The Send Bulk Communication task allows users to send a communication message—either by email or printed document—to multiple patrons.
For more information about the Email and Print process refer to the Bulk Communication Email Considerations and Bulk Communication Document Considerations sections.
Note: Message Templates are configured via the Patron > Message Templates page.
Send Bulk Communication Considerations
Refer to the Bulk Communication Email Considerations and Bulk Communication Document Considerations sections for more information and guidelines about sending Bulk Communication messages.
Send Bulk Communication Settings
The Send Bulk Communication task contains the following settings:
1. Select Bulk Communication from the Communications section of the Patron menu. The Bulk Communication page is displayed.
2. Click Advanced Find.
3. Perform an Advanced Find to search for the patrons who will receive the communication message.
When using Advanced Find with the Bulk Communication process, a user can perform a search within an uploaded ID List, if necessary. This function allows a user to perform the AF search on only a subset of the ID List’s predefined patrons.
For example: An institution needs to send a communication message to all freshmen at a specific housing building. If a user attaches an ID list containing every patron living in the building, the user can then perform an AF search on the Class attribute for Freshman within that ID List.
To add an ID List to an Advanced Find query, click Select in the ID List field. Use the browser’s file explorer to select the ID List file from the local network or workstation. After selecting the file, click Attach File to add it to the Advanced Find query.
For information and steps on performing an Advanced Find search, refer to the Patron Advanced Find section.
4. After performing an Advanced Find, the Add Task Details step will be re-displayed.
5. If necessary, click Preview Search Results to see a list of the patrons selected in the Advanced Find search.
A preview of the message can be viewed for a patron before sending the message. Click Preview next to a patron, and select a template from the Template Name drop-down menu. The Template Preview section will display the message with the template-defined information and formatting. Click Close.
6. Select a Communication Method—either Send As Email or Print as Document.
1. From the Template Name drop-down menu, select the Message Template to use for the communication content.
Message Templates are configured via the Patron > Message Templates page.
2. Edit the Subject of the email message, if necessary. By default, the Template Name will be used.
3. If necessary, enter any email addresses in the CC and BCC fields. Addresses should be separated by a comma.
Note: Any CC or BCC recipients will receive an email for each patron that has the message delivered successfully. If the communication message cannot be delivered to a patron, the CC and BCC recipients will also not receive the message.
4. If necessary, assign one or more Address Types to receive a copy of the Communication Message email by checking any of the To, CC, or BCC fields for an Address Type. This function allows patrons to receive the email at an additional email address if one is defined for an included Address Type.
For example: In addition to receiving communication messages at a primary email address assigned by an institution, patrons may provide a personal email address for use with the communication message process. Each personal email address can be defined in an Address Type named Secondary Email Address. When an administrator sends a Bulk Communication message to patrons, the Secondary Email Address Address Type can be added as a CC. Once the emails are sent, the patrons will receive the email at both their primary and personal email addresses.
This function can also be used to send a copy of the Communication Message to a person associated with the patron—such as a parent or guardian—if that person’s email address is defined for one of the patron’s Address Types.
a. In the Address Types section, click Edit next to an address.
b. Check the box for each email field, as necessary.
c. Click Update.
Note: Email addresses are defined by Address Type via a patron’s Addresses tab.
1. From the Template Name drop-down menu, select the Message Template to use for the communication content.
Message Templates are configured via the Patron > Message Templates page.
2. Select a printer from the drop-down menu.