Bulk communications creation overview
A bulk communication is a convenient way of compiling and despatching the same communication template to any number of recipients. The starting point is the communication definition, which controls the desired baseline text and also the permitted output channels - letter, email or SMS. The individual recipient communications are then personalised using the embedded merge tags. A statement builder screen allows the cohort of recipients to be controlled through a series of conditions, linking one or more entities to a required output. For example, a bulk communication may be required for all residents of a tower block of flats, notifying them of plans to repair the lift. In that instance, a condition would be created to target only residents of those specific flats. Once the list of potential recipients has been automatically compiled, the end user can control the final subset by activating a tick box against each recipient. Additionally, stakeholders not captured by the statement condition can also be added via a standard search screen. Simply by editing the condition within the statement builder, the bulk communication can be re-run for alternative recipient cohorts.
Bulk communications can be employed for many different scenarios: a frequent event such as a monthly statement of account, or a one-off notification such as to inform residents of the action being taken in response to localised flooding. Depending on the communication definition selected, the system will take account of the communication preferences set for each contact i.e the method of communication that will be automatically proposed based on the contact's individual preference. So, for example, where a communication definition contains both letter and email templates, all contacts with a preference for email correspondence will be automatically allocated that method of communication. Conversely, a contact with no communication preference is automatically allocated the default method.
A bulk communication can be managed as a manual process or linked to a scheduled event. Where parameters are specified within the communication definition, values can be applied in advance to coincide with the scheduled dates. System validation rules alert the end user to the absence of mandatory parameter values if the scheduled bulk communication is set to run. Keeping track of bulk communications is easy, either through the assigned queue, where the number of created communications can be monitored and the output previewed for each recipient, or within the individual contact record. The system also retains the date on which the bulk communication was last run - essential when managing frequent communications.
Once a recipient cohort has been identified, using condition criteria constructed via the Advanced Statement Builder, these records are presented in grid form as a working list. The end user is then free to refine the cohort by adding or removing contacts using standard function buttons: Add Contact, Remove Contact, Upload (used to retrieve existing contact records that match those held in a delimited file).
Separate help articles have been produced for each key aspect of bulk communications creation, including: