Automated Alerts - Notifications via Email and SMS

MainEvent offers several options for automated communications to be sent to users on the site. SMS and email alerts allow you to ‘set it and forget it’. This article will outline Global and Client alerts.

Global Alerts

Global alerts allow you to set up communications that will be triggered by site-wide actions, ie. if a global alert is created for Event Created, an email (or digest entry) will be created for each event created on the entire site. It is recommended to use these more sparingly to avoid ‘alert fatigue’.

To set up a global alert, start by accessing the Admin section. You get there by clicking Admin on the navigation menu and selecting View.

This will bring you to the Global Admin page. From here, look to the left of the page and find the Global Configuration Menu. In the Global subsection, click Manage Alerts.

This will direct you to the Global Alert Rules Index. This index will operate the same as all standard index pages on MainEvent. The Index Page Functionality section will allow you to see how to configure your index pages.

Click Add New Alert to begin building your alert template.

The top section of the Alert Builder is Details. Here you’re going to add the Alert Name, select if the alert is active (Yes/No), and decide if the alert will send as a digest (Yes/No). What’s a digest, you ask? A digest allows a compilation of all the triggered items over a set period of time to be collected and sent as a single message. If you’re creating an alert for every event created at the global level, you may want to have that alert as a digest so your recipients only get one email at the beginning of the day instead of getting inundated with messages throughout the day, for example.

If you have selected to have the alert as a digest, you will also enter the Frequency (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Quarterly), and then the day, time, and timezone for the digest to send.

If you choose to send your alert as a non-digest, the alert will send whenever the trigger conditions are met. We’ll get into what that means in a second.

Next, you will select the trigger. This is the action that will cause (or trigger) the alert to send. Options include: Asset Activity Created, Event Created, Event Request Approved, Event Request Rejected, Payroll Period Lock Completed, etc.

Certain selections may require you to add additional information. Choosing Asset Activity Created, for example, will generate a list of asset activity types so that you can choose which types should trigger an alert to send.

Choosing Event Created, for another example, will require no additional information.

Your next big decision will be how to send the alert. You have three options. As an email, as an SMS, or as both. Users will need to have a valid email address on their user profile in order to receive email alerts. Likewise, a mobile number will be required for SMS alerts to be received.

Email Alert

The first thing you need to do when creating a new email alert is choose the Subject of the email. You’re free to get as crazy as you want here, or just do it nice and easy go the descriptive route. Event Created Alert works just fine, but you’re free to stretch your imagination if you want to.

With that behind you, now we’re into the tough part, building the actual email template. The builder allows for certain amounts of formatting from you (text size and color, etc.) but it is limited in scope. This isn’t a custom HTML email template.

The builder allows you to enter plain text as you would expect. If you’ve written an email before, you know what you’re doing here.

The main feature of the alert builder is the variables dropdown. This will allow you to include event-specific information in your emails. Click on any of the options from the variables and they will be added to the text of the email. The variable options will change with the trigger you choose. The variables will all relate to the type of alert you are crafting.

The variables will update to reflect the information for the specific event (or activity) for the specific recipient for each alert. Below is an example of how to use variables to build an email alert.

This message will include the recipient’s full name, as well as the event name and date, start and end time, and the location information. The message ends with a link to the event summary page.

If the expected recipients do not have access to your MainEvent site, it is not recommended to include the URL as they will be denied access when they click.

SMS Alert

The text alert is more simple than the email alert, but still gives you the configurability of pulling in variables and composing the message in the plain text editor.

To compose an SMS alert, start by entering your plain text. This editor is similar in function to most large text input fields. You are not able to format the text or layout.

The main feature of the alert builder is the variables dropdown. This will allow you to include event-specific information in your messages. Click on any of the options from the variables and they will be added to the text of the SMS. The variable options will change with the trigger you choose. The variables will all relate to the type of alert you are crafting.

The variables will update to reflect the information for the specific event (or activity) for the specific recipient for each alert. Below is an example of how to use variables to build an SMS alert.

This message greets the recipient with their first name, then informs them of the event name, date, start and end times, the venue name, and full address.

Recipient Configuration

Now we get to determine who is going to receive this alert message. Here we can really start to get into the nitty gritty of who should and should not receive an alert.

The first portion of the Recipient Configuration section will allow you to determine that users will only receive the alert message if they are assigned to the appropriate Client and/or Program and/or Market. This means that you can later select a user group to receive the message, but people will only get messages that apply to their own assignments.

Next, you can select Management Roles. This section will have a list of all the Management User Roles available. You can select one Role by clicking, or multi select by holding down the Control button while clicking.

Then you can select Staff Roles, if needed. Only select Staff Roles for alerts that apply to their day to day. Staff Users may be interested to know that there is a new Asset Activity created, but they are much more likely to care if they have a claim that has been rejected.

Next, we can choose specific individuals. If there’s one person and only one person that needs to get this alert, you can find their name in the list. There are two different lists of individuals to choose from: Management or Staff.

The Recipient Configuration section is like the build your own sundae bar. You get to mix and match from all the portions of the section to get your alerts out to the exact people you need to receive it.

Once you have completed setting up the Alert, click Submit. This will save the alert and you should be seeing it in your inbox soon!

Client Alerts

Client alerts allow you to create and send alert messages that are more specific to a client or program’s needs. You will be able to create alerts to send to specific user roles or users, ensuring that the necessary information reaches the appropriate people, and only those people.

To set up a client alert, start by accessing the Admin section. You get there by clicking Admin on the navigation menu and selecting View.

This will bring you to the Global Admin page. From here, select Clients in the Global Configuration Menu on the left side of the screen.

You will now be viewing the Clients section of the Global Admin page. Select the correct client and click Edit.

Now you’re looking at the Client Admin page. Again, use the configuration menu and select Manage Alerts.

This will open the Client Alert Rules Index. This index page will list any pre-existing alerts on the client.

To add a new Alert, click Add New Alert.

Now you’re on the Alert Details page. The first section is the Details section where you will add the Name, select the Active Status (Yes/No), and select if the alert will send as a digest (Yes/No). What’s a digest, you ask? A digest allows a compilation of all the triggered items over a set period of time to be collected and sent as a single message. If you’re creating an alert for every event created at the client level, you may want to have that alert as a digest so your recipients only get one email at the beginning of the day instead of getting inundated with messages throughout the day, for example.

If you have selected to have the alert as a digest, you will also enter the Frequency (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Quarterly), and then the day, time, and timezone for the digest to send.

If you choose to send your alert as a non-digest, the alert will send whenever the trigger conditions are met. We’ll get into what that means in a second.

Next, you will select the trigger. This is the action that will cause (or trigger) the alert to send. Options include: Asset Activity Created, Event Created, Event Request Approved, Event Request Rejected, Payroll Period Lock Completed, etc.

Certain selections may require you to add additional information. Choosing Asset Activity Created, for example, will generate a list of asset activity types so that you can choose which types should trigger an alert to send.

Choosing Event Created, for another example, will require no additional information.

Your next big decision will be how to send the alert. You have three options. As an email, as an SMS, or as both. Users will need to have a valid email address on their user profile in order to receive email alerts. Likewise, a mobile number will be required for SMS alerts to be received.

Email Alert

The first thing you need to do when creating a new email alert is choose the Subject of the email. You’re free to get as crazy as you want here, or just do it nice and easy go the descriptive route. Event Created Alert works just fine, but you’re free to stretch your imagination if you want to.

With that behind you, now we’re into the tough part, building the actual email template. The builder allows for certain amounts of formatting from you (text size and color, etc.) but it is limited in scope. This isn’t a custom HTML email template.

The builder allows you to enter plain text as you would expect. If you’ve written an email before, you know what you’re doing here.

The main feature of the alert builder is the variables dropdown. This will allow you to include event-specific information in your emails. Click on any of the options from the variables and they will be added to the text of the email. The variable options will change with the trigger you choose. The variables will all relate to the type of alert you are crafting.

The variables will update to reflect the information for the specific event (or activity) for the specific recipient for each alert. Below is an example of how to use variables to build an email alert.

This message will include the recipient’s full name, as well as the event name and date, start and end time, and the location information. The message ends with a link to the event summary page.

If the expected recipients do not have access to your MainEvent site, it is not recommended to include the URL as they will be denied access when they click.

SMS Alert

The text alert is more simple than the email alert, but still gives you the configurability of pulling in variables and composing the message in the plain text editor.

To compose an SMS alert, start by entering your plain text. This editor is similar in function to most large text input fields. You are not able to format the text or layout.

The main feature of the alert builder is the variables dropdown. This will allow you to include event-specific information in your messages. Click on any of the options from the variables and they will be added to the text of the SMS. The variable options will change with the trigger you choose. The variables will all relate to the type of alert you are crafting.

The variables will update to reflect the information for the specific event (or activity) for the specific recipient for each alert. Below is an example of how to use variables to build an SMS alert.

This message greets the recipient with their first name, then informs them of the event name, date, start and end times, the venue name, and full address.

Recipient Configuration

Now we get to determine who is going to receive this alert message. Here we can really start to get into the nitty gritty of who should and should not receive an alert.

The first portion of the Recipient Configuration section will allow you to determine that users will only receive the alert message if they are assigned to the appropriate Client and/or Program and/or Market. This means that you can later select a user group to receive the message, but people will only get messages that apply to their own assignments.

Next, you can select Management Roles. This section will have a list of all the Management User Roles available. You can select one Role by clicking, or multi select by holding down the Control button while clicking.

Then you can select Staff Roles, if needed. Only select Staff Roles for alerts that apply to their day to day. Staff Users may be interested to know that there is a new Asset Activity created, but they are much more likely to care if they have a claim that has been rejected.

Next, we can choose specific individuals. If there’s one person and only one person that needs to get this alert, you can find their name in the list. There are two different lists of individuals to choose from: Management or Staff.

The Recipient Configuration section is like the build your own sundae bar. You get to mix and match from all the portions of the section to get your alerts out to the exact people you need to receive it.

Once you have completed setting up the Alert, click Submit. This will save the alert and you should be seeing it in your inbox soon!