Lesson Reminders are notifications sent to users to let them know a Lesson is due to take place. Useful in cases where you want to ensure attendance of planned Lessons. A list of your Lesson Reminders can be accessed via Communications > Lesson Reminders, from where you can view/edit your current Reminders or create a new one via the Add Reminder button.
Note: Lesson Reminders are sent by email. If Outbound SMSs are enabled on your account, recipients will receive a reminder by SMS as well as by email, and each SMS is charged at your usual rate. The Communications > Lesson Reminders menu item also requires permission to edit operational data.
An example of a Lesson Reminders page.
Creating a Lesson Reminder
To create a Lesson Reminder, navigate to Communications > Lesson Reminders and select the Add Reminder button. Selecting this will open the ‘Reminders’ panel:
The ‘Reminders’ panel.
Here you can:
Specify a name for the Reminder via the ‘Name’ field.
Use the ‘Enabled’ checkbox to control whether the Reminder is sent. New Reminders are enabled by default. Unticking this pauses the Reminder without deleting it.
Use the ‘Recipient Types’ checkboxes to specify which user type will receive the Reminder. Note that if you choose to send to Administrators, the relevant Client’s Client Manager will also receive a Reminder.
You can also choose to send to Associated Clients (by default, only a Student’s paying Client will receive the relevant Reminders).
Use the ‘Delivery time offset’ field to specify how long before the Lesson the Reminder will be sent.
Clicking Save once these fields are filled in will create the Reminder and add it to your ‘Reminders’ list. You can find a record of any Lesson Reminders being sent out either via Communications > Outbound Emails or the ‘Communications’ tab of any Lessons for which the Reminder applies (Activity > Calendar, then select the Lesson).
Which Lessons get a Reminder
Reminders only go out for Lessons that are actually going ahead. A Lesson is skipped where:
Note: Because Lessons on Finished Jobs and Lessons without a Tutor are now skipped automatically, you no longer need to delete them to stop Reminders going out. Marking the Job as ‘Finished’ is enough.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why didn’t one of my users receive a Lesson Reminder?
There are a few things worth checking:
Is the Reminder enabled? Check the ‘Enabled’ column under Communications > Lesson Reminders.
Is the Lesson still Planned? Reminders are only sent for Lessons with a status of Planned.
Is the Job still open? Lessons on a Job marked as ‘Finished’ do not get Reminders. Change the Job’s status via Activity > Jobs > select the Job if those Lessons are going ahead after all.
Does the Lesson have a Tutor? A Lesson with no Tutor assigned is treated as not going ahead and is skipped. Add a Tutor via Activity > Jobs > select the Job > select the Lesson.
Has a Recipient Type been selected? A Reminder with no Recipient Types ticked sends to nobody.
Has the user turned the notification off? Individual users can opt out of Lesson Reminders in their own notification settings, and this overrides the ‘Recipient Types’ selected on the Reminder.
Is the Email Definition active? The reminder content comes from the appointment reminder Email Definition under System > Settings > Communication Settings > Email Definitions. If that definition is inactive, reminders will not be sent.
How do I stop Reminders for a term that has been cancelled?
Set the Job’s status to ‘Finished’ via Activity > Jobs > select the Job. Its Lessons stay on the system and on your records, but no further Reminders are sent for them. Deleting the Lessons is no longer necessary for this.