Table of contents
Introduction to FeedForward Threads
FeedForward Threads organize sequences of messages centered on a single Pulse Check survey comment or employee-initiated message. Threads enable participants to follow specific topics, keeping related responses organized.
Each thread begins with an initial message or comment, followed by replies from participants.
Thread Organization
Sorting
Threads: Displayed chronologically, with the most recent or updated threads appearing at the top of the FeedForward page.
Replies: Displayed chronologically within a thread, with the oldest reply at the top and the most recent at the bottom.
Components
Thread Starter: The initial comment or message created by the thread initiator.
Thread Replies: Indented and visually nested under the thread starter to indicate hierarchy, with the most recent messages at the bottom.
Thread Initiator Information
Thread Initiator is an employee who leaves a comment on Pulse Check surveys or sends a direct message to Admins & Managers.
For transparent comments/direct messages: Displays the initiator’s profile picture, first and last name, contact information (email or phone number), and assigned labels.
For anonymous version (companies using an anonymous version of the app or settings that restrict managers from viewing individual results or in case of anonymous direct messages): Displays “Anonymous User” without labels, profile picture, or contact information. Employees can view this label to understand how others perceive them in anonymous threads. Portal users can still respond to the anonymous thread, but the sender’s identity will remain protected (anonymous).
Participants and Visibility
Comments: Visible to all admins and managers of the employee’s assigned teams; they are automatically included as participants.
Direct Messages: Default visibility is limited; employees can select recipients manually.
Viewing Participants: Hover over the participant count to see the full list of thread viewers.
Thread Actions
Reply
Participants can respond to threads using:
The Reply button at the top-right corner.
The Reply option in the fly-out menu (accessible via the three-dot icon).
Typing directly in the reply box within the opened thread (accessible via the number of replies or unread replies).
The reply box can be expanded by clicking the expand arrow in the bottom-right corner. There is a limit of 4,096 characters per reply.
When a thread participant replies to the thread, their read indicator status automatically changes to read, and the thread is marked as read for them. As a result, all thread replies change their background color from blue to white. Other thread participants will retain their local read status.
For example, when a portal user has five unread replies and responds to the thread, the entire thread and all its replies are marked as read.
Mark as Read/Unread
Mark as Read: Changes the thread and replies’ background from blue to white. Use the “Mark as Read” icon at the top-right corner or the fly-out menu (accessible via the three dots in the top-right corner, where all thread actions are listed) to do so.
When a thread is marked as read, all existing replies within the thread, including the thread starter, will change color from blue to white, and the “Marked as Read” indicator will become active.
Mark as Unread: Once a thread has been marked as read, the tooltip will update to Mark as Unread. If a thread participant clicks this option, the entire thread will be marked as unread again, with the background color reverting from white to blue.
New replies are marked as unread automatically, allowing participants to quickly distinguish between read and unread replies.
Read By Indicators: Since multiple participants can access the same thread, a "Read By" indicator has been introduced. Located on the left-hand side of the thread starter or reply, this feature shows:
One checkmark: Some participants have read the thread.
Two checkmarks: All participants have read the thread.
Resolve/Unresolve
Resolve: Mark the thread as resolved to indicate that action items have been addressed.
To do so, click the Resolve icon in the top-right corner or select the Resolve option from the fly-out menu (accessible via the three dots in the top-right corner, where all thread actions are listed).
This changes the thread’s background to green and activates the “Resolved” indicator.
When a thread is resolved, it is automatically marked as "read" for the resolving user. For other portal users, the thread status will appear as "resolved," and the read/unread status will reflect each participant's activity.
Marking a thread as "Resolved" will also be displayed to employees, using the same color coding: a green background and an active "Resolved" indicator.
Unresolve: Revert the status for all participants to indicate further action is needed.
To do so, click the “Resolved” indicator or select the "Unresolve" option from the fly-out menu.
If the thread is marked as "unresolved," each user will revert to seeing their individual read/unread status based on what they had previously marked for that thread.
Archive
Purpose: This global action applied to all portal users removes threads from active view without deleting them.
To archive a thread, go to the fly-out menu and select the "Archive" option.
Archived threads are grayed out and can be restored via the “Unarchive” option in the fly-out menu.
Mark as Important
Purpose: This global action applied to all portal users highlights threads requiring close attention.
To do so, click the exclamation mark icon in the bottom right corner or select the "Mark as important" option from the fly-out menu.
Threads marked as important are displayed in red with an exclamation mark.
Disable the important status by clicking the exclamation mark.
Thread Statuses
There are two types of statuses for threads:
Global - applied to all thread participants
Resolved/Unresolved
Archived/Active
Important/Not Important
Local - applied individually to each participant
Mark as Read
Global Statuses
Resolved/Unresolved:
This status is applied to both portal users and employees.
When marked as Resolved, the thread changes color to green, and a "Resolved" indicator becomes active.
It can be combined with other statuses such as Archived/Active, Important/Not Important, and Read/Unread.
If a portal user believes a thread marked as resolved is still unresolved, any portal user who is a thread participant can revert the status to Unresolved, and the change will immediately apply to all participants (employee included).
Archived/Active:
This status is applied exclusively to portal users.
When marked as Archived, the thread's container background and text color change to gray.
It can be combined with other statuses such as Resolved/Unresolved, Important/Not Important, and Read/Unread.
Important/Not Important:
This status is applied exclusively to portal users.
When marked as Important, the thread is highlighted in red and features an exclamation mark in the bottom-right corner.
This status can be combined with other statuses such as Resolved/Unresolved, Archived/Active, and Read/Unread.
Local Statuses
Mark as Read: Individual participants can mark threads as read or unread without affecting others.
This status is applied individually to each thread participant.
If one portal user marks a thread as read, the status applies only to them, while other participants will still see the thread as unread.
If all thread participants mark the thread as read, the read indicator will display two checkmarks, signifying that the thread has been read by everyone.
The Read/Unread status can be combined with other statuses such as Resolved/Unresolved, Archived/Active, and Important/Not Important.
When a thread participant replies to the thread, their read status automatically changes to read. The thread and all replies are marked as read with a white background, while other participants retain their local read statuses.
Unread:
Read:
Status Combination Options
Unread, Unresolved, Active, Not Important
Unread, Unresolved, Active, Important
Unread, Unresolved, Archived, Not Important
Unread, Unresolved, Archived, Important
Unread, Resolved, Active, Not Important
Unread, Resolved, Active, Important
Unread, Resolved, Archived, Not Important
Unread, Resolved, Archived, Important
Read, Unresolved, Active, Not Important
Read, Unresolved, Active, Important
Read, Unresolved, Archived, Not Important
Read, Unresolved, Archived, Important
Read, Resolved, Active, Not Important
Read, Resolved, Active, Important
Read, Resolved, Archived, Not Important
Read, Resolved, Archived, Important
Historical Comments & Messages
Historical comments are accessible to all admins by default.
If necessary, admins can include additional portal users in the conversation by selecting from the list of available recipients. This list includes all admins and managers from the teams to which the thread initiator (employee) was assigned.
New admins or managers can be added to conversations later but won’t have access to historical messages unless explicitly included.
Historical messages will be visible to all recipients specified by the employee when they were sent.
FeedForward Search
Portal users can search threaded conversations using the search box, which remains accessible at all times.
FeedForward Filters
Portal users are able to filter feedforward threads based on the following criteria:
Teams
Created by
Replied by
Status
Date picker
All filters can be combined to narrow down direct messages and/or survey comments that meet all selected criteria.
Filtered results indicator (number) will be automatically updated to reflect the number of all threads, direct messages and pulse check comments that meets the criteria.
Filtered thread count label will appear in the bottom left corner of the filter bar once filters are applied alongside with the clear filters button.
Teams
A single-select dropdown with a search bar where you can select one parent team with all sub teams to filter the conversations based on people from those teams who started a conversation.
Restricted managers will see only their teams in the dropdown list.
Created by
Filter messages and comments by the author who initiated the conversation. This dropdown allows you to select one or multiple employees and can be combined with other filters for more refined results.
Created by dropdowns contains a search field, where thread creators could be searched by name or contact info (phone or email).
List of employees should have name and email/phone number in brackets.
Replied by
Filter messages and comments by one or more participants who replied to the conversation. This dropdown allows you to select multiple portal users and can be combined with other filters for more refined results.
When multiple portal users are selected, the feed should display all threads in which at least one of the selected users has responded.
Replied by dropdown contains a search field, where users who replied could be searched by name or contact info (phone or email).
List of portal users should have name and email in brackets.
Status
Filter by one or more thread statuses, such as All (default), Read, Unread, Resolved, Not Resolved, Replied, Not replied, Archived, Not archived, Important, Not important.
Read / Unread – Indicates whether a portal user has read the thread or not. This status is specific to each individual portal user.
Resolved / Not resolved – Indicates whether the thread has been marked as resolved or unresolved. This status applies to all portal users.
Replied / Not replied – Indicates whether the thread has received a response from any portal user.
Archived / Not archived – Indicates whether the thread has been marked as archived or unarchived by any portal user.
Important / Not Important – Indicates whether the thread has been marked as important by any other portal user.
Date Picker
Filter conversations by specific custom timeframes.
Date picker applies only to the initial thread starter, so the replies can be written in other periods out of the selected time frame.
FeedForward Notifications
Each workday at 9 AM local time, we send portal users and employees a summary of the total number of unread new threads and replies received in the past 24 hours—or 72 hours on Mondays, since notifications are not sent over the weekend.
If there has been no new activity, or if all new activity has been marked as read, replied to, or resolved within the last 24 hours, a FeedForward summary will not be sent.
Additionally, the update only includes information about new activity from the past 24 hours and does not sum up with previous interactions reported the day before.
The update, delivered via preferred channel (Email, SMS or Slack), provides a combined total of all FeedForward interactions, including new pulse check comments, direct messages, and replies to existing threads, along with a link to the FeedForward page within the platform.
When users click the Read and Reply button, they will be redirected to the FeedForward page, where threads with the most recent activity will appear at the top.
FF push notifications setup
Once you set up FeedForward push notifications, you’ll be able to keep track of your conversations without having to log into the HeartCount application.
Please note each user configurs push notifications individually. The changes take effect immediately.
Desktop devices
Get started with the 3 simple steps listed below!
Step 1
Log into your HeartCount applications using your credentials as usual.
Your browser will prompt you to allow push notifications.
Click Allow as shown in the image 1.
You will see a loading screen shortly after and the text Allowed will display for a brief moment.
Step 2
From there, if you click on the icon as shown in the image below (Image 2), the confirmation pop up appears showing that the push notifications have been enabled (Image 3).
Step 3
Additionally, you should check your System Settings for any additional restrictions regarding notifications.
Mac devices
Go to Settings.
From there, select Notifications section.
Find the browser you use.
If this hasn’t been done already, turn Notifications ON as shown in the image below.
Windows devices
Go to Settings.
From there, choose Notifications & actions.
Congratulations!
You’ve successfully completed the FeedForward push notification setup.
Going forward, you’ll receive push notifications regarding this FeedForward conversation activity:
✅ Direct messages
✅ Replies to messages
✅ Replies to comments
Note
Push notifications regarding initial comment received in surveys are not sent.
Apple Mobile Devices
As an additional step, iPhone users need to allow notifications by clicking on the Add to Home Screen option.
FeedForward Notifications Pro Tips
Once portal users reply to a thread or mark it as resolved, their individual thread status is automatically changed to read, as it is assumed they have reviewed the thread before responding or marking it as resolved. This change applies only to the user who took action, while all other participants retain their individual thread statuses based on whether they have read the thread or not.
When a new reply arrives in a read, resolved, or archived thread, the thread's status will automatically change to unread for all recipients, except for the participant who submitted the latest reply.
For easier navigation through FeedForward threads, we recommend marking threads as read (the thread background turns white) after reviewing them. Additionally, assigning the resolved status (the thread turns green) when the issue has been addressed by company management or HR can help streamline follow-ups. These statuses will enable users to focus only on unread threads, which are highlighted in blue.
FeedForward notifications cannot be disabled—neither at the company level nor at the individual level—because providing feedback on employees' Pulse Check comments and direct messages is a crucial part of building trust and fostering a culture of addressing feedback within the company.
Additionally, FeedForward notifications should be viewed as standard group emails received by an employee or any other sender, where all recipients are expected to communicate with each other to determine who is best suited to respond to the email—or in this case, the FeedForward thread.
We recommend involving managers in thread responses, as they work closely with employees on a regular basis and their expertise can be valuable in addressing the issues raised.
Employee User Interface
Employees can filter threads using quick links in the FeedForward section:
All: Displays all comments and direct messages written by the employee.
Direct Messages: Displays only direct messages written by the employee.
Survey Comments: Displays only comments written by the employee.
Employees can:
Add participants to direct messages they initiate, while Pulse Check comments are automatically assigned to all Admins and the direct managers of the teams to which the employee is assigned. When composing a direct message, employees can select which Portal users (admins and managers) can view the message, or they can add all participants by clicking the Select All option.
Mark threads as read or unread.
Reply to portal user responses and engage in conversations.
Search through treaded conversations and replies for easier navigation.
Employees cannot add participants to Pulse Check comment threads.