Launch a Marketing Campaign

Some reports allow you to create a marketing campaign based on their output, allowing you to send communications to contacts who meet specific criteria. The delivery options for these reports include marketing options that enable you to generate letters, add activities, or send text messages to the accounts in the report.

Note: This article contains printing instructions that are only applicable if Applied Epic is installed locally on your computer. If you access Epic through a web browser such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Microsoft Edge, you cannot print directly from within the system. See Printing for more information about the printing capabilities available from Epic Browser. All other steps in this article are applicable to both methods of accessing Epic unless stated otherwise.

If you access Applied Epic using a web browser, you must install Layout Builder from Help > Connection Suite to add and edit layouts.

You can launch a marketing campaign based on the results of the following reports:

Prepare the Report

Before launching the marketing campaign, you must first edit one of the aforementioned reports for use with a campaign. If you save a copy of this report, it can be used repeatedly for the same sort of sales campaign.

Access the Reports/Marketing area.
To access the Reports/Marketing area from the Home screen, do one of the following:
- Click Reports/Marketing on the navigation panel.
- Click Areas > Reports/Marketing on the menubar.
- Click the down arrow next to Home on the options bar and select Reports/Marketing.
To access Reports/Marketing from another area of the program, do one of the following:
- Click Home > Reports/Marketing on the menubar.
- Click the down arrow next to Home on the options bar and select Reports/Marketing.
The My Reports list defaults when the Reports/Marketing screen opens. If the report is in a different list, click on My Reports in the view filter and make a different selection.

These are the options:

Account
Activity
Applications
Claim
Client Contracts
General Ledger
Interface
Management
Opportunities
Policy
Transaction

Click to highlight the existing report.
Do one of the following:
- Click the Edit button .
- Double click the report.
The Criteria screen displays. Click on a criterion to change specific items for the report. For example, click on Agency to select the agencies to include/exclude in the report.
Click the Include Selections or Exclude Selections radio button to specify whether the items in the Selected list are to be included or excluded in the report.
There are different fields and/or lists on the right, depending on your criterion selection in the main list:
- Available and Selected Lists
  
  Available items have no bearing on the report. Selected items are included or excluded in the report, depending on your Include Selections or Exclude Selections radio button selection.
  
  To move items between the two lists, click on the item you want to move and click the up arrow button or down arrow button .
  
  To move all of the items in the Available list to the Selected list, click the double down arrow button .
  
  To move all of the items in the Selected list to the Available list, click the double up arrow button .
- Dates
  Select one of the following radio buttons to specify which items to include in the report:
  - All dates: Include items from all dates (i.e. no filtering by date).
  - Blanks only: Include items with blank date fields (if no blank date fields exist, the report returns no information).
  - Fixed date range: Include items from the date range you specify.
  Enter a From date and a Through date, or select dates from the dropdown calendars. To leave either date open, select the corresponding Open checkbox.
  - Relative date range: Include items from a date range relative to the system date. When you run scheduled reports, they include items from the relative date range you define.
  Select the From system date and Through end of system date to define the range:
  Select the minus sign from the dropdown menu to include items from a range of days before and including the system date.
  The Sample Results Based on Date Selections section displays a summary of the items the report will include, based on your selections, if you run it today or one month from today.
- Months
  Select the appropriate radio button:
  - All: Run the report for all months.
  - Range: Enter a From month and year, or select a month and year from the dropdown menus. To leave the From date open, select the Open checkbox above the field.
    
    Enter a Through month or select a month and year from the dropdown calendar. To leave the Through date open, select the Open checkbox above the Through field.
  - Select month: The choices in the dropdown menu are as follows:
  - - Current Default Month: The current month according to your computer.
  - - Open Through Current Default Month: A range of months from the date Applied Epic was first loaded through the current accounting month.
  Select the plus sign in the dropdown menu to run the report for the selected month plus a specific number of months.
  
  Select the minus sign in the dropdown menu to run the report for the selected month minus a specific number of months.
  
  Enter the correct number of Months. To run the report for the selected month only, leave the default entry of 0 Months.
- Radio Button Selections
  
  Select the radio button that applies to the highlighted criterion.
- Range of Account
  Select the appropriate radio button:
  - All: Run the report for all accounts.
  - Range(s): In the Range 1 row, enter at least one letter in the From field to indicate the letter with which the report should begin. Enter at least one letter in the Through field to indicate the letter with which the report should end. Repeat this procedure for additional ranges.
Each report includes a special criterion called Parameter Page. When you include it, the first page of the report lists all of the criteria you used to generate the report so you can refer to them later. If you do not want a parameter page, select the Parameter Page criterion and click the Exclude Parameter Page radio button.
Include additional criteria if desired.
1. Click the Add button to the left of the list to open the Add Criteria window.
2. In the Available Criteria list, double click folders to open them and view the options they contain.
  
  Note: Click Up one folder to return to the previous folder.
3. To select a criterion, click to highlight it in the Available list, and then do one of the following:
  - Click the right arrow button.
  - Double click the criterion.
4. Double click or use the arrow buttons to move items from one list to the other. When you are done, click Finish.
5. The new criteria display in the report's Criteria list. Set the criteria as described in step 7.
Optionally click Layouts on the navigation panel if you want to change the report layout.

Click to highlight a layout in the list. Instead of using a saved layout, you can also opt to create a new layout or edit an existing layout.

Note: To delete a layout in the list, click on the layout and click the Delete button. You are prompted, "Do you wish to delete this record? Click Yes.
Click Delivery Options on the navigation panel.

Specify where (or to whom) the report is to be sent. Current User, meaning the person who is running the report, is a report recipient automatically. You can do the following here:
- Add a Recipient
  1. Do one of the following:
    - Click the Add button .
    - Press [Insert] on your keyboard.
  2. To choose a recipient, click the lookup button to the right of the Recipient field.
  In the Who to Contact pop-up window, select an Account Type, enter at least the first letter of the Lookup code, and click Locate or press [Enter]. Click on the correct account and then click Finish.
  1. If Multilingual Reports is enabled in Regional Settings Configuration, you may change the Language in which to send the report if necessary. The <Recipient’s preferred language> defaults.
    
    Note: If a layout does not exist for the Language you select, a message displays, warning you that the report will not be delivered to the recipient and asking if you wish to continue.
  2. Choose the Printer, Email, and/or Fax # to which to send the report.
  3. If you send the report to an email address, choose the report format in the Attach as dropdown menu:
  1. - CSV
    - Microsoft Excel Workbook
    - PDF
  Note: The Excel workbook option is included to allow you to extract the raw data and use the options available in Microsoft Excel to work with the data. Each row that was visible in the PDF version is visible in the Excel workbook. The main difference between the two is the layout. The advantage of the Excel workbook over the PDF version is that it allows you to sort the data using columns. For example, you can sort alphabetically by Account Name by using the sort filter in Excel. This option also allows you to format the data any way you like.
  
  The report in Excel includes all the raw data needed to create the report, including items that do not display on the printed output (such as data items that are in some conditional detail sections but not in others). It does not include any totals or calculations created from the raw data.
  1. If you do not want your report to print, highlight the printer in the Printer field and press [Delete] on your keyboard.
  1. The Marketing Distribution Log documents all delivery attempts for a marketing campaign, both successful and failed. You can review recipients’ contact information on the report to help you address any issues.
    To generate this log, select the Receive copy of Marketing Distribution Log checkbox and select a delivery option from the Via dropdown menu. Only options that correspond to the delivery options you have selected for the chosen recipient are available for selection from the Via menu.
  2. Click Finish to save the changes.
  Click Add to add another report recipient.
  
  Click Cancel to close the window without adding the recipient.
- Edit Recipient Information
  1. Click on the name of the recipient whose information you want to change.
  2. Do one of the following:
    - Click the Edit button .
    - Double click the recipient name.
  3. If you are changing your own delivery options (Current User) and you should be notified only under certain circumstances or not notified at all, click the Change Notification Settings link label.
    1. In the Change Notification Settings pop-up window, select the appropriate radio button and click Finish.
      
      Successful: Notifies the recipient if the report reached all recipients.
      
      Unsuccessful: Notifies the recipient if the report did not reach an intended recipient.
      
      No notification: This recipient receives no notification of the success or failure of the report delivery.
      
      Note: The notification defaults are set in Notifications Configuration. You must have security rights granted in order to change this selection.
    2. Select the Notify Only checkbox if you do not need a copy of the report but should be notified of its delivery status (successful or unsuccessful). This disables the Printer, Email, and Fax # dropdown menus.
  4. If Multilingual Reports is enabled in Regional Settings Configuration, you may change the Language in which to send the report if necessary. The <Recipient’s preferred language> defaults.
    
    Note: If a layout does not exist for the Language you select, a message displays, warning you that the report will not be delivered to the recipient and asking if you wish to continue.
  5. If you did not select the Notify Only checkbox, choose the Printer, Email, and/or Fax # to which to send the report.
  6. If you send the report to an email address, choose the report format in the Attach as dropdown menu:
    - CSV
    - Microsoft Excel Workbook
    - PDF
  Note: The Excel workbook option is included to allow you to extract the raw data and use the options available in Microsoft Excel to work with the data. Each row that was visible in the PDF version is visible in the Excel workbook. The main difference between the two is the layout. The advantage of the Excel workbook over the PDF version is that it allows you to sort the data using columns. For example, you can sort alphabetically by Account Name by using the sort filter in Excel. This option also allows you to format the data any way you like.
  
  The report in Excel includes all the raw data needed to create the report, including items that do not display on the printed output (such as data items that are in some conditional detail sections but not in others). It does not include any totals or calculations created from the raw data.
  1. To save an electronic copy of the report, select the Save to Disk checkbox and select a document type in the Save as dropdown menu. Click the lookup button to the right of the Location field and browse to the desired folder.
    
    Note: This option is available only if you are editing the Current User settings.
  1. The Marketing Distribution Log documents all delivery attempts for a marketing campaign, both successful and failed. You can review recipients’ contact information on the report to help you address any issues.
    
    To generate this log, select the Receive copy of Marketing Distribution Log checkbox and select a delivery option from the Via dropdown menu. Only options that correspond to the delivery options you have selected for the chosen recipient are available for selection from the Via menu.
  2. Click Finish to save the changes.
  Click Cancel to close the window without saving any changes to the recipient information.
- Delete a Recipient
  1. In the list, click on the recipient that you want to remove.
  2. Click the Delete button .

You can also save an electronic copy of the report.

If any of the report recipients are to receive the report via email or fax, enter a Subject and Message for the fax and/or email in the Email/Fax Detail section.

Note: The Subject field is required.
If any of the recipients will be receiving the report via fax, select a Cover page in the dropdown menu. To change the Language of the selected Cover page, select it from the Language dropdown menu.

Note: You must set up a Cover page in all desired languages in Fax Cover Page Configuration to make these languages available for selection from this dropdown menu.

To see a preview of the fax cover page, click the Preview link to the right of the field.

To change the name that prints on the fax as the sender, click the Change Sender link. In the Change Sender pop-up window, select a Name from the dropdown menu. Optionally add a Fax number with Ext, Phone number with Ext, and Email address to print on the fax. Click Finish.

In the Scheduling section, opt to run the report Now, or Schedule the report to run later.

If you choose Schedule, enter a date (or choose a date from the dropdown calendar) and time for the report to run. Select a Recurrence option:
- One Time Only
- Every Weekday (M-F)
- Daily
- Weekly
- Monthly
- Quarterly
- First Day of the Month
- Last Day of the Month

If you choose anything but One Time Only, the report runs automatically at the chosen interval. The report runs at the time indicated in this section. Consider setting up lengthier reports to run after business hours.

To launch a marketing campaign based on information from this report, choose the appropriate checkbox in the Marketing Options section. If you intend to generate letters, use an email template, add activities to accounts, or send text messages based on the report results, you must set up a new email template, letter template, activity category, and/or SMS message template before configuring marketing options. The templates are used for the emails, letters, or text messages sent through the campaign; the activity category helps you track the campaign's effectiveness.
- Generate Letter: Generate a letter for each account that displays in the report.
  1. Click the lookup button to open the Available Templates window.
  2. Select a Template Folder from the dropdown if necessary.
  3. Select a template from the list.
  4. The Distribution method defaults as the method configured in the selected template, but you can select a different one from the dropdown if necessary. Each method has different options:
  5. Click Finish.
  6. To attach a copy of the letter to each account for which the letter is generated, select the Attach copy to account checkbox.
- Send email template: Use an email template to send a mass email based on your report criteria. Before sending the email, you may want to add the Record Listing criterion to your report from the Modify Criteria screen to ensure that the report does not send duplicate emails. For example, the Policy List report might send multiple emails to a contact with multiple policies that meet your criteria.
  
  Many account and policy-related reports have a Record Listing criterion available on the Modify Criteria screen. You can use it to control the number of records that match your criteria that are included in the report. The specific options available vary, depending on the report selected. This option is useful for sending a mass email using a report, because you can control whether an email is sent for each record that matches your criteria or only once per account.
  1. Click the lookup button to open the Select Email Template pop-up window.
  2. The From field defaults based on your selection in the Email/Fax Options frame on the Delivery Options screen, but you can click the Change Sender link label to select a different option if necessary.
  3. Select a Template from the dropdown.
  4. The Branding profile and Signature default based on your template selection, but you can choose a different branding profile and signature if necessary.
  5. The Subject line defaults based on your template selection, but you can edit it if necessary.
  6. The Message defaults based on your template selection, but you can edit it if necessary. Use the formatting ribbon to apply styling.
    Note: If the message contains merge variables, they do not populate with client/prospect information in the preview. The variables will populate with each email recipient’s information when you run the report.
  7. If you make changes to the Message and want to revert to the original Template, Branding, or Signature, click the Refresh link label beside the option you want to reset.
  8. Click Finish to save your changes and close the Select Email Template pop-up window.
    Click Cancel to discard your selections without saving.

Add Activity: Add an activity for each account that displays in the report.
1. Click the lookup button to open the Activity Lookup window.
2. Narrow the activities that display if necessary.
  To narrow the list of activities that displays, use the search bar above the list to specify the activities that you want to see.
  
  These are the choices in the first dropdown menu:
  1. Code
    
    Description
    
    Category
  The choices available in the second dropdown menu vary, depending on the selection you made in the first dropdown.
  1. Equals: Enter the search criterion (e.g., the full description or folder name) in the field to the right, or select the correct date from the dropdown calendar (if applicable). Click Find.
    
    Contains: Enter at least character of the search criterion (e.g., part of the description or claim number) in the field to the right. Click Find.
3. Select the activity code.
4. The settings for the selected activity code default in the Activity Options section. Enter or revise the options as needed.
  
  Select the Owner Type. If you select Specific Person or Specific Work Group, choose the corresponding person or work group in the Specific owner dropdown menu.
5. Select a radio button to Default activity as Open or Closed.
  
  If you choose Closed, you can select Successful or Unsuccessful in the Closed dropdown menu.
6. Optionally enter an Activity note.
7. Click Finish.
Add Sticky Note
1. Click the lookup button to open the Sticky Note Options window.
2. Optionally select a different sticky note Color.
3. Optionally select a different sticky note Priority.
4. Enter text in the Sticky note box.
5. Select the Expiry date checkbox if the sticky note should expire.
  
  If you select the checkbox, select a date in the dropdown calendar.
Send SMS (enabled only for reports used to market to clients)
A template is required to send marketing SMS messages. See SMS Template Configuration for instructions on adding templates.
1. Click the lookup button . The Select SMS Template pop-up window displays.
2. Select a Template. To filter the template list, choose a Tag.
  
  Your template selection determines the text that displays in the message. You cannot edit this text.
3. Click Finish.

Select the Preview/Edit results before processing checkbox if you want to market only to some of the clients who meet the selected criteria. Previewing the results is recommended if you are sending SMS messages for this campaign, as you will be charged for each message sent.t.

Note: The preview option is not available if the campaign is scheduled (step 16).
Select the Include "Do Not Market" checkbox if applicable.
If you selected the Generate Letter, Add activity, Add sticky note, or Send SMS checkbox(es) in Marketing Options, you can select a Marketing Distribution Contact for all marketing campaign-enabled reports (except the Contact List and Employee List reports):

Select the Use primary contact radio button to distribute the report to each account’s primary contact.
Select the Use specified contact classification radio button to distribute the report to the contacts on each account with a specific classification.
1. Click the lookup button to open the Contact Classifications Lookup pop-up window.
2. Select a Classification from the list.
3. Click Finish to add the Classification, or click Cancel to discard the selection and close the window.

Please note that your selected Marketing Option(s) behave differently if you select a Contact Classification in the Marketing Distribution Contact frame:

Generate letter: A letter generates for each contact with the selected classification. Letters distribute based on each contact’s Marketing dropdown menu selection in the Preferred Contact Methods frame of Contact detail. To add a copy of the letter to the account to which the contact is associated, select the Attach copy to account checkbox to. If delivery to the contact fails, the corresponding account displays on the Marketing Distribution Log.
Add activity: An activity generates for each contact. No activities generate if no contacts on the account have the classification.
Add sticky note: One sticky note generates per account. No sticky notes generate if no contacts on the account have the classification.
Send SMS: A conversational text message is sent to each contact with the selected classification. The SMS message distributes based on the contact method on file for each contact and saves on each contact’s account. If the text message fails to send, the corresponding account(s) display on the Marketing Distribution Log. Standard messaging rates may apply.

Note: SMS messages are only sent to contacts with a valid phone number who have the corresponding SMS options selected in Contact detail.

Do one of the following:
- Click Actions > Generate Report on the options bar.
- Click Actions > Generate Report on the menubar.

If you did not select the Preview/Edit results before processing option, your marketing campaign launches now.

If you did select the Preview/Edit results before processing option, you must launch the marketing campaign from the Marketing area in order to generate the appropriate letters, activities, etc.

When you exit the screen, you are prompted, 'Do you want to save changes?'

Click Yes to save the changes you made to the selected report.

Click No if you do not want to save the changes you made to the selected report.

Click Cancel to remain on the Delivery Options screen.

If the desired report is already set up for use in a marketing campaign, generate the saved report to retrieve the latest data and launch the new campaign.

Access the Reports/Marketing area.
To access the Reports/Marketing area from the Home screen, do one of the following:
- Click Reports/Marketing on the navigation panel.
- Click Areas > Reports/Marketing on the menubar.
- Click the down arrow next to Home on the options bar and select Reports/Marketing.
To access Reports/Marketing from another area of the program, do one of the following:
- Click Home > Reports/Marketing on the menubar.
- Click the down arrow next to Home on the options bar and select Reports/Marketing.
The My Reports list defaults when the Reports/Marketing screen opens. If the report is in a different list, click on My Reports in the view filter and make a different selection.

These are the options:

- Account
- Activity
- Applications
- Claim
- Client Contracts
- General Ledger
- Interface
- Management
- Opportunities
- Policy
- Transaction

Click to highlight the report you want to run.
Do one of the following:
- Click Actions > Generate a Report on the options bar.
- Click Actions > Generate a Report on the menubar.
- Right click the report and select Generate Report.

If the Preview/Edit results before processing checkbox was not selected when the report was last saved, your marketing campaign launches now.

If the Preview/Edit results before processing checkbox was selected when the report was last saved, you must launch the marketing campaign from the Marketing area to generate the appropriate letters, activities, etc.

The report is sent to the Marketing Campaigns in Process list.

Launch the Campaign

If the selected report is scheduled to run at a later time and/or date, it does not display in the list. Once the scheduled report runs and data is gathered, it is listed and can be launched.