Notifications

Notifications are automatic emails or text messages that are sent to a user when a configured rule is triggered, such as a bill becoming past due.

Notifications can automatically populate a message with information specific to the statement recipient using merge fields, such as the amount due and the number of days past due.

To get started, starting in Billing management, hover over Communication in the navigation and select Notifications in the drop-down.

Add a Notification

Under Notifications, select Add.
Select a System trigger from the options available:
1. Online payment made:
  
  A notification sends each time a payee makes an online payment.
2. Past due balance:
  
  A notification sends when a due payment deadline has elapsed. Set the number of days to send the notification after a missed due date.
  
  Tip: You can create different notifications to define different late payment thresholds. For example, you can create one notification that sends an email one day after a payment is late (e.g., 1 Days Late) and another one days after that (e.g., 7 Days Late).
3. Upcoming payment due:
  
  A notification sends when a payment plan due date or charge due date is within a defined range of time. Set the number of days to send the notification prior to the due date.
4. Charges added:
  
  A notification sends to notify parents when charges have been added to their account so that they can plan for upcoming payments. Payers can opt out of this notification, but are opted in by default. Only one instance of this notification can exist at a time.
Select Active to enable the trigger.
Enter a Notification name to identify the specific trigger (e.g., Past Due Notice - 1 Day, Past Due Notice - 7 Days, Past Due Notice - 30 Days).
If you selected Upcoming payment due or Past due balance as a System trigger, enter how many days to send a notification before or after a payment due date, respectively. For example, if a payment is due August 23, and a notification sends one day after the missed due date, it sends on August 24).
If you selected Charges added notification as a System trigger, determine when the notification should automatically send:
- Daily: Input a specific time of day for the notification to send.
- Weekly: Select a specific day of the week for the notification to send (Monday-Sunday).
- Monthly: Select a specific day of the month for the notification to send (1-28 or Last).
Select Next.

Note: The following sections use Merge fields. Merge fields are textual placeholders that automatically populate with the corresponding information about the school, notification, and recipient in the context. To use a Merge field, in a compatible area, select a field from the drop-down, and then select Insert. The field inserts into the immediate text field at the location of the cursor.
To Notify via Email:
1. Select Notify via Email.
2. Enter a Reply email address. This is the email address statement recipients 'reply-to'.
3. Enter a From name (e.g., Miller School Bursars' Office).
  
  Optional: Select a Merge field to automatically populate the field with school-specific information, such as the School name.
4. Enter a Subject (e.g., Your account is 1 Day Past Due).
5. Enter the notification Body, using the available rich text formatting options (e.g., bold-facing, hyperlinks, lists, etc.) to communicate the message to the statement recipient.
  
  Optional: Select a Merge field to populate the field with school, notification, or statement recipient-specific information.
  
  Tip: When using the Payment due amount or Past due balance merge fields, ensure a currency sign precedes the field (i.e., $[past_due_amount]).
  
  Tip: The Charges added notification features a unique text block consisting of a table that automatically compiles the Student name, Charge on date, Charge description, Charge balance, Charge due date, On Auto-pay?, and if the charge is included on payment plan.
To Notify via SMS:
1. Select Notify Via SMS.
2. Enter a Message body that is within a 160 character limit (e.g., ATTN: Don't forget to make a payment of $[past_due_amount]; your account is [nbr_days_past_due] days past due!)
  
  Optional: Select a Merge field to automatically populate the field with school, notification, or statement recipient-specific information.
Select Save & Close.

Disable a notification

Disable notifications to prevent them from sending. Note the status of notifications using the data in the Status column to determine which are active or inactive.

Select the context menu () on the row of any notification.
Select Edit.
Under Notification options, deselect Active.
Select Save & close.