Email Notification Levels

Email Notifications Levels

iLMS offers a wide variety of email notifications to keep your organization informed of upcoming, in-progress, or past due training. The settings for email notifications can be controlled globally at the Organization Email Notifications page or if there is a need for more granular settings particular to a course, a group, or a user, then settings can be tailored to meet those needs.

Organization-Level Settings  
Settings Tab -> Email Notifications  
This is the main control center for email notifications. Most Notifications that can be sent by the iLMS can be enabled or disabled here.  

Group Level Settings  
Courses Tab -> Enroll by Group -> Email Notifications Icon for select Group  
If you've created groups to organize your users and assign training, you can utilize Group Email Notifications to consolidate enrollment emails and trigger the email send up addition to a group with assigned courses.  

Course-Level Settings  
Courses Tab -> SCORM/CMI5 -> Click a course Title -> Select "Email Notifications from left pane  
Email notifications such as the enrollment email can be modified for a specific course as opposed to using the standard Enrollment email at the organization-level.  

User-Level Settings  
Found in Users Profile  
At times the need may arise to modify email settings for just an individual user. This can be done through the user's profile.  

Prioritization of Email Notification Settings 

Inspired eLearning offers the option to modify and turn email notifications on/off at User, Course and Organization Levels to tailor communication to the organization's needs.

Please read below for an overview of the process necessary to update notification settings in the iLMS:

• The system will first verify the email notification settings at the Organization-Level.  
  Note: If notification is for enrollment/un-enrollment via Group and the Organization-level emails for these notifications are enabled, 
• The system will then verify the notification settings at the Group-Level (if applicable) If the organization level email notifications are turned on, 
• The system will then verify the notification settings at the Course-Level (if applicable)
• If the notification type is enabled in all prior locations, then the system will verify the notification settings at the User-Level. 
• If all levels of are turned on for the notification type, then the system will send the email to the user(s).

Exception

• Forgot Password Emails - CANNOT be disabled at any level
  • The Forgot Password link can however be removed from the Organization login screen.

Global Notification Settings

Organization-Level (Global) Email Notification Settings

Organization -> Settings -> Email Notifications 

Navigate to Email Notifications under the Settings tab.

• The Turn Off Email Notifications checkbox is the first option. 
  • When checked email notifications will not be sent from this iLMS account, except for password reset emails.
  • By default, the checkbox will be unchecked

All of the Notifications are listed in the categories shown above.  Click the + sign to expand any category and see the notifications listed within.

To enable any notification, click the "To " button in the applicable recipient column. When the button is bold, the notification is turned on.

Recipients  

Of course, each notification can be sent to end users, but the iLMS also allows other individuals, such as a user's supervisor or the org administrator, to receive a copy when it is sent out.

• User  
  This option enables the notification to be sent to users.
• Supervisor  
  This will send a copy of a user's notification to the user's respective supervisor. The supervisor is identified by the "Supervisor Name" and "Supervisor email" listed in the user's profile.
• Realm Administrator  
  This option sends a copy of the notification to the User's notification to the respective realm administrator(s). This is determined by the role assigned to the administrator, whether it is marked for Realm administrator notifications, and whether the user receiving a notification is within the realm specified for the admin. 
• Author/Instructor  
  This sends a copy of a user's notification to the Instructor of the course, if the course in question is Instructor-Led. This also allows the author or creator of a particular course to receive copies of user notifications relating to their course.
• Primary Org Admin  
  This option sends a copy of a user's notification to the email address specified for Primary org admin, usually a distro decided upon on-boarding to iLMS and it may also be the email address from which iLMS notifications are sent.
• Others  
  The others blank allows you to specify an email address that does not fit in the other categories listed to which copies of users' notifications will be sent.  
  Note: If you specify an email address that is included in one of the other types the settings for the type under which the email address qualifies will override the settings for "Other".  
  For example if the Primary org admin email is listed here, BUT the Primary Org Admin notification is disabled, the email will not be sent.

System Email Header

The system email header will serve as the from address for all communication sent from iLMS.  This can be left as our system default, or if your organization would like to specify an email address that will be more familiar to your users, you can add your own email address.

Location:   
Settings Tab -> Email Notifications -> System Email Header sub-tab

Default Email Address

By default the iLMS will use our default "admin@inspiredlms.com" as the system email header.

Custom Email Address

Your organization does have the ability to add your own email address as the system email header.  

This can be the email address used as primary organization admin, or a separate email address.

The benefit of this option is the ability to use an email address that is already trusted by your internal users, and it also allows your users a channel of communication back to the team within your organization that can assist them with questions about their training or any issues they encounter.

If you'd like to use a custom email address from your organization, please mention this to your Technical Account Manager with Inspired eLearning so they can provide you with the details your IT team will need to add to the SPF records.  iLMS has a couple of SMTP service options, so this information will differ depending on which one is in use for your organization.

Display Sender's Name on Email as

This option allows your organization to specify the name that will appear to recipients in the "From" location on an email.

Automatic Reminders

Automatic Reminders allows your organization to automate the process of sending out training reminder emails.

Reminders can be sent out based on past due status or incomplete status. These reminders can be enabled for all courses or only select courses if preferred. This tool also provides the option of sending reminders to Supervisors and/or Realm Admins (based on Role) to help facilitate the completion of training.

Location:   
Settings -> Email Notifications -> Automatic Reminders

Automatic Reminders - Settings

Automatics reminder settings can be adjusted to fit the needs of your organization. To learn more about each section of the settings, read the descriptions corresponding to the numbers in the image below.

1. User Notifications

Enable Reminders   
This option allows you to easily enable and disable course reminders at any time. We recommend waiting to enable this checkbox until the desired settings are specified in the other sections.

Notify Users with:  
This section allows you to enable Automatic Reminders for your users. Here you have the option to have reminders sent for the following.

• Past Due Mandatory Courses  
  This will send the user reminders whenever they have an assigned course with the Requirement type set to Mandatory and a due date which has already passed. These reminders are sent regularly until completion.

• Incomplete Mandatory Course  
  This will send the user reminders for any Mandatory course that is of the status of Not Started or In Progress.These reminders are sent regularly until completion. 
• Past Due Optional Courses  
  This will send the user reminders whenever they have an assigned course with the Requirement type set to Optional and a due date which has already passed. These reminders are sent regularly until completion. 
• Incomplete Mandatory Course   
  This will send the user reminders for any Optional course that is of the status of Not Started or In Progress.These reminders are sent regularly until completion.

For Courses   
By default, all courses are selected for Automatic Reminders. If there are particular courses for which you'd not like users to receive reminders, these can be removed using the "+Add/Remove course(s)" option. 

You can then modify which courses are added to Assigned Courses which will be included for automatic reminders.

For Groups

You can modify which groups are added to Selected Groups which will be included for automatic reminders by using the "+Add/Remove course(s)" option.  

Recurrence  
This section allows you to specify how often reminders are sent to Users.

2. Supervisor Notifications

Enable Reminders   
This option allows you to easily enable and disable course reminders at any time. We recommend waiting to enable this checkbox until the desired settings are specified in the other sections.

Notify Users with:

This section allows you to enable reminders for supervisors of employees who still need to complete training. Supervisors are identified by the Supervisor Name and Email fields specified in the Users profile. If these notifications are enabled then any user who receives an Automatic reminder will also be included on a list in an email to their supervisor.  
All employees reporting to a particular supervisor (matching Supervisor email ID) will be aggregated in a list notifying the supervisor the employees need to complete their assigned training.

For Courses   
By default, all courses are selected for Automatic Reminders. If there are particular courses for which you'd not like users to receive reminders, these can be removed using the "+Add/Remove course(s)" option. 

You can then modify which courses are added to Assigned Courses which will be included for automatic reminders.

Recurrence  
This section allows you to specify how often reminders are sent to Users.

3. Realm Administrator Notifications

Enable Reminders   
This option allows you to easily enable and disable course reminders at any time. We recommend waiting to enable this checkbox until the desired settings are specified in the other sections.

Notify Users with:

This section functions similarly to that of the Supervisor Notification, but will instead send notifications to individuals assigned the Realm Admin Role in iLMS or who are assigned a custom role with the option enabled to receive Realm Admin email notifications. These individuals will be provided a list of users in their Realm who have not completed assigned training per the settings specified.

For Courses   
By default, all courses are selected for Automatic Reminders. If there are particular courses for which you'd not like users to receive reminders, these can be removed using the "+Add/Remove course(s)" option. 

You can then modify which courses are added to Assigned Courses which will be included for automatic reminders.

Recurrence  
This section allows you to specify how often reminders are sent to Realm Admins. 

Editing the Notifications 

Clicking the "Edit Template" button next to each title allows you to edit the e-mail templates that are being sent to users, supervisors, or realm administrators.

Group Notification Settings

If your organization has chosen to assign training to Groups in iLMS, Group  Email Notifications can be used to inform group members of their assigned training. The benefit of using the Group Enrollment email as opposed to the individual course enrollment email is that the Group email can list all courses assigned to the group in one email as opposed to sending an email per course in which they are enrolled.

To enable Group Email Notifications, navigate to the location here for your group:

Group Email Notification Settings

1. Enable Notifications to the Group by placing a check in this box. 
2. Groups have the option of using 1 of two different notifications. 
   1. The Group can utilize the template for Enrollment by Group found under Settings Tab -> Email Notifications click the link next to the option to view the template that will be sent. 
   2. Groups also have the option of using the regular course enrollment email template by checking the option for Course Level enrollment/un-enrollment email notifications. This will use whatever option is enable for the assigned course(s) 
3. The triggers that will determine the actions which trigger the notifications to send.  
   These involve either the addition/removal of the user from the group or the addition/removal of a course from assignment to the group.

Course-level Notification Settings

Located Here:

Course Tab -> SCORM/CMI5 or  iComposer -> [Course Name] - General Settings Window - Email Notifications 

To access Course-Level Email notifications for a Course follow the steps below:

• Navigate to SCORM/CMI5 or iComposer under the Courses tab.  (wherever courses are listed generally)
• Open the General Settings window by clicking on the course name. 
• Under the Settings tree in the left pane, click on Email Notifications. 
• At this location, you can select for the course to either use Organization settings for this course, or you can alter settings and templates for the specific course. Shown below. 
  • The settings operate much like Global email notifications, but these settings will only apply to the one course.  
     

To Disable Notifications for only a Specific Course:

• The Turn Off Email Notifications checkbox will be at the top of the Email Notification Settings options. A check mark indicates that email notifications of course reminders will no longer be sent to users registered to this course. 
• Click Save to apply these settings. 
• If the checkbox is turned on, then both radio buttons for the email notification rules at the organization and course levels will be disabled. All course-level email notifications will not go out. By default, the checkbox will be unchecked.

User Notification Settings

Location:  
Users -> Find User --> Click [User Name] -> User Profile Window

1. Navigate to the  Users Tab  on the  top navigation bar, Select "Users" from the menu
2. Use the search tool, "Users" to search for the individual. 
3. Open the user profile window by clicking on an individuals name. 
4. Scroll down until you see the Email Notification option.

5. Select an option from the Email Notifications drop-down.  
6. Click Save.

NOTE: This drop-down menu will appear only on the Profile Page and is not an available option during the registration process. By default, the user will be able to receive any notifications.

Notification Types, ENable Location, and Triggers

Editing Email Templates

To Edit any email template, simply click the name of the notification to bring up the editor. This works anywhere notifications are listed.

In the template  editor, there is a range of tools to modify the email template. 

1. System Variables  
   iLMS email templates come with a handful of system variables which will plug info such as Users names, employee IDs, and login URLs. These vary by email template and a description of the content which the system variable will populate is provided in the right column of the System Variable tray. 
2. Language 
   This allows you to toggle between and modify translations of the email template as well as the default English. 
   Note: Providing translated text for customized emails is the responsibility of the customer organization as this is not a service offered by Inspired eLearning.
3. Subject  
   This will serve as the subject of the email when it is sent to users. System Variables can be used in the subject as well. 
4. Email Body 
   Here you will write the body of your message. Feel free to use System Variables as needed. The Editor offers options for modifying fonts and as well as other formatting options. Hover over any button on the editor bar to read the name of the tool. At the bottom of the editor box, you also have the ability to view the email in HTML format or preview the template.

Mass Email Notifications

Mass Emails grant your organization the ability to send a self-composed communication to Learners in your organization's iLMS account. This tool also allows you to utilize some system variables to easily and  automatically populate details such as the users' names, the login URL,  and the Organization name in your communication.

Creating a Mass Email Template

Mass emails can be written on the fly, but you also have the ability to create a template in advance that can be used again and again. To create your own Mass Email template, navigate to Email Notifications under the settings tab. Shown below:

On the Email Notifications page, click the "Mass Email Templates" sub-tab, shown here:

To get started on creating your new template click the + symbol next to "Add Mass Email Template".  This will bring up the template editor. 

1. System Variables 
   This tray contains a handful of system variables which will can plug in info such as User's names, employee IDs, and login URLs. These  vary by email template and a description of the content which the system variable will populate is provided in the right column of the System Variable tray.
2. Template Name 
   This is a title for the template you are creating which will be visible in the template list for later selection. This name serves as an internal label for the administrator and is not visible to the users which receive the email.
3. Subject 
   This will serve as the subject of the email when it is sent to users. System Variables can be used in the subject as well.
4. Email Body 
   Here you will write the body of your message. Feel free to use System Variables as needed. The Editor offers options for modifying fonts and as well as other formatting options. Hover over any button on the editor bar to read the name of the tool. At the bottom of the editor box, you also have the ability to view the email in HTML format or preview the template.
5. Save 
   This will save your template in the list of template options for later use in Mass Emails. Once the template has been saved you can go back and add additional translations for your template.
6. Language 
   Once you've saved the initial template you can then add translations to your template if preferred to toggle between languages use the Language drop-down which will appear under System Variables after saving the initial template. 

Sending a Mass Email

Whether you've created a template, or just want to create a message on the fly. Your organization can send out a manual mass email to users within your organization to keep them informed throughout their training.

Location: 
Users Tab -> Mass Email -> Users

This will take you to  page with two options. The first will let you compose your own mass email.

After selecting  the Users option to create your own list of users, you will be taken to the user search tool in order to select the users who will receive the mass email communication. This feature works just like the user search tool. 

After all the desired recipients are checked, navigate to the --Select Action-- dropdown list and select "Mass Email"

On the next page, you will have the option to send a mass email to a custom list of users either by writing up your own email, or using a template previously created. 

The editor then allows you to compose your own email right then, or at the bottom of the pane, you also have the option to Select a previously created template.

The language option will change the language used in the System Variables based on the language field in the User Profile and utilize any saved translated templates created with the Mass Email Template Editor.

Once your email is ready, use the Preview button under the editor to see how it will appear, and then from the preview page you can either click Edit to make changes, or hit Send if everything looks good.

User Email Logs

All email communications sent to users from iLMS will be recorded in "User Email Logs".  This useful tool can be used to determine what email communication has been sent to a particular user or to the organization as a whole.

Location: 
Logs Tab -> User Email Log

The User Email log offers a variety of filters to narrow down results to a specific email or handful of emails.

If left blank, these filters will display all available logs for your organization's email communications sorted by most recent.

1. Email ID 
   This filters the logs by the "Sent To" field. This can be used to locate communication sent to a particular user, and can be useful for situations in which a user indicates they may not be receiving emails.
2. Employee ID 
   Since many organizations opt to use Employee ID as the unique identifier for user profiles, the email logs can also be searched by this user profile field.
3. Search in Subject
4. Search in Email Content 
   If you are looking to find information about an email sent by iLMS, but only know the subject-line or body of the email received, these filters will allow you to search for content within the subject or body of the emails sent to users.
5. Email Category 
   If you need to review a particular notification type, such as Forgot Password, Registration, or Completion emails, the Email Category filter will let you  narrow down results to one notification type.

Export 
Any results produced by the User Email logs can be exported to a CSV for further review  in Excel or another CSV program.

Sent By 
This column displays the System Email Header which acts as the "Sender" for all iLMS email notifications.

Email Notifications and Passwordless Login

If your organization has opted to enable passwordless login, iLMS will automatically replace access-related system variables in email templates with passwordless login links.

Learn more about passwordless login here: Passwordless Login

The table below notes which system variables will be impacted and what changes can be expected.