Status Update Cadence: All Three Places It Lives
Status update reminders can be set at the workspace, carrier, or individual appraisal level. Here is how the three layers interact and where to change each one.
You'll learn
- The three places status update cadence can be set, in order of precedence
- How to change the next-due date for a single appraisal without affecting others
- How to set a different cadence for one specific carrier
- When to change the workspace default vs. a per-carrier or per-appraisal override
Picture this. You have a case sitting at IN_NEGOTIATIONS and the carrier expects to hear from you on a regular cadence, maybe weekly, maybe every two weeks. Multiply that by every active file you are juggling and the math gets ugly fast. Most carriers want their own cadence too, and a few files will always need a one-off push because the adjuster asked you to hold or you just sent something off-schedule.
Without automation, this means opening every appraisal one by one on a Friday afternoon trying to remember who is owed an update. You miss one, the carrier calls you about it, and now you are reactive instead of proactive. Spreadsheets do not help either, because the moment a file moves status or a carrier changes their preferences, the spreadsheet is wrong.
Every appraiser running more than a handful of active cases benefits from letting AwardLettr handle the chase. Set a workspace default once, override per carrier when a particular client wants something different, and push a single file when needed. The system queues the emails, you stay in front of every carrier without thinking about it.
Status updates are the recurring "here is where the case stands" emails you send to a carrier (or any recipient you have configured). AwardLettr lets you control how often those go out at three different levels, and the most specific setting always wins. If you have ever wondered "where do I change the status date?" or "can I set a different interval just for this one file?", this article is for you.
The rule of three
The precedence chain
Appraisal override
One-shot next-due date for this file only
Per-carrier override
Applies to every appraisal for that carrier
Workspace default
The fallback when nothing more specific is set
When it is time to figure out the next status update for an appraisal, AwardLettr walks the chain from left to right. The first match wins.
Level 1: Appraisal override (one-shot)
This is the right place when you want to push a single update out, only for one file. Common reasons: the adjuster asked you to hold off until next week, or you just sent an unscheduled update and want the next one to land a few days later than normal.
Open the appraisal
Navigate to /dashboard/appraisals/[id] for the case you want to change.
Open the Status Updates tab
You will see the next-due date, the recipient list, and the history of past updates.
Click the pencil icon next to the next-due date
Pick a new date. This becomes the next time AwardLettr will queue a status update for this appraisal.
This is a one-shot, not a permanent cadence change
Level 2: Per-carrier override
Use this when one carrier wants updates at a different frequency than everyone else. For example, the workspace default is every 14 days, but a particular carrier wants weekly status emails on every file you handle for them.
Open the directory
Go to /dashboard/directory and select Carriers.
Edit the carrier
Click the carrier you want to change. The edit dialog opens.
Set the Status Update Cadence field
Pick the interval (in days). Leave it blank to fall through to the workspace default.
This applies going forward
Level 3: Workspace default
This is the fallback every appraisal uses if it has no override and the carrier on the case has no override. Set it once and forget it.
Open Account Workflow settings
Navigate to /dashboard/account/workflow.
Find the Status Updates section
You will see the workspace default cadence (in days) and the default recipients.
Save your default
New appraisals will use this cadence unless overridden by a per-carrier or per-appraisal setting.
Pick the right level
Diagnostic walkthrough
What are you trying to change?
Old way vs. AwardLettr
The old way
- Calendar reminder per carrier per file
- Re-do the math every time someone asks for an off-schedule update
- Hope you remembered which client wanted weekly vs. biweekly
- Edit three different spreadsheets to change a default
AwardLettr
- Set the workspace default once
- Override per carrier when one client is different
- Push the next update on a single file with one click
- Most-specific setting always wins; no math required
How it actually fires
Behind the scenes, every appraisal carries a next_status_update_due field. A cron job checks that field, sends the email when it comes due, then schedules the next one by adding the resolved cadence (appraisal override beats carrier override beats workspace default). Manual overrides on the appraisal page write to next_status_update_due directly; they do not change the cadence itself, just the next firing date.
Listings respect the override
Common pitfalls
- •Setting the cadence at the workspace default when really you wanted it per-carrier. The workspace setting affects everything else too.
- •Forgetting that the appraisal-level pencil-icon edit is a one-shot. After that update fires, the cadence falls back to the carrier or workspace setting.
- •Expecting a per-carrier change to retroactively shift already-scheduled next-due dates on existing appraisals. It applies going forward only.
- •Removing recipients to "pause" status updates. The cadence still ticks; nothing is sent because the recipient list is empty. To truly stop, push the next-due date out far enough or set a per-carrier "skip" cadence.
Next steps
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