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How to Send a Mass Message Using Bulk Actions

Bulk ActionsUpdated 10 min read

Required permissions
  • create bulk actions
  • update bulk actions
or Super Admin

A bulk action with the Send a Message type sends one message to many clients at once, so you can announce a closure, correct an error, or remind a group without messaging each client by hand.

Overview​

  • What it is: A bulk action of the type Send a Message, which sends a one-off message to a group of clients and contacts
  • Why it matters: One search and one message replace dozens or hundreds of individual sends, and every recipient gets identical wording
  • Who uses it: Agency staff who can create and update bulk actions
  • Expected outcomes: A message queued to every included client in the results list, plus any phone numbers and email addresses you add by hand

Prerequisites​

  • You need an eCourtDate staging or production agency
  • You need the create_bulk_actions and update_bulk_actions permissions, or super admin access
  • You need at least one language enabled for your agency. If none are enabled, the message editor shows an alert linking to General Settings
  • You need to be signed into the correct agency and region before you search for clients

How-To Steps​

Step 1: Import a template to get started quickly​

  1. Click Bulk Actions in the top navigation bar.

  1. Click the Bulk Templates tab.

  1. Find the message you want under Saved Templates or Sample Templates.
  2. Click Import on that card.

  1. Review the new bulk action that opens. Importing copies the template name, type, message, and saved search into a brand new draft bulk action.

Step 2: Create a bulk action from scratch​

  1. Click Bulk Actions in the top navigation bar.

  1. Enter an Action Name in the Create Bulk Action card.

  1. Select Send a Message from the Action Type dropdown.
  2. Click Create.

  1. Review the bulk action edit page that opens.

Step 3: Write the message​

Compose the message in the Bulk Action Settings card on the left of the edit page.

  1. Enter the English Subject.

  1. Enter the English Message. A character count appears below the editor as you type.
  2. Click Tags to browse merge tags and insert one into the message you are editing.
  3. Click Templates to apply an existing auto message, or Files to link a file from your library.
  4. Adjust Message Delay if you want the messages held for a set number of minutes.
  5. Click Save.

Step 4: Add other languages​

  1. Click a language tab above the subject field. Agencies with more than eight enabled languages get a Language dropdown instead of tabs.
  2. Enter that language's subject and message, or click Auto Translate to translate the English version into that language.

  1. Click Translate in the button row to translate every enabled language in one pass.

A dot next to a language tab means that language already has content, and the counter below the Language dropdown reports how many languages are translated.

Step 5: Attach files (optional)​

  1. Drop files onto the Attachments drop zone, or click it to browse your computer.
  2. Check Save attachments to the files library if you want to reuse the files later.

Files over 10 MB may be linked instead of attached.

Step 6: Choose recipients​

Use the Search Clients card to build the recipient list.

  1. Click Search to load clients.

  1. Set the limit field to cap the maximum number of results returned.

  1. Set Random Limit to randomly select that many results from the available clients.

  1. Narrow by case number, or by event from and to dates and times.

  1. Narrow by event flow, location, status, type, or appearance using the multi-select fields.
  2. Narrow by client status, client type, aliases, Assigned Users, assigned judge, or Creator.

  1. Click client group and organization badges to toggle those groups and organizations on or off.
  2. Check Archived or Trashed to include archived or trashed clients.
  3. Click Search again to rerun the search.

Note: Your agency can rename many of these field labels, so some names on your screen may differ from the defaults above.

Step 7: Add contacts that are not clients​

  1. Click Add Contacts in the Search Clients card.
  2. Enter phone numbers and email addresses in the Contacts field, separated by commas or line breaks. For example, jane@court.gov, 444-222-5555.
  3. Click Save.

Add Contacts appears only on Send a Message bulk actions that have not run yet.

Step 8: Include, exclude, and preview​

  1. Review the count at the top of the results card, which reads as results loaded of total clients found.
  2. Click the green check in the INCLUDE column to exclude a client. The button turns into a red X and that client is skipped.

  1. Click the button in the PREVIEW column to open Preview Message in a new tab for that client.

  1. Check that merge tags resolve to that client's data. The preview uses the client's own language version of your message when one exists.

  1. Click CLIENTS CSV if you want to download the recipient list before you send.

Step 9: Test before you send​

  1. Click Send Test. The button appears on Send a Message bulk actions while the status is draft.

  1. Confirm Test Phone and Test Email, which are prefilled from your user profile.

  1. Click Send Test in the modal. eCourtDate sends the English subject and message to the phone number, the email address, or both.

The Bulk Action Settings card also has a Simulate Mode checkbox, described in the app as "Generate simulated messages to test this bulk action". Turning it on adds a "Bulk Action in test mode" banner at the top of the page and changes the run button label from Live Run to Simulate Run.

Step 10: Run or schedule the bulk action​

To send now: Click Live Run. The status changes to dispatching and the bulk action is queued for processing.

To send later:

  1. Click Schedule Run.

  1. Set the Scheduled Date and Scheduled Time. The combined date and time must be in the future.
  2. Check Simulate Run if you want the scheduled run to generate simulated messages.
  3. Click Schedule Run to confirm.

While a bulk action is scheduled, a Cancel Schedule button replaces the run buttons. Clicking it clears the scheduled time, resets Simulate Mode, and returns the bulk action to draft.

Step 11: Save the bulk action as a template​

  1. Click Save Template. The button changes to Remove Template, which unstars the bulk action.

  1. Find it later under Saved Templates on the Bulk Templates tab.

Saving as a template is also the prerequisite for recurring sends. Only bulk actions saved as templates appear in the Action Template dropdown on the Recurring Actions tab. See How to Schedule Recurring Bulk Actions.

Step 12: Rerun a finished bulk action​

  1. Click Tools at the top of the bulk action page.
  2. Click Replay and confirm. Replay appears when the status is complete, failed, canceled, or dispatching, and it reschedules the same bulk action to run again immediately.

Click Duplicate in the same Tools menu instead if you want a fresh copy of the name, type, message, search, and exclusions.

Bulk action types​

Send a Message is one of ten action types in the Action Type dropdown. Each type has its own settings and its own article.

TypeIn-product description
Send a MessageSend a one-off message to a group of clients and contacts.
Assign UsersAssign and unassign current users to clients.
Trash ClientsBulk trash existing clients.
Archive ClientsBulk archive existing clients.
Restore ClientsBulk restore trashed or archived clients.
Transfer ClientsTransfer clients to another agency.
Update ClientsUpdate client information.
Create EventsSchedule new events for clients.
Create PaymentsCreate new payments for clients.
Assign TasksCreate tasks for clients.

What to Expect​

After you click Live Run, the bulk action is queued and its status badge changes to dispatching. As the run progresses the badge reports processing and then complete. A bulk action can also read draft, scheduled, or canceled. The count at the top of the results card switches from a search count to the number of clients the run touched. Once a Send a Message bulk action is complete, a Messages button appears that opens the outbound messages generated by that specific bulk action. Messages are released according to Message Delay, which defaults to your agency message delay setting, or five minutes when no setting exists.

Best Practices​

  • Click Send Test and read the message on your own phone and inbox before you run anything live
  • Open Preview Message for two or three clients so you can confirm merge tags resolve for real records
  • Use the limit field on the first run of a new message so a mistake reaches a handful of clients rather than all of them
  • Translate every enabled language, or expect clients whose language has no content to fall back to English
  • Click Save Template on messages you send regularly so you can import them later or attach them to a recurring action

Frequently Asked Questions​

Can I message people who are not clients?

Yes. Click Add Contacts in the Search Clients card and enter phone numbers and email addresses separated by commas or line breaks. The button is available on Send a Message bulk actions that have not run yet.

Why is the Send Test button missing?

Send Test only appears while the bulk action type is Send a Message and its status is still draft. If the bulk action has already run or is scheduled, cancel the schedule or use Replay on a completed run.

How do I send the message in more than one language?

Select a language tab above the subject field (or use the Language dropdown if your agency has more than eight languages enabled), then type that language's version or click Auto Translate. Click Translate to do every language at once. Enable languages first in General Settings.

Can I run the same bulk action every week?

Not from the bulk action page. Click Save Template first, then create a recurring action and choose the bulk action from the Action Template dropdown on the Recurring Actions tab.

How large can attachments be?

Files over 10 MB may be linked instead of attached. Check Save attachments to the files library if you want to reuse an attachment on a later bulk action.

Troubleshooting​

Schedule Run returns "Schedule date must be in the future".

Symptoms: The schedule modal rejects the date and the bulk action stays in draft.

Solution:

  1. Confirm both Scheduled Date and Scheduled Time are filled in
  2. Set a date and time later than the current time in your agency timezone
  3. Click Schedule Run again
The message editor shows "Unknown tags" in red.

Symptoms: A warning under the message body lists tags in square brackets.

Solution:

  1. Click Tags and search the merge tag list for the correct tag name
  2. Delete the unrecognized tag from the message and insert the one from the dropdown
  3. Open Preview Message for a client to confirm the tag now resolves
The message editor shows an alert about enabled languages.

Symptoms: No subject or message fields appear for a Send a Message bulk action.

Solution:

  1. Click the General Settings link in the alert
  2. Choose the languages your agency sends in
  3. Return to the bulk action and refresh the page

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