Schedule Alerts Setup

Schedule Alerts must be enabled and configured in the Agency Office Module in order to send. You can customize the content of the messages, when the messages are sent, and to whom they are sent.

Configuring the Content of Alert Messages

Alert and Reminder Messages used in Telephony Alerting (Schedule Alerts) areconfigured in the User Defined Information Module. Alert Messages and Reminder Messages are found under the "Scheduling" dropdown menu.

Reminder Messages allow you to configure the message content of alert messages that are sent to verify the operation of the alerting system. (Alert Period Starting, Alert Period Ending or Operating Normally)

Alert Messages allow you to configure the message content of alert messages that are sent in response to a caregiver's missed clock in on a schedule.

Alert Messages may be configured to include specific information from the schedule to identify the caregiver and schedule.

NOTE: When configuring message content, please be aware that sending full Client information via email or text message could potentially violate federal or state privacy legislations. If you are sending alerts via text message, include less information in the message to keep the size of text messages from becoming too large.

Enabling and Configuring Schedule Alerts

For alerts to be sent out for schedules, the alerting system must be enabled and one or more valid Alert Periods added. Schedule Alerts are configured in the Agency Office Module, under the Optional tab.

Make sure the Alert system is On, and add as many alert periods as required.

An Alert Period contains all of the required configuration for sending alerts for schedules. Multiple alert periods may be set up for alerting different office staff during different days or shifts (e.g. weekend or overnight periods), or may be configured to send for only certain groups of clients or caregivers using classifications.

Alert From/To: The start and end time(s) of the Alert Period. To run continuously, set both times to be the same. If you wish to have alerts sent for a particular time range every day of the week, you will need to add a separate Alert Period for each day, with the correct start and end times.

Monitoring Period Start/End Alert: (Optional) Choose an alert message to be sent out when the period starts or ends, to notify recipients that the period has started.

Verify Message: (Optional) Choose an alert message to be sent on a regular basis while the Alert Period is active, to verify that the Companion telephony service is operating normally.

Schedule Notice Message: (Optional) Choose a notice message to send for any schedule, regardless of whether the caregiver clocked in or not. A negative number in the "Send Minutes" field will cause the message to be sent before the planned start time of the schedule. NOTE: Cloud-hosted users may wish to use the more flexible /wiki/spaces/HCV5/pages/1278591 feature to send caregivers SMS text reminders for schedules or appointments. This will require texting features to be set up, but does not require Schedule Alerts to be configured.

First Alert Message: Choose the alert message to be sent when a caregiver has failed to clock in for a schedule. NOTE: As it may take a few minutes for telephony calls to be processed and downloaded from the call center, HomeTrak recommends setting the "Send Minutes" for the first alert to no less than 8 minutes.

Caregiver Alert Message: Choose an alert message to send a copy of the alert to the caregiver's cell phone via SMS text message. NOTE: This will only function for cloud hosted users with SMS texting features set up.

Call between 1st and 2nd Message: Choose an alert message to send if the caregiver did clock in to the schedule after a first alert has been sent, but before a second alert is generated.

Second Alert Message: Choose an alert message to send if the schedule has already been alerted and the caregiver has still not clocked in. The "Send Minutes" for the second alert should should be no less than 5 minutes after the first alert. A maximum of two alerts can be configured.

Alert Email Type: Choose which type of email communication to use to send the alert messages. Alerts will be sent to communication items of the specified type attached to the listed Recipients.

Recipients: Choose which Office Staff people will receive the alert messages.

Classifications: If any classifications are selected, alerts will only be sent if either the Client or Caregiver in the schedule has at least one of the specified classifications attached.