Table of Contents
Summary
The Needs Clarification feature in Whistic allows you to request additional information or changes to answers within completed questionnaires. This article guides you through the process of requesting clarification from vendors after they've shared a completed questionnaire with you.
❓ When to Request Clarification
You may need to request clarification in the following situations:
- Answer is unclear or incomplete
- Need more supporting documentation
- Vendor's response doesn't meet security requirements
- Require specific info on a control or policy
- Inconsistencies found between answers
📋 Steps to Request Needs Clarification
Accessing the Questionnaire Response
- Log in to your Whistic account
- Click Assess > Vendors from the top of the page
- Navigate to the vendor's details page where the completed questionnaire is located
- Under Assessments, locate the questionnaire you want to review
- Click Start Review or Continue to access the completed questionnaire
Reviewing Responses
- Once the questionnaire loads, click the Start Review button at the top left of the page (if you have not started yet)
- Review the vendor's responses to each question
- Take note of any responses that require clarification
- You can review questions individually or in bulk based on your preference
🔍 Initiating a Needs Clarification Request
To request clarification on specific questions:
- Look for the Ask Clarifying Questions option under each question you want to clarify
- Click on the Ask Clarifying Questions to select it for clarification
- A box will populate that will display the question and the answer provided, here is where you can insert a note that the vendor can see and reply to
- Once your note is entered, you will click Save and then Done on the comment box to ensure your changes are kept.
- The icon will turn yellow when selected, indicating that this question will be included in your clarification request.
- You can use the Note/Comments box above to send a second clarification request on the same question.
📤 Sending the Clarification Request
- Review the clarification tally at the bottom of the screen to verify how many questions will be included in your request
- Once you've completed all clarification requests, click the Send (count) Questions Now button
- The system will notify the vendor of your clarification request
🔎 Tracking the Clarification Request
- After sending the request, navigate back to the vendor's Assessments/Overview Tab
- Verify that your clarification request appears in the activity log (the Assessment status should read Needs Clarification)
- Monitor the status of your request to see when the vendor responds
- You'll receive a notification when the vendor submits their clarification responses.
⚠️ 'Needs Clarification' request VS. Flagging/Issue Creation
The 'Needs Clarification' process is what you should follow when requesting additional information/clarity on a question the vendor answers on an assessment. This is not to be confused with 'Flagging'.
Flagging is for your organization's internal use only. When you flag a question while reviewing a returned assessment, that functionality is used to create what is referred to as an 'issue'. Issue creation is an option you have when flagging questions within the assessment review, but that is for internal follow-up. Flagged questions are not passed along to the vendor.
If you request a Needs Clarification and get the information back from the vendor and further internal investigation/follow-up is needed at your organization, it's recommended to create an 'issue' at that point, but not prior to a Needs Clarification request.
Here's an example of what you will see if you start create a Needs Clarification and click on 'Flag' afterward:
Below are links to two Help Center resources that explain creating an issue from an assessment as well as information on the Issue Management process:
❓ FAQ
Why am I receiving an error when trying to initiate a Needs Clarification request?
To send a Needs Clarification request to a vendor, there must be an external contact listed for the vendor.
- If the vendor contact is marked as internal, you'll receive an error message. To fix this, go to the Business Information > Contact section on the Vendor Details page and ensure the contact is set as external.
Why can't I initiate a Needs Clarification request on some questions?
- If a question was skipped due to logic in a custom questionnaire, the compliance icon for the question will display as grey and will read as Skipped.
- Since the question wasn't presented to the vendor due to questionnaire logic, you cannot request clarification for that question.
- For non-required questions that were skipped, you can still request clarification.
Why am I only seeing responses to some of my Needs Clarification requests?
- Vendor clarification response comments appear in real-time, but changes to original answers are not updated immediately. The vendor may still be working on the remaining responses and hasn't completed the entire request yet.
Why am I seeing all responses to all Needs Clarification questions, but the request is still pending?
- After completing all responses, the vendor must select Notify Customer at the top or bottom of their screen to submit the responses. Once they do this, the request will show as returned in Assessment Activity.
How will I know when a vendor has responded to my clarification request?
You'll receive an email notification when the vendor has submitted their clarification responses. Additionally, you can check the Assessment Activity section on the vendor's details page to see the status of your request.
Can I export a report that includes the clarification requests and responses?
- Yes, you can export a report by clicking "Export Review" and selecting either "Excel" or "PDF" format. The Excel version will include all data, including clarification requests and responses. For PDF exports, you can customize which sections to include.
Can I send a follow-up clarification request on the same question?
- Yes. Sometimes the first response from a vendor is insufficient, and further clarification is needed. Select the question and use the Note/Comments section to enter another request. Select Save and Done. There is no limit on the number of clarification requests.