Automated notifications are a way to notify students, instructors and staff when something changes in the Skillable Training Management System (TMS). Most notifications are triggered based on an action taken in the platform, but we also have time triggers for Enrollments, classes and Course Assignments. Using notifications can save you a significant amount of time because you will not need to email people with updates.
Please keep in mind, all Users have the option to opt out of notifications. Even though a notification is sent out by the platform it does not mean that the email will be received by the user.
Preparation for Creating a Notification
Take some time to answer the following questions for each notification you want to create.
What action triggers a notification?
Who is the user completing the action triggering the notification?
Who are the user(s) receiving the notification?
A valid email address to display in the “From” line of the notification
Subject for the email notification
Text for the email you are sending through the notification
Select a Trigger Event
The Trigger Event is an action in the platform causing a notification to be sent out. In most cases this is an action that is taken in the platform, like changing an enrollment status from Enrolled to Cancelled, then when the enrollment is saved it triggers the notification to be sent. A Time Trigger is also available based on when a class begins and ends or when a course assignment is set to expire.
One or more trigger events may be used. When multiple triggers are in place a notification is sent when any of the event triggers are met. After choosing the first trigger the selection list is limited to similar types of notifications based on filters and replacement text options used.
Subscription Created Notification
Subscriptions can be assigned manually by an administrator, when a student redeems a subscription training key, or through the API. The Subscription created trigger can be used to notify a student that they have a subscription assigned by an administrator, or to notify an administrator that a subscription has been created by redeeming a key or through the API.
You must go to the Subscription Profiles tab to designate which subscription profiles will trigger a notification.
Add a Trigger Event
Select trigger(s) for your automated notification.
Beside Trigger Event click the Add event link, this opens a pick list of triggers.
Select a trigger and click Add to enable the trigger for your notification, it is added in the Trigger Event field.
Click Add event again to add more triggers.
Select the User Triggering the Notification and Users Receiving the Notification
The Triggered by and Send to selections are based on the user’s Roles. Trigger by allows you to choose the person completing the action triggering the notification, while Send to indicates who the recipients of the notifications will be. For example, if you would like to have a notification sent when a staff member enrolls a student into a class, then you will choose Triggered by Administrator and Send to User.
Triggered By
For most notifications, two user types are available to select from as the one triggering the action to send the notification, User or Administrator.
For Triggered by:
User refers to a student taking an action in the platform.
Administrator means a user with a role with administrative rights acting in the platform.
One or both can be selected as the one triggering the notification. For example, both a student and an administrator can cancel a student’s enrollment, you may want to set up a notification where it is sent when either have initiated the cancellation.
No user is selected for time-based triggers, they are triggered based on the time selected in the trigger filters.
Add a Triggered By User
Select the user taking the action in the platform that triggers the notification.
Check the box beside User or Administrator based on the criteria above.
Select Users Receiving the Notification
Notification recipients are set by role. For some choices the user role chosen is limited based on their connection to the trigger event. In other cases, everyone in your Organization with the chosen role will receive the notification.
Send to Options:
Explanations of the users available when setting up notifications are listed below.
User
When the user is the recipient, user is not defined by role but is a user that the trigger event and filters apply to. For example, for the Class Enrollment enrolled trigger, all users enrolled in the class receive a notification.
Account Executive
Adding the Account Executive as a recipient will send a notification to a user’s Account Executive when the trigger event and filters applies to that user. The Account Executive is set on the User profile.
Instructor
Adding Instructor as a recipient sends a notification to the assigned instructor(s) on a class.
Creator
Enabling Creator as a recipient sends a notification to the user who created an item, like a Class, an enrollment, a course assignment, etc.
Editing Delegates
Editing delegates is for Organizations using roles that limit editing of a class to the class creator. Adding Editing delegates on a class allows the creator to assign other users to be able to edit their class. Adding an editing delegate as a recipient on notifications will send a notification to any editing delegate that is added to a class.
Class Custom Users
Class custom users is a custom field option that can be added to a class allowing specific users to be selected based on their role. Enabling Class custom users on your notification allows you to select from Custom Fields that are enabled to use Class custom users. Select the custom fields you want added and notifications are sent to the users added to a class through that field.
Organization Managers
Adding Organization managers allows you to choose roles, like Operations Manager or Automated Notification Recipient 1, once added all users with that role are sent a notification.*
Company Managers
A company manager has access to users based on the Company added on their User profile, management of users in a company is added on the User profile’s Company Management tab. Adding Company managers to your notification allows you to choose roles, like Company Training Manager, once added all users with that role are sent a notification.
*Please note: We have created roles called "Automated Notifications Recipient" and they are numbered 1-5. These roles do not have permissions, they are in place to give you flexibility to assign a user the role to have them receive a notification.
Add Recipients of the Notification
One or multiple recipients can be set for a notification. Follow the instructions below to add recipients in the To field.
Place check marks beside all recipients for the notification.
For Class Custom Users, once checked a section opens below, select the Add Class Custom User Field link opening the Choose Custom Field dialog. Search for and select one or more custom field and click OK to add your selections.
For Organization Managers, once checked a section opens below, Include parent Organizations is selected by default, uncheck this if you do not want users in your parent organizations to receive notifications. Select the Add Organization manager user role link opening the Choose User Role dialog. Search for and select one or more user role and click OK to add your selections.
For Company Managers, once checked a section opens below, select the Add company manager user role link opening the Choose User Role dialog. Search for and select one or more *user role ** and click OK to add your selections.
Email Header Information
Each notification sends an email showing a Subject line and From line. You can also add a CC’d email to receive the notification.
Notification From Line
You need to provide a valid email address to display in the From address, an invalid email address may be read as spam and be rejected by a recipient’s email server. The email will be sent by our servers, but this is the address which is shown to recipients.
Notification CC line
A carbon copy (CC) email address can be added. When in place a copy of each notification is sent to the recipient.
Notification Subject Line
Input a Subject for the email notification. Replacement text fields can be added to the subject.
Add Email Header Information
Follow the instructions to add information in the From, CC, To, Subject fields, and add a calendar appointment.
In the From field input a valid email address.
If needed, add an email address in the CC field to be copied on each notification sent.
Input a title in the Subject field to let the recipient know what the email is about.
Uncheck Enabled until you are ready to test the notification.
Email’s Content
The Notification text tab is where you input the message you want to send out to recipients.
You can use HTML code to format the email, add links, and images, like a logo. Replacement text fields are located below the text field, these are used to pull data from the platform to add information specific to the recipient. For example, using the replacement text field [StudentFirstName] inputs the recipients first name, as shown in their user profile.
Add Email Content
Follow the steps below to add the text to your notification email.
Open the Notification Text tab.
Input plain text by clicking in the top left corner of the text field.
Use the formatting bars to enhance the text.
Use the Source Code button, < >, to enter HTML code directly.
Be certain to use Replacement text for anything that can change by person or event, like the student’s name, class name, class date and time, etc.
Organization Availability
Organization availability determines which organizations the notification is enable for.
Organization management, set on the User Profile, determines which organizations an administrative user can view and manage. If you only have one organization, then check the organization to enable your notification for it. If you manage multiple organizations, check the box beside the organizations that will use the notification.
The organization show in their hierarchies, if a down arrow, v, shows beside an organization name, then the arrow can be clicked to show its child organizations. Checking the box beside a parent organization automatically selects all its child organizations, however, child organizations can be selected individually if the parent organization is unchecked.
Add Organization Availability
Follow the instructions below to enable your notification in your chosen organizations.
Open the Organizations tab, you will see a listing of organizations you manage.
Check the box beside the organization(s) that will use the notification.
Specify Which Subscription Profiles are Required for the Notification to be Sent
Your notification can be set to apply to all subscription profiles or to only apply to specific subscription profiles. It defaults to being used with specific subscription profiles.
Add Subscriptions to Trigger Notifications
Do the following to add subscription profiles as triggers for notifications. Adding subscription profiles as a trigger limits the notification to only be sent for the selected subscriptions.
Individual subscription profiles
Open the Subscription Profiles tab, Specify subscription profiles is selected by default.
Under Individual subscription profiles, click the Add Subscription Profile link, this opens the Choose Subscription Profile dialog.
Input part of the profile name, click Search, and select the desired subscription.
Continue to search and select all the subscriptions needed, then click OK. The selections are added under the Individual subscription profiles heading.
Test a Subscription Assignment Notification
Testing a notification gives you the opportunity to verify that the notification sends when you want it to go out and does not send when you do not want it to go out. You can limit the impact by restricting the notification to only go out for one Subscription Profile.
To set up testing, begin by setting up a Subscription profile.
Create a Subscription Profile.
You may leave the courses empty for this subscription profile.
Save
Open your Notification Plan, if you have disabled the notification you will need to add the Enabled filter on the Find Notifications page and filter by Is not Enabled.
Prepare your notification for testing.
Click Edit on the notification.
Open the Subscription Profiles tab and select Specify subscription profiles.
Click Add Subscription Profile.
Search for and select the subscription profile you created for testing, then click OK.
On the Basic Information tab, check the Enabled box.
Save.
Create a subscription assignment.
Create a subscription assignment using the subscription profile set on your notification.
Save the assignment.
Check for notifications.
On the Site Administration page, on the Notification Plans tile, click the Find Sent Notifications link to view all notifications sent.
Enable Your Notification
Once you have completed testing, you will want to enable your notification to put it in use.
Return to your Notification Plan to click Edit and open the Subscription Profiles tab.
To make your notification available for all subscriptions used in your organization, remove the subscription profile used to test the notification and select Applies to all subscription profiles.
To make your notification available for specific subscription profiles used in your organization, remove the subscription profile used to test the notification. Click Add Subscription Profile and select all subscriptions that need this notification, then click OK.
Save.