Choose a Notification Type in Bullhorn Automation

When you add a Notification to an automation, you choose whether each triggered record sends its own notification or gets collected into a timed summary. That choice determines when your team receives alerts and how much detail each notification contains. This article explains each notification type and when to use it.

Common Reasons You Might Need This Article

  • You want your team to receive notifications only during working hours, not at all hours.

  • You want to reduce email volume by batching notifications into a daily or weekly digest.

  • You need to configure a specific delivery time for Daily or Weekly notifications.

  • You are not sure which notification type supports merge tags and custom record details.

  • You want to understand what Respect Automation Settings means for notification delivery timing.

Before you start: Configurable send time settings are rolling out gradually and will be enabled for your account automatically. No action is required. If you do not see the Individual Notifications and Summarized Notifications options in your account, your account has not yet been enabled.

The Respect Automation Settings timing option uses the Days to send and Times to send values configured in your automation's Automation Settings. See Configuring Automation Settings for details on where those values are set.

Send Individual Notifications

Individual notifications send one email per record each time that record completes the Send Notification step. Because each notification references a single record, Individual notifications support merge tags, so you can personalize each email with candidate name, placement dates, custom fields, and any other available record data.

The Create Notification drawer in Bullhorn Automation showing Individual Notifications selected. A description explains that an individual notification will be sent for each record, with timing configured in the email settings. Two options are displayed: From Existing, to create a notification from a copy of an existing notification, and From Template, to create a notification from the Bullhorn Automation notification template.

When you select Individual Notifications, choose one of two send timing options:

  • Immediate: The notification sends as soon as the record completes the Send Notification step. This is the default and matches how notifications worked before this update.

  • Respect Automation Settings: The notification is held and delivered as soon as possible within the time range set in your Automation Settings (Days to send and Times to send). Notifications are not summarized even if a backlog accumulates outside the send window. Each record still receives its own individual notification.

An example of the Email Settings panel in Bullhorn Automation showing a subject line using a merge tag, a send timing option set to Respect Automation Settings with a description explaining the notification will be sent as soon as possible within the time range set in Automation Settings

Once you save a notification as Individual, you cannot change it to a Summarized notification. If you need a different type, create a new notification step.

Use Individual notifications when you need to include specific record details in the alert, or when your team needs to act on a record as soon as it reaches a step in the automation. Use Respect Automation Settings if you want those alerts delivered within a defined working window rather than around the clock.

Send Summarized Notifications

Summarized notifications collect all records that complete the Send Notification step during a set period and deliver them in a single summary email. Use Summarized notifications when you want to reduce email volume while still keeping your team informed.

When you select Summarized Notifications, choose a frequency:

  • Daily: A summary email sends once per day at the delivery time you configure. The time is displayed in your user time zone. All records that completed the Send Notification step since the previous summary are included in the email.

  • Weekly: A summary email sends once per week on the day or days you select, at the delivery time you configure. Both the day selector and delivery time are displayed in your user time zone.

Summarized notifications use a predefined layout that auto-populates a list of records for the recipient. The columns displayed vary by automation type and cannot be customized or changed to show additional fields. If you need to include specific record details such as placement dates, job titles, or custom fields, use an Individual notification instead.

The information displayed in Summarized notification emails is determined by the automation type. The columns included vary depending on the automation type and cannot be customized or changed to display additional fields.

If you need to include specific record details in a notification, use an Individual notification instead. Individual notifications support merge tags, which allow you to include any available field data in the notification email.

If you remove the predefined merge tag box from a Summarized notification template, the notification will not populate and recipients will receive a blank or incomplete email. Open the notification in the Email Builder to verify the merge tag box is present if you encounter this issue.

If an automation is paused, Daily and Weekly summary notifications still send for any records that entered the Send Notification step before the automation was paused.

Troubleshooting

If the Individual Notifications and Summarized Notifications options are not appearing in your account

Configurable send time settings are rolling out gradually. If you still see the original Immediate, Daily, and Weekly radio buttons instead of the Individual and Summarized grouping, your account has not yet been enabled. The updated options will appear automatically. No action is required.

If your Daily or Weekly summary email is blank or missing records

Confirm that the predefined merge tag box is still present in your notification template. Removing this box prevents the notification from populating. Open the notification in the Email Builder and verify the merge tag box is in place.

If you need to show custom fields in a notification but they are not available

Summarized notifications do not support custom columns or merge tags. Switch to an Individual notification and select Immediate or Respect Automation Settings as the send timing. Individual notifications support merge tags, which allow you to include any available field data in the email.

If a record appears in a summary notification after being removed from the list

Summarized notifications include all records that completed the Send Notification step during the collection period, regardless of whether those records still meet the list criteria when the notification sends. This is expected behavior. If you need real-time visibility into status changes, use an Individual notification instead.

FAQs

Can I change an Individual notification to a Summarized notification after saving?

No. Once a notification step is saved as Individual, the type cannot be changed. Create a new notification step and select Summarized Notifications to use a different type.

What is the difference between Immediate and Respect Automation Settings for Individual notifications?

Both options send one notification per record. Neither batches records together. Immediate sends the notification as soon as the record completes the step. Respect Automation Settings holds the notification and delivers it during the next available send window defined in your Automation Settings (Days to send and Times to send). Use Respect Automation Settings when you want alerts to arrive during your team's working hours rather than immediately at any time of day.

What time zone are the Daily and Weekly delivery times shown in?

Delivery times for Summarized notifications are displayed and configured in your user time zone, not the contact's time zone or a fixed system time zone.

Do Summarized notifications support merge tags or custom fields?

No. Summarized notifications use a predefined layout. The columns displayed vary by automation type and cannot be customized. Use an Individual notification if you need to include specific record details such as placement dates, job titles, or custom fields.

What happens if no records complete the Send Notification step during a collection period?

If no records complete the step during a Daily or Weekly collection period, no summary email is sent for that period.