Common Questions on the Communications View

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Why don't I see a Communications view in my Church360 site?

If you do not see Communications in the main menu bar on your Church360° Members site, it is most likely that your login does not have permission to access Communications, in this case you'll want to reach out to your site administrator.

Does the communications module require a Church360° Members Subscription?

No, this module can be used with the free version of Church360° members.

What is included in the Communications module?

If your church has the free version of Church360° Members, the Communications module can be used only for sending voice messages. If your church has a Church360° Members subscription, you can use the Communications module for sending voice, email, and text messages.

I use Shepherd's Staff as my church management software. How do I get my contacts into Communications?

Initially, you can upload your Shepherd's Staff database by clicking the "Upload" button on the  People view in Church360° Members. 

After the first upload, If a person's phone number changes, you will need to manually update the phone number on your Church360° Members site.

How do I add or edit a person in my contact list?

We have articles on how to add a person to your Church360° Members site and how to edit contact information in our help center.

How do I create a Smart Group or tag?

We have articles on how to create a Smart Group using dynamic traits and how to assign tags in bulk in our help center.

How do I purchase credits?

You can purchase credits by calling your software consultant at 1-800-325-2399.

How much do credits cost?

Our pricing page here contains the most up-to-date information on bulk pricing for credits.

What happens to the remaining credits that I have in MemberCaller?
Those credits are still accessible in MemberCaller until their expiration date.

How long do credits last?

Credits for the Communication module never expire.

How do credits work?

One credit is consumed per every minute recorded per phone number that receives the message. Once your audience has been selected and your message has been recorded, you will see how many credits will be spent before you send out the blast.

The recording length is rounded up to the next minute. So if you deliver a 45-second message to 100 people, you would be charged 100 credits. A 1.5-minute message to the same group of people would cost 200 credits. 

What happens if I make a call that uses more credits than I have in my account?
The Communications View will not send a voice message if there are not enough credits. So if you send out a message to 75 people but have only 60 credits, no messages will be sent.

Do email or texting messages use credits?

No, only the voice messaging system in the Communications view uses credits. Emailing and texting is included in the Church360° Members subscription.

What number shows on the Caller ID for a voice message? Can it be customized?
Any voice message from the Communications view will be from 855-248-7295. for some phones, the Caller ID will read as a toll-free number. It cannot be customized so it would be prudent to let your congregation know to add this number to their contacts to avoid any missed voice messages. At this time, the number cannot be customized. 

How will I know who received my message?

After the message is processed and sent, you will be able to review statistics on how many messages were delivered successfully and how many failed. An event log will show specifics on each contact's delivery status.

Will the voice message re-attempt to send a message if it doesn't reach them on the first attempt?

No, the blast will send out a single message to the contact and will not attempt to reach them again.

Are there any restrictions for messages?

The voice message is limited to three minutes. Other than that, as long as there are enough credits to send out a voice message, you shouldn't run into any restrictions.

How will my congregation access and edit their preferences?

Your congregation can visit "https://[your subdomain].360members.com/communications/access-preferences" (with [your subdomain] replaced with your site's unique identifier preceding ".360members.com") to update their preferences. For more information on Communication preferences, please visit our article.