diff --git a/docs/8.0/ayanova/docs/customer-notify-subscriptions.md b/docs/8.0/ayanova/docs/customer-notify-subscriptions.md index 6b10f7d3..6a9d977c 100644 --- a/docs/8.0/ayanova/docs/customer-notify-subscriptions.md +++ b/docs/8.0/ayanova/docs/customer-notify-subscriptions.md @@ -1,20 +1,36 @@ # Customer notification subscriptions -This form is used to create Customer notification subscriptions which are notifications set up on behalf of Customers who do not have their own [Customer access](adm-global-settings.md#customer-access-settings) [login account]() to send notification event notices by email. +![customer notify subscription](img/customer-notify-subscription.png) + +This form is used to create Customer notification subscriptions which are email notifications set up on behalf of Customers who do not have their own [Customer access](adm-global-settings.md#customer-access-settings) [login account]() to send notification event notices by email. For example you may want to send an automatic email to a Customer when their service appointment is about to happen or send a work order report to them when the work order has been completed. -## When you may not want to use this feature +Emailed notifications are created from a template you create in the subscription consisting of text exactly as entered as well as tokens appropriate to each type which are substituted for values in AyaNova. + +The email notification message is plain text intentionally by design in order to help ensure delivery to the widest possible audience and avoid spam blocking. + +Reports can be automatically generated and attached to some notification types where appropriate. + +## Why you may not want to use this feature + +This feature relies on sending emails directly to customers. It is becoming increasingly difficult to reliably send emails due to spam blocking and legal requirements. We have a customer login self service feature that avoids many of these issues: There are two separate ways that your Customers can receive notices via email about important events that occur in AyaNova that may be of interest to them: Allowing them to create their own notifications and view their own data by creating a [Customer access](adm-global-settings.md#customer-access-settings) login account or by using this Customer notification susbcription feature. -When you use this customer notification subscription feature you are setting up notification for the Customer _on their behalf_. In other words they are not directly making the choice of what notices they receive or how they receive them. This can have implications depending on the various rules and regulations that are in place for your jurisdiction. +When you use this customer notification subscription feature you are setting up notification for the Customer as a 'proxy' _on their behalf_. In other words they are not directly making the choice of what notices they receive or how they receive them. This can have implications depending on the various rules and regulations that are in place for your jurisdiction. -You need to be aware of the implications of using this feature to send emails to customers and you should take care to be certain they have requested notifications and also take care to turn it off immediately for any Customer that requests that you do so to avoid repercussions with your email provider or others. +You need to be aware of the implications of using this feature to send emails to customers and you should take care to be certain they have requested notifications and also take care to turn it off immediately for any Customer that requests that you do so to avoid repercussions with your email provider or beyond. -On the other hand if you enable Customers to set up their _own_ notifications via a Customer login account, then they are in control and can choose what they get and how they get it. In addition there are numerous other features available to them including the ability to request service from within AyaNova that you may find helpful. +In addition customer notifications will attempt to send attached reports if selected and this may be problematic with some spam filters or email providers. -We realize not every site can or will want to set up external access for their customers to AyaNova so we provide this feature but we strongly recommend going the Customer self subscribed notifications route instead wherever possible. +On the other hand if you enable Customers to set up their _own_ notifications via a Customer login account, then _they_ are in control and can choose what they get, when they get it and how they get it. When they want to view a work order or other report they can simply view it directly in the AyaNova web application and download or save it if they choose without any email provider being involved. + +The regular AyaNova notification system used for self subscribers ensures deliberately short notices with simple URL links to login and view data intended to work well with automated spam filtering and suitable for not only emailing but sending as [SMS text](home-notify-subscriptions.md#sms--text-delivery) or through gateways to [other platforms such as Slack](home-notify-subscriptions.md#slack-and-other-communication-services). + +In addition there are numerous other features available to [customer login accounts](adm-global-settings.md#customer-access-settings) including the ability to request service from within AyaNova and features specifically to support [Head offices](head-offices.md) that you may find helpful. + +We realize not every site can or will want to set up external access for their customers to AyaNova so we provide this customer notification feature however, we _strongly_ recommend going the Customer self subscribed notifications route instead wherever possible. ## Authorization Roles required @@ -151,6 +167,14 @@ For all other descendants, they will process notifications and filter by tag aga Changing the work order header tags on an existing work order does not automatically trigger a re-evaluation of descendant notification items. Only when those descendants themselves are edited and saved will the tags be re-assessed. This means that ideally tags should be set _first_ on the work order before any descendant items that might be dependant on certain tags being present. +### Email template + +Here you enter the text and template tokens to be sent as the notification email message body. We recommend this message be as brief as possible to help ensure deliverability. + +### Template tokens + +Here you can select from a set of tokens that will be substituted with the AyaNova data they represent when the email message is generated. Different tokens are presented depending on the specific type of notification event selected. Choose a token and click on the Add (+) button to automatically insert it at the last position clicked on in the Email template text area. You can also type the token or copy and paste from another notification as long as the text of the token is the same and enclosed within double brackets and no spaces. + ## Notification settings tab This tab contains _required_ settings related to report generation for notifications that have reports attached. Some notification types do not currently have the ability to attach a report, however they will still show these controls for potential future reports that may become available. diff --git a/docs/8.0/ayanova/docs/img/customer-notify-subscription.png b/docs/8.0/ayanova/docs/img/customer-notify-subscription.png new file mode 100644 index 00000000..b93d784b Binary files /dev/null and b/docs/8.0/ayanova/docs/img/customer-notify-subscription.png differ