Task Templates

Use the Task Templates page to configure task templates. Staff members perform tasks associated with events in the life of a prospect, student, employer, or staff member at specific campuses.

The task templates you specify here can be selected by staff members when they add tasks in multiple locations in the product. For example, you select task templates when you add tasks on the: 

• Tasks page (Tasks tile)

• Tasks page for students (Students > select the student > Contact Manager > Tasks)

• Tasks page for student groups (Groups tile)

• Tasks page for employers ( Configuration > Career Services > Employers > select or add an employer > Tasks )

• High School Tasks page ( Processes > Admissions > High School Tasks)

• Incidents page (Processes > Contact Manager > Incidents)

The properties you can specify depend on the event type. For example, if you select an Event Type of:

• Incoming Phone Call or Outgoing Phone Call, you can also specify a script so that all the staff members ask the same questions and gather the same basic information during the call

• Letter, you can download, draft, and then upload a letter

• SMS-Text Message, you can specify the message that Anthology Student sends

For emails, letters, text messages, and alerts on Portal, you can insert fields from the Anthology Student database into the body of the message. For example, you can insert the <campusphone> field and it will be replaced with the phone number for the campus in the database when Anthology Student generates the correspondence.

Task Templates can now be searched by Name or Code.

At least one task template must be configured to add Incidents. (Processes > Contact Manager > Incidents)

Prerequisites

Authorizations:

• Contact Manager - Configuration - View

• Contact Manager - Configuration - Manage

Your institution must have configured task categories in Configuration > Contact Manager > Task Categories.

To edit an item associated with multiple campuses, you must have access to all assigned campuses. If you have access to only some of the campuses, you can view the item but cannot edit it. When adding an item, you can select only campuses you can access.

To edit the campuses, the task template must not be associated with a scheduled task.

Module Permissions for Advisors

Module	Permissions
Academics Records	Academics - Student Enrollment Period - View
Admissions	Admissions - Student Applications - View
Career Services	Career Services - Placement Statuses - View
Financial Aid	Financial Aid - Academic Years - View
International	Contact Manager - Student International - View
Other	Contact Manager - Student Advisor - View
Student Accounts	Student Accounts - Student Account Transaction - View

Event Types

Event Type	Prerequisite
Auto Disb. Cancellation Disb. To Re-expect Alert E-Mail Staff Job Notification E-mail Waitlist Email to Student E-Mail Organization E-Mail Student E-Mail to Employer	To add or edit the HTML source in the Email Message area, you must have the Allow Editing of Task Template HTML Source When selected, Anthology Student displays a Source button in the Email Message area of the page for configuring task templates with an event type of Email and Auto Disb. Cancellation/Disb. To Re-expect Alert. The staff members with permission can then select the button to add or edit the HTML source for the email. in Contact Manager permission (Settings > System > Staff > select or add a staff member > Contact Manager )
Letter	To download and create a letter:  Your institution must have configured the path for letters and you must have permission to the location You must have Microsoft Word installed on your system To upload a letter, the document must be a maximum of 15 MB.
Meeting Incoming Phone Call Outgoing Phone Call	To edit the questions for a script, there must not be student answers to the questions already in the system.

You should be familiar with:

• Background and Operation of Tasks

• Background for Mail Merge Codes

Access

Configuration > Contact Manager > Task Templates

Filters

By default, the grid displays records for all authorized campuses. Use the drop-down to filter by campus.

Add or Edit Items

1. Select All Campuses or a specific Campus.

2. Review the record values.

3. To:

   • Add a list item, select New

   • Duplicate a list item, select it and then select Duplicate

   • Edit a list item, select its Name

4. Review, specify, or change the values.

   Active Specifies whether the associated record is active. Campuses The campus or campuses to which a person or item is assigned. It is filtered to display the campuses to which you have access. In some cases, it is also used to filter a list to only those items for the campus. In some lists, you can select more than one campus or select All. In lists that display columns, if the column contains more than one campus, you cannot sort or filter on that column. Category Categories your institution can use to organize task types. They are configured by your institution and can be associated with task types. Code The alphanumeric code assigned to the item by your institution. In most cases, codes must be unique. Select or assign the code for this item. Duration in Minutes The estimated length of time it takes to complete the task.

   Event Type The type of event associated with the task. Events are defined by the system and are selected for task templates when they are configured by your institution. From Advisor If the task sends correspondence from an advisor, select the types of advisors. The modules you can view in this field are based on the NSA permissions set by your institution. When you select the type of advisor, Anthology Student displays additional fields specific to the type of advisor that you can select when you are inserting fields from the Anthology Student database into correspondence. For example, if you select Academic Records, you can select fields like <studentadvisorlastname>, <studentadvisorfirstname>, and <studentadvisoremail>. The list displays areas that you are authorized to access. The fields are displayed only if you select a value in the Event Type list where the correspondence is an email, letter, or SMS text message. Name The name of the item (e.g., data set, batch, job, process, task, person, organization, entity, file). Prompt for Follow-Up Select Yes to specify that the staff member is prompted to add a follow-up task when this task is closed. Select No to specify that a follow-up task is not needed.

5. The actions you take and the remaining values you specify, depend on the type of task you selected in the Event Type list.

   Auto Disb. Cancellation, Disb. To Re-expect Alert, E-Mail Staff, Job Notification E-mail, Waitlist Email to Student

   1. Specify or change the Email Subject The text that appears in the subject line of the email. It contains the subject configured by your organization for the type of task and can be edited.

   2. If you are creating a new task template, select Save on the toolbar.

   3. Under Additional Information, specify or change the values.

      Attachments Select the field to display a list of documents that are automatically added to the task when the task template is selected. The list contains the documents that your institution has configured with Send Out or Send & Return for the Document Type.

      Email Message Area that you can use to create a template for the message. For example, you can specify and format the text. You can also use the Show Drag Panel icon in the toolbar (green arrow) to display a list of fields in the Anthology Student database that can be merged into the letter when it is generated. For example, you can drag <campusaddress> to any location in the text, and the address of the campus will be inserted into the letter when it is generated. Fields that are school-defined in the list are listed last and have the suffix _SDF. For example, <schoolfield_SDF>. Merge fields are not available for an Event Type of Waitlist Email to Student. If you have permission, you can also select Source to edit the HTML source for the email or copy -formatted text from Microsoft Word. If you are copying text from Notepad, you do not need to select Source. The fields that you can select depend on the value you selected for Event Type and From Advisor (if available).

   4. To preview the email and test any hyperlinks you added in the message text, select the Preview () button.

   E-Mail Organization, E-Mail Student, E-Mail to Employer

   1. Specify or change the values.

      Employer Select Required to specify that the staff member must select an employer when they add or edit the task. Employers are configured by your institution. If you selected E-Mail Employer in the Event Type list, it is set to Required and cannot be changed. Employer Contact Select Required to specify that the staff member must select an employer contact when adding or editing a task. Job Select Required to specify that the staff member must select a job when adding or editing the task. Organization Select Required to specify that the staff member must select an organization when adding or editing a task.

      Organization Contact Select Required to specify that the staff member must select a contact when they add or edit the task. Organization Type The only option is High School. If you select High School, Anthology Student only displays the task template as an option when you add tasks on the High School Tasks page. (Processes > Admissions > High School Tasks). You cannot select the task template in any other location in the product. Student Select Required to specify that the staff member must select a student when they add or edit the task. If you selected E-Mail Student in the Event Type list, it is set to Required and cannot be changed.

   2. If you are creating a new task template, select Save on the toolbar.

   3. Under Additional Information, specify or change the values.

      Attachments Select the field to display a list of documents that are automatically added to the task when the task template is selected. The list contains the documents that your institution has configured with Send Out or Send & Return for the Document Type.

      Email Message Area that you can use to create a template for the message. For example, you can specify and format the text. You can also use the Show Drag Panel icon in the toolbar (green arrow) to display a list of fields in the Anthology Student database that can be merged into the letter when it is generated. For example, you can drag <campusaddress> to any location in the text, and the address of the campus will be inserted into the letter when it is generated. Fields that are school-defined in the list are listed last and have the suffix _SDF. For example, <schoolfield_SDF>. Merge fields are not available for an Event Type of Waitlist Email to Student. If you have permission, you can also select Source to edit the HTML source for the email or copy -formatted text from Microsoft Word. If you are copying text from Notepad, you do not need to select Source. The fields that you can select depend on the value you selected for Event Type and From Advisor (if available).

   4. To preview the email and test any hyperlinks you added in the message text, select the Preview () button.

   Incident

   1. Review, specify, or change the values.

      Incident Type The codes for student conduct violations that occur on a campus. For example, theft or an argument. They are configured by your institution.

      Location Select Required to specify that a location is required when a staff member adds an incident and selects this task template.

   2. If you are creating a new task template, select Save on the toolbar.

   3. Review, specify, or change the values.

      Attachments Select the field to display a list of documents that are automatically added to the task when the task template is selected. The list contains the documents that your institution has configured with Send Out or Send & Return for the Document Type.

      Note Area that displays, or that you can use, to specify comments or additional information related to the record or subject.

   Meeting, Incoming Phone Call, Outgoing Phone Call

   1. Review, specify, or change the values.

      Employer Select Required to specify that the staff member must select an employer when they add or edit the task. Employers are configured by your institution. If you selected E-Mail Employer in the Event Type list, it is set to Required and cannot be changed. Employer Contact Select Required to specify that the staff member must select an employer contact when adding or editing a task. Job Select Required to specify that the staff member must select a job when adding or editing the task. Organization Select Required to specify that the staff member must select an organization when adding or editing a task.

      Organization Contact Select Required to specify that the staff member must select a contact when they add or edit the task. Organization Type The only option is High School. If you select High School, Anthology Student only displays the task template as an option when you add tasks on the High School Tasks page. (Processes > Admissions > High School Tasks). You cannot select the task template in any other location in the product. Show comments online with task Select the check box to specify that the comments you specify in the Comments box are displayed in Portal. (Meetings only)  Student Select Required to specify that the staff member must select a student when they add or edit the task. If you selected E-Mail Student in the Event Type list, it is set to Required and cannot be changed.

   2. If you are creating a new task template, select Save on the toolbar.

   3. Under Additional Information, select New in the Questions grid. Anthology Student displays a dialog.

   4. In the dialog, specify the format and question.

      Data Type Specifies the type of data for the answer. If you selected Yes/No, True/False, or List of Values, the value is set to Text. If you selected Plain Text, you can specify a format of Text, Date, or Numeric. If you select Date or Numeric, the field only accepts values in those formats. Question Specify the text of the question you want to add to the form or want the staff member to ask.

      Question Code If your institution assigns a numeric or character code, specify the code. Anthology Student appends the code to the value for Question Number. For example, if the Question Number is 1 and you specify 2, the question number will be 12. Question Type Specifies how the question is answered. If you want to select from a specific list, select List of Values. If you want a Yes or No answer, select Yes/No. If the answer is true or false, select True/False. If you want to specify free-form text, select Plain Text.

   5. If you selected List of Values for Question Type, select Add. (You can also remove and copy rows for List of Values. For all other types, Anthology Student populates the grid with rows appropriate for the type of question, and remove and copy are not available.)

   6. Complete the Actions grid.

      Action Indicates the action for the record (such as create or delete; import or update; update, delete, or unlock). Answer Specifies the answer to the question. Anthology Student uses the answer with the operator to determine the action and whether to schedule any selected task. Code The alphanumeric code assigned to the item by your institution. In most cases, codes must be unique. Select or assign the code for this item. Name The name of the item (e.g., data set, batch, job, process, task, person, organization, entity, file).

      Operator (advanced search) The operator used to evaluate the answer. You can use = with any value for the Data Type. For example, you can specify an action and schedule tasks if the answer is new and a different action if the answer is existing. You can specify <> if the value you selected for Data Type is Text, Numeric, or Date. You can specify <,<=, >, and >= if the value for Data Type is Numeric or Date. Request Document Select the document to request for the condition specified by the operator and answer in the row. Schedule Task Select the task you want to be scheduled for the condition specified by the operator and answer in the row. For example, if the Data Type is Date and the operator >=, you can automatically schedule a task when the answer is a date greater than or equal to the answer from the person questioned.

   7. Save your changes.

   8. To preview and test the script, select Preview.

   Message

   None

   Other Task

   1. Select Save on the toolbar.

   2. Specify or change the Note Area that displays, or that you can use, to specify comments or additional information related to the record or subject..

   Letter

   1. If you are creating a new task template, select Save. Anthology Student displays Upload Letter and Download Letter next to Event Type.

   2. To create the letter, select Download Letter. Anthology Student downloads a .docx and .txt file.

   3. In your download location, right-select the .docx and .txt files and select Properties.

   4. If there is an Unblock check box, select the check box and select OK.

   5. Open the .docx file.

   6. If you receive a message asking you: 

      • If it is okay to place data from the database into your document, select Yes

      • To find a data source, select Find Data Source and select the .txt file with the same name as the .docx file that you opened

      Anthology Student displays the document in Word.

   7. Write the letter. To insert fields from the Anthology Student database, select the Mailings tab and Insert Merge Fields. Word displays the fields in the database appropriate for letters and the value you selected for From Advisor.

   8. When you are done writing the letter, save your work.

   9. Return to the Task Templates page in Anthology Student.

   10. Select Upload Letter, then select Select Letter, and select the .docx file.

   11. Select Upload. Anthology Student uploads the letter and displays the name in the Task Template field.

   12. Review, specify, or change the values.

       Employer Select Required to specify that the staff member must select an employer when they add or edit the task. Employers are configured by your institution. If you selected E-Mail Employer in the Event Type list, it is set to Required and cannot be changed. Employer Contact Select Required to specify that the staff member must select an employer contact when adding or editing a task. Job Select Required to specify that the staff member must select a job when adding or editing the task. Organization Select Required to specify that the staff member must select an organization when adding or editing a task.

       Organization Contact Select Required to specify that the staff member must select a contact when they add or edit the task. Organization Type The only option is High School. If you select High School, Anthology Student only displays the task template as an option when you add tasks on the High School Tasks page. (Processes > Admissions > High School Tasks). You cannot select the task template in any other location in the product. Student Select Required to specify that the staff member must select a student when they add or edit the task. If you selected E-Mail Student in the Event Type list, it is set to Required and cannot be changed.

   13. Under Additional Information, review, specify, or change the values.

       Send To Select the recipient of the message. If you select Student, you must select the type of address in the Send to Address field. If you select Employer or Organization, Anthology Student addresses the letter to the address in the system for the employer or organization.

       Send to Address If you selected Student in the Send To list, you must select the type of address. Address types are configured by your organization and selected by staff members when they are added to the Related Addresses list (Students > select the student >Contact Manager > Related Addresses).

   14. Add the Documents Select the field to display a list of documents that are automatically added to the task when the task template is selected. Anthology Student does not gather and print these documents when the letter is printed. If you need to print other materials with the letter, select them in the Linked Letters list (such as labels, brochures, and forms). The list contains the documents that your institution has configured. and Linked Letters Select the list of materials that are to be gathered and sent with the letter when it is printed. When you print the letter, Anthology Student also prints the linked materials (such as other letter activities, letters, labels, and documents). If you want a document added to the task when it is selected but not printed with the letter, use the Documents list to specify those materials..

   15. Save your changes.

   To remove a letter, select Upload Letter, review the document name, and select Clear Letter.

   SMS-Text Message

   1. Select a value for Sms Sent As Email Select Yes to specify that Anthology Student sends an email in place of an SMS message when certain conditions are met. For example, the student must have a valid email on their Student Profile.

   2. Select Save on the toolbar.

   3. Specify or change the SMS Message Area that you can use to specify the body of the message or alert. You can also use the Show Drag Panel icon in the toolbar (green arrow) to display a list of fields in the Anthology Student database that can be merged into the message or alert when it is generated. For example, you can drag <campusphone> to any location in the text, and the phone number for the campus will be inserted into the message or alert when it is generated. The fields you can select depend on the value you selected for Event Type and From Advisor (if available). Merge fields are not available for the Event Types of Job Notification Alert and Waitlist Web Alert to Student. You can use around 320 characters with mail merge. Anthology Student displays a message if the message exceeds the maximum length for the SMS provider. Note: In release 25.1.1, as with previous versions, Anthology Student supports only one-way communication. This means that if a student opts out of SMS notifications by sending STOP, the system will automatically unsubscribe. This SMS functionality is not intended for emergency communications..

   You can view the task that is created when an SMS is initiated after a student subscribes to SMS from the Student Web App or Student Portal.

   For example, SMS Subscription message -

   Student Web App Task (SMSWEB).

   • An SMS subscription was selected on your behalf of you, you have been invited to receive SMS notifications. Reply with: START to opt-in and receive messages. STOP to opt-out and stop receiving messages.

   Portal Task (SMSPRTL).

   • You have opted to Subscribe to SMS, you have been invited to receive SMS notifications. Reply with: START to opt-in and receive messages. STOP to opt-out and stop receiving messages.

   Job Notification Alert, Student Alert, Waitlist Web Alert To Student

   1. Select Save on the toolbar.

   2. Specify or change the Message Area that you can use to specify the body of the message or alert. You can also use the Show Drag Panel icon in the toolbar (green arrow) to display a list of fields in the Anthology Student database that can be merged into the message or alert when it is generated. For example, you can drag <campusphone> to any location in the text, and the phone number for the campus will be inserted into the message or alert when it is generated. The fields you can select depend on the value selected for Event Type and From Advisor (if available). Merge fields are not available for the Event Types of Job Notification Alert and Waitlist Web Alert to Student. If you are specifying an SMS text message, the length of the text message depends on the SMS provider. Anthology Student displays a message if the message exceeds the maximum length for the SMS provider. Note: In release 24.3.2, as with previous versions, the Anthology Student system supports only one-way communication. This means that if a student opts out of SMS notifications by sending STOP, the institution is responsible for establishing its own business process to manage and facilitate the opt-in/opt-out functionality (Subscribe to SMS) for SMS. It should be noted that this SMS functionality is not intended for emergency communications. For more information on "Enable SMS via Anthology Cloud", refer to the Advanced Features help page..

   For information about mail merge codes, refer to Background for Mail Merge Codes.

6. If the campus is integrated with CampusNexus CRM, specify or change the values.

   CRM Effective Date For tasks integrated with CRM, specifies the date when the integration is effective. Tasks before the date are not integrated.

   CRM Integration If your institution has configured CRM integration, this option filters the report. If you select Yes, only task types that have been configured to be integrated with CRM are displayed in the report. If you select No, the report displays tasks that have not been configured to be integrated with CRM.

7. Save your changes.

Format Data Merged for Mail Merge Codes in Letters

In letters, you can format the data merged into the document using the mail merge codes. For example, you can add the decimal separator (,) in amounts.

You can specify any format supported in Microsoft Word.

Follow this process to format a mail merge code in a letter.

1. In the letter you downloaded, select the mail merge code.

2. Right select and select Toggle Field Codes. Microsoft Word displays the code in the following format.

   { MERGEFIELD mergecodename }

3. Specify the formatting.

   For example, to add a decimal separator (,) in the amount displayed for the StudentARBalance mail merge code, specify: 

   { MERGEFIELD StudentARBalance \# #,##0.00 }

4. Select the code.

5. Right select and select Update Field.

6. Save the document and follow the steps to upload it again.

Limitations

You cannot edit the values for Code and Active for list items that have a Yes in the System column. These items are defined by Anthology Student.

Housing Status Submitted Template

This is an E-Mail template for staff members. Some of its properties are system-defined while others can be modified.

• Description: Housing Status Submitted

• Code: HS

• Campuses: All Campuses

• Active: Yes

• Event Type: Other Task

  This can be configured as suitable.

  Below is the Housing status submitted by Student - {StudentFirstName} {StudentLastName} - {StudentID}

  Housing Status: {Housing status} for the Award Year - {Award Year}

Student Packaging Alert Template

This is an E-Mail template for students. Some of its properties are system-defined while others can be modified.

• Description: Student Packaging Alert

• Code: SA

• Campuses: All Campuses

• Active: Yes

• Category: Alert Emails

• Event Type: Student Alert

• Message: This can be configured as suitable.

  Dear, {StudentFirstName} {StudentLastName} - {StudentID}

  Your packaging of Awards is complete for the <programversiondesc>. Please visit Financial Aid Overview page - {FinancialAidOverviewPageLink} (You cannot place a link here for an Alert.) My Financial Aid-->Financial Aid Overview.

  (Passive Acceptance ON)

  Please review your Awards, Grants & Scholarship and provide your consent within {PassiveAcceptanceDays}. Please provide your response within {PassiveAcceptanceDays} else all the awards will be marked as Approved automatically.

  (Passive Acceptance OFF)

  Please review your Awards, Grants & Scholarship and provide your response for the same.

  For any discrepancies, please contact Financial Aid Advisor.

  Sincerely,

  <campusname>