Scheduling Communications

Scheduling communications can help you in automatically sending reminder messages to other users based on pre-defined conditions.

Using the application scheduler, you can send messages at predefined intervals or based on preset conditions. The content of such scheduled communications can be configured using templates.

Scheduling of correspondence communications can be done in two ways:

Reminder Rule
Recurrence Pattern

These methods of scheduling communication are discussed in the following sections.

All the communication initiated for an operation such as Faxing, Send/Resend, Reminders and so on will be stacked in a que, which are executed sequentially at regular intervals according to the configured trigger.

The triggers configured for the initial communication in a particular application (ARISg or agXchange) is always applicable to its child communications such as follow-up/reply/forward communications irrespective of the application where they originated.

In ARISg, when replying/ follow-up/forwarding a communication created in agXchange, the user is allowed to only add new reminders and recurrence patterns to its child communication, but are not allowed to delete the existing reminders and recurrence patterns associated with the parent communication.

Using Reminder Rules

The scheduler rules can be configured to send reminder communications at predefined intervals to a sender, recipient, or additional users based on the communication’s condition settings. By default, the Reminder Rule option is selected.

The subject of the reminder generated for a communication based on the Reminder Rule will be prefixed with Rem followed by the subject. For example: Rem:<Subject>.

To use reminder rules:

Open a New Correspondence.

From the Schedule Reminders drop-down, click Reminder Rules.

The Scheduler window appears. In the Reminder Rule section, all active scheduling rules are displayed that are created in the Communication Configuration screen.

Field Description

Field	Description
Rules	Displays all active rules that are configured in the Communication Configuration screen. This section is blank if there are no rules are defined in the Scheduling rules.
Rule Name	User defined name for the scheduler rule. This field displays the selected rule name.
Description	Description of the rule. The description of the selected rule displays in this field.
Attachment	Enabling this option will cause the scheduled communication to contain the attachment available in the reminder communication.
Creating Scheduling Rule
When (In Days)	Enter the number of days to perform the scheduled action. This number and the Condition will be used to calculate the date to send the communication. If you have modified the When (In Days) field for existing communication and the reminder communication has not yet been sent, then the Reminder Trigger date is recalculated. This recalculated date is considered when sending the reminder communications. If the Reminder Trigger date is earlier than the Communication date, then the application displays a validation message stating: ”Please change the "When (In Days)", since the scheduled date falls in the past”.
Condition	Choose the Condition event to be satisfied to send a scheduled communication. The available conditions are: After Communication Date Before Communication Due Date After Communication Due Date When you attach reminders using After Communication Due Date or Before Communication Due Date conditions and Expected Reply date has not been specified for a communication in the Correspondence or Call screen (New or Edit), the application displays a validation message stating: ”Expected reply date is required for attached Scheduler”.
Sender (From) Receiver/s(To) Additional Email Addresses	Choose the recipients of the scheduled communication. The available options are: Sender: Send Reminder to the Sender only. Receiver: Send Reminder to the receiver only. Additional Email Addresses: Sends a reminder to the additional Email addresses added. The application allows you to edit the reminder rule even after the communication (For Correspondence only) is sent out.
Save	Save the Scheduler rule.
Add button	Add a new scheduling rule for the reminder.
Delete button	Deletes the selected scheduling rule. This is applicable for rules which have reminder dates in the future.

In the Create Scheduling Rule section, select an existing reminder rule from the Rules list.

The fields are populated with the conditions of the rule.
To send attachments with the reminder communication, enable the Attachment Required option.
Click Add to add a reminder rule condition.
Configure the Period, Condition and the Recipients for a rule.
To delete a rule condition, enable the corresponding checkbox and click Delete.

Using Recurrence Patterns

Recurrence patterns can be configured to send communications repeatedly based on predefined criteria. The subject of the reminder generated for a communication based on the Recurrence pattern will be prefixed with Rec followed by the subject. For example: Rec:<Subject>.

To use recurrence patterns:

Open a New Correspondence.
From the Schedule Reminders drop-down, click Recurrence Pattern.
The Scheduler window appears. In the Recurrence Pattern section, all active scheduling rules are displayed that are created in the Communication Configuration screen.

Field Description:

Field	Description
Pattern	Displays the list of all active recurrence patterns. Select the recurrence pattern from the list of predefined patterns. This section is the blank if there are no patterns are defined in the Recurrence Pattern Library.
Pattern Name	Indicates the name for the recurrence pattern. Displays the selected pattern name in this field.
Pattern Description	Indicates the description of the pattern.
Attachment	Enabling this option to retain the attachment available in the parent communication. If you select the Attachment Required check box, you can select the attachment for the reminder.
Details - By default, the application displays the settings of the selected pattern. You can change the settings later based on your requirements.
One Time Event	Selecting this option enables you to send the reminder only once on the specified date. By default, the event date is displayed as Communication Date in read-only mode. You can change the event date using the Calendar icon. If the event date is earlier than communication date, then the application displays a message stating ’*Event date cannot be earlier than Communication date'. If the event date is earlier than communication date for Correspondence communication, then the application displays a message stating 'Scheduler - Event date cannot be earlier than Communication date'* while sending the correspondence. If the event date is earlier than communication date for Call communication, then the application displays a message stating *'Scheduler - Event date cannot be earlier than Communication date'* while saving the communication. If the event type is set as "One Time Event", the application does not allow you to modify the recurring event type and vice versa. One time event is applicable for both Call and Correspondence communication.
Recurring Event	On selecting Recurring event, the application enables you to send the reminders based on the selected option.
Start Date	This date indicates the initial date for starting the recurrence pattern. Click the calender icon to select the date. By default, the Start date is displayed as Communication Date in read-only mode. You can change the Start date using Calendar icon. If the Start date is earlier than communication date, then the application displays a message stating *'Pattern Start date cannot be earlier than Communication date'. If the Start date is earlier than communication date for Correspondence communication, then the application displays a message stating 'Scheduler - Pattern Start date cannot be earlier than Communication date'* while sending the correspondence. If the Start date is earlier than communication date for Call communication, then the application displays a message stating *'Scheduler - Pattern Start date cannot be earlier than Communication date'* while saving the communication.
Recurrence Pattern	Choose the recurrence condition to be satisfied to send a communication. The available conditions are: Daily - Enables you to send the communication based on the value specified in Every day(s) or Every Weekday field. For Every day(s) option, application sends reminders based on the number of days (including Saturdays and Sundays) specified in the "Every" field. By default, every day is displayed. The application does not allow you to enter 'zero' in this field. You must always enter a value greater than '0'. If the days are not entered, then the application displays a message stating *'For the Daily pattern, day(s) is required'. For Every Weekday option, the application sends a reminder only from Monday to Friday based on the specified Start date. Weekly* - Enables you to send reminders on a weekly basis. You can select the day of the week. The dates are calculated based on the start date with respect to the selected week. By default, every week is displayed. By default, the current day is selected. If the week(s) are not entered, then the application displays a message stating *'For the Weekly pattern, week(s) on is required’. The application does not allow you to enter 'zero' in this field. You must always enter a value greater than '0'. If the weekday(s) are not selected, then the application displays a message stating 'For weekly pattern, day of the week is required’. Monthly* - Enables you to send the reminders on a monthly basis based on the specified number of months and day of the month. By default, every one month is displayed and the current day is displayed as the event day of the month. For the 'month(s)’ field, the value must be always greater than 0. The application does not allow you to enter the value of 0. You can change the required day from the drop-down list. If the month(s) are not entered, then the application displays a message stating *'For monthly pattern schedule month(s) are required.’ Yearly* - Enables you to send the reminders on a yearly basis based on the selected month and day of the month. By default, current month and current day is selected. Days drop-down is displayed based on the selected month. i By default, the Start date is displayed as Communication Date in read-only mode. The Start date cannot be earlier than the communication date. The Recurrence pattern is applicable for both Call and Correspondence Communication.
Range of Recurrence	Indicates the End condition to terminate the recurrence pattern. No End Date End After: The recurrence will end after executing the user defined number of occurrences. End by: The recurrence will end by the specified date. If End by date is earlier than the Start date or Event date, then the application displays a message stating "*Range of Recurrence End by cannot be before event date*".
Send-To	Choose the recipients of the recurring communication. The available options are: Sender (From): Select to send communication to the sender ID. Receiver/s (To): Select to send communication to the recipient(s) ID. For Call communication, this field is not displayed. Additional Email Address: Enables you to attach recurrence patters to a specified email addresses in the Admin module for a new correspondence or new call. You can also update the details of additional email IDs. The Send-To option is applicable for both One Time Event and Recurring Event.
Save	Save the customized pattern.
Cancel	Cancel the changes and Exit the screen.

Select an existing Recurrence pattern from the Pattern drop-down list.
Enable the Attachment Required option, to send attachments with the reminder communication.
Use the fields in the Details section to customize the Recurrence pattern.

Creating a One Time Event for Communications

A One Time Event is an event that can be triggered once.

For example, to remind the recipients to attend a webinar on the specified date, you can use the One Time Event to trigger the reminder.

To create a One Time Event for both Correspondence and Call Communications:

From General Communication or Case Communication, click New and then select Correspondence.

Or

Click New and then select Call.

The New Correspondence or New Call screen appears depends on the selection.
Click the link.

The Scheduler screen appears.
Click the Recurrence Pattern tab.
In the Recurrence Pattern section, select the required pattern from the Patterns drop-down list.
In the Details section, click the One Time Event option.
Select the event date.
For Correspondence, the Save button is displayed.
- For Call Correspondence, the Send button is displayed.
Click Save or Send to modify the recurrence pattern settings.

The application sends the reminder only once on the specified date to the receiver(s).

After you Save or Send the respective correspondence, the application performs a validation against the date you enter for the one time event and if the Event date is earlier to Communication Date the application displays the validation message ”One Event date cannot be earlier than Communication date”.

Creating Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly Recurrence Patterns for communications

A recurring event is an event that repeats on a regular basis: daily, weekly, monthly or yearly.

For example, to send a status report on a regular basis: daily, weekly, monthly or yearly, use the Recurring Pattern feature available in the communication module. You need to create the event to your calendar several times or create this event once and specify how often the reminder has to be sent as a recurring event.

To create a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly recurrence patterns for both Correspondence and Call Communications:

From General Communication or Case Communication, click New Correspondence.

Or

Click New Call.

The New Correspondence or New Call screen appears depends on the selection.
Click the link.

The Scheduler screen appears.
Click the Recurrence Pattern option.
In the Create Pattern section, select the required pattern from the Patterns drop-down list.
In the Details section, select the Recurring Event option.
Select the Start Date.
Select one of the following options based on the requirements:
1. Select the Daily option and specify either the Every - day(s) or Every WeekDay option for the frequency. Example 1- Daily Status Report: To achieve this, set Every ’1’ day(s).
  
  Result: The application sends a daily status report reminder on every day including Saturdays and Sundays also based on the Start date specified.
  
  Example 2 – Weekday Status Report: To achieve this, select the Every WeekDay option.
  
  Result: The application sends a status report reminder only from Monday to Friday based on the Start date specified.
2. Select the Weekly option and then specify the frequency and the days.
  
  Example – Weekly Status Report: Specify frequency as 4 and select weekday as ’Friday’.
  
  Result: The application sends a weekly status report reminder on every ’Friday ’and this event recurs every 4 weeks based on the Start date specified.
3. Select the Monthly option and then specify the date of the month on which the reminder has to be sent as a recurring event.
  
  Example: Monthly Status Report: Specify Day as ’15’ and frequency as ’5’
  
  Result: The application sends a monthly status report reminder on every ’15^th’ day of the month. This event recurs every ’5’ months based on the Start date specified.
4. Select the Yearly option and then specify the month and the date on which the reminder has to be sent as a recurring event.
Example: Yearly Status Report: Specify month as ’March’ and date as ’31’.

Result: The application sends a yearly status report reminder on 31^st March of every year. This event recurs based on the Start date specified.
Specify the Range of Recurrence.

The application stops sending communications to recipients based on the specified Range of Recurrence.
From the Send-To section, select the users who receive the messages.
Click Save to save the recurrence pattern.