Batch E-mailing options |
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There are a few options you can adjust for when sending multiple E-mails from the E-mail list reports (also known as "batch e-mailing" -- we prefer not to use the term "mass E-mail" since this isn't to be used for spam). These options are found in Maintenance / E-mail Setup / Batch E-mail options.
"Send in groups of..." and "Pause for..." settings
These are used to define the size of the "fast" batches and how long to pause between each group. For instance, it may send 10 at a time, with a 5-second pause between them. This is partly to allow you a chance to cancel during sending (during each pause period), but is also helpful in keeping your E-mail provider from flagging you as sending spam. The recommended settings are groups of 10, with a 5-second pause. While it may be tempting to use a large group size and/or small pause to make it go fast, be very careful with this as your E-mail provider may not be happy with it, possibly causing cancellation of E-mail service.
Skip Auto-BCC'ing
If you have a BCC (blind carbon copy) set up in the SMTP settings so that you get a copy of every E-mail sent, that would normally apply to batches also. If you don't need to get a copy of every one, then you can set the Skip option(s) so that the BCC is ignored when sending more than one E-mail at a time. Also keep in mind the Audit Trail reporting (below), which may or may not have full copies of the E-mails as well.
There are separate settings for "with transactions" vs "without transactions", so for instance you can skip the BCC when there are no transactions (e.g. general notices) but still get copies of every customer's invoice with transactions.
Audit trail includes full E-mail text
Normally (for single E-mails), the Audit Trail includes a full copy of every E-mail sent. However this isn't recommended when sending batches due to the amount of space it would take, so these options are off by default. If you really want it turned on you can do so, but for instance if you send a notice to 2000 seasonal customers, and each one is 3000 characters, that's 6 Meg instantly added to your database size (not to mention the synchronization time it would take for networked systems). This affects how long it takes each time you save the database, start the program, etc., so it's worthwhile keeping it to a minimum.
Also keep in mind that with these turned off, the Audit Trail will still show each E-mail sent but will simply include the Form name for reference (e.g. "E-mail receipt"). Also, if it's a free-form message (entered at the time of sending rather than a pre-defined Form), then the full text will be shown in the Audit Trail's "Preparing to send" entry for the batch.
General warning about batch-sending E-mails
Any time you send large quantities of E-mail, you risk being labeled as a "spammer" by your customers, your internet service provider, your E-mail provider (e.g. G-Mail), or any number of E-mail black-list organizations. Therefore we caution you to be very conservative with E-mail sending. Do your due diligence in finding out what restrictions your providers may have and study the general best practices discussed on the Internet. Limit E-mail sending to only recent customers who have a legitimate need to know about what you're sending them. We cannot be responsible for any issues that may arise from sending mass E-mails or for the content of those E-mails.
Additional Topics:
Confirmation E-mail Text & Options
Invoice, Receipt and Statement E-mail text