REACH THE RIGHT COLLEAGUE
Bring the right person into the question.
Use supported mentions to direct attention within a conversation, while preserving the subject’s audience and current access rules.
Mention the person and explain the question
Attention is directed without changing the record’s access boundary.
@Mina can you check the scope?
A focused question should not become a company-wide interruption
A particular colleague may know the answer to a project question, while everyone else only needs the resulting decision later. Mentions make the intended person explicit in the discussion. Tsumira validates supported mention targets as part of the message flow rather than assuming that any typed name or guessed identifier is an authorized recipient. A mention directs attention; it does not replace the conversation’s access rules.
Choose a person in the conversation’s context
The available people directory and subject authority help determine who can be mentioned in the supported thread. Select the actual person, especially when names are similar, and write a question that explains what response is needed. A bare name without a useful request only creates more work. The message remains associated with its record or room, so the person can inspect the relevant context rather than answer from a detached notification alone.
- Supported person selection
- Subject-aware target validation
- Question and context kept together
Keep attention separate from permission
Mentioning a colleague does not turn a private record or file into a generally shared object. Message writes and later reads still use the applicable subject authority. Cross-company mentions, where supported, require the accepted connection and explicit sharing rules; they are not a way to address an arbitrary person outside the workspace. Use an authorized sharing flow when somebody genuinely needs access instead of treating the mention as an invitation.
- Record access remains in force
- No automatic file sharing
- Explicit rules for supported external partners
A mention is not a sharing action
Selecting the right name and a clear question matters more than a broad alert.
Mention does not grant access
Respect notification choices and broadcast boundaries
The message can create attention through the supported notification path, but visible alerts depend on the person’s preferences and available delivery channels. Broad mentions such as everyone can have separate authority rules. Use a targeted mention for the particular decision maker and a wider announcement only when it serves the audience. A notification is a prompt to read; it is not proof that the recipient has seen, understood or accepted the request.
- Targeted notification intent
- Personal preferences still apply
- Separate broadcast authority
A concrete workflow
Identify the needed answer
Decide which person can resolve the specific question and why they need the context.
Select the supported mention
Choose the actual directory person in the appropriate conversation.
Write the request clearly
State the question or expected decision with the useful source context.
Follow the discussion
Read the response in the thread and capture the resulting next step where appropriate.
An illustrative working example
Illustrative workflow: ask the project specialist
A project colleague needs clarification about a deliverable. They ask in the task’s supported conversation and mention the specialist who knows that area. The specialist can read the accessible context and reply to the question. Other team members are not all explicitly summoned, and the mention does not silently grant the specialist access to an unrelated private file.
Questions about this topic
Does mentioning someone automatically grant access?
No. The conversation and related records keep their own authority checks. Use the appropriate sharing mechanism where new access is needed.
Can I type any external name to reach another company?
No. Supported partner mentions depend on an accepted connection and explicit relevant authority, not arbitrary external names.
Does a mention guarantee the person saw the question?
No. Notification preferences, channel availability and human attention affect the outcome. Check the conversation’s actual response.
Can everyone use a company-wide mention freely?
Broad mentions can have separate authority rules. Prefer the specific person when the question only needs their decision.
Explore connections around this workflow.
Ideas for intended connections. Check the actual availability, permissions and supported data for each app before using a scenario.
Slack
Workflow concept: Compare mention conventions before mapping real colleagues to a work conversation.
Microsoft Teams
Workflow concept: Prepare a targeted request without implying that a mention grants record access.
Asana
Workflow concept: Identify the responsible task colleague before requesting a specific response.