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 the Promote > Communication > Email Templates page (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. To enable it for an event, follow 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. In the event, go to Promote > Communications > Email Templates.
Set the email up as you would normally, with a Subject and Body (including dynamic data fields), and so on.
If the Scheduled Emails sub-module has been enabled, then the last section on the Email Templates page is the Schedule Settings section. In Schedule Settings, choose to schedule the email and configure its schedule details.
Schedule Settings
When you are adding a new template, the Schedule Settings section consists of just the Schedule this Email? check box.
When you select it, all the remaining fields are displayed.
- Code – (Required) This must be unique within the event. It 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 are displayed. The fields 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 are displayed. The fields specify that 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 to be applied. The filter determines 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" so that the email would be sent to all complete registrations.
Optionally, add one or more extra conditions to build a more complex filter.
- Columns – Select the column (field) to be evaluated. The list from which to choose is a long one. It includes standard and custom profile fields and registration fields. It also includes event fields.
- Operator – Select the operator to apply to that column. For example, "=" or "contains".
- Value – Enter the value to be compared. For some columns, a magnifying icon is shown. You can click it to display a Pick List. The Pick List shows a possible value to select.
- If the Column is "Complete", the list of values is "No", "Yes", and "Null".
Optionally, select and or or add further conditions to the filter. You can mix these conjunctions with or without parentheses.
After setting FILTERS, you can check the list of attendees who will receive the Scheduled Email. Click 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 one include the email Template name. The details also include the Code identifying the scheduled email. The details include its Date Scheduled and who it was Scheduled By. The page also shows these two columns:
Status – The current status of the email. Examples include "Queued" or "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, even its Scheduled Date, go to Plan > Communication > Email Templates. Edit the scheduled email there.
The scheduled email will already be in the schedule queue. If you change the schedule settings, the existing job is altered. The changes to the Scheduled Date are seen in Communication > Scheduled Emails.
If you are editing an existing scheduled email that has already been sent and has a status of Complete, clear the Schedule this Email? check box. The email is not resent unless you select the check box.
Copying Email Templates
An email template can only be scheduled once. It can be copied.
So although there is no concept of “recurring” scheduled emails, you can schedule an email template to be sent more than once. You do this by making a copy. Then you schedule the copy to be sent at a later date/time.
Go to Promote > Communication > Email Templates. Click (copy) in the Action column for the original template. This creates a copy.
Give the new copy a Name. Change its Code under Schedule Settings. 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 are automatically rescheduled accordingly.
For example, if an email is scheduled to be sent three days before the event's start date, then its Date Scheduled is now 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.
Those copied scheduled emails have an “On Hold” status. You need to click that status to change it to “Queued” to send the emails.
Deleting an Event
If you delete an event that includes scheduled emails, the status of those emails is set to “On Hold”.
If the email was still relevant, click its status. Then 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 includes the number of emails sent.
You can always go to Promote > Communication > Scheduled Emails to see the list of recipients.