Sending Messages from a Contact Record

g Messages from a Contact Record

Sending Message from a Contact Record

Market: Federal/State/Local, House, Senate

Description: These instructions teach users how to send a message from a contact record.

1.Navigate to Contacts > Find Contacts> Find or Add a Contact.

2. Once a contact record has been identified, expand its details be clicking the + sign.

3. Click Actions > New Form Message to respond using an existing Form Letter.

Click Actions > New Custom Message to respond using a Custom Message.

4. The Message window is displayed.

a. In the Message record, select the Outgoing method.

b. The From and To fields default from the Outgoing Method and the recipient's Contact record.

c. Use the CC/BCC link to open options to enter CC and BCC email addresses. You can press the space bar in the CC and BCC field in the Message record and display the primary email address for the recipient's Contact record followed by the list of other email addresses in the database.

d. Type a Subject if the message will go out by email.

e. Add Attachments if you would like to include an outgoing file with an email. Attachments are not printed with a Message going out by Postal Mail, but it can be useful to attach the file for historical purposes.

f. Enter Issue Codes. For non-Service-related Messages, Issue Codes can be critical. Issue Codes can be tracked for analysis. Form Letters can be assigned Issue Codes so that locating a response is much easier.

g. Select a Form Letter. You can either begin typing text from the Form Letter name in the Form Letter field or use the icon to open a list of available Form Letters sorted by Issue Code.

h. Add the Message to a Batch. In most offices, this is the last step when assigning a Form Letter response. If you wish, you can Send or Print the letter using either the Send or Print button, however most Messages are reviewed in the Batch and printed or sent once the review is complete.