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. You should automatically land on the Billing management tab.

Add a Notification

Under Notifications, select Add.
Select a System trigger from the options available:
1. Payment received:
  
  A notification sends each time a payer makes an online payment. Billing clerks can also send it when they add a payment by payer or to a group, as long as the notification is active.
2. Failed payment notification:
  
  A notification sends when a direct debit or Auto-Pay transaction fails to process. The notification does not send until a Billing clerk handles the failed payment.
3. 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).
4. 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.
5. 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 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).
If you selected Upcoming payment due or Past due balance as a System trigger, choose between:
- Student based: A separate notification is sent for each student.
- Payer based: One combined notification for all of a payer's students.
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.

Auto-Pay notifications

Auto-Pay notifications are created automatically when you enable Auto-Pay, and you set them up in the Auto-Pay settings wizard. They are not available as a System trigger when you add a notification, but appear in the notifications list alongside other Billing management notifications.

Auto-Pay notifications differ from other notifications in the following ways:

Only one notification can exist for each Auto-Pay notification type, and Auto-Pay notifications cannot be deleted.
Auto-Pay notifications cannot be disabled once Auto-Pay is active.
Payers cannot opt out of Auto-Pay notifications entirely and must keep at least one delivery method, email or SMS, selected.

The following Auto-Pay notifications are available:

Payment plan auto-pay upcoming payment: Sends two days for US schools before a payment plan Auto-Pay payment processes, letting the payer know the payment date and amount.
Payment plan auto-pay signup confirmation: Sends immediately after a payer enrolls, or a Billing clerk enrolls a payer, in Auto-Pay for a payment plan. The notification can include the payer's payment schedule and who to contact for help. You must configure this notification when you set up Auto-Pay for the first time.
Incidental auto-pay signup confirmation: Sends immediately after a payer enrolls, or a Billing clerk enrolls a payer, in Auto-Pay for incidentals.
Incidental auto-pay upcoming payment: Sends three business days before an incidental Auto-Pay payment processes, letting the payer know the payment date and amount.

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.