Batching Messages

Market: Federal/State/Local, House, Senate

Description: Mail that comes into IQ that is not sorted as a Bill Related Message or a Campaign Message is considered an Individual Message. These individual messages can either be placed into Batches or can be responded to one at a time. To optimize the correspondence for these individual messages, the best practice is to Batch individual messages that have common attributes (i.e., issues) and reply to all using a Form Letter.

These instructions teach users how to manage batches. Click the following link to be brought directly to the subtopic:

Searching for a Batch

Creating Batch Response Rules

Creating a Batch

1.Navigate to Messages > Message Center > All Open Non-Campaign Messages.

2. The search results is displayed. In the Filters pane, select the Batch Name: None.

3. Use either Filter Text, Issue Code, or Subject Line to find records that share these attributes.

a.The Filter Text option runs a keyword search.

b. The Issue Code filter allows you to sort by messages that have already been tagged with issue codes.

c. The Subject Line filter sorts by messages with identical email subject lines.

4. Click the box to select all the records. In IQ, this is the check box to the left of List.

Select Change > Data.

5. A best practice is to select All Active Unlocked before selecting Add New to determine if that batch name already exists. Add a new batch name, if needed. Click Save.

Searching for a Batch

1.There are 2 ways to find a batch.

Option 1- Filter

Navigate to Messages > Message Center > All Open Non-Campaign Messages.

In the Filter pane, select Batch Name and click the batch name.

Option 2- Messages Module

1. Navigate to Messages > Utilities > All Active Batches.

2. A list of all batch names are displayed. Click the link of the batch name.

Creating Batch Response Rules

1.Click the "Assign Response" in-row action above the Batch you'd like to create a response rule for.

2. Add Response Rule settings as appropriate and click "save". Don't forget that you can create a placeholder letter for your Batch Response rule by clicking the box next to "New Letter".

3. Click Save.

4. Click "Modify Response Rules" if you need to change the Response Rule.

5. For instructions on enabling the "Auto Send" rule see the Enabling Auto Send for Batches, Campaigns, and Bills topic page.

The illustration below provides best practices on managing messages from a macro and micro level approach in IQ.

First, manage bill-related messages as this will allow you to also manage all the campaigns associated with a bill. Thus, you are reducing the number of campaign messages (which tend to have the highest volume of message records in IQ) at the same time.

Second, manage campaign messages by combining those that are similar in nature. Thus, you are reducing the number of campaigns to manage and to respond.

Finally, manage individual messages as these are the type of messages that have lower volume of records in IQ.