You are able to create Automations that help further Inbox Logging processes automatically. You are able to create Automations by navigating to System Settings by clicking on the Person Icon in the bottom left. From here you will see the option for Automations on the left.
To create a new automation, click the blue plus button at the top of the Automations page.
That pulls up a popup that will help you set the rules, defining the new automation. Creating a new automation requires you to set the following parameters:
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The type of trigger.
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What that trigger will need to match in order to “fire.”
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Choose a logging template to use, which dictates how the mail will be automatically logged, to whom it will be assigned, etc.
It looks like this:
To get started, you will need to select which action you would like to use as a trigger criterion for the new automation. There are seven trigger criteria options that you can use, described below:
Inbound Subject
This is very helpful for forms like flag forms or tour request forms, which will always come in with the same default subject line. Any form submissions that come in with text containing the chosen subject line can be used for an automation. The subject line must contain that phrase.
In the red shaded "Matches" box, type in the subject line phrase to complete this step.
Body Contains
This is useful if there are specific terms or phrases within an email that you want to sort by. Any emails that come in with the email body text containing an exact phrase can be used for this automation.
For example, you might want to have any emails that contain the text “Iran Nuclear Deal” or “HR1234” in the body of the email automatically logged the same way, bypassing the Inbox.
Inbound Campaign
"Matches Any Campaign": Routes all campaign emails the same way. Be careful if selecting this first option since this will impact a lot of mail.
"Matches Any of the Following Campaigns": Routes any campaign that you select in the box below. The subject line of each campaign is what will show up in the box as you start typing.
Inbound Issue
"Matches At Least One of the Following Issues": Allows you to log all mail with a specific issue code (as selected by the constituent on the contact form) the same way. For example, if you wanted everything tagged with the "Agriculture" issue code to go to a certain batch or be assigned to a certain staffer, you could use this option to log that mail.
"Matches All of the Following Issues": Allows you to use multiple issue codes to define how this piece of mail will be logged. For example, you could have anything tagged with both "Health" and "Medicare" issues codes logged a particular way.
Sender Affiliation
"Matches At Least One of the Following Affiliations": Defines how mail is logged based on an affiliation code tagged to that constituent. For example, if any of the people who write in have been previously tagged with an affiliation code like "frequent flyer," that will trigger the automation.
"Matches All of the Following Affiliations": Requires the person who writes in to have ALL of the affiliations defined in the automation.
This could be used to send incoming mail from VIPs or other groups to a special batch.
Inbound Does Not Require a Response
If mail comes into the inbox as a comment, this option dictates how it is treated (send a generic response letter, closed, etc.).
Sender Address
This is great for blacklisting a certain address from the inbox. For example, if someone writes in with spam and uses your District or DC office addresses as their own address, you can treat that mail in a special way.
Do note that you have to put in the address of your DC and District offices in order for it to know which addresses to blacklist. You can set those if you are an Account Owner on the Contact Form Settings page, or by clicking "Manage Addresses" from the popup.
Sender Inbound History
This sets a threshold for correspondence as a criterion.
"Exceeds __ Open Outbounds At Any Time": Allows you to set a threshold number for open pieces of correspondence and apply the same logging template to all of them. For example, if anyone has over 100 pieces of open mail, you can have any new mail from them skip the inbox and automatically get assigned a general response form letter.
"Exceeds __ Inbounds in the Last 12 Months": This can be used to treat people who have sent in large amounts of correspondence in the last 12 months, the same way. For example, you can use this option to set up a special batch for frequent flyers, which you only respond to once a month.
After you’ve selected a trigger, the next step is to choose a logging template to apply to mail that matches that trigger. You can start typing to select an already created logging template or click the blue "Manage All Templates" link to create a new logging template.
Once you have selected a logging template, click "Create" to activate that new automation. Once it is turned on, all new mail that comes in matching those criteria will be routed using the settings in the logging template. The new mail will skip the inbox and be sorted directly into batches, assigned a form letter, and assigned to a particular staffer if you defined each of those things in the logging template you selected.