Chapter 6. Email Broadcast

Overview

Before getting started, let's assume you have already configured an e-mail manager during the initial World Fax Installation. If you have not, please refer to the Install Guide for detailed instructions. Let's also assume that the Internet Service Provider (ISP) information you have configured in World Fax is correct and that you are able to connect successfully.

The E-mail Broadcasting capabilities of World Fax offer flexibility, power and the convenience of using the same program for both e-mail and fax broadcasting. There are three basic types of e-mail broadcasts that World Fax can perform:

  • Simple E-mail
  • E-mail with Attachments
  • Personalized E-mail

Simple E-mail

When you have a simple text message that you want to get out, you can use the basic e-mail capabilities of World Fax. The main idea is that instead of putting fax numbers into your recipient list, you put e-mail addresses. Otherwise, all the rules that apply to fax lists still apply to e-mail lists. 

You can even have one list that combines e-mails addresses and fax numbers!

Example of an e-mail list:

ccohen@World Fax.com, Chem Cohen, World Fax Inc.
alxsmth@abc.com, Alex Smith, ABC Company
jill_johnson@xyz.com, Jill Johnson, XYZ Corp.

Notice that the fields are in the same order a fax list, with the only requirement being that the e-mail address is in the first field on each line.

Exporting an e-mail list from another program:

Most e-mail programs and contact managers have an Export function that allows you to create a simple text list of your e-mail addresses. Please refer to the help documentation from your e-mail program to determine how to perform the export.

Creating the Text File to Send

You can create your message in any text editor program such as NotePad. You can also use a word processor program as long as you remember to save it as a TXT file.

  1. Go to the Start Menu. Select Programs | Accessories | NotePad
  2. Type your message.

    Hi Everyone! Please note that our office has moved. The new address is ... Please update your records with the new information.

    Thank you,

    Your Company Name Inc.

  3. Save your message to a file such as "message.txt" and exit NotePad.
  4. Note that unlike a fax document, you do not have to print your text message to the World Fax printer driver.


To add the text message to your job:

  1. Start the Job Setup Wizard
  2. Go to the Select Documents screen.
  3. Click the folder button to add the text document.

    C:\Program Files\World Fax Client\message.txt

  4. Go to the Select Recipients screen
  5. Click the folder button to add the e-mail list of recipients.

    C:\Program Files\World Fax Client\emails.txt

  6. Continue with the next steps of the Wizard and then send the job.

    To Monitor the job
  7. Open the World Fax Administrator to watch the progress of your job.
  8. If you want to see the individual e-mails going out, watch the scrolling messages in the World Fax Server window.


E-mail with Attachments

Unlike with fax attachments, which are limited to a few image formats such as TIF and PCX, e-mail attachments can be nearly any type of file.  World Fax sends e-mail attachments as binary files, encoded with the MIME protocol.

For example, you could send a Microsoft Word document or even a small executable file (e.g. a technical update file).  To attach the file to the job, simply choose it on the Select Documents screen of the Job Wizard.

When you send an e-mail broadcast, you normally want to keep the message as compact as possible.  Attachments take up internet bandwidth (they slow you down) and may not be appreciated by the recipients if they are not expecting the files.  It is best to limit broadcasts with attachments to your already existing customer base.


Personalized E-mail

In the same way as a personalized fax garners more attention, a personalized e-mail shows that you have taken a little extra time to fine tune your message

Creating a personalized e-mail broadcast is much the same as creating a personalized fax broadcast using mailmerge or overlays. Instead of using the Cover Page Editor however, you can use a plain text file with the field names in curly braces. 

Hi {Name}! Please note that our office has moved. The new address is ... Please update your records with the new information.
By the way, is your information still correct? Here's what we have on file:

{Company}
{User Defined 0}
{User Defined 1}
{User Defined 2}
{User Defined 3}

Thank you,
Your Company Name Inc.


Name your file with a #TXT extension

To tell World Fax that you are personalizing the e-mail message, name the file with a ".#txt" extension such as "personal.#txt".

How it works:

When World Fax sends the e-mail, it substitutes the information from your recipient list into the text of the paragraph. 

The recipient list:

When creating the recipient list …

  • put e-mail addresses where there would normally be fax numbers
  • make sure all of your personalized fields (Company, User Defined 0, etc) are included in the correct order


To create the job

  1. Open the Job Setup Wizard
  2. On the Select Documents screen, choose the appropriate personalized template file (#TXT)
  3. On the Select Recipients screen, choose the appropriate e-mail list (TXT, CSV, etc)
  4. On the Select Job Parameters screen, choose an appropriate Sender name. Not all of the Job Parameters apply to e-mail (e.g. header line, resolution and CSID have no meaning for e-mail)
  5. You can use the "Trial Fax" feature to send a "Trial E-mail" if so desired.
  6. Send the Job and watch the World Fax Administrator to make sure everything is OK.