How to Assign Tasks via Bulk Actions

The Assign Tasks bulk action creates task records for every client your search returns, so your agency can hand the same follow-up work to a whole group in one run.

### Overview

Assign Tasks is one of the action types on the **Bulk Actions** page, described there as "Create tasks for clients." You build a list of tasks in the **Bulk Action Settings** card, search for the clients who should receive them, exclude anyone who should not, then run the action now or on a schedule.

- **What it does:** Creates one task record per entry in your task list on every client left in the search results.
- **Why it matters:** Saves you from opening each client profile to add the same task by hand, and keeps the wording and due dates identical across the group.
- **Who should use it:** Staff who have **Bulk Actions** in their navigation and manage client follow-up work.
- **Expected outcome:** Each client receives the tasks you configured, and they appear in the **Assigned Tasks** card on the client profile.

### Prerequisites

Before you assign tasks in bulk, make sure you have:

- An eCourtDate account with **Bulk Actions** in your top navigation
- A role that allows you to create and edit bulk actions
- The task wording and due dates decided before you start
- Filters that isolate the group you want, such as **Client Status**, **Client Groups**, **Client Organizations**, or **Assigned Users**
- Optional: **Default Task Due Date** and **Default Task Status** configured in **Admin** > **Settings** > **Tasks**

### How-To Steps

#### Step 1: Open Bulk Actions

1. Log in to your eCourtDate agency.
2. Click **Bulk Actions** in the top navigation bar.

#### Step 2: Create the Assign Tasks action

1. Enter a name for the run in the **Action Name** field of the **Create Bulk Action** card.
2. Select **Assign Tasks** from the **Action Type** dropdown.
3. Click **Create**.

eCourtDate opens the new bulk action on its own page.

#### Step 3: Build the task list

Work in the **Bulk Action Settings** card on the left side of the page.

1. Enter the task wording in the **Task Content** field.
2. Select a **Due Date** for that task, or leave it blank.
3. Click **Add Task** to move the task into the list above the fields.
4. Repeat the three steps above for each additional task you want every client to receive.
5. Review the saved list, which is headed by the number of tasks (for example, **3 Tasks**) and shows each task with its due date.
6. Click the X button on any row to remove that task before you run the action.

**Add Task** stays disabled until **Task Content** contains text, so every task needs wording but a due date is optional. A task added without a **Due Date** falls back to your agency **Default Task Due Date** setting, and each task picks up your **Default Task Status** setting.

#### Step 4: Search for the clients

1. Scroll to the **Search Clients** card.
2. Enter a number in the **Limit** field to cap the maximum number of results the search returns.
3. Enter a number in **Random Limit** only if you want a random sample of the available clients.
4. Set the filters that describe your group, such as **Client Status**, **Assigned Users**, or **Client Type**.
5. Click a pill in the **Client Groups** or **Client Organizations** lists to filter by that group (selected pills are filled in).
6. Click **Search**.

Filter labels follow your agency custom field names, so a few of them can read differently in your account.

#### Step 5: Review the client list

1. Check the client count shown above the results table.
2. Click the green check button in the first column of a row to exclude that client, which turns the button into a red X.
3. Click the red X to put that client back in the run.

#### Step 6: Run or schedule the action

1. Click **Live Run** to create the tasks now.
2. Click **Schedule Run** instead to run it later, then enter the **Scheduled Date** and **Scheduled Time** in the **Schedule Bulk Action** window and click **Schedule Run**.
3. Click **Cancel Schedule** if you need to stop a scheduled run before it starts.

#### Step 7: Verify the tasks

1. Click the **Client Link** button in a results row to open that client profile in a new tab.
2. Review the **Assigned Tasks** card for the new tasks and their due dates.
3. Click **View all tasks** to open the full task list for that client.

### What to Expect

Every client left in the results receives one task for each entry in your task list. The status badge beside the client count updates on its own as the run moves through dispatching, processing, and complete, so you do not need to reload the page. Once the action has run, the **Live Run**, **Schedule Run**, and **Search** buttons no longer appear, and the count shows how many clients were processed.

### Best Practices

- **Start small.** Set a low **Limit**, run the action, check a few profiles, then build a second action for the full group.
- **Read the task list before running.** The list above **Task Content** is the exact set of tasks each client receives, and the X button removes anything you mistyped.
- **Set your task defaults once.** **Default Task Due Date** and **Default Task Status** in **Admin** > **Settings** > **Tasks** keep every bulk assignment consistent, even when you leave **Due Date** blank.
- **Name the action for the group and the date** so the entry is recognizable later in the **Bulk Actions** list.
- **Click Save Template** when you repeat the same set of tasks, so you can start the next run from the saved setup.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Does every task need a due date?**

A: No. **Add Task** only requires **Task Content**. A task added without a **Due Date** falls back to your agency **Default Task Due Date** setting in **Admin** > **Settings** > **Tasks**.

**Q: How do I remove a task I added by mistake?**

A: Click the X button on that row in the task list above the **Task Content** field. Nothing reaches a client profile until you click **Live Run** or the scheduled run starts.

**Q: How many client organizations can I filter by at once?**

A: Three. Clicking a fourth pill in the **Client Organizations** list shows an alert saying you can select up to 3 organizations.

**Q: Can I run the same task assignment again?**

A: Yes. Open **Tools** and click **Replay** to schedule the same action to run again, or click **Duplicate** to open a copy in a new tab that you can edit before running it.

**Q: Do clients get a message about their new tasks?**

A: Assign Tasks only creates task records. Create a separate **Send a Message** bulk action if you want to tell clients about the work.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** The **Add Task** button does not respond.

**Symptoms:** The button is greyed out and nothing is added to the task list.

**Solution:** Enter text in the **Task Content** field. **Add Task** stays disabled while that field is empty and while the page is still saving.

**Issue:** Fewer clients received tasks than you expected.

**Symptoms:** Clients you meant to include have no new tasks in their **Assigned Tasks** card.

**Solution:**

1. Open the bulk action and check the **Limit** field, since it caps how many results the search returns.
2. Clear **Random Limit** if it holds a value, because it narrows the results to a random sample.
3. Look for rows marked with a red X, which are the clients you excluded from the run.
4. Build a new action for the clients you missed, or open **Tools** and click **Duplicate**, since the **Search** button no longer appears once an action has run.

If the tasks still do not appear as expected, click **Help** in the top navigation, or the help button in the bottom right corner of the screen, and select **New support ticket**.

### Related Articles

- [How Bulk Actions Work](/how-bulk-actions-work)
- [How to assign and track tasks](/how-to-assign-and-track-tasks)
- [How to Create Events via Bulk Actions](/how-to-create-events-via-bulk-actions)
- [How to Update Clients via Bulk Actions](/how-to-update-clients-via-bulk-actions)
- [How to Schedule Recurring Bulk Actions](/how-to-schedule-recurring-bulk-actions)