How to Schedule Recurring Bulk Actions

A recurring action repeats a bulk action on a schedule so your agency does not have to rebuild the same outreach or update every week. You build the bulk action once, save it as a template, then point a recurring action at it.

### Overview

Recurring Actions is a page tab under Bulk Actions. A recurring action holds only the schedule: a **Name**, an **Action Template**, a **Frequency**, a **Status**, a **Start Date**, an **End Date**, a **Schedule Time**, and the **Only on Business Days** option. Everything the run actually does (the action type, the message or action settings, and the client filters) lives on the bulk action you select as the **Action Template**.

- **What it does:** Runs an existing bulk action template on a repeating schedule and records each run as a new bulk action.
- **Why it matters:** Removes the manual work of rebuilding recurring outreach, and keeps one template as the single place to edit the content.
- **Who should use it:** Administrators, clerks, and supervisors who repeat the same bulk action on a fixed cycle.
- **Expected outcome:** The referenced bulk action runs on schedule, and every run appears in the **Ran Actions** list on the recurring action.

### Prerequisites

Before you build a recurring schedule, make sure you have:

- An active eCourtDate agency account
- The `create_bulk_actions` and `update_bulk_actions` permissions, or super admin access
- A bulk action that already has the action type, action settings, and client filters you want to repeat
- The frequency, start date, and time of day you want the schedule to use

### How-To Steps

#### Step 1: Save the Bulk Action as a Template

1. Go to **Bulk Actions**.
2. Open the bulk action you want to repeat, or build a new one.
3. Confirm the action settings and the **Search Clients** filters are correct.
4. Click **Save Template**. The button changes to **Remove Template** once the bulk action is saved as a template.

#### Step 2: Create the Recurring Action

1. Go to **Bulk Actions** > **Recurring Actions**.
2. Enter a **Name** in the **Create Recurring Action** card.
3. Select your bulk action from the **Action Template** dropdown. Only bulk actions saved as templates appear here.
4. Enter a **Schedule Time** for the time of day the action runs.
5. Click **Create**. eCourtDate opens the new recurring action for editing.

#### Step 3: Set the Schedule

1. Select a **Frequency**: **daily**, **weekly**, **monthly**, **quarterly**, **bi-annually**, or **annually**.
2. Select **Active** in the **Status** dropdown. New recurring actions are created as **Inactive**.
3. Enter a **Start Date** for when the schedule begins.
4. Enter an **End Date** if the schedule should stop on a set date. Leave it blank to run ongoing.
5. Check **Only on Business Days** to skip runs that land on a non business day or a Federal Holiday.
6. Click **Save**.

#### Step 4: Test the Schedule

1. Review the bulk action card in the middle of the page. It shows the template name, the action type, the **Action Settings**, and the **Search Filters** in read only form.
2. Click **Edit Bulk Action** if any of those details need to change.
3. Click **Run One-Time Action** to run the referenced bulk action immediately.
4. Open the new entry in the **Ran Actions** card to check the results.

#### Step 5: Manage the Schedule

1. Open the recurring action from the **Recurring Actions** list.
2. Set **Status** to **Inactive** and click **Save** to stop the schedule without losing the setup. Set it back to **Active** to resume.
3. Click **Tools** > **Archive** to move the recurring action out of the default list, or **Tools** > **Trash** to remove it.
4. Review the **Audit Logs** card to see who changed the recurring action and when.

### What to Expect

Each scheduled run creates a new bulk action from the template, so your run history is a list of bulk actions rather than a log on the schedule itself. The ten most recent appear in the **Ran Actions** card, and clicking the **Ran Actions** heading opens the full list on the Bulk Actions page filtered to this schedule. In the **Recurring Actions** table, a recurring action with no end date shows **Ongoing** in the end date column. Because the recurring action only references the bulk action, any edit you make through **Edit Bulk Action** applies to every future run.

### Best Practices

- **Name the schedule for its cycle and audience.** The **Recurring Actions** table shows the name, template, frequency, and schedule time together, so a clear name makes the list readable at a glance.
- **Run a one-time test first.** Click **Run One-Time Action** and check the result before you set **Status** to **Active**.
- **Use Only on Business Days instead of tracking holidays yourself.** Adjust which days count under **Settings** > **Business Hours** > **Enabled Business Days**.
- **Keep a template dedicated to the schedule.** Editing a template that other work also uses changes every future run of this recurring action.
- **Set an End Date for time bound programs.** The schedule then stops on its own instead of needing you to switch it to **Inactive**.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Why is my bulk action missing from the Action Template dropdown?**

A: The dropdown lists only bulk actions saved as templates. Open the bulk action, click **Save Template**, then reload the recurring action.

**Q: How do I pause a recurring action without removing it?**

A: Open it, set **Status** to **Inactive**, and click **Save**. It stays in the list and keeps its template, frequency, and dates.

**Q: Can I change the message or the client filters from the recurring action?**

A: No. The recurring action shows **Action Settings** and **Search Filters** read only. Click **Edit Bulk Action** to change them on the bulk action itself.

**Q: Does Run One-Time Action interrupt the schedule?**

A: No. It creates and runs a separate bulk action named after your recurring action plus "One-Time Action", and the scheduled runs continue unchanged.

**Q: Where do I see what a recurring action has already run?**

A: The **Ran Actions** card lists the ten most recent bulk actions the schedule created, with the name, type, status, and run time. Click the **Ran Actions** heading for the full list.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** The recurring action never runs.

**Symptoms:** The **Ran Actions** card is empty and no new bulk actions appear on the Bulk Actions page.

**Solution:**

1. Open the recurring action and confirm **Status** is **Active**, since new recurring actions are created as **Inactive**.
2. Confirm today's date falls on or after the **Start Date** and before the **End Date**.
3. Confirm the **Frequency** and **Schedule Time** are the values you expect.
4. Check whether **Only on Business Days** is selected. If it is, runs that land on a non business day or a Federal Holiday are skipped.
5. Review **Settings** > **Business Hours** > **Enabled Business Days** to confirm the run day counts as a business day.

**Issue:** The **Action Template** dropdown is empty and the form will not save.

**Symptoms:** **Action Template** is required, but no options are listed.

**Solution:**

1. Go to **Bulk Actions** and open the bulk action you want to schedule.
2. Click **Save Template**.
3. Return to **Bulk Actions** > **Recurring Actions** and reload the page. The bulk action now appears in the dropdown.

**Issue:** The bulk action card, **Edit Bulk Action**, and **Run One-Time Action** do not appear on the recurring action.

**Symptoms:** Only the **Edit Recurring Action** form shows on the page.

**Solution:**

1. Select an **Action Template**.
2. Click **Save**.
3. Reload the page. The bulk action card renders once the recurring action has a saved template.

> **Important:** If you continue to experience issues after following these troubleshooting steps, sign in to eCourtDate and create a ticket by clicking the help button in the bottom right corner of the screen.

### Related Articles

- [How Bulk Actions Work](/how-bulk-actions-work)
- [How to create recurring actions](/how-to-create-recurring-actions)
- [How to save and reuse bulk action templates](/how-to-save-and-reuse-bulk-action-templates)
- [How to Create and Import Bulk Action Templates](/how-to-create-and-import-bulk-action-templates)
- [How to Send a Mass Message using Bulk Actions](/how-to-send-a-mass-message-using-bulk-actions)