Print Batch Email In Scheduler

Collect!'s Scheduler can be used to print Email batches and SMS Email batches. When you configure a Print Batch Letters task, the Scheduler shows you the Email option. When selected, you can also switch ON the SMS option.

This feature processes Letter contacts, NOT Email contacts.

Create Email Message

If you want to use this feature, you would schedule a Letter contact for each account. Your Email or SMS message would be in the Report Body of the Letter you are going to schedule. Do NOT schedule an Email contact.

You can use any report or letter that you would otherwise print to the printer. You can create special reports if you want to print short text messages to SMS.

1. Create a Letter containing your message.

SMS Letter Report with General Message

The report system enables you to personalize your message. You can pull data from the account to include in your message, just as you would when printing to the printer.

2. Schedule a Letter contact on each account.

Letter Contact to be Queued in the Letter Batch

Letter Contacts that you are going to schedule for sending in your Email batch should be assigned to a special Collector so that you can schedule an Email batch for that particular Operator ID.

Configure Email Batch

When you select the CONFIGURE button for a Print Batch Letters task, you will be prompted to answer a few questions and select options.

1. First you are asked whether you want to print Letters or Labels.

Letter Batch Selections - Labels or Letters

2. Next, the Batch Letter Options form is displayed, with slight variations. When setting the options in this form as part of a Scheduler Task, you must set your options in advance. This is because the Scheduler does not send prompts to the screen while it is running a given task.

Batch Letter Options

Select the Operator ID for your Batch Email Letter contacts.

Operator ID Selected

3. Then, the Report Options form is displayed for configuring the batch letters destination. You can select Printer, Email or File when setting this option in your Print Batch Letters task.

Report Destination Options

If you want to schedule a batch to Printer or File, please refer to Help topic, Print Batch Letters in Scheduler.

4. When you select Email you have the additional option of selecting SMS

Email Destination Selected

5. When you switch ON SMS the default Domain from your SMS Email Setup is displayed. You can edit this as needed for the batch.

SMS Switched ON

Letter Contact And Notes

When a letter is printed to Email, the Class field on the Letter Contact will display the value for "Email" from the Type pick list. This is "19" and you can attach a pick list to the Class field to display this as the word "Email." This will let your operators know that the letter was printed to Email, not to the printer.

Also, when a letter is printed to Email, the Debtor's Notes will display "printed to Email" in addition to the name of the Letter that was printed.

Email Content

The content of the Email letter will be saved to the Letter Contact. The Email contents are not turned into a metafile. They are stored as text only. When opening the Email blob, Collect! uses its standard Text Editor.

The Data field will contain the words "Email: {File Number}." This is the Debtor or Client Number and is the same convention used when sending an Email directly from a Debtor or Client.

The Email content will only be attached to the Letter Contact if the Email was successfully sent to the mail server AND the Letter Contact is marked 'Done'.

Repeat Scheduler Email Batch Task

When scheduling your Email Letter Batch through the Scheduler, you can create one repeating Scheduler Task and Collect! will automatically increment the Start and End dates as expected.

1. When the Batch Letter Options form is displayed during your configuration, leave the Start and End dates blank.

When there is no "Start date" specified, Collect! will use today minus 1 month by default. OR, you can specify a Start Date, if desired.

When there is no "End date" specified, Collect! will use today for the End date. You should NOT put in an End date in the future, or Collect! will print letters before they are due to go out!

Summary

Collect!'s Scheduler can be used to print your email and SMS Email batches. There are a few restrictions when printing scheduled batch letters as a Scheduler task. You can print only to Email, the printer or to file and you must set Batch Letter Options in advance. Batch Email processes Letter contacts NOT Email contacts. It is recommended that you use a special Operator ID for your Email batches.