The Q&A module can be accessed by clicking on the Q&A tab in the navigation bar:
The Q&A module is displayed only if it has been enabled by a Site Administrator and if the user has been given permission to access the module.
Although the Q&A module can be used in any type of site, typically it will be used in a transaction involving two sides, like a buyer and a seller, and the law firm representing the seller or its investment bank is hosting the Collaborate site. The Q&A module allows the buyer to submit questions to the seller in a controlled and secure manner and allows the seller to respond and at the same time limit access to the response. If the transaction is structured as an auction, with multiple potential bidders, then the seller can choose to disclose the question to some or all of the bidders, with the questions stripped of any identifying information. In that type of transaction, the site will usually be configured as a Bidder site, in which case certain additional restrictions are placed on the rights of bidder parties, discussed further below.
Roles
The Site Administrator will allocate Q&A roles to different users in different organisations, and will typically inform each user what role they have. One or more organisations may be the buyer and another organisation the seller. Unlike other modules, access is not granted to the Q&A module on a group or organisation basis, but only on an individual basis. If a user is not given a role within the Q&A module, they will not have any access to that module. Roles for the Q&A module fall into one (or more) of three main categories: asking questions, responding to questions, or viewing questions and responses.
Asking Questions
In the Asking questions category, users may be given one of two different sets of rights:
- Ask Questions - Users with these rights can only ask questions but cannot submit them to be answered. Instead, those questions must first be approved and submitted by someone else in the same organisation with Submit Question rights. These "asking" users can also see all of the other questions that have been drafted, are awaiting approval or have been submitted, by themselves or anyone else in their organisation. They can also see the responses, if any, to the questions they can see.
- Submit Questions - Users with these rights have all of the rights of users who can ask questions. In addition, the Submit Question users act as gatekeepers, approving and submitting questions asked by others in the same organisation. Or they can ask and submit questions on their own, which need not be approved by anyone else. Note that if no one in an organisation is given Submit-Question rights, then that organisation will not be able to submit any questions to be answered. Therefore, at least one user from an organisation that may have a need to ask questions must be given Submit-Question rights.
Responding to Questions
In the Responding to questions category, users can have this set of rights:
- Reply to Questions - Users with these rights can view and answer questions asked by users in any organisation. Once an answer has been provided, that answer can be viewed by any Q&A user who is in the same organisation as the user who first asked the question. Answering users can also choose to disclose an answered question to anyone with access to the Q&A module. A user with Reply-to-Questions rights also will also be granted View All Question rights, discussed below. Note that users who are members of a Bidder organisation cannot be given Reply-to-Question rights, as that would give them access to questions asked by other organisations.
View Questions
In the View questions category, a user can be granted this set of rights:
- View All Questions - Users with these rights can view all submitted questions from any organisation, and the answers, if any. These rights by themselves do not permit the user to ask or answer questions. Nor can these users view questions before they have been submitted. Note that users who are members of a bidder organisation cannot be granted View-All-Question rights. To allow a bidder user to see all of the questions asked by members of their own organisation, grant that user Ask-Question rights. If the site is not set up as a bidder site, do not give View-All-Question right to a user who is a member of a bidding organisation, or else that user will be able to see the questions submitted by every organisation. This is one of many reasons why sites with multiple bidding parties should be configured as Bidder sites. That is a good safeguard against making potentially dangerous mistakes.
Based on the way that Q&A roles have been structured, before a question has been submitted, it can only be seen by other users in the same organisation.
Role of site administrators
Site Administrators will have certain Q&A rights by default.
A Site Administrator can ask questions, see all questions that have been submitted, respond to any question, and view all responses. However, because the Site Administrator will likely not be a member of the same organisation as the user asking a question, the Site Administrator will not be able to view a question from another organisation until it has been submitted, which includes a question in draft status or one awaiting approval to be submitted.
Email Notifications
By default, users with Q&A rights will not receive emails notifying them to take certain actions, such as to approve or respond to a question. Therefore, it is recommended that every user with access to the Q&A module also be given Q&A Email rights.
Giving a user Q&A Email rights alone and no other rights will not give that user access to the Q&A module. And that user will not receive any notifications. Q&A emails are only sent in conjunction with other Q&A rights that a user has.
Q&A email alerts are separate from the sitewide email alerts.
Users with Q&A email rights will be sent email notifications in the following circumstances:
- A user with Submit-Question rights will receive an email when a question (or comment) that requires approval is asked by another user in the same organisation.
- A user with Reply-to-Question rights will receive an email when a question (or comment) is submitted by anyone.
- When an answer to a question (or comment) is posted, an alert will be sent to the following users:
- The user who asked the question initially
- A user with View-All-Question rights (or Reply-to-Question rights)
- Any user in the same organisation with ask or submit question rights
