One of the main features of the Communications view is the ability to record a voice message and send it out to a list of chosen phone numbers.
To send a voice message in the Communications add-on,
1. Go to the Communications view and click the link to start a "New message".
2. In the drop-down menu, choose "New voice message". If you currently have the free version of Church360° Members with Communications, this will be your only option.
3. For your new message, choose a message type that best describes the purpose of your message. New message types can be created under Communication Settings.
4. Type in your message title. This will be used on the main Communications view to show statistics for your message.
5. Under the Audience section, click to "Add filter" to choose which groups, individuals, and/or custom group to use to determine those you want to receive your message. Multiple lines can be added to include and exclude person records. The statistics below the menus will automatically update to show how many people are selected in total, as well as the number of selected records that have phone numbers on their records and those that do not.
For more information on choosing your audience, please visit our article here.
6. After selecting the groups and persons for your Audience, click the "Review recipients" link to review the phone numbers used for each person. Note that the Communications module cannot send voice messages to phone numbers that require an extension, so you may want to deselect such a number and send to an alternate number for that person.
7. Click "Done" once your review is complete.
Note: If filters are added or edited after changes were made under "Review recipients", manual selections will be reverted according to Selection Priority. For this reason, it is recommended to add and choose inclusion and exclusion filters under Audience before reviewing and editing individual contact selections.
7. To the right, click the orange button to start recording your message using a microphone or headset attached to your computer. You'll want to keep your message concise with minimal pauses to ensure your listeners will not hang up before they receive your full message. The maximum recording time is three minutes.
- To start recording, click the circular orange button.
- To stop recording, click the square orange button.
- To listen to the message, click the play button.
- To redo the message, click "Delete" and rerecord.
- To use the message, click "Save"
8. After finishing your message, choose your desired action from the buttons at the bottom of the page.
- Cancel - This will cancel your message permanently and return you to the Communications view.
- Save Draft / Update Draft - This will save the message to the Communications view without sending it. You will be able to edit this message before scheduling and sending it at a later time.
- Schedule - This will allow you to set a date and time for your message to be sent to all chosen recipients.
- Send - This will send your message out immediately to all chosen recipients.
Once the voice blast has been sent, you will be able to review the statistics from the Communications view.