Custom Emails

Custom emails are specifically intended to remind learners, supervisors and administrators about training that is due, overdue, or completed. You must create custom emails from templates before you can send them.

There are three types of custom emails: Non-recurring, Recurring, and Training Reminders. Each email type can be sent to four different initial groups of recipients: users, administrators, supervisors, and level 2 supervisors.

When, and to whom a custom email is sent is based on a combination of the Schedule and the settings in the Distribution List. The frequency set in the schedule determines when the email is evaluated. The options set in the distribution list determine if and to whom, the email is sent. Therefore, an email with the frequency 'every day' is evaluated every day, but it is not necessarily sent to all recipients every day.

See About Sending Emails for more information.

About the Schedule

You can edit the start date for all emails. The first email is sent the day after the start date. Subsequent emails are sent according to the frequency.

Non-recurring emails

Non-recurring emails are a one-time only email evaluated on the start date you enter in the Schedule. If you change the start date, the email may be sent again. Since these are one-time only emails, there is no option for frequency.

Recurring emails

Recurring emails are evaluated on a calendar basis that's determined by the frequency options you enter on the schedule. If you set the frequency to one day a week and the start date is on a Monday, then every Monday the email is evaluated and sent to all recipients that meet the requirements, if any.

For more information, see Editing the Schedule.

Training Reminder emails

Training reminder emails are evaluated every night and you cannot edit the frequency.

About the Distribution List

In the Distribution List, all custom emails allow you to select which learners and courses are evaluated. For learners, you can accept the default of all learners, or you can refine the list by attribute. For courses, you can select all courses, or you can specify one, or several courses.

If the courses you selected are assigned to any of the selected learners, the system evaluates the assignment to determine the due date, the assigned date, or the completed date, if applicable. Based on the email type, the system evaluates if that date occurs either WITHIN or IN the next or last number of days, weeks, or months. For more information, see Editing the Distribution List Custom Emails.

Non-recurring and Recurring emails

The recurring and non recurring emails use the WITHIN option. This means, the course due, assigned, or completed date for the learner must fall WITHIN the selected time frame. For example, if a learner has a course due anytime within the next 90 days, the email is sent.

Recurring email example

Ian has a Harassment course due on April 29th. Juanita has the same Harassment course due on April 30th.

You create a recurring user email with a Start Date of April 8 and Frequency of every 1 Week. In the distribution list, you select the Harassment course and set the options to Courses Due Date Within the Next 15 Days.

On the night of April 15th, the email is evaluated again. Both Ian and Juanita receive the email because their due dates fall within the 15 day time frame.

Training Reminder emails

The training reminder emails use the IN option. This means, the course due, assigned, or completed date for the learner must fall IN exactly the amount of time selected. For example, if a learner has a course due in exactly 90 days, the email is sent.

Training Reminder email example

Ian has a Harassment course due on April 29th. Juanita has the same Harassment course due on April 30th.

You create a training reminder user email with a Start Date of April 8. In the distribution list, you select the Harassment course and set the options to Courses Due Date In the Next 15 Days.

The email is evaluated every night.

On April14th, Ian is sent the email because his due date of April 29th is in exactly 15 days.

However, Juanita receives the email on April15th, because that is exactly 15 days from her due date of April 30th.

Custom email templates

Since each type of email is available for four different initial recipients, twelve custom email templates are available.

The data fields and placeholders available in the contents of custom email templates are based on the initial recipients. All User emails contain the same fields. All Administrator emails contain the same fields, and all Supervisor and Level 2 Supervisor emails contain the same fields.

A template is available for Training Reminder, Recurring, and Non-recurring emails for each group of recipients listed below. Click the links for more information.

  • User: All user emails are targeted to learners who meet the criteria set in the Distribution List
  • Administrator: All administrator emails are targeted to site administrators with a security level of 10
  • Supervisor: All supervisor emails are targeted to the supervisors of the learners who meet the criteria set in the Distribution List
  • Supervisor Level 2: All supervisor level 2 emails are targeted to the level 2 supervisors of the learners who meet the criteria set in the Distribution List