Creating Tasks with HelloShift

Tasks help you track work that needs to get done. Assign tasks to individuals or departments, set deadlines, and monitor progress to ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

Overview

HelloShift offers several ways to manage tasks:

  • Spontaneous Tasks: One-time tasks created on the fly

  • Template Tasks: Reusable task templates for common work

  • Recurring Tasks (Checklists): Automatically generated tasks on a schedule

Spontaneous Tasks

Create spontaneous tasks for immediate or one-time assignments, like responding to a guest request or handling a maintenance issue.

How to Create a Task

  1. Click in the "Write a note or task" box at the top of any page

  1. Click the "Make this a task" button

  2. Fill in the task details:

Field

Description

Assign to

Select an individual or department. The entire department sees the task, and any member can complete it.

Subject

Short, descriptive title that appears in task lists

Description

Detailed instructions. You can @mention others to keep them in the loop.

Start

When the task should begin. Leave blank for immediate tasks. An alert is sent ~5 minutes before start time.

Due

Deadline for completion. An alert is sent if the task is overdue. Status changes to "overdue" for reporting.

Create for each member

Check this to create a separate task for every member of the department (useful for forms or acknowledgments)

Add file

Attach photos, PDFs, or other files

  1. Click Add Task

The task appears in:

  • Your Watching list (so you can track progress)

  • The assignee's To Do list

Task Notifications & Escalation

HelloShift automatically sends notifications to keep everyone informed about task status.

Notification Timeline

Event

Who Gets Notified

When

Task Created

Assignee, creator, mentioned users

Immediately

Task Starting Soon

Assignee

~5-10 minutes before start time

Task Overdue

Assignee, creator

Shortly after deadline passes

Task Completed

Creator, mentioned users

When marked complete

Escalation Behavior

Tasks use notification-based escalation:

  • When a task passes its deadline without being completed, it's marked as Overdue

  • Overdue tasks appear with a red indicator in task lists

  • Overdue notifications are sent to alert the assignee and creator

  • Overdue tasks are tracked in management reports for accountability

Note: Tasks do not automatically reassign or change status beyond "overdue." Managers should monitor the task dashboard and intervene when needed.

Task Status Indicators

Status

Color

Meaning

Upcoming

Blue

Task hasn't started yet

Current

Green

Task is active (between start and due time)

Overdue

Red

Past deadline, not completed

Completed

Gray

Task is done

Subtasks

You can create subtasks to break complex work into smaller pieces.

How Subtasks Work

  • Subtasks are linked to a parent task

  • Each subtask can be assigned to different people

  • Completing all subtasks doesn't automatically complete the parent task

  • When a parent task is archived, all subtasks are also archived

Creating Subtasks

  1. Open an existing task

  2. Click Add Subtask

  3. Fill in the subtask details

  4. Assign to the appropriate person or department

Use Case: A "Room Deep Clean" parent task might have subtasks for "Clean bathroom," "Replace linens," "Check minibar," and "Vacuum floors."

Recurring Tasks (Checklists)

For work that repeats on a schedule, use Checklists (also called MetaTasks). Checklists automatically generate task instances based on your schedule.

Examples of Recurring Tasks

  • Daily opening/closing checklists

  • Weekly pool inspections

  • Monthly safety equipment checks

  • Quarterly maintenance reviews

Setting Up Recurring Tasks

See Checklists for complete instructions on:

  • Creating checklist templates

  • Setting up recurrence schedules (daily, weekly, monthly, custom)

  • Assigning to rooms, equipment, or staff

  • Tracking completion across all instances

Template Tasks

Template Tasks are reusable task patterns you can quickly deploy without recreating the details each time.

How Templates Work

  1. Create a template once with all the standard details

  2. When you need that type of task, select the template

  3. Adjust any specifics (room number, assignee, date)

  4. Create the task

Setting Up Templates

See Template Tasks for complete instructions on:

  • Creating department-specific templates

  • Using templates from the task creation screen

  • Managing and updating your template library

Task Dashboard

View and manage all tasks from the Task Dashboard.

Accessing the Dashboard

  1. Click Tasks in the left sidebar

  2. Choose a tab:

    • Dashboard: Overview of all departments, staff, and tags with status indicators

    • All: List view of all tasks with filtering options

    • Templates: Manage reusable task templates

Dashboard View

The Dashboard tab provides a visual overview showing:

Departments & Staff

  • Each department and staff member appears as a clickable label

  • Color indicates task status:

    • Red: Has overdue tasks

    • Green: Has current (active) tasks

    • Blue: Has upcoming tasks

    • Gray: No pending tasks

  • Checklist icon shows incomplete checklists count

Tags by Type

  • Room tags, Equipment tags, Space tags, and Custom tags

  • Same color-coding as staff (red/green/blue/gray)

  • Click any tag to see all associated tasks

All Tasks View

The All tab shows a filterable list of tasks:

  • Status filter: Incomplete, Complete, All

  • Date range: Filter by creation or due date

  • Search: Find tasks by keyword

  • Export: Download task list as spreadsheet

Templates View

Manage your reusable task templates:

  • View all templates by department

  • Create new templates

  • Edit or delete existing templates

See Template Tasks for details.

Task Completion

Completing a Task

  1. Open the task from your To Do list or the Task Dashboard

  2. Review the task details and any attachments

  3. Click Complete or Mark Complete

  4. Optionally add a completion note

Completion Tracking

HelloShift tracks detailed metrics for completed tasks:

  • Completion time: How long from start to completion

  • Completed by: Who marked the task complete

  • Completed at: Exact timestamp

  • On-time vs. Overdue: Whether it was completed before or after the deadline

These metrics appear in task reports for performance analysis.

Best Practices

Writing Good Task Subjects

Instead of…

Try...

"Fix it"

"Fix leaking faucet in Room 204"

"Guest request"

"Deliver extra towels to Room 112"

"Check"

"Inspect fire extinguisher - Floor 2"

Setting Effective Deadlines

  • Set realistic due times based on task complexity

  • Include buffer time for unexpected delays

  • For urgent tasks, set a due time within the next few hours

  • For routine tasks, align due times with shift changes

Using @Mentions

  • @mention team leads when tasks affect their area

  • @mention the guest-facing team if a task affects a guest

  • Use @all sparingly for truly urgent, property-wide issues

Troubleshooting

Task doesn't appear in assignee's list

  • Verify the correct person or department was selected

  • Check that the user is an active member of the assigned department

  • Confirm the task status is "active" (not archived or draft)

Notifications aren't being received

  • Check user notification settings in their profile

  • Verify phone numbers are correct for SMS notifications

  • Ensure push notifications are enabled on mobile devices

Task shows wrong status

  • Task status is calculated based on start time, due time, and completion

  • Refresh the page to see the current status

  • If status seems wrong, verify the start/due times are set correctly

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