> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.spockoffice.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Channel Notifications

> Automatically post daily and weekly summaries of upcoming employee leave directly into Slack channels for better team coordination and visibility.

Channel Notifications allow you to automatically post summaries of upcoming employee leave directly into designated Slack channels. You can configure both organization-wide notifications and team-specific notifications to keep everyone informed about planned absences.

## Organization-Wide Channel Notifications

Organization-wide notifications send leave summaries to a single Slack channel for your entire workspace. This provides centralized visibility of all upcoming leave across your organization.

### Accessing Channel Notification Settings

<Steps>
  <Step title="Sign in to Dashboard">
    Sign in to the [Spock Dashboard](/spock/getting-started/dashboard-signin).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Navigate to Notifications">
    Click the **Settings** tab, then select **Notifications** in the left menu under Leave Policy category.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/ideoworks/pfQO6NPc6hiIt7PA/images/spock-channel-notifications.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=pfQO6NPc6hiIt7PA&q=85&s=a3d31d45aba2d8b9a66aee1b5863b9b7" alt="Slack Channel Notifications configuration interface" height="300" className="rounded-lg" data-path="images/spock-channel-notifications.png" />

### Channel Selection

Before configuring notifications, you must select the Slack channel where summaries will be posted.

<Warning>
  Spock must be invited to your selected Slack channel before notifications will work. In your chosen channel, type `/invite @spock` to add Spock to the channel.
</Warning>

<Steps>
  <Step title="Choose Slack channel">
    Select your preferred channel from the **Slack Channel** dropdown menu.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Invite Spock">
    If you haven't already, go to your selected Slack channel and run:

    ```
    /invite @spock
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  If you don't see private channels in the list, the Spock Administrator/Installer may need to reinstall Spock from the [pricing page](https://spockoffice.com/web/pricing/).
</Tip>

### Daily Summary

The Daily Summary sends a concise overview of leave every workday, helping your team stay informed about daily absences.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Enable Daily Summary">
    Check the **Enable Daily Summary** checkbox to activate daily notifications.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure send time">
    Set the **Send at** time when you want the summary delivered each workday. Choose a time that works best for your team, such as early morning before work begins.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select timezone">
    Choose the appropriate **Timezone** to ensure summaries are sent at the correct local time.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Define include period">
    Select what leave information to include from the **Include** dropdown:

    * **Today**: Only include leave occurring today
    * **Tomorrow**: Only include leave occurring tomorrow
    * **Today & Tomorrow**: Include leave for both today and tomorrow (recommended for comprehensive daily awareness)

    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/ideoworks/pfQO6NPc6hiIt7PA/images/spock-channel-notifications-daily-summary.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=pfQO6NPc6hiIt7PA&q=85&s=5dafa05842fcf5038054e814b9518049" alt="Daily Summary include options" height="300" className="rounded-lg" data-path="images/spock-channel-notifications-daily-summary.png" />
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save changes">
    Click **Save Changes** to activate your Daily Summary configuration.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Daily summaries are sent on workdays only, based on your organization's working days configuration.
</Note>

### Weekly Summary

The Weekly Summary provides a broader view of upcoming leave, helping teams plan ahead for coverage and project coordination.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Enable Weekly Summary">
    Check the **Enable Weekly Summary** checkbox to activate weekly notifications.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose send day">
    Select the **Send every** day of the week when you want the summary delivered. Common choices include:

    * **Sunday**: Review upcoming leave before the work week
    * **Monday**: Start the week with leave visibility
    * **Friday**: Plan for the following week
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set send time">
    Configure the **Send at** time for weekly summary delivery.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select timezone">
    Choose the appropriate **Timezone** for your organization.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Define look-ahead period">
    Select the time range from the **Include** dropdown:

    * **Next 7 Days**: One week ahead (ideal for short-term planning)
    * **Next 14 Days**: Two weeks ahead (better for medium-term coordination)
    * **Next 30 Days**: One month ahead (comprehensive long-term visibility)

    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/ideoworks/pfQO6NPc6hiIt7PA/images/spock-channel-notifications-weekly-summary.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=pfQO6NPc6hiIt7PA&q=85&s=c4be5e3ca0f455cead898df2fbc0e2bf" alt="Weekly Summary include options" height="300" className="rounded-lg" data-path="images/spock-channel-notifications-weekly-summary.png" />
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save changes">
    Click **Save Changes** to activate your Weekly Summary configuration.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  You can enable both Daily and Weekly summaries simultaneously. They serve different purposes and complement each other well.
</Tip>

## Team-Specific Channel Notifications

In addition to organization-wide notifications, you can configure dedicated Slack channel notifications for individual teams. This allows each team to receive notifications about their team members' leave in their own dedicated channels.

Team notifications offer more granular control, including:

* Team-specific Slack channels
* Daily reports with customizable send times
* Event-based notifications (requesting, approving, rejecting, canceling, or deleting leave)

<Note>
  For detailed instructions on setting up team-specific channel notifications, see [Team Notifications](/spock/team-management/team-notifications).
</Note>

## Best Practices

### When to Use Daily Summaries

Daily summaries work best for:

* **Small to medium teams** (under 50 people) where daily absences significantly impact operations
* **Operations teams** that need real-time awareness of staffing levels
* **Customer support teams** that must ensure adequate coverage every day
* **Project teams** with tight deadlines where daily coordination is critical

**Recommended settings:**

* Send time: 8:00 AM (before work begins)
* Include: Today & Tomorrow
* Timezone: Your primary office location

### When to Use Weekly Summaries

Weekly summaries are ideal for:

* **Large organizations** where daily updates would be overwhelming
* **Management teams** that need strategic visibility without daily details
* **Planning and scheduling** departments that work on longer timelines
* **Cross-functional teams** that need advance notice for coordination

**Recommended settings:**

* Send every: Sunday or Monday
* Send time: 6:00 PM Sunday or 8:00 AM Monday
* Include: Next 14 Days (balances detail with actionability)
* Timezone: Your primary office location

### Combining Organization-Wide and Team Notifications

For optimal results, consider this approach:

1. **Organization-wide channel**: Use for leadership visibility and company-wide awareness
   * Enable Weekly Summary (Next 14-30 Days)
   * Post to a general channel like #announcements or #team-updates

2. **Team-specific channels**: Configure for operational coordination
   * Enable Daily Reports in team channels
   * Enable event notifications (requests, approvals) for real-time updates
   * Each team manages their own channel preferences

### Channel Selection Strategy

* **Public channels**: Use for organization-wide summaries to maximize transparency
* **Private team channels**: Use for team-specific notifications to maintain focus
* **Dedicated leave channel**: Consider creating a #leave or #out-of-office channel specifically for organization-wide summaries

<Warning>
  Avoid sending both organization-wide and team notifications to the same channel, as this may create duplicate notifications and confusion.
</Warning>

## Related Topics

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Teams" href="/spock/team-management/teams">
    Configure team-specific channel notifications with granular control.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Slack Notifications" href="/spock/integrations/notifications">
    Learn about personal notification settings and morning reports.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Preferences" href="/spock/preferences/notifications">
    Customize your individual notification preferences.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Working Days" href="/spock/leave-management/working-days">
    Configure working days that affect when summaries are sent.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>