In Certain Platform, you can schedule emails to be sent to a filtered set of registrants at a later date. This document explains how to do that using Promote > Communication > Email Templates (the same place you set up other email templates to use for non-scheduled emails).
You can schedule emails to be sent at: 1. a selected number of months/days/hours before or after the event's Start Date 2. a selected number of months/days/hours before or after the event's End Date 3. a specified date and time.
Contents
1. Enabling Scheduled Emails
2. Setting up a Scheduled Email
3. Seeing What Emails Have Been Scheduled
4. Tips and Tricks
Enabling Scheduled Emails
For an Event
The Scheduled Emails feature is enabled for all Certain accounts. You can enable it for an event by following the steps below.
> Note: It is not enabled automatically for new events.
1. In the event, go to Plan > Configure > Options. 2. Under Functional Areas Needed by This Event, select the Scheduled Emails check box under the Event Module.
Setting up a Scheduled Email
Promote > Communication > Email Templates
You schedule an email in the same place you set up any other email templates. You can schedule emails by going to Promote > Communications > Email Templates.
Set the email up as you would normally. You add a Subject and Body (including dynamic data fields), and you add other needed content.
If the Scheduled Emails sub-module has been enabled, then the last section on the Email Templates page is the Schedule Settings section. The Schedule Settings section lets you choose to schedule the email and configure schedule details.
Schedule Settings
When you are adding a new template, the Schedule Settings section consists of just a Schedule this Email? check box.
When you select Schedule this Email?, the remaining fields display.
- Code – (Required) This must be unique within the event. This field is used to track the individual emails sent in the scheduled email.
- Schedule – (Required) Select one of the five options:
- Before Event Start Date
- After Event Start Date
- Before Event End Date
- After Event End Date
- At a specified time and date
If you select one of the first four options, three extra fields display. You use these fields to specify the number of Months, Days, and Hours to be added to or subtracted from the event start date or end date.
If you select the fifth option, At a specified time and date, two extra fields display. You use these fields to specify the date and time.
> Note: The Schedule Date is in the Time Zone specified for the event on Plan > Event Setup > Details.
Filters
Under FILTERS at the end of the Schedule Settings section, you define the filter. The filter is applied to determine the registrations to which the scheduled email will be sent.
Select a value in each of the three fields to build a simple filter. The default is Complete = Yes. This default sends the email to all complete registrations.
Optionally, you can add one or more extra conditions. These extra conditions build a more complex filter.
- Columns – Select the column (field) to be evaluated. The list includes standard and custom profile fields and registration fields. The list also includes event fields, and it includes other fields.
- Operator – Select the operator to apply to that column. Examples include "=" and "contains".
- Value – Enter the value to be compared. For some columns, a magnifying icon displays. You can click the magnifying icon to display a Pick List. The Pick List lets you select a possible value. For example, if the Column is "Complete", the list of values is "No", "Yes", and "Null".
Optionally, select and or or and add further conditions. You can mix these conjunctions with or without parentheses. Examples include "A and B and C and D" or "(A or B) and (C or D)".
After setting FILTERS, you can check the list of attendees who will receive the Scheduled Email. You do this by clicking the Preview Records button.
Seeing What Emails Have Been Scheduled
To see a list of the emails that have been scheduled, go to Promote > Communication > Scheduled Emails.
Promote > Communication > Scheduled Emails
This page displays a List of Active Scheduled Emails.
The details shown for each scheduled email include the email Template name. The details also include the Code identifying the scheduled email. The details include the Date Scheduled, and the details include who it was Scheduled By.
This page also shows these two columns:
- Status – The current status of the email. Examples include "Queued" and "Complete".
- Action – Click to delete a queued email. Click to see a list of the recipients of a completed one.
Tips and Tricks
Editing or Rescheduling a Scheduled Email
To change a scheduled email, including the Scheduled Date, go to Plan > Communication > Email Templates. You edit the scheduled email in this location.
The scheduled email is already in the schedule queue. If you change the schedule settings, the changes alter the existing job.
The changes to the Scheduled Date display in Communication > Scheduled Emails.
If you edit an existing scheduled email that has already been sent and has a status of Complete, the Schedule this Email? check box must be cleared. The scheduled email will not be resent unless you select the check box.
Copying Email Templates
An email template can only be scheduled once. You can copy the email template. There is no concept of “recurring” scheduled emails.
You can schedule an email template more than once by making a copy. You then schedule the copy to be sent at a later date/time.
1. Go to Promote > Communication > Email Templates. 2. In the Action column for the original template, click (copy) in the List of Email Templates to make a copy.
Give the new copy a Name. You then change the Code under Schedule Settings. You then edit the Schedule Settings as necessary.
Changing the Start or End Dates of an Event
If the start or end date/time of an event is changed on Plan > Event Setup > Details, scheduled emails based on that date automatically reschedule accordingly.
For example, if an email is scheduled to be sent three days before the event’s start date, the email’s Date Scheduled becomes three days before the new start date.
Copying an Event
If you copy an event that includes scheduled emails based on the event start or end dates, the new event includes copies of those emails.
The copied emails have an “On Hold” status. You need to change the status to “Queued” to send the emails.
Deleting an Event
If you delete an event that includes scheduled emails, the status of those emails becomes “On Hold”.
If the email was still relevant, you can click its status and change it to “Queued” to send it.
Knowing that Emails have Been Sent
The user that schedules an email receives a confirmation email when the scheduled email has been sent.
The confirmation email includes the number of emails sent. The user can also go to Promote > Communication > Scheduled Emails. This location shows the list of recipients.