Send automatic Web Course Confirmation emails for Placeholder bookings

Steps to send automatic Course Confirmation emails for Placeholder bookings on Webinar Courses

1 Create your Placeholder Confirmation Email Template
2 Create your Placeholder Confirmation Workflow
3 Test and enable your Placeholder Confirmation Workflow

Related Help Guide Pages

Additional Workflow Help guide pages

Course Confirmation Related Workflows

Booking Confirmation email to my customer when they complete their basket
Delegate -Classroom Course Confirmation and Joining Instructions email
Delegate - Webinar Course Confirmation and Joining Instructions email
Delegate - eLearning Course Confirmation and Joining Instructions email
Placeholder - Course Confirmation email to my customer when they make a booking for a Classroom Courses
Delegate Transfer - Confirmation email to Delegate when they have transferred to another Course

Course Reminder Related Workflows

Consolidation

Learn how to send an automated webinar confirmation emails to the Booker or owner of a Placeholder.

When a customer makes a Placeholder booking on a webinar Course, you can send an automated confirmation email to them containing all the information they need to know ahead of the Course running! This communication ensures that the customer is fully informed about their Course details.

Follow this page to learn the steps for sending an automated webinar confirmation email to a Placeholder owner.

Create your Placeholder Confirmation Email Template

The first step is to create an Email Template, using merge fields and HTML branding.

Email Templates allow you to create consistent communications to send via your Platform!

Top Tip!

accessplanit platforms come with many pre-built Email Templates to save you time! These pre-built templates include a ‘Booker - Placeholder Confirmation of Webinar Booking’ Email Template which you can use or copy from.

Open the ‘Administration’ menu from the Profile options at the top-right of your platform
Open the ‘Email Templates’ menu option to access the page where you can create and manage your Email Templates
This will take you to the Email Templates DataGrid
If you plan to copy from an existing Email Template, search for that Email Template, right-click on it and select ‘Edit’, then copy the contents of the Body, return to the Email Templates DataGrid
Click the ‘Add Email Template’ button
Give your Email Template a ‘Name’
We recommend labelling your Email Template with the name of the anticipated recipient followed by a description of the email, such as “Booker - Placeholder Confirmation of Webinar Booking”
Select which Module your Email Template relates to, as this email will contain information about your Placeholder, you should select ‘Placeholder'
Leave the ‘Email Type’ selected as ‘Normal’ as this is a transactional email, not a marketing email
Leave the ‘Creation Mode’ as ‘Free Text’ as you will be defining the content of your email directly in the Email Template rather than first building Text Templates
Add in a ‘Subject’ for your email
We recommend including the name of the Course within the subject to catch the recipient’s attention in their inbox, you can do this by adding the merge field @@CourseName into the Subject text box
Add in the ‘Body’ of your email
If you copied the content from an existing Email Template, you can paste this content here!
If you need to apply branding to your email, please see our dedicated guide: Add company branding to Email Templates
Use the ‘Field' drop-down option in the text editor to include merge fields such as the Course Label and Status within your Email Template
Learn more about merge fields
Merge Fields vary depending on which module you have selected for your Email Template

Here are some example Merge Fields that may be useful in your Placeholder Cancellation Email
@@UserOwnerForenames
@@CompanyOwnerName
@@CourseOrAliasName
@@CourseDateStartDate{ddd dd MMM yyyy}
@@CourseEndDate{ddd dd MMM yyyy HH:mm }
@@Quantity
To test your Email Template, click the ‘Preview & Test’ button at the bottom of the window
Select a Preview Object by clicking the ‘Select’ button
This will open a pop-up window where you can select which Placeholder you would like to test your Email Template with, select the Placeholder and press the ‘OK’ button
You will now see a preview of your Email Template, populated with the information of your selected Placeholder
If an area is blank where a Merge Field is placed, this could mean that there is no information stored for this Delegate/Placeholder under the Field the Merge Field is related to.
To check that the Email displays correctly when it is sent, send a sample of the Email to yourself by providing your email address and clicking the ‘Send Email’ button
Once you are happy with your email content, press the 'Save' button

Create your Placeholder Confirmation Workflow

Workflows are used to automate communications, this is the step where you will define the circumstances needed for your Placeholder Confirmation email to be sent, when it will be sent, and who it will be sent to!

This step will teach you how to add a new Workflow to your platform and set up a Workflow Action to send your Booker - Placeholder Confirmation Email Template out automatically!

Top Tip!

accessplanit platforms come with many pre-built Workflows to save you time! These pre-built templates include a ‘Booker - Placeholder Confirmation of Webinar Booking’ Workflow which you can update or clone.

Open the ‘Administration’ menu from the Profile options at the top-right of your platform
Click on the ‘Workflows’ menu option to open the Workflows DataGrid
This will open the Workflows DataGrid
Click the ‘Add Workflows’ button
This will open the Workflow ‘Details’ page
From the new Workflow form, enter a ‘Title’ for your Workflow
We recommend labelling your Workflow with the name of the anticipated recipient followed by a description of the email, such as “Booker - Placeholder Confirmation of Webinar Booking”
Select the same Module that you used for your Email Template (for this Workflow you need the ‘Placeholders’ module)
Leave the Trigger Event set as ‘Saved’
This Workflow should be generated when a Placeholder is updated/saved, not when it is ‘deleted’
Provide a useful Description so that your team know what this Workflow is for
Leave your Workflow inactive for now
It will be set to active once you have finished setting everything up!
Click the ‘Save’ button in the top right
After you have saved your Workflow with those details, you will be able to access the management menu on the left to add further information
From the Workflow Management menu, click to open the ‘Settings’ page for this Workflow
This will open the Workflow Settings page

Optional - The ‘Required Role’ option is where you can set that only Training Administrators or only Super Administrators can view and edit this Workflow, if this option is left blank, it means both Super Admins and Training Admins can both view and edit this Workflow
Add Rules to your Workflow to decide which Placeholders will have this email triggered
Here are some common rules used for automated Placeholder Emails, you can include any combination of these, as required:

a. Only send for Placeholders with the status of ‘Active’: Status - Is In - Active
This rule will stop the Workflow being triggered for Placeholders that have been transferred or cancelled.

b. Only send for Placeholders on Web Courses: Course Template Type - Is In - Web
This rule will stop the Workflow from being triggered for Placeholders registered onto Class Courses.

c. Only send for Placeholders assigned to Courses that are running: Course Status - Is In - Fully Booked, In Progress, Available
This rule will stop the Workflow from being triggered for Placeholders registered onto Courses that are cancelled, completed, provisional, and on hold

d. Do not send for Placeholders on ‘Sessions’: Parent Placeholder ID - Is Empty
This rule stops the Workflow from triggering for Placeholders registered onto individual Sessions that are part of a Sessional booking.
It will still trigger for Placeholders on:
- The parent (main) Course in a Sessional setup
- Standalone Courses that are not part of a Sessional structure
If you think that you may require Advanced Rules for your Workflow, please see our dedicated section within our Workflows Overview page
Leave the ‘Matching Rules’ checkbox checked

It is very unlikely that you will need to make any changes to any of the other settings available on the Settings page, to read more about these options please see our guide: Workflow Overview.

Once you have added all of your rules, click the 'Save' button at the top right of the page

From the Workflow Management menu, select the ‘Actions’ option
This will open the Workflow Actions DataGrid, this is where you define what will happen when your Workflow Rules are met! (e.g. an email will send)
Select the ‘Add Workflow Action’ button
This will open the ‘Details’ section for your Workflow Action
Enter an ‘Action Label’ for your Email Action
We recommend labelling your Workflow Email Actions with the details of the email and when it will be sent, such as “Placeholder Booker - Placeholder Confirmation”
Select the Action Name ‘Send an Email’
Press the ‘Save’ button in the top right to access the additional settings
Once you have saved, the parameter options for your automated email will become available
The first setting is ‘Action Date’ this is where you define when the email will send
For this Workflow action, it is recommended to set this action date 5 minutes after the current date time, this will send the email 5 minutes after a Placeholder meets the rules of your Workflow
Please see our dedicated section within our Workflow with Email Actions page for more information on Action dates
Check the ‘Send on Action Date Only’ if you do not want an email to be sent for Placeholders that are added to your platform after the email should have been sent to receive it
For example, if your email is set to be sent 14 days before the start date and a Placeholder is added 10 days before the Course, they have missed the Workflow Action Date
1. If ‘Send on Action Date Only’ is checked, the email for this Placeholder would not send
2. If ‘Send on Action Date Only’ is not checked, the email for this Placeholder would send soon after the Placeholder is created providing they meet the Workflow rules
The next step is to select your ‘From Address’
This reduces the risk of your emails being mistaken for spam or phishing attempts, plus, it simplifies your customer communication – as they will know who to reach out to and where their replies to your emails should go.

Use the ‘To Address’ options to select who you would like to receive this email
1. Booking User Email: This is the User who made the booking through your basket, if an Admin processed the booking then instead it is the User they selected as the ‘Booking User’.
2. Owner Email: This is the Account or User that is assigned as the Owner of the Placeholder, this is most commonly the Account who is responsible for paying for the Placeholder places on the Course.

The next step is to select the ‘Email Template' you created earlier!

As standard, a individual email will be sent for each Placeholder that meets the rules of your Workflow, if you would like to send emails that contain the details of multiple Placeholders (for example if you expect your customers to book several Placeholders within one booking), you can create a Consolidated Email Template and include that within your Workflow Email Action

If you would like to include any attachments to this email, click the ‘Add File’ button on the Attachment options, and select your file
If your Joining Instructions are a document, here would be the best place to attach them.
1. File: A static document that has been uploaded to the Files area of your platform, commonly used for files such as 'terms & conditions'
2. Document Template: A dynamic document that has been uploaded to the Document Templates area of your platform, commonly used for files such as joining instructions letters, certificates, and sign-in sheets

Click the 'Save' button to save your Workflow Email Action

Once you have added your Workflow Action, your Workflow is ready to be tested!

Test and enable your Placeholder Confirmation Workflow

Once you have created your Email Template and Workflow it is time to test, testing is a good way to ensure the email sends when you expect and the content of the email displays correctly in your email inbox.

Test your Placeholder Confirmation Workflow Content - Single Email Test

This testing approach is best used for Workflows where you want to view/test the content of the email only, if you would like to test that your rules are set up correctly (and that your Workflow will send when expected), please jump ahead to the “Test your Placeholder Confirmation Workflow - Become the Recipient” below.

Navigate to Profile and then Administration in the top right corner of your Platform
Click on the 'Workflows' menu option to open the Workflows DataGrid
Search for your Workflows by applying filters and/or searching the Workflows DataGrid
Right-click on the Workflow and select ‘Actions’ from the context menu
This will open the Workflow Actions DataGrid
From the Workflow Actions DataGrid, right-click on your Workflow Email Action and select the ‘Edit’ option
Click on the ‘Preview & Test’ button at the top right of the Workflow Email Action edit page
Select a Placeholder from the ‘Preview Object’
This will show you a preview of the email and how it will display in the ‘Content’ section
Enter your Email Address into the 'Send sample to' option
Click the ‘Send Email’ to send a copy of this Email Template for this Course to your Email Address
If you notice any changes are needed to your Email Template, open the ‘Email Templates’ DataGrid from the ‘Administration’ menu option, edit your Email Template and save. You can then run through these testing steps again.
Once you are happy with the content of your Email Template and Workflow you can set your Workflow to Active!

Top Tip

If you would prefer to test your Workflow Rules before enabling your Workflow, do not set your Workflow to Active and please move directly to Test your Workflow Rules - Become the Recipient.

Open the ‘Administration’ menu option at the top right of your platform
Click on the ‘Workflows’ menu option to open the Workflows DataGrid
Search for your Workflows, right-click on it to view the context menu options and select the 'Edit' option
Scroll down to the ‘Active’ checkbox and check this box
Click the ‘Save’ button at the top of the page to save your Workflow as active!

Test your Placeholder Confirmation Workflow Rules - Become the Recipient

This testing approach is best used for Workflows where you are not 100% confident with the rules of your Workflow, and you would like to ensure that you will not send out your emails at the wrong time, about the wrong Placeholders. With this approach, you will start using your Workflow, but all of the Emails will be sent to your email address temporarily.

Open the ‘Administration’ menu option at the top right of your platform
Click on the ‘Workflows' menu option to open the Workflows DataGrid
Search for your Workflows by applying filters and/or searching the Workflows DataGrid
Right-click the Workflow and select ‘Actions’ from the context menu
From the Workflow Actions DataGrid, right-click on your Workflow Email Action and select the ‘Edit’ option
Scroll to the ‘To Address’ option and change the setting from ‘Field’ to ‘Constant’
If there are any existing recipients listed in the ‘To Address’ bar remove these, and type in the email address(es) that you would like to receive your emails to, press enter after you have typed in each email address
Click the ‘Save’ button at the top of your page to save these changes
Repeat steps 4-6 if you have any additional Workflow Email Actions for this Workflow
Once you have set all of your Workflow Actions to send to an Administrator’s Email Address you can set your Workflow to Active!
Open the ‘Administration’ menu option at the top right of your platform
Click on the ‘Workflows’ menu option to open the Workflows DataGrid
Search for your Workflows, right-click on it to view the context menu options and select the 'Edit' option
Scroll down to the ‘Active’ checkbox and check this box
Click the ‘Save’ button at the top of the page to save your Workflow as active!
After a period of time, when you are confident that your emails are sending for the right Placeholders at the right time, you then update the Workflow Actions 'To Address' to the correct recipient(s) and Save.

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