Mobile App for school leaders: Send notifications to mobile app users from Messages

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Misty Flowers

Finalsite's Mobile App supports push notifications sent through the Messages module. There are two types: Promotional push notifications (for non-urgent, newsletter-style messages requiring user opt-in) and Important Announcement pushes (for urgent messages to all app users). Configuration requires setting up permissions and list settings in Messages first.

💡Quick answers

  • What is the difference between a Promotional and an Important Announcement push notification? Promotional pushes go to users who have opted in to a list and toggled on notifications; Important Announcements go to all app users regardless of subscription status, reserved for urgent communications.
  • Where do users manage their mobile app push notification preferences? From the Notifications section in their portal menu; users can toggle which lists send them push notifications.
  • What must be configured before push notifications can be sent? The appropriate Message type and list settings must be configured, users must have the app installed with notifications enabled, and sending permissions must be set for the relevant admin groups.
  • Is this feature available to all Finalsite clients worldwide? Push notifications from Messages are part of the Mobile App offering; contact your Client Success Manager to confirm your current app configuration.

You can send notifications to your mobile app users from Messages. Finalsite's dual-platform mobile app comes with the capability to send push messages to your app users, if they sign up for it. Sending a push notification is handled through Messages. This article outlines the different ways you can send notifications to mobile app users from Messages.

 

 

This is a Help for school leaders article, helping to provide school staff members with everything they need to use Finalsite's Mobile App.

 

In this article

Understand different message types

It's important to understand that the way notifications are sent to mobile app users depends upon the message type. Let's review how your users will see these different types:

Promotional pushes to mobile app

Promotional messages are non-urgent, newsletter-type messages. Those receiving notifications on their mobile app will be recipients who are on a List that you choose in Messages when sending your promotional message.

toggle off and on to receive notifications for certain lists.png

Important Note

For Promotional messages, only users on the selected list(s) who've subscribed to those lists will receive mobile app push notifications. 

Important Announcement pushes to mobile app

Important announcement messages are urgent and emergency messages sent out. They behave a bit differently than promotional messages when it comes to sending push notifications to the mobile app.

  • When selecting recipients for an Important Announcement message, recipients are selected from Groups which consist of the data living in Constituent Manager in each person's account profile.
  • It's not possible for your mobile app users to toggle off or unsubscribe to Important Announcement message notifications. You can see the toggle next to this category cannot be toggled off or on. 

not possible to adjust important announcement notifications.png

  • All mobile app users are automatically subscribed to receive notifications for Important Announcements. 
  • Mobile app users cannot turn off Important Announcement notifications from coming to their mobile apps. As you can see in the screenshot above, the toggle is unable to be toggled off.
  • Selecting only a certain group will not override the fact that all mobile app users will still receive an Important Announcement; however, you can select a location to target when sending out your message. 
    • For example, a fire drill will take place at your high school campus today. Send out a message as a mobile app notification and Target Location(s) by clicking Select Locations
      Target Location.png

Important Note

It doesn’t matter which group(s) are selected with regard to sending a notification to mobile app from an Important Announcement message send. All mobile app users will receive Important Announcement message notifications.

Step 1: Configure settings and permissions

Configure List settings for promotional messages

Learn more here about how to make your lists available so that mobile app users can subscribe to them.

Do you prefer a quick video tutorial? 

If so, skip ahead to the "Create/Modify Lists for the App" tutorial below.

Here's how to configure your List settings for Promotional messages:

  1. Allow App Notifications Checkbox: Navigate to Messages > Lists feature. Open up each list you'd like to make available for your mobile app users to subscribe to and configure List Settings > General tab. Learn more at "Configure List Settings." 

  2. Check the Allow App Notifications checkbox. This checkbox makes the list show up on the Notifications area of the mobile app.  

    list settings > allow app notifications.png

     

  3. Privacy tab > Everyone or Constituents Only: Change to Everyone or Constituents Only, as appropriate. Your list can also be used as a regular email mailing list, simplifying your communications to those who would prefer emails or app notification alerts.
    Privacy _ everyone or constituents only.png
  4. Success! Once the list has been created with the Allow App Notifications option selected, notifications can be configured by the app user. The Notifications options in the app will only appear when you have have at least one mailing list with Allow App Notifications enabled. 

Once you configure your list settings, your mobile app users can toggle on and off next to lists they'd like to receive notifications for on their mobile apps. The first time they select to receive notifications, they will receive a system message confirming this choice. 

toggle off and on to receive notifications for certain lists.png

When you push out communication from Messages to your Mobile App channel, if the user has selected a certain list in notifications, they will receive a notification when you send to that list. 

To learn more about how your mobile app users can manage their notifications and what it looks like on their end, check out the article, "Manage your mobile app notifications." 

Quick Tutorial: Create/Modify Lists for the App

1. To configure a list to send notifications through the mobile app, we begin in the Messages product, in the Lists section.

Step 1 image

2. In this example, we will update the settings for an existing list. If a new list is being created, these same steps still apply. Click Alumni Newsletter

Step 2 image

3. Click List Settings

Step 3 image

4. In the General tab, click Allow App Notifications. This makes the list show up in the Notifications area of the app.

Step 4 image

5. Click Privacy

Step 5 image

6. If you only want this list available to logged-in users, such as for current parent news, select Constituents Only.

Step 6 image

7. Then, select the role or sub-group who will have the ability to sign up for this list in the app.

Step 7 image

8. If this list is open to the public, such as a general newsletter list, click Everyone.

Step 8 image

9. Click Save.

Step 9 image

10. Repeat this for any additional lists that need to be available in the app.

Step 10 image

** Best experienced in Full Screen (click the icon in the top right corner before you begin) **

https://www.iorad.com/player/2454300/Create-Modify-Lists-for-the-App

Configure Important Announcement Message settings

No settings need to be configured in order to select Constituents and/or Groups to receive Important Announcement messages.

Important Note

All mobile app users will receive Important Announcement messages regardless of their notification settings. 

Configure message sending permissions

In order to push messages to mobile app users, admin users must set Global Messages permissions at the Channel Selection level. Here's how: 

  1. Confirm the admin user's level in Messages permissions > Global Level tab.
  2. Make a selection in the Channel Selection column. Learn more in the article, "Messages permissions" in the Global tab, by expanding out the Channel Selection accordion. 
  3. Click the pencil next to each dropdown to configure the channels each admin user group can select to send messages to. 
  4. Select Mobile App in the Channel Selection View Permission dropdown.   

global messages channel selection.pngchannel selection view permission.png

Step 2: App users can now manage their mobile app notifications

Once the list has been created with the Allow App Notifications option selected, notifications can be configured by the app user. The Notifications options in the app will only appear when you have have at least one mailing list with Allow App Notifications enabled. 

Mobile app user can configure app notifications

  • To configure app notifications, tap on your profile bubble in the top right corner. If not logged in, the user will see a Settings gear where they can configure settings that will be saved, as well.
  • In the Preferences section, tap Notifications. 
  • Toggle off and on depending on which lists you'd like to receive notifications for. The first time users select to receive notifications, they will receive a system message confirming this choice. 

profile bubble.png    notifications area.png

Preferences for their selected lists will appear on the Notifications screen. 

notifications area on home screen.png         notifications click to read full message.png

Step 3: Push a message to mobile app users

Learn how to create a message that you can send out to mobile app users in the article, "Send messages from Messages and Messages XR" by skipping straight to the Include other channels section and clicking on the Mobile Apps accordion to expand out the directions. 

Recipients will see the message as a notification on their device, and tapping it will take them to the Notifications section of the Mobile App. A log of messages sent to the list will be available.

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