Alerts and Reminders. User Guide Updated: 1/9/2015 Document Number: 36UG

Transcription

1 Alerts and Reminders User Guide Updated: 1/9/2015 Document Number: 36UG

2 Copyright 2015 SEDC All rights reserved. No part of this document may be copied or reproduced in any form or by any means without the express prior written consent of SEDC. *** Changes and updates are periodically made to the software and services may be reflected in future publications. This publication does not intend to completely document every feature and function of the software; it only provides a general guide. Please consult other documentation in addition to this document. Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of SEDC and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Other product names mentioned may be trademarks of other vendor/manufacturers. 2

3 Table of Contents OVERVIEW 4 SETTING UP AND CUSTOMIZING ALERTS AND REMINDERS IN SERVICE CONTROL 4 Enabling Alerts 4 Customizing Alert Text 8 ENABLING ALERTS AND REMINDERS FOR A USER IN UPN 11 Setting up Security Options 11 ENABLING ALERTS AND REMINDERS FOR A MEMBER SEPARATOR IN UPN 12 3

4 Overview The Alerts and Reminders feature of UPN is a subsystem that is configured by the utility to allow customers to receive communication via , SMS, voice alerts, and push notifications about their accounts. The utility can configure which alerts to use, and the format and content for each one. Members can subscribe to the alerts they want by using the customer portal, the smart phone application, or they can call the utility to set up the Alerts and Reminders service for them. A new API has also been implemented to allow third parties to send alerts to customers and employees concerning outage reports. This new alert is available in the Alerts and Reminders tab of the member separator as Enhanced Outage Alerts. All of the programs associated with Alerts and Reminders are Interactive. This user guide contains information and instructions for the following: Setting Up and Customizing Alerts; Enabling Alerts; Customizing Alert Text; Enabling Alerts and Reminders for a User in UPN; Setting Up Security Options; Enabling Alerts and Reminders for a Member Separator in UPN. Setting Up and Customizing Alerts and Reminders in Service Control Enabling Alerts Single digit parameter 554 must be set to enable Alerts and Reminders. Users can choose to set single digit parameter 498 to include Voice Alerts in UPN, and choose to set single digit parameter 528 include Voice Alerts in Portal and Smart Apps. The Alerts and Reminders Service Control is part of the SEDC Server Components and is located on the UPN server. All of the configuration for the Alerts and Reminders system is done in the Alerts and Reminders Service Control dialog box. Users can configure what alert method is used, which alerts are available for configuration, and if an alert can be sent by a particular method. A utility may choose to enable customer portal alerts, but not to enable smart device alerts for all or some of the alerts available to the member. 4

5 To enable the alerts, perform the following steps: 1. Select the SEDC Server Components folder, (located on the desktop of your UPN server.) 2. Double click SEDC_Alerts_Reminders_Control. 5

6 3. Open the SEDC Alerts Reminders Service Control, Alert/Reminder Manager tab. 4. Select the check box for the alert under the application for which the alert will be offered. 6

7 5. When all of the alerts and delivery methods have been selected, click Save under the selection dialog window. 7

8 Customizing Alert Text All of the alerts the utility offers can be customized in the SEDC Alerts and Reminders Service Control Message Customization tab. By right clicking in the alert content window for each type of alert, the service administrator can choose from a number of tags that will automatically populate at the time the message is sent to the member separator. To customize the delivery text for each type of alert offered, perform the following steps: 1. Select the SEDC Server Components folder (See the Enabling Alerts procedure above.) 2. Double click SEDC_Alerts_Reminders_Control. 3. Open the Message Customization tab. 8

9 4. Select the type of notification from the Alert/Reminder drop-down field. Each message can be customized by type of a delivery. 5. Position the cursor in the edit window and change the text as desired. 6. To add a variable tag, right click where the tag should appear in the message and select from the pop up. Tags can also be added by manually typing them if desired. 7. Click Save just below the edit windows to save the changes. 9

10 8. Click the bottom Save button to save all changes, and Close to exit the control window. 10

11 Note: For the Enhanced Outage Alert, because the alert is generated by a third party, custom content can be configured, but will never be sent. Enabling Alerts and Reminders for a User in UPN Setting up Security Options Setting the security option for Alerts and Reminders will be available in the CA General FM Control Options. When this security option is set, a user or user group can make changes to the Alerts and Reminders tab on the main customer Inquiry screen by editing the Class to which the users belongs. To enable alerts editing for a user, complete the following steps: 1. From the CA Main Menu, click Control Options. 2. Click the Class Maintenance button. 3. Search for the user s class to give the permissions by entering all or part of the class name in the search window. 11

12 4. Click Change. Select the user class. 5. Under CA General FM, make sure the Alerts and Reminders FM option is checked. Enabling Alerts and Reminders for a Member Separator in UPN A customer can call the utility company and request the utility to set up the Alerts and Reminders the utility has chosen to provide in the Service Control screens. A member may also configure Alerts and Reminders in the Customer Portal or via Smart Apps, if the utility has chosen to enable those features. See the Smart Device App User Guide, and the Portal Services User Guide for further information. To configure Alerts and Reminders for a member separator, perform the following steps: 1. From the CA Main Menu, select the Inquiry or Search buttons. 2. From the Option drop-down menu, select the preferred search information type. 12

13 3. Enter the requested search criteria and click Search. 4. Select the Alerts and Reminders tab. The currently active alerts and reminders will have checks in the check boxes under the delivery method column. 13

14 5. To add or remove an alert, click Edit. The following dialog window appears. 6. Make sure the top portion of the dialog box is completed by entering the member separator s telephone number, cell phone number, cell phone provider and address. 7. If the member wishes to have voice alerts, select which number should receive them by placing a check in the check box next to the number. 14

15 8. In the lower section of the dialog box, select the desired alerts by placing a check for the alert in the proper delivery method column. 9. Scroll down to make sure all of the desired alerts have been selected. 10. In the Due Date and Arrangement Installment Due alert description, select the number of days from the drop-down field to indicate how many days notice should be given before the due date. 15

16 11. For the High Energy Usage Alert description, enter the kwh usage limit for one day. Depending on the parameter settings in the Control File, the value may be set to dollars ($). If so enter the dollar amount limit for the account. 12. When all of the alerts have been configured, click Submit. 16

17 13. To see a history of all alerts sent to the member number, click View History. 14. Click the hyperlink in the Alerts and Reminders History dialog box to see the message text that was sent to the member. 17

18 See the Alerts and Reminders example below. 18