How to Set Up an Automatic Reminder Email

How to Set Up an Automatic Reminder Email

Idea
Overview
This tutorial will show users how to automate a reminder email in the SMS. With Automation, sending of emails at a specific time is now possible.  Email automation allows users to define a set of conditions that once met, the system will send a predefined email to a specific set of recipients. In this tutorial, we will show how you can select your recipients, set the conditions and set the frequency of your email

InfoNOTE: This is a paid add-on feature. For Maximise Package, this feature is included in your subscription. For those in the Starter Pack, please contact the Support team if you would like to have this feature added to your subscription. 
Warning
IMPORTANT: An Email Template must be created prior to setting up an automated email. See related tutorial:  How to Create or Edit Email Templates

Notes
Step Tutorial
1. From the Dashboard, click Administration then Automation. Click the New button.
2. Fill in the following fields in the Details section:
  1. Title - Enter a title for your automated SMS.
  2. Active - Set the automation to active to make it available for use. 
  3. Description - Enter a description for your automation. You may use this section to note the conditions to be used and when the SMS will be sent.
  4. Action - Select the SMS feature you want to automate from the action drop-down menu. Select Email to automate emails.
  5. Category - This field will appear after selecting an action. Select a category to which the SMS automation is related to (This is used to filter the available templates to automate - based on the e-mail template's type):

    Info
    List below is just a reference of the pre-created templates in your system - ready for use (keep in mind that Category will sort the available e-mail template on the Automation tab by properly tagging the Email type from the Templates tab)
    Category
    Email Template
    Activity
    		• At-Risk of Non-Completion - LMS Inactivity
    • At-Risk of Non-Completion - LMS Inactivity (Trainer)
    • At-Risk of Non-Completion - LMS Inactivity (Company)
    Appeals
    • Appeal Received Notification
    • Appeal Investigation Overdue
    • Appeal Received Confirmation
    • Appeal Closure Overdue
    Complaints
    • Complaint Closure Overdue
    • Complaint Received Confirmation
    • Complaint Received Notification
    • Complaint Investigation Overdue
    Continuous Improvement
    • User - Feedback Received Confirmation
    • Continuous Improvement Feedback Received Notification
    Enrolment
    • Enrolment Application Received
    • Application Rejected
    • Completed
    • Enrolled
    • Course Commenced
    • Withdrawn
    • Cancelled
    • Invalid USI - 1 Day After Enrolment
    • Invalid USI - 1 Week After Enrolment
    • Invalid USI - 2 Weeks After Enrolment
    • Invalid USI - 1 Month After Enrolment
    • Invalid USI - 2 Months After Enrolment
    • Invalid USI - On Completion
    • Certificate Currency Expiry (Student)
    • Successful Enrolment
    • LLN Assessment Received
    • LLND Assessment - Further Support Required
    • LLN Assessment Reminder - Action Required
    • Digital Skills Assessment Received
    • Enrolment Cancelled
    • VSL CAN Notice
    • VSL Fee Notice
    • Where LLND Not Required - Student
    • Prior Education Review Required - Staff
    • Where LLND Not Required - Staff
    Event
    		• First Class/Event Reminder Template
    • Group First Event Reminder
    • Group Event Reminder - Student
    • Event Reminder - Student
    • Group Event Reminder - Trainer
    • Event Reminder - Trainer
    • Group Event Reminder - Employer
    • Event Reminder - Employer
    Industry Engagement
    • Industry Engagement Expiring in 2 Weeks
    • Industry Engagement Expiring in 6 Weeks
    • Industry Engagement Expired (On Expiry Date)
    Invoice
    • Enrolment Application Received
    • Application Rejected
    • Completed
    • Enrolled
    • Course Commenced
    • Withdrawn
    • Invoice (Payment)
    • Cancelled
    • Invalid USI - 1 Day After Enrolment
    • Invalid USI - 1 Week After Enrolment
    • Invalid USI - 2 Weeks After Enrolment
    • Invalid USI - 1 Month After Enrolment
    • Invalid USI - 2 Months After Enrolment
    • Invalid USI - On Completion
    • Certificate Currency Expiry (Student)
    • LLN Entry Requirements Met
    • Certificate Currency Expiry (Company)
    • Invalid USI - 1 Month After Enrolment
    • Invalid USI - 2 Months After Enrolment
    • Invalid USI - On Completion
    • Certificate Currency Expiry (Student)
    • LLN Entry Requirements Met
    • Certificate Currency Expiry (Company)
    • Successful Enrolment
    • LLN Assessment Received
    • LLND Assessment - Further Support Required
    • LLN Assessment Reminder - Action Required
    • Invoice Due Today - Immediate Payment Required
    • Invoice Reminder - 3 Days Overdue
    • Invoice Reminder - 1 Week Overdue
    • Digital Skills Assessment Received
    • Invoice Due Reminder - 2 Days Before Due Date
    • Enrolment Cancelled
    • Employer - Invoice Due Reminder - 2 Days Before Due Date
    • Employer - Invoice Due Today - Immediate Payment Required
    • Employer - Invoice Reminder - 1 Week Overdue
    • Employer - Invoice Reminder - 3 Days Overdue
    • Company PO - Invoice Due Reminder - 2 Days Before Due Date
    • Company PO - Invoice Reminder - 1 Week Overdue
    • Company PO - Invoice Reminder - 3 Days Overdue
    • Company Credit - Invoice Due Reminder - 2 Days Before Due Date
    • Company Credit - Invoice Due Today - Immediate Payment Required
    • Company Credit - Invoice Reminder - 1 Week Overdue
    • Company Credit - Invoice Reminder - 3 Days Overdue
    • VSL CAN Notice
    • VSL Fee Notice
    • Where LLND Not Required - Student
    • Prior Education Review Required - Staff
    • Where LLND Not Required - Staff
    QMS - Performance Evidence
    • Action Required Evidence Expiring Soon
    • Urgent Action Required Evidence Expiring Soon
    • Critical Compliance Risk Evidence Expiring Soon
    • Action Required Evidence Expired
    • Urgent Action Required Evidence Expired
    • Critical Compliance Risk Evidence Expired
    • Action Required Performance Evidence Becomes Awaiting Review
    • Urgent Action Required Perlormance Evidence Becomes Awaiting Review
    • Critical Compliance Risk Performance Evidence Becomes Awaiting Review
    QMS - Performance Indicator
    • Action Required Evidence Status Changed to Evidence Gap
    • Urgent Action Required Evidence Stotus Changed to Evidence Gap
    • Critical Compliance Risk Evidence Status Changed to Evidence Gap
    RMS - Control
    		 - 
    RMS - Risk
    • Risk Review Due in 6 weeks
    • Expired Risk Review
    Student
    		 -
    Trainer Matrix
    • Trainer - Evidence Expiring in 2 Weeks
    • Trainer Credentials - Evidence Expiring in 2 Weeks
    • Trainer - Evidence Expiring in 6 Weeks
    • Trainer - Evidence Expired (On Expiry Date)
    • Trainer Credentials - Evidence Expiring in 6 Weeks
    • Trainer Credentials - Evidence Expired (On Expiry Date)
    • Trainer Credentials - New Evidence Submitted
    Unit
    • Unit Currency Expiry (Student)
    • Unit Currency Expiry (Company)
    • Seven Days Before End Date
    • Unit End Reminder - One Day Before End Date
    • Unit End Reminder - On the End Date (non-student)
    • Unit Incomplete by End Date (Student)
InfoNOTE: Additional sections will appear once a category is set.
  1. Recipient Type - Select who you want to email in the Recipient Type field.  This could be Student, Org Unit, Company, Trainer, Individual Staff Member, or Studeny (Company related)
  2. Email Template - Choose the template that you prepared for this automation.
  3. By Default emails will be sent from: (emailaddress) – You can overwrite the username of the email that will appear as the sender of the automated report. This is optional.


3. In the Automate When section, click + button. This will set when the automation runs.
  1. Field - Select a field from the dropdown list that will best suit your requirement.
  2. Period - Select a period from the list. This could be Days, Weeks, Months, or Minutes.

Info
NOTE: Additional fields will appear once a period is set. Fill in these fields based on your preference.
  1. Input a Number based on period selected.
  2. Select When the automation will run. Either Before or After the field and period that were previously selected.

You can add another Date Trigger by clicking the + button again.

Important Note on Using Multiple Date Triggers in Automations

When configuring an automation with more than one date trigger, it is important to understand that all configured date conditions must be true on the same day for the automation to apply. Multiple date triggers do not cause the automation to run multiple times; instead, they further narrow down which records are eligible.

The system checks the automation conditions daily. On each check, it evaluates whether every date trigger resolves to the current date. If even one condition is not met, the automation will not run.

Example to illustrate the logic

Consider the following Automation designed to send a payment reminder email after 3 weeks from the course start date and 5 days before the course end date.:

  • Course Start Date: 1 January

  • Course End Date: 28 January

Date Trigger 1:

  • 3 weeks after Start Date

  • Resolves to 22 January (true only on this date)

Date Trigger 2:

  • 5 days before End Date

  • Resolves to 23 January (true only on this date)

Because these two triggers resolve to different dates, there is no single day on which both conditions are true. As a result, the automation will not run.

  • On 22 January: Trigger 1 is true, Trigger 2 is false → automation does not run

  • On 23 January: Trigger 2 is true, Trigger 1 is false → automation does not run

  • On all other days: both triggers are false → automation does not run

This behaviour is expected and is by design.

When using two date triggers is appropriate

Using two date triggers is only effective when they are intentionally designed to align on the same day. For example, an RTO may wish to send a compliance reminder only when:

  • a certain amount of time has passed since a start date, and

  • the item is approaching its end date.

If both triggers are configured so they resolve to the same calendar date (for example, a midpoint of an activity), the automation will run once at that precise and meaningful point in time.

Final clarification

While the examples above reference start and end dates for simplicity, this logic is not limited to enrolment or course-related dates. The same behaviour applies to any date fields supported by the automation feature across the system.

Careful planning of date offsets is essential when using multiple date triggers to ensure the automation behaves as intended.


4. In the Conditions section, click the + button.  A Condition Trigger validates a set of requirements in the SMS for the automation to run. If the requirements are not met, the automation will not run.
  1. Field - There are several fields for you to choose from, select one that is suited for your condition.
  2. Operator - An operator is used to determine the relationship of the field and its value. The list will vary depending on the field selected.

  1. Value - This field will appear once a field is selected. And the format will depend on the field selected. You may add more than one value for some. 
Info
NOTE:  When you add another Condition Trigger, you may choose AND if you want BOTH conditions to be met for the automation to run. Otherwise, use OR if you want at least ONE of the conditions to be met for the automation to run.

5. Once done setting up these sections of your automation, click the Save button.


Info
NOTE: Date-based automations are triggered once per day, at 10pm.
Automations are scheduled to send:
  1. Email - 10pm AEST / 12pm UTC
  2. SMS (Short Messaging) - 10pm AEST / 12pm UTC
  3. Task - 10pm AEST / 12pm UTC
  4. Reports - Every 30 minutes (user defines what time they want the report to be run)
  5. Has Minutes - Every 5 minutes
Automations that include minutes (already outlined on the help guide) will be triggered more frequently than once a day at 10pm as the notification might be time-sensitive e.g. 30mins before the event. Hence, the system will check every 5 mins to see if there are time-based automations to trigger.


And that’s how to setup an automatic reminder email in the SMS!


Congratulations on completing this tutorial. We hope this has been helpful to you and your organisation. For any questions or concerns regarding this function, please reach out to the contact support via email.

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