Chapter 9 HandiSoft Notify SMS messaging
Note: This chapter is only relevant if you have purchased the optional HandiSoft Notify module.
HandiSoft Notify enables you to communicate effectively with your client database and others through SMS messaging. For example, it could be used to remind clients that their BAS is due, of an upcoming appointment, or that their assessment notice has been received and their refund has been deposited directly in their account.
Before you can send SMS messages, you have to purchase SMS credits via the Sage
HandiSoft Website, http://www.sagehandisoft.com.au
.
Your account is charged for each message of up to 160 characters sent to a mobile phone, per individual recipient, whether or not it is received. Messages which exceed 160 characters are charged as multiple messages.
Configuring HandiSoft Notify
Displaying received SMS messages
You can specify how received SMS messages are to be displayed. There are three options:
1. Received messages are not detected automatically.
2. When received messages are detected, an icon will be displayed on the taskbar of your computer. You can then click on the icon to view the messages.
3. When received messages are detected, the “SMS Replies” window will open, showing the received messages.
To select an option, do the following:
4. From the Tools menu, point to SMS Message and then click Configure SMS to open the
“SMS Configuration” window.
Figure 51: The "SMS Configuration" window
5. Complete the fields as required and click OK.
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Creating standard messages
When you send an SMS message, you can either type in the text directly, or select a standard message. You can add, edit and delete the available standard messages.
1. From your HandiSoft program Tools menu, point to SMS Message and then click SMS
Saved Text. The “SMS Messages” window will open.
Figure 52: The "SMS Messages" window
2. To create a new standard message, click New, and complete the Ref and Text fields.
3. To edit an existing standard message, highlight the required message, and edit the Ref and
Text fields as required.
4. Click Save to add the new or edited message to the selection list.
5. Click Close to exit from the “SMS Messages” window.
Tip: You can also add and edit standard messages when you send an SMS message.
Setting up signatures
When you send an SMS message, you have the option to send your company signature or a personal signature (user specific) or choose to use no signature at all.
To set up your signatures:
1. From your HandiSoft program Tools menu, point to SMS Message and then click SMS
Signatures. The “SMS Signatures” window will open.
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Figure 53: The "SMS Signatures" window
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2. To create a new signature, click New, and complete the Staff and Signature fields.
3. To edit an existing signature, highlight the required signature, and edit the Staff and
Signature fields as required.
4. Click Save to add the new or edited signatures to the selection list.
Note: For the company signature, the Staff must be Administrator.
5. Click Close to exit from the “SMS Signatures” window.
Tip: You can also add and edit signatures when you send an SMS message.
Sending messages
Where your client’s mobile phone number is recorded in the HandiSoft client database, you can send an SMS message by highlighting the number and clicking SMS as displayed below.
If you have the Practice Manager – Contact program, you can send SMS messages by clicking
SMS on the “New Event Appointment” window. In this way, you are able to notify the client immediately of an upcoming appointment.
Figure 54: The “New Event Appointment" window
1. When you click SMS, the “SMS Message” window will open.
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Figure 55: The "SMS Message" window
2. Complete the fields as outlined below.
Contact
From the Contact area, you have access to your client database as well as other contact databases depending on the HandiSoft programs that you have installed.
If you have Practice Manager installed, All databases are accessible, including Client, Prospect, Firm, Your and Staff.
If you do not have Practice Manager installed, only the Client and Staff databases will be available.
Recipient
If, under Contact, you selected anything other than None, click on the
Reference field to select the recipient.
To send the SMS to more than one recipient, click Add Recipients to open the “SMS Recipients” window.
Replies
Schedule
Select the user to whom replies to this SMS message are to be sent.
The Schedule area allows you to:
Send the SMS immediately
Send the SMS at a specified date and time
If you are sending the message from a Practice Manager event window, you can select Send prior to appointment on and specify when the message is to be sent relative to the appointment.
Message
Signature
Under Message, you can type a customised message for the client or click Recall text to select a standard message on the “SMS Messages” window. There is a 74-character limit to a message.
Under Signature, you have the option to send your company signature or a personal signature (user specific) or choose to use no signature at all.
3. If you are sending the SMS message from Practice Manager – Contact, you can select the
Create client event(s) check box to create an event for all recipients.
4. Click Send to send the SMS message immediately or at the scheduled time.
A confirmation window will open, indicating your SMS message balance.
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5. Click OK to continue sending the SMS message, or Cancel to return to the “SMS Message” window.
Sending to multiple recipients
You can send an SMS message to more than one recipient.
1. If you want to send the SMS message to tagged clients, on your HandiSoft program, tag the required clients.
2. Click SMS to open the “SMS Message” window.
3. Under
Recipient, click Add Recipients. The “SMS Recipients” window will open, listing the recipients of the SMS message.
Figure 56: The "SMS Recipients” window
4. To add tagged clients to the recipients list, click Add Tagged. If you have Practice Manager
– Contact installed you can select whether tagged clients or tagged prospective clients are to be included.
5. To add other recipients, click New to enter details on the “SMS Recipient” window.
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Figure 57: The "SMS Recipient" window
6. Complete the fields as required and click
Save.
7. If required, click New to add another recipient.
8. Click Close to return to the “SMS Recipients” window.
9. Click Close to exit from the “SMS Recipients” window and return to the “SMS Message” window.
Sending from Practice Manager
In addition to being able to send SMS messages to your clients, you are able to send them to prospective clients, staff members and contacts in your personal and firm address books.
SMS messages can be recorded as SMS Out events.
When you set up appointment or reminder events, you can schedule SMS messages to be sent to the specified contacts.
Sending from HandiTax
As with your other HandiSoft programs, you can send SMS messages to clients by right clicking on their mobile numbers and selecting SMS. .
The “Status Update” window, which opens when you have edited a tax return, provides you with an option to send an SMS message to the client advising of the status change to the return.
When you enter details of a client’s assessment on the “Assessment Update” window, you are given the option of sending an SMS message to the client advising of the assessment.
Receiving replies to your messages
How you receive SMS messages depends on your settings on the “SMS Configuration” window.
To manually access received SMS messages, do the following.
1. From the
Tools menu, point to SMS Message, and then click SMS Replies.
2. An information window will indicate the number of SMS messages received. Click
OK to open the “SMS Replies” window.
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Figure 58: The “SMS Replies" window
The received SMS messages will be listed on the table.
3. Highlight the message to be read, and details will be displayed under Recipient and
Message Text on the right. You can click View to display the message information in its own window.
4. To reply to highlighted message, click Reply to open the “SMS Message” window.
5. If required, you can click Retrieve to refresh the list of received messages.
Message log
A message log keeps a record of every SMS message sent from any of your HandiSoft programs. This enables you to verify billing details and check the status of scheduled messages. If necessary, you are able to cancel scheduled messages that have not been sent.
1. From your HandiSoft program Tools menu, point to SMS Message and then click SMS Log
File to open the “SMS Log” window.
Figure 59: The "SMS Log" window
2. To view detailed information on a log record, highlight the record and click View to open the
“SMS Log Detail” window.
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Figure 60: The "SMS Log Detail" window
The recorded information includes the following:
The date and time the message was entered
The date and time the message was, or is scheduled to be sent
The user who created the message
The recipient type (Client/Prospective/Firm Address/User Address/Staff/None)
The Client Reference number of the recipient
The mobile number of recipient
The status of the message and the message text
Cancelling scheduled SMS messages
You can use the SMS Log window to view and cancel scheduled SMS messages that have not yet been sent.
1. From your HandiSoft program Tools menu, point to SMS Message and then click SMS Log
File to open the “SMS Log” window.
2. Highlight the message to be cancelled. If necessary, click Status to check whether the message has been sent.
3. To cancel the message, click Cancel.
Purging SMS log records
You can permanently remove log records that are older than a specified time.
1. From your HandiSoft program Tools menu, point to SMS Message and then click SMS Log
File to open the “SMS Log” window.
2. Click Purge to open the “SMS Purge” window.
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Figure 61: The "SMS Purge" window
3. Under Purge, select the age of the log records to be permanently removed.
4. Click Purge to remove the records that are older than the specified time.
Running SMS reports
You can run reports that provide information on SMS messages sent between specified dates and by specified users for specified clients.
1. From your HandiSoft program
Tools menu, point to SMS Message and then click SMS Log
File to open the “SMS Log” window.
2. Click Reports to open the “SMS Report” window.
Figure 62: The "SMS Report" window
3. Under Dates, select the date range for the SMS messages to be included in the report.
4. Under Reports, select the type of report to run. To limit the included SMS messages to those sent by a specified user or sent to a specified client, select
List of messages
between dates for staff or List of messages between dates for client.
5. Click
Query to run the report.
Managing SMS credits
Before you can send SMS messages via HandiSoft Notify, you have to purchase SMS credits.
To do this:
1. Use your web browser to go to the Sage HandiSoft website, http://www.sagehandisoft.com.au
.
2. At the bottom of the page, click the ORDER SMS CREDITS link.
3. Click Order Credits.
4. On the “File Download” window, select Open.
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Tip: If the “Notify_SMSCredits_OrderForm” is not displayed, you can click Save on the
“File Download” window, and save the PDF file to a suitable location. You should then be able to open the form by double-clicking on the PDF file.
5. Print the form and complete the fields.
6. Either fax the form to Sage HandiSoft or scan it in and email it.
Note: The credits are valid for a period of 90 days after purchase. After this time, they will expire unless you purchase additional credits before the expiry date.
To view your remaining credits do the following:
From the Tools menu, point to SMS Message, and click Remaining SMS Credits.
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