Messages (r9)

Use the Messages applet to create email invites to send to potential respondents in a contact list. 

The Messages applet is one aspect of IntelliSurvey's email send tools. After creating a message and uploading a contact list, use the Email Batches applet to send the survey invites.

The Messages applet is found in the Audiences applet group in the navigation menu.

Creating a message

To create a new email, click New Message. The Messages applet provides tools for formatting the message's content, as well as inserting images and links.

Once the message is saved, it will be available for use in the Email Batches applet.

The From Name appears in the recipient's inbox as the sender of the message. If From Name is left blank, the recipient's email client will show the From Email instead. While optional, it is recommended to include a From Name to help the recipient identify the sender as trustworthy.

The Reply-To Email is the address used if the recipient replies to the email. If the Reply-To Email is left blank, the From Email will be used for replies.

Adding a survey link

Click Add Survey Link to insert a link to begin taking the survey. The link is formatted as follows: 

https://yourserver.intellisurvey.com/pub/$appid/$id 

When the message is sent by the Email Batches applet, the $appid variable will automatically be replaced with the ID of the survey where the message is being created. The $id variable will be replaced with the value in the 'id' column of the contact list. This will be used as the record ID for the survey data.

Adding an unsubscribe link

Click Add Unsubscribe Link to insert a link allowing respondents to remove themselves from the contact list. When a recipient clicks the unsubscribe link, they'll be taken to a confirmation page. Once they click the Unsubscribe button on this page, their status in the contact list will be changed to 'R - Removed', preventing them from being included in any future batches.

Piping contact list data

Contact list data can be piped into the message's subject or body by inserting a dollar sign ('$') followed by a contact list column header. This allows you to customize the message content for each recipient.

In the example below, the red boxes show how the 'name' field from the contact list is piped into the message's salutation. The blue boxes show how the recipient's ID in the contact list is used as the survey respondent ID in the invite link.