Quick Summary: SkillsDB automatically sends email notifications when something happens in the product that needs a person’s attention — a certification is about to expire, an assessment has been assigned, a training request needs approval, a survey has been launched. Every email is paired with an in-app inbox entry so recipients have both a prompt and a place to act.
Overview
SkillsDB sends transactional email notifications when meaningful events happen to a user — an assessment is assigned, a certification is submitted for approval, training is nearing expiration, a survey has been launched. Notifications are designed to prompt action without creating email overload: each notification is tied to a specific event and, wherever possible, mirrors an item that also appears in the recipient’s Inbox. This page is a reference for the full set of notification emails SkillsDB sends, what triggers each one, and who receives it. Administrators can use this reference to set expectations during rollouts, troubleshoot missing emails, and understand the sequence of notifications in flows like assessment cycles or certification renewals.Note: Customer-configurable email content — custom subject lines, custom bodies, and customer.io-based delivery — is on the roadmap. Today, SkillsDB sends templated transactional emails. When custom email notices ship, this page will cover how to override the defaults.
How SkillsDB Emails Work
SkillsDB emails share a consistent structure:- Sender. Emails come from the SkillsDB no-reply address, branded with your organization’s name where applicable.
- Subject line. Descriptive and action-oriented (for example, “You’ve been assigned a self-assessment”).
- Body. A short explanation of what happened, who it affects, and what to do next.
- Call-to-action link. Most emails include a direct link back into SkillsDB — for example, to the assessment, certification, or approval that triggered the notification.
- Context. Emails include the employee name, assessment name, due date, certification name, or other context so the recipient can act without needing to search the product.
Notifications by Category
Assessments
Assessment emails coordinate the lifecycle of self-assessments and manager assessments — from assignment, through reminders, to completion.
Nudge emails include the number of outstanding assessments and a direct link back to the assessment page.
Careers, Skills, and Sections
Emails that fire when an admin or manager changes what’s assigned to a person.
These notifications help employees understand what they are now expected to learn or demonstrate, and keep managers informed of in-flight self-assessments between formal cycles.
Certifications
Certification emails run the full lifecycle: assignment → submission → review → expiration.
Expiration warnings are sent on a recurring schedule so nothing lapses silently. See Training Expirations for the full renewal flow.
Training and Learning
See Building a Learning Plan for how the learning plan itself works, and Training Approvals for the approval workflow.
Surveys
Survey emails include the number of active recipients and a direct link to the survey.
Account and Access
Welcome and invitation emails include the link and initial sign-in path appropriate to your organization’s authentication method.
Career Activity Actions
When an administrator triggers a Notify action from the Activity Log for a career, SkillsDB sends a targeted notification email to the selected audience — for example, “All assigned” or “Experts only” on a skill that was recently updated. These emails fall under the general pattern above: subject summarizing the change, body with context, and a CTA back into SkillsDB. The Activity Log records whether the email went out on each action row.Troubleshooting
An email was expected but the recipient didn't receive it.
An email was expected but the recipient didn't receive it.
First, verify the email action is recorded in the appropriate activity log (for career notify actions) or that the triggering event actually occurred (for example, check the assessment cycle’s launch history). If the event did occur, check the recipient’s spam folder and verify their email address is correct in their profile. If the email still appears to have been sent but did not arrive, contact SkillsDB Support with the recipient’s email address and the approximate time of the event so we can investigate delivery.
Why did a manager receive an email about someone outside their team?
Why did a manager receive an email about someone outside their team?
Manager notifications are scoped to direct reports. If a manager receives a notification about someone outside their team, there may be an administrator override or the person may have moved between managers recently. Check the person’s Manager field in their profile to confirm the current reporting line.
Can we turn specific emails off for our organization?
Can we turn specific emails off for our organization?
Company-wide email controls are on the roadmap under the Custom email notices initiative. Today, the email types listed above are sent by default. If you need a specific email suppressed during a rollout or pilot, contact SkillsDB Support — we can help coordinate.
Are there any emails in SkillsDB that do not also appear in the Inbox?
Are there any emails in SkillsDB that do not also appear in the Inbox?
Most in-app actions have a matching Inbox entry, but a few notifications are email-only — for example, survey launch notifications to the survey creator. Lifecycle actions that require response (assessments, approvals, requests) always have a matching Inbox entry so they cannot be lost. See Inbox for the full set of in-app action items.
When will expiration emails go out?
When will expiration emails go out?
Expiration emails are sent on the recurring schedule that powers the “Expiring Soon” warnings in the app — typically within 30 days of the certification’s expiration date, and again on the expiration date itself. Both the employee and their manager receive the expiring-soon and expired notifications.
Related Articles
Inbox
The in-app companion to email notifications — every action that needs attention shows up here
Certifications
How certification assignment, submission, and expiration drive the certification email flow
Training Approvals
The training approval workflow and the notifications tied to each stage
Activity Log
Where administrators can trigger targeted notify actions on career-level events
Need Help?
If you run into any issues or have questions, reach out to your organization’s SkillsDB administrator or contact SkillsDB Support.