The Communication Automations tab in Course Configuration allows you to schedule SMS and Email Communications to learners and applicants linked to a Course. Any automations you set up here will run at 5am on every day that they are valid.

For each automation, the Name and Type are shown.

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Filtering the Automation List

The following searching and filtering options are available by default above the list. Once you have entered the necessary details, press Enter or select the Search icon to run the search and apply your filters.

• Name

• Number of Records Displayed

Exporting the Automation List

Selecting More shows an option to Export to Excel. Selecting this will generate an Excel Spreadsheet containing the details currently displayed in the list.

Creating a New Automation

To set up a new communication automation, select Create. This will open a window where you can specify whether you want to send an Email or SMS.

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Once you have made your choice, select Save. The next window is made up of the following sections:

Message

In this section, you can enter the Title for the automation (which will not be shown to the learner or applicant) as well as the contents of the message that will be sent.

It is possible to add merge fields to the message body to personalise the message. To do this, type {{ and search the drop-down menu for the appropriate field.

Filtering

This section allows you to filter your courses to specify which ones will have the communication sent out.

The following options are available:

• Respect Contact Methods – If this is ticked, messages will only be sent if the contact type is included in the learner or applicant’s Allowed Contact Methods field.

Below this, the following filters are available:

• Enrolment Starting Between. This reports based on the learner/applicant’s Enrolment Start Date.

• Course Types – Here you can restrict the automation to courses with specific types. Choosing a type from the drop-down menu will add it to the field. You can add multiple types to the field and remove any added ones by selecting the X icon.

• Course Tags – Here you can restrict the automation to courses with specific Tags. Choosing a tag from the drop-down menu will add it to the field. You can add multiple tags to the field and remove any added ones by selecting the X icon. The following tag options are available:

  • Any – This will restrict the automation to courses that have at least one of the specified tags.

  • All – This will restrict the automation to courses that have every specified tag.

  • None – This will restrict the automation to courses that do not have any of the specified tags.

• Course Sites – Here you can restrict the automation to courses with specific Sites. Choosing a site from the drop-down menu will add it to the field. You can add multiple sites to the field and remove any added ones by selecting the X icon. The following tag options are available:

  • Any – This will restrict the automation to courses that have at least one of the specified sites.

  • All – This will restrict the automation to courses that have every specified site.

  • None – This will restrict the automation to courses that do not have any of the specified sites.

• Enrolment Types – Here you can restrict the automation to courses with specific enrolment types. Choosing a type from the drop-down menu will add it to the field. You can add multiple types to the field and remove any added ones by selecting the X icon.

• Delivery Online – Here you can restrict the automation to courses that are delivered online or in person.

Once you have set up your filters, select Save to add the automation. It will then begin to run at 5am on the next valid date.

Automation Actions

Selecting … by an automation will show the following options:

• Edit – This will open the window explained above for you to edit any message and filter details.

• Delete – You will be prompted to confirm before the automation is deleted.