Sending attachments in messages through People360

[SportsEngine Staffer]

I've gotten a couple of emails asking how to send attachments through People360. Currently, you can do some basic formatting in messages, but you cannot include an attachment to the email. However, there is a (probably better) way to get your attachment to your audience.

 

In your message editor, you can add a hyperlink. What you can do then is add your file to any file system (I use Dropbox which is free) and link directly to that file in your message. You could also put the file on one of your webpages and link to that, but that creates an extra (albiet small) step. Boom, you're now sending out your file. 

 

This is better for a few reasons. First, I can't tell you how many times I've gotten an email saying "we sent out the wrong file, how can I change the file without sending out another email?". Well, unfortunately if you sent a direct attachment, there's nothing you can do. However, if you sent out a link to the file, you can simply replace the file and anyone who now downloads it will get the new one. 

 

Secondly, more and more, people are reading messages and email on their phones. If you send a direct attachment, those will often times be downloaded with the email. Files are getting bigger and bigger and that eats up data. 

 

Anyway, hope you all are getting in to People360. Would love to hear your feedback. 

[Coach Carl]

The other option you might try with a link is adding the document to your website and use that link.

 

This allows you to not only include the document in your email, but you also have it in your website where ever it it best suited for folks to find it.

 

The bonus is that you have the document to refer to again and again as invariably you will receive an email asking you to send the document again.

 

Finally - because it's a link and acts as a download you won't run into attachment restrictions that vary from one email provider to another.

[SportsEngine Staffer]

Absolutely. Creating a documents page on your website is a great place for a single reference point for docs. And you're right, no matter how hard you try to be clear, you'll always have people asking you to resend documents. 

 

Have you been using People360 Coach Carl? What are your thoughts?

[Coach Carl]

I also forgot to mention that the Document Collector will store any document you load onto the site as well. It has everything in one spot if someone is looking for the document.

 

Yes - I have been using People360 and it's solving a lot of messaging problems that we had in the past. The only thing that's a little 'wonky' about it is the multiple entries for the same person. I realize they come from different sources, maybe the source could be one of the columns?

 

 

[smeisner14]

Along these same lines, I'd like to see more Newsletter-esque tools and capabilities in the message options of People360. I really like using 360 to send messages, but sometimes I'd like to create something that is more aesthetically appealing, including photos and headings, etc. We are all competing with a lot of other emails and need our content to be as appealing as possible.

[Proulx06]

People360 definitely gives you some more options...but it seems to have taken some away too (that, or I can't find them). 

 

• How do I email our entire membership using the Page Layout editor? Before, I could go into the Members tab and hit 'send message', and I would be able to choose from Plain Text, Rich Text, or Page Layout. I realize I can now select all our members and create a group, but it does not appear to be a smart group - instead, it's a snapshot of our current membership. For things like registration blasts and fundraisers, I need to be able to easily email everyone with banners and images, and I don't find the message functionality in People360 (or Team Manager) very useful. I much prefer the Page Layout method to creating email content. 

 

 

[SportsEngine Staffer]

A few things here. Messaging in People360 does not have page elements, that is accurate. You can create a smart group in P360 and go back to the admin control panel as you noted to send a message to that smart group. 

 

Sounds like you are selecting members individually and then putting them into a group. To create a smart group, just create a filter and then create the smart group for "all members". 

[Proulx06]

Thanks Jim.

 

Not super-intuitive but I made it work based on your suggestion. Before I couldn't figure out how to use a filter, but not actually filter out anyone...so what I did just now was to create a filter for all people who have not registered in 2018...then added an "OR"...then added everyone who has registered in 2018. That includes 100% of our members, and creates a smart group. Kind of a hacky workaround, but now I have an 'All Members' group that should grow as our membership does. 

 

Thanks. 

[SportsEngine Staffer]

For sure you can do that, and it duplicates the old "All Members" list that we used to have. It caused several complaints though as it's more of an "Entire Database" than "All Members" list.

 

If you think of "Members" as active, as in, registered in a program, then you are going to be sending to alot of non-members with this list. You'll have kids and families who have graduated, moved, or just quit your programs who will be receiving these. If you're smart group included "2017 registered" as a filter in any number of your programs, you'd have an active members list. 

 

Of course, you may actually want to just email everyone who has ever supplied you info. In that case, you're set.

[Coach Carl]

I think about messaging as a process and use the three different types of messaging tools available as follows:

 

- SportsEngine® Notifications (via mobile app): Communication that needs to reach people quickly (game status change, rain out alerts, etc.)

 

- People360 - emails that are non-repetitive, and may the authored by board members or others who may not be able to do page layouts, attachments, etc.

 

- Administration Area Emails - repetitive messages (e.g. email to non-registered players), and those message that require more advanced knowledge of page layout techniques.

 

I'm not looking for People360 to do everything the email tools can do in the Administration area so I merely switch tools based on the context.

 

If I need banners or imbedded images, I'll use the Administration Area and email from the groups listing, or a registration. The other big thing for me is that during registration periods I send weekly emails out to Un-Registered players. Because the Administration Area tools save messages to a group or a registration, I can pull up the previous message, copy it into the new message and make small edits.

 

The other thing I use People360 for is to create smart groups. Because People360 can pull data from multiple registrations, I can create a smart group of players who registered last year vs. those that have registered this year. Then with the smart group I use the Administration email to reach the un-registered.

 

I wrote an article on SE Community that demonstrates how to create a smart group for un-registered players. If that is your goal, you may want to check that article out: http://community.sportsengine.com/news_article/show/846659?referrer_id=3539358

 

In the end - I find it helpful to separate the tools (notifications, emails from People360, emails from Administration) and apply them to their own messaging context.

 

 

 

[Proulx06]

For sure you can do that, and it duplicates the old "All Members" list that we used to have. It caused several complaints though as it's more of an "Entire Database" than "All Members" list.

 

If you think of "Members" as active, as in, registered in a program, then you are going to be sending to alot of non-members with this list. You'll have kids and families who have graduated, moved, or just quit your programs who will be receiving these. If you're smart group included "2017 registered" as a filter in any number of your programs, you'd have an active members list. 

 

Of course, you may actually want to just email everyone who has ever supplied you info. In that case, you're set.

 

I actually do want it to include older, graduated folks for certain emails, and used to just email from the Members tab back when I had it. Not for every email, but for things like fundraisers, community events, etc. 

 

For things pertaining to just this year's registered athletes, I agree that a more filtered list of registrants works best. But I was missing that old All Members (with Page Layout functionality)...now I have it back. Thanks!