Communications Basics

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Revision as of 14:32, 5 April 2017 by Cpetterson (talk | contribs) (Cpetterson moved page Communications Basics to Communications Basics without leaving a redirect)
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Creating your Signature

Creating your signature will save time when sending email correspondence. You can design your signature with both text & graphics, and easily select it when sending email correspondence.

  1. Click Setup in the navigation panel
  2. In the Communications section, click Signatures
  3. Click the Add Button.
  4. Provide a Name for the signature. You can create multiple signatures, so you will wish to provide a name that allows you to differentiate between signatures.
  5. In the Signature HTML text box you can customize your signature by adding your organization name, an image, a link, etc. Common word processing icons make it easy to format your signature as you desire.
  6. When completed, click Done.

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Configuring Communication Categories

Communication Categories provide a way for you to organize and filter email communications. Reports such as the Communication Report can be filtered by category to allow you to get a better understanding of the communications that are being sent.

  1. Click Setup in the navigation panel
  2. In the Communications section, click Communications Categories. A list of the current categories in the database will be displayed.
  3. Click the Add button to add a new category. The Add/Edit Communications Category dialog box will be displayed.
  4. Enter a Name for the category. This name will be displayed when you are selecting communication categories within the software so it should be descriptive and reflect the purpose of this category.
  5. N/A at this time
  6. Click Done to save the new category.

Create and Manage Email Templates

Email templates provide an easy way to respond to standard email tasks. For example, you may wish to send a thank you email to all those who have attended an event. You can create (or customize a default) template that can be used consistently for all of your events. This will allow you to efficiently send emails, and increase productivity. Email templates may also include database fields. For example, when sending an email for an event, the Event Name database field may be included in the email to customize the email to a specific event.

View Default Email Templates

There are a variety of default email templates seeded in the database that you may us to meet your business needs.

  1. Click Setup in the navigation panel
  2. In the Communications section, click Email Templates. A list of the default email templates will be displayed.
  3. Click the name of the email template you wish to view or modify. The Add/Edit Email Template dialog box will open. The following fields are displayed and may be edited:
    Name - The name of the template is displayed for selection when you are sending emails. Additionally, the name of an email may be used for filtering and reporting.
    Description - This field allows you to provide more details about this template.
    Category-The category field allows you to associate this template to specific email categories, and may also be used for filtering.
    Subject-The subject is the subject line of the email.
  4. Template Text-The template text is the body of the email. When editing a default template, this section is editable. You may add, delete or modify the existing content. Standard word processing functions, such as bolding, italicizing, adding attachment, etc. may be used to format the content.
  5. From Email Address - This field will display the from email address that will be used when you use this template. You are not able to edit this field on a default template.
  6. Make available to all users- this checkbox allows you to determine which users will have access to this template. You are not able to edit this field on a default template.
  7. Click the Close button.

Add a New Email Template

  1. Click Setup in the navigation panel
  2. In the Communications section, click Email Templates. A list of the default email templates will be displayed.
  3. Click the Add button.
  4. Configure the following:
    Name - Enter a name for the new template. This name will be displayed in the template drop-down when you are sending emails.
    Description - Enter a description of the template. This is useful if you have several templates that are similar.
    Category - Optional. Select a category from the drop-down list. Category is used for easily filtering and reporting.
    Subject - Enter the text you want to show in the subject line when you use this template.
    Template Text - Enter the email message you wish when using this template. You can customize the the message in many ways:
    • Customize font and paragraphs using the standard word-processing icons such as bolding, italicizing, underlining, etc.
    • Insert hyper-links and images.
    • Select the Insert Merge Fields to select field from the database to be included in your message. For example, you may select Contact name from the merge fields list to enter the name of the contact (based on the email address entered in the "To" line of your email). This is especially beneficial when you are sending emails to multiple recipients.
    • Select a Signature
    From Email Address - Select a from email address to be automatically assigned when this template is used. If this template will be used by multiple users, you may wish to select a generic address for your organization. The address may be changed by the user, if they wish, when they use the template.
    Make Available to Other Users - Select this check-box if all users will be given access to this template.
  5. Click Done.

Configuring Automated Messaging

  1. Click Setup in the navigation panel
  2. In the Communications section, click Automated Messaging. A list of the available options for automated messages is displayed.
  3. You may change the default message sent for each of the available options.
  4. If changes are made, click the Save button to save your changes.

Email Settings

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

FAQ

How do I add a signature to an email....On any Send Email page select your signature from the Signature drop down list.