Communicating with residents is the backbone of property management. Our new Announcements feature will make it as easy as possible for you to quickly send time sensitive information to entire properties or associations and increase the likelihood the messages will be read.
- Overview
- How to send an announcement
- Removal Date
- Announcement Templates
- Additional notes to remember
With this new feature, you'll be able to:
- Write a short, concise message once and automatically send it via text (SMS), email, and the Resident Center.
- Note: if your message is over 140 characters, the announcement will not be sent via text. Announcement texts are available for US numbers only.
- Get important information out to residents quicker than ever before.
- Increase the likelihood messages are read via mobile channels.
- Guard your inbox from sudden spikes in incoming messages.
To send an announcement:
1. Navigate to communications >> Announcements
2. Click Create announcement
3. Choose an account level sender name
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- The sender name will show up when residents receive the announcement via SMS
- You will only need to do this the first time you create an announcement
- The sender name can be changed later on the announcements grid page
4. Select the property or properties you would like to send the announcement to
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- Choose if you’d also like to copy alternate emails and/or association tenants
5. Write a subject line - this will only show up in announcements sent via email and in the Resident Center
6. Select a template (optional)
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- If you'd like to use one of pre made templates click the template drop down and select the desired template. Edit the placeholder text and you are good to go.
7. Compose your message - if you would like your announcement to also go out via SMS text, you will need to keep your message under 140 characters. You can include more than 140 characters, however the announcement will not go out via sms text.
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- Announcement texts are available for US numbers only
8. Set a removal date for the Resident Center (Optional
9. Click next
Next you will see a confirmation page where you can see which properties or associations will be receiving the announcement before you confirm and send. You’ll also be able to see what your message will look like in each of the channels you have selected to send your message through (Email, Text, Resident Center).
Click send and your announcement will be sent to all active residents in the properties or associations selected.
Removal Date:
Removal dates are a great way to make sure residents only see relevant announcements on the Resident Center–without any extra work for you. It will archive automatically on the date of your choice and no longer be visible for residents.
Announcement Templates:
We’ve introduced announcement templates to make it easier for you to get started. These are a great way to make sure you keep that message short and to the point, so that it can be shared via sms text and give your announcement a better chance to be read. We’ve created a number of common use case templates that should save you time by providing the content. All you have to do is fill in a few of the blanks.
During our beta testing of the announcements feature we gathered the most popular announcements sent during that time and used those as a guide to create templates for common use cases. These templates include:
- Office closure
- Freeze warning
- Property inspection
- Water shutoff
- Snow removal
- Board meeting cancellation
- Board meeting reminder
Reminder:
- SMS will only be available for an announcement if it remains under 140 characters
- The texting portion of Announcements is only available for U.S. numbers
- All messages are from a DoNotReply sender
- Delivery may vary based on resident and system preferences
- This feature replaces “Resident Center announcements”