Q1: I want to change the content in the user verification, membership dues, birthday emails, donor thank you emails, or any other automated emails that go out from the platform. Is that possible? If so, from where?
Yes, that's possible! Navigate to System emails setup via the Admin Panel.
NOTE: While editing, be careful not to edit the merge tags. It is the text within curly braces("{{...}}").
Q2: When I am trying to send an email, I get the following error message "Looks like there are invalid merge tags in the email content." I made changes to some of the content but was unable to figure out what these merge tags are.
Merge tags are the text within the curly braces ("{{....}}"). This error occurs when the syntax for any of the merge tags in the email is incorrect.
For example:- For the merge tag {{school_name}}, if accidentally a curly brace is removed or if there is a slight change in the text, say "schoolname" or "School_name", the tag won't work and lead to an error.
When you're trying to edit the font size for the content, be careful not to edit the font size for the merge tag. That's because while doing that, it is possible that only a part of the merge tag gets edited, and part of it remains as it is. This will cause the merge tag to be treated as a simple text rather than replacing it with the value it is linked to.
Q3: Can I select multiple email groups while sending an email?
No. Only one email group can be selected while sending an email.
Use the Replicate email option when you want to send the same email to another group.
Q4: I am unable to upload an email list. It doesn't show any error message either.
There are 2 possibilities here.
The columns in the Excel file are not named correctly or not in the correct order.
The columns of the file you upload should have exactly these names and in this exact order. "First Name", "Last Name", and "Email ID". Here is a sample format.
The Excel file might have some protection added to it. Any kind of protection will make the file size huge. and the file may not get uploaded. Make a copy of the file and upload that.
Q5: Is there a way to change the "replies will go to" email after a bulk email has been sent?
Yes, you can change the "replies will go to" email, and here's how.
Add the email address in which you wish to receive the reply emails on your profile.
Mark this email address as primary and hit on save changes.
This will ensure that any replies to the bulk email sent will be directed to the email address you just marked as primary. (You can cross-check by refreshing the email details page)
Q6: When I click on the email group members list, I can see that a certain percentage of records will receive my email, and some won't. Is there any way I can make more members receive the email?
The records that won't receive the emails are with the email status -"Unsubscribed", "Hard Bounced", "Soft Bounced", "Invalid" or "Marked Spam".
For the records with email status as "Soft Bounced" reset their email status to "Unknown" from Data Studio.
For records with email status - "Hard Bounced" or "Invalid," you need to change the email address for them.
For the records with email status - "Unsubscribed" or "Marked Spam", you can get in touch with the user to check why they opted to unsubscribe or mark the email as spam.
Have a look at the FAQ below explaining how to re-subscribe if a user wants to opt back in.
NOTE: When the email address for a record is updated, the email status is automatically changed to "Unknown".
Q7: Can the system handle “unsubscribes” for the people who opt out of our emails?
Yes, it can. Some users do not like to receive a lot of emails, and we respect that.
There is an option to add an unsubscribe to every bulk email that is sent out.If the person opts to Unsubscribe, he/she is redirected to a page, which asks for the reason to unsubscribe.
Q8: What happens when a user clicks on the Unsubscribe button/link on an email sent from the platform?
The user will see something like the following screen when clicking Unsubscribe.
Those who unsubscribe just from the email group can be seen under Unsubscribed Users.
Q9: Can I add an "Unsubscribe" link to the email I am composing?
Yes, you can add an unsubscribe link to any part of the email you wish to. Here's how:
Left-click on any section of the email
You'll find a Special Links option on the ribbon of options that shows up
Select the special link option and add the "Unsubscribe" link to the email
Q10: I have received a reply from a user I recently sent an email to. I want to access his profile on the platform, but I cannot search via email address since the email address is masked in the reply I received. Is there a way I can check the profile of the user?
In the reply you receive, the email address of the user will be masked somewhat this way <john-doe-2@alumni.myschool.com>.
To look for the profile of the user, copy the text before "@" in the masked email address, in this case, "john-doe-2". Paste it in your alumni site URL in the following way -"alumni.myschool.com/profile/view/john-doe-2". You will get to the profile of the user who replied.
Q11: I created an email group by mistake and now don't find the option to delete it. Can I delete an email group? If yes, how?
Yes, you can delete an email group. To do that, follow the steps mentioned below
Click on the View Group under the More Actions option
On the following page, uncheck the "Active" box and hit on Save
This will delete the email group you've created 👍
Q12: A user wants to re-subscribe to the emails, how do I add him back?
If a user reaches out to you asking to resubscribe, then here are the steps you need to follow -
Step 1: In the admin panel, go to Communication Center » Unsubscribe Users.
Here you will see the list of users unsubscribed from email groups.
Step 2:
Select the users who you want to resubscribe, and delete them -
That's it, the users are now resubscribed to the respective email groups😃.
Q13: Is there a way to send emails to just one person? When I click on Compose Email I can only select email groups here, I cannot find a way to select just one person.
Our communication center is designed to send bulk emails. That is the reason it asks to select an email group. But if you want to send an email to a single person, the best way is to go to their profile page and click “Send Message”
However, if you want to send rich text emails like newsletters, there is a workaround:
Step 1: Go to Data Studio and select the profile of the person you want to send an email to.
Step 2: Click on Admin Actions > Communication Center > Send Email.
The system creates a temporary group and directs you to the Compose Email page.
Q14: Why does my email say - Waiting for Approval?
The emails sent through the platform are added to a queue, pending verification from our system.
This is to restrict spam, as well as to manage the queue - to ensure that your email goes out correctly. If you have any urgency with an email, please give us a heads up before you send it out, at help@almabase.com, and we’ll get this prioritized in the queue.
Q15: How to change the contact email address at the bottom right corner of the home page?
Go to Site Settings ➡ Primary Info ➡ Primary Communication Reply Email (Reply To) and change the contact email address here.
This is the email address to which a reply is sent out for the automated emails sent from the platform. This email is also called Primary Communication ID.
Q16: Are there any emails sent from Almabase on behalf of the school?
No bulk emails are sent from Almabase to your platform users.
Only admins receive emails like the Daily Engagement Report and product updates.
Q17: Why am I not receiving emails in my inbox sent to my school's email address?
This could be because the platform's domain URL needs to be allowed in the school's network.
Please ask your IT team to add the domain to the allowed list.
Q18: Can I change the criteria or the filter parameters I used to create an email group?
Query/criteria for an existing email group cannot be changed.
Q19: In the email I sent, the logo is not the one I set when composing it. While composing, I could see the logo set by me, but after I sent it, it changed. Why so?
In the email templates given by Almabase (automated or others) the image placeholder that says "Your logo will appear here", a logo from the backend is automatically picked when you send the email.
You're unable to see the image you set for the email because the setting to pick up the logo from the backend is still enabled.
Here's how you can disable it -
Q20: Is there a way I can send test emails for automated emails, just like we do for bulk emails? I want to test out how the email looks after I make some changes to it.
Automated emails cannot be tested out as easily as bulk emails.
The automated emails are set to be sent on a certain trigger. Like a User Verification email goes out to the user once an admin approves the user's account or the birthday email goes out to a user on his/her birthday(as per the data on the platform).
So, the only way to test an automated email is to perform an action that would enable its trigger.
Q21: When I upload an email list, does it create a record on the platform for all of them in the list?
Unlisted records will be created only if there is no record on the platform with the same email address.
Q22: I have a list of email addresses with no names and want to upload that as an email list. How do I update it without the names?
You can just add "Fellow Alum" or "there" or anything you can think of in both the First and Last Name columns.
The text you add in the First Name column is what will appear in the emails you send like - "Hi Fellow Alum" or "Hi there". So decide on a placeholder for your organization's first name that fits best.
Q23: When sending a test email, the ‘reply to’ address is my personal email. How can I change this?
When you send a bulk email, any replies to the email are directed to the sender's email address. The same applies to test emails. When you try to send a test email, the system automatically picks up the email address you used to log in to the platform and shows this in the "Reply to" field.
To change this email address, you would have to log in to the platform from the email you want to use.
The list is ever-growing, and we will continue adding more FAQs to the Communication Center as we progress. Reach out to us at help@almabase.com to know more, or let us know what could be added here.