The Communicate module is a general purpose procedure designed to facilitate communication between the U3A and it's membership. The procedure is capable of...
•Sending email to all or a subset of members.
•Sending SMS to members, and
•Sending mail via traditional post to members.
The Postal ServiceSending email and SMS are digital processes and are completely handled within the application. Post however, requires manual intervention. The software will package all postal items into a single PDF and email it to the Send Email Address as defined in Organistaion Details. It is then the recipient's responsibility to print the PDF and manually post to the required members. All proforma stationary is designed to fit into standard window envelopes.Overnight ProcessingAny email that contains mail merge tags or attachments will be queued for processing overnight. These are compute-intensive tasks best left to quite periods during the night. The exception is if the email is to be sent to one member only. In this case it will be sent immediately. This is intended to allow you to test the email. Email without mail merge tags or attachments will be sent immediately. Broadcast (bulk) EmailAll email sent via the Communicate procedure will be placed into the broadcast email stream. This stream has the highest potential to be considered spam by members email service providers. Care should therefore be exercise in crafting the email. In addition, all broadcast email must provide the ability to opt-out or unsubscribe. This is normally a link at the bottom of the email. You cannot create an email without this link. SMSThe Australian Government now requires a formal registration and authentication process before you can create bulk SMS messages. Be aware the process is somewhat onerous and time consuming to complete. Also, compared to email, SMS can be quite expensive.
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Using the procedure
After clicking the Communicate button within any procedure in which it is displayed, the software will popup the Communicate window.
To begin, select a Document Template from the list provided. Document templates are created by administrators using the Add/Edit Document Templates procedure. Templates assist in the creation of documents by pre-filling communications parameters and optionally, the document text.
Alternatively, you may select Custom Email as the document template. This allows the creation of an email document without reference to any template.
Depending on the communication type, you will be presented with one of the following.
Field |
Description |
|---|---|
Email Subject |
Text to be placed on the email's Subject line |
From Address |
The email address of the sender. Note that the email must be sent from an email address containing the U3A's registered domain. By default, the Send Email Address found in Organistaion Details will be used. |
From Display Name |
A friendly name to be displayed on the email's From line. By default, the Send Email Display Name found in Organistaion Details will be used. |
Attachments |
Click the button to upload files to be attached to the email. Only PDF files are currently allowed. |
SMS
Field |
Description |
|---|---|
From (11 Chars Max) |
A friendly name identifying who the email is from. This will be displayed instead of a phone number on the recipient's mobile device. This name must be the registered name as provided to the sending service. |
Post
No additional information is required for postal documents.
Override Communications Preference?
All document communication types will ask if the communications preference is to be overridden. This will only occur if the member has provided sufficient detail to send via the communication type selected. For example, if the communication type is Email and the member has requested postal delivery, that member will receive an email only if they have supplied an email address when this option is checked.
The option therefore has limited utility except for postal items. For example, if it is decided that a document must be sent to all members using the postal service, check this box to override those members who have elected to use email as their primary means of communication.
Document Text
Enter or amend the text to be sent to recipients. If using a document template be careful not to edit any mail merge tags that may exist in the text.
Sending the Document
To print postal documents, click the Mail Merge button on the document editor to create and preview the merged documents. Print/export the report from the print-preview dialogue.
Click the Send Email to send mail or SMS. This button is located at the bottom right-hand corner of the window. The document will be merged and sent without further operator interaction.