's manager:

• Backend behavior: The platform runs the escalation notification mechanism and includes the assignee's manager in escalation notifications.

• Frontend behavior: Managers can open the task details directly from the escalation notification.

• Mobile behavior: The mobile app supports the escalation flow, including task detail updates and in-app or push notification handling.

Scope note. The original exploration for escalation considered broader models such as inactivity-based triggers, other personas, and multi-level escalation. The current release focuses on practical manager escalation for overdue tasks. Broader configurability is documented separately in product and technical references and is not part of this release.

Notification behavior and escalation rules

Notification behavior depends on the escalation setting, the task's priority, and the recipient's own notification preferences. The following behaviors apply:

• If Escalate if overdue is enabled, the assignee's manager is included in the notification flow.

• For escalated scenarios, the manager may receive the email as a CC rather than as an entirely separate message.

• When a task becomes overdue, the manager can also receive in-app and browser notifications in supported cases.

• Escalation can override normal priority-based email suppression for Low priority tasks.

• Escalation can override an assignee's disabled email setting for the relevant overdue notification path.

• Without escalation enabled, the manager does not receive overdue notifications.

Approaching due vs. overdue.

• Approaching due: Email behavior depends on urgency, notification settings, and whether escalation is enabled.

• Overdue: Escalation increases visibility and expands notification reach to the manager.

Administrator and user controls. Administrators control escalation notifications in Manage → Application → Defaults → Email. Users can manage their own preferences in notification settings.

How to use these features

Mention someone in a task comment on mobile

1. Open the task in the Simpplr mobile app.

2. Go to the task comments area.

3. Type @ followed by part of the person's name.

4. Select the correct user from the suggested results.

5. Finish writing your comment and post it.

Expected result: The selected user appears as a formatted mention in the comment and receives a notification about the mention.

Enable overdue task escalation

1. Create or edit a task with a due date.

2. Enable the Escalate if overdue option where available in the task flow.

3. Assign the task to a user who has a manager configured in their profile or org structure.

4. Allow the task to remain incomplete past its due date.

Expected result: The system escalates the overdue task through the configured notification path to increase manager visibility and prompt follow-up.

Escalation dependency. Manager escalation depends on the assignee having a manager relationship available to the system. If no manager is associated with the assignee, the manager-recipient path cannot function as designed.

Access for mentioned users and managers

The release considers access for participants brought into a task conversation:

• Mentioned users and managers can act on task assignments and comments they are pulled into.

• Managers can access task details directly from escalation notifications, which improves follow-up without forcing separate coordination outside the task.

Why this matters

Collaboration. Mentions reduce the need to switch to chat or email. Users can ask for help, provide updates, and coordinate directly inside the task record.

Accountability. Escalations make overdue work more visible to managers, helping teams intervene earlier and complete critical work faster.

Known scope and boundaries

Included now

• Mobile task mentions and mention notifications.

• Overdue escalation to the assignee's manager.

• Manager access to task details from escalation notifications.

• Configuration support for escalation notifications at the app and user level.

Explored earlier or planned for later

• Broader configurable escalation models.

• Additional recipient types beyond the assignee's manager.

• More advanced escalation policies.

• Deeper workflow logic.

Not part of this release

• Multi-level escalation chains.

• HR escalation targets.

• Custom escalation builders.

• Universal escalation across every possible task inactivity pattern.

Do not assume. This release delivers a manager-escalation model with room for future configurability. It is not a full framework for configuring every kind of escalation rule.

Troubleshooting

Mentioned user did not receive a notification

• What happened: The user's notification preferences may block mention notifications, or the mention may not have been posted successfully.

• What to do: Ask the mentioned user to check their notification settings for task mention notifications. Confirm the comment posted and that the mention shows visual highlighting. If both are correct and the notification did not arrive, contact Simpplr support.

Manager did not receive an escalation notification for an overdue task

• What happened: Escalation may not be enabled on the task, the assignee may not have a manager relationship configured, or administrator-level escalation notifications may be disabled.

• What to do: Confirm the task has Escalate if overdue enabled. Check that the assignee has a manager configured in their profile or org structure. Confirm that escalation notifications are enabled in Manage → Application → Defaults → Email.

Typeahead not showing users when I type @ in a task comment

• What happened: The mention trigger may not be firing, or the mobile app may need an update.

• What to do: Type @ directly, followed by at least one letter of the person's name. Update the Simpplr mobile app to the latest version and try again.

Manager cannot open the task from an escalation notification

• What happened: The manager may not have the necessary permissions to view the task, or the notification may be from an older client that does not support direct task access.

• What to do: Confirm the manager has task access rights for the assignee's context. Update the mobile app or reload the web session. If the issue persists on the latest release, contact Simpplr support.

Assignee's email is disabled but they still received the overdue notification

• What happened: This is expected in some cases. Escalation can override an assignee's disabled email setting for the relevant overdue notification path.

• What to do: No action needed. If this behavior is not wanted at your org, discuss with your administrator whether the app-level escalation notification setting should be adjusted.

Frequently asked questions

Who benefits most from these changes? Task creators, assignees, and managers. Creators can drive follow-up more effectively, assignees can collaborate without leaving the task, and managers gain visibility into overdue work that may need intervention.

Are @mentions a mobile-only feature? No. The underlying capability started in Quick tasks work for task comments and later extended to mobile for parity and broader usability. This KB focuses on the mobile enhancement because that is the prominent part of the 26.08 release.

What happens when I mention someone in a task comment? The user appears in the comment as a highlighted mention and receives a notification so they can review the update or request. Mentions are clickable and link to the user profile where supported.

Are all overdue tasks escalated automatically? No. Escalation depends on the task being configured for escalation and on the assignee having a manager relationship available to the system.

Can administrators control escalation notifications? Yes. Administrators can enable or disable task escalation notifications at the application default level. Users can manage their own preferences in notification settings.

Does escalation always send a separate email to the manager? Not always. In escalated scenarios, the manager may receive the email as a CC rather than as an entirely separate message. Depending on configuration, the manager can also receive in-app and browser notifications.