How Bulk Actions Work

Bulk Actions apply one operation to a filtered list of clients, so you can send messages, create events, or update records without opening each client. You name the action, pick a type, filter and preview the clients it will touch, then run it now or schedule it for later.

### Overview

- **What it is:** A Bulk Action is a saved job made up of an **Action Name**, an **Action Type**, the settings for that type, and a set of client search filters. Saving the job re-runs the search, so the preview list always reflects the filters you have chosen.
- **Why it matters:** Repeating the same change across hundreds of client records by hand is slow and inconsistent. One Bulk Action applies the change once, records how many clients it touched, and emails you a report.
- **Who uses it:** Any staff member whose role can create and update bulk actions, plus super admins.
- **Expected outcomes:** The action moves through its statuses, the client count on the page updates, and the creator receives an email with the subject "Bulk Action: (name) is Complete".

Your agency can rename labels such as client and event in the **Data Labels** section of **Admin** > **Settings**, so some field names in your agency may read differently from the ones below.

#### Action Types

The **Action Type** dropdown offers ten types, each with its own settings on the edit page.

| Action Type | What It Does |
|---|---|
| **Send a Message** | Send a one-off message to a group of clients and contacts. |
| **Assign Users** | Assign and unassign current users to clients. |
| **Trash Clients** | Bulk trash existing clients. |
| **Archive Clients** | Bulk archive existing clients. |
| **Restore Clients** | Bulk restore trashed or archived clients. |
| **Transfer Clients** | Transfer clients to another agency. |
| **Update Clients** | Update client information. |
| **Create Events** | Schedule new events for clients. |
| **Create Payments** | Create new payments for clients. |
| **Assign Tasks** | Create tasks for clients. |

#### The Bulk Actions Tabs

Three tabs sit at the top of the section: **Bulk Actions**, **Recurring Actions**, and **Bulk Templates**.

The **Bulk Actions** index page holds a **Create Bulk Action** card (**Action Name**, **Action Type**, and a **Create** button) and a **Search Bulk Actions** card with **Action Name**, **Action Type**, **Action Status**, and **Creator** filters. The results table lists **Name**, **Type**, **Status**, **Template**, **# Clients**, **Creator**, **Scheduled**, **Created**, and **Updated**, with an edit link on each row and a star button that marks the action as a template.

The **Bulk Templates** tab lists your **Saved Templates** and a set of **Sample Templates**. Each card has an **Import** button that copies the template into a new bulk action.

#### Client Filters

Every bulk action shares the same **Search Clients** card. Filters combine, so each one you add narrows the list further. The card offers:

- **Search**, **Limit** (the max number of results to return), and **Random Limit** (randomly select this many results from the available clients)
- **Case number**, **Events from date**, **Events to date**, **Events from time**, and **Events to time**
- **Event Flow**, **Event Location**, **Event Status**, **Event Type**, and **Event Appearance**
- **Client Status**, **Assigned Users**, and **Assigned Judge**
- A row of clickable pills under a **Client Groups** count, and a second row under a **Client Organizations** count
- **Client Type**, **Client Aliases**, and **Creator**
- **Archived** and **Trashed** checkboxes, which switch the search to archived or trashed clients instead of active ones

Groups and organizations are pills, not dropdowns. Click a pill to add it, click it again to remove it. You can select up to three organizations, and a fourth click shows the message "You can select up to 3 organizations". Selecting several groups matches clients in any of them.

**Restore Clients** adds two more filters, **Archived From Date** and **Archived To Date**.

#### Statuses

A bulk action starts as draft. From there:

- Clicking **Live Run** sets the status to dispatching, then processing while clients are handled, then complete.
- Clicking **Schedule Run** sets the status to scheduled until the scheduled time arrives, then the same dispatching, processing, complete progression follows.
- Clicking **Cancel Schedule** clears the scheduled time and returns the action to draft.

The **Action Status** filter on the index page lists complete, scheduled, dispatching, processing, and canceled. Draft is not one of the filter options, so search for a draft by **Action Name** or **Creator** instead.

Once an action reaches complete or canceled, or is left sitting in dispatching, a **Replay** option appears under the **Tools** dropdown on the edit page. **Replay** reschedules the action for the current time and runs it again.

### Prerequisites

- A role that can create and update bulk actions, or super admin access
- The correct agency selected, since bulk actions only see that agency's clients
- Clients already in the agency for the filters to match
- At least one enabled language in **General Settings** before you use **Send a Message**

### How-To Steps

1. Click **Bulk Actions** in the top navigation.
2. Enter a name in the **Action Name** field on the **Create Bulk Action** card.
3. Select a type from the **Action Type** dropdown.
4. Click **Create** to open the new action's edit page.
5. Fill in the type settings in the **Bulk Action Settings** card, such as the message content for **Send a Message** or **To Agency** for **Transfer Clients**.
6. Set **Limit** on the **Search Clients** card to cap how many clients the action returns.
7. Apply the filters that describe the clients you want.
8. Click **Search** to save the action and refresh the preview.
9. Check the client count heading above the results table, which reads as a count of shown clients out of the total match.
10. Click the green check in the **INCLUDE** column beside any client you want to leave out, turning it into a red exclude marker.
11. Click **Live Run** to start immediately.
12. Click **Schedule Run** instead to open the **Schedule Bulk Action** window, set a **Scheduled Date** and **Scheduled Time** in the future, then click **Schedule Run** to confirm.
13. Watch the status badge below the client count to follow the run.

### What to Expect

Creating an action takes you straight to its edit page, where the **Limit** already holds 1000 unless your agency has set a **Default Bulk Actions Limit** under **Admin** > **Settings**. Changing most filters saves the action and refreshes the preview on its own, so the count you see is the count the run will use.

A live run flips the status to dispatching within moments, and the run buttons disappear once the action has run. A scheduled run stays in scheduled until the scheduled time, and the platform checks for due actions every five minutes, so expect a short delay. Scheduled message actions also send you an email with the subject "Bulk Action: (name) is Processing" when they start, and an email with the subject "Bulk Action: (name) Failed Validation" if the action cannot be processed.

When the run finishes, the status becomes complete, the heading changes to the final client count, and the creator receives an email titled "Bulk Action: (name) is Complete" listing the total clients, the action type, a link back to the action, and an attached report. A completed **Send a Message** action also gains a **Messages** button that opens the messages it produced.

### Best Practices

- Click **Search** and read the client count before every run, since the filters decide exactly who is affected.
- Set a small **Limit**, or use **Random Limit**, on a first run to confirm the result before you widen the search.
- Select **Simulate Mode** on a **Send a Message** action to generate simulated messages, which changes the run button to **Simulate Run**.
- Click **Send Test** on a draft message action to send a copy to a **Test Phone** or **Test Email** first.
- Click **Save Template** on an action you repeat, so it appears under **Saved Templates** on the **Bulk Templates** tab.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Can I undo a bulk action after it runs?**

A: There is no undo button. Clients moved by **Trash Clients** or **Archive Clients** can be brought back with a **Restore Clients** action, but messages that have already gone out cannot be recalled.

**Q: Why can I not find my new bulk action in the Action Status filter?**

A: A new action sits in draft, and draft is not one of the **Action Status** options. Search by **Action Name** or **Creator** on the **Search Bulk Actions** card instead.

**Q: How many client organizations can one action target?**

A: Three. Clicking a fourth organization pill shows "You can select up to 3 organizations" and leaves your selection unchanged. Client group pills have no such cap.

**Q: Who receives the completion email?**

A: The creator shown in the **Creator** column, at the email address that created the action. The email carries the total client count, the action type, a link to the action, and a report file.

**Q: Do the Archived and Trashed checkboxes add records to my results?**

A: No, they replace them. Leaving both clear searches active clients, selecting **Archived** searches archived clients only, and selecting **Trashed** searches trashed clients only.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** The preview shows no clients.

**Symptoms:** The heading above the results table reads "No Clients" after you click **Search**.

**Solution:**

1. Confirm **Limit** and **Random Limit** are not set lower than you intended.
2. Clear the **Archived** and **Trashed** checkboxes unless you are deliberately targeting those records.
3. Remove one filter at a time, clicking **Search** after each, to find the one that is too narrow.

**Issue:** A scheduled action never starts.

**Symptoms:** The status badge still reads scheduled well after the scheduled date and time.

**Solution:**

1. Click **Cancel Schedule** to return the action to draft.
2. Click **Schedule Run** again and pick a date and time in the future, since the platform rejects a past schedule and only picks up actions whose scheduled time fell within the last 24 hours.
3. Click **Live Run** instead if you need it to go out now.

**Issue:** The action is stuck in dispatching.

**Symptoms:** The status badge stays on dispatching and no completion email arrives.

**Solution:**

1. Refresh the edit page to confirm the status has not moved on.
2. Open the **Tools** dropdown and click **Replay** to reschedule and rerun the action.
3. Create a support ticket if the action stalls again.

### Related Articles

- [How to Send a Mass Message using Bulk Actions](/how-to-send-a-mass-message-using-bulk-actions)
- [How to Create Events via Bulk Actions](/how-to-create-events-via-bulk-actions)
- [How to Assign Users via Bulk Actions](/how-to-assign-users-via-bulk-actions)
- [How to Update Clients via Bulk Actions](/how-to-update-clients-via-bulk-actions)
- [How to Create Payments via Bulk Actions](/how-to-create-payments-via-bulk-actions)
- [How to Assign Tasks via Bulk Actions](/how-to-assign-tasks-via-bulk-actions)
- [How to Trash Clients via Bulk Actions](/how-to-trash-clients-via-bulk-actions)
- [How to Archive Clients via Bulk Actions](/how-to-archive-clients-via-bulk-actions)
- [How to Restore Clients via Bulk Actions](/how-to-restore-clients-via-bulk-actions)
- [How to Transfer Clients via Bulk Actions](/how-to-transfer-clients-via-bulk-actions)
- [How to Create and Import Bulk Action Templates](/how-to-create-and-import-bulk-action-templates)
- [How to Schedule Recurring Bulk Actions](/how-to-schedule-recurring-bulk-actions)