Using the Message screen – PermitManager

How can I contact the applicant?

A contact phone number for the applicant is shown on the top left of the screen among their details.

There is also a "Message" function built-in to PermitManager which communicates with PermitMonitor on the contractor's end, accessible by clicking Message at the bottom left of the screen:

This will have a count to how many messages exist. If there are no messages, there will be no blue box.

Note: The count does not change depending on if a message is read or not.

Type the message into the text field as shown below. There are options to use preset templates for common messages, as well as to attach documents to the message:

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How do I add an attachment to a Message?

Click the Attach a File button. The following popup will appear:

Fill in the Document Name, select how many response documents you expect back from the contractor, select the file from the PC, and click Upload.

The file types allowed are the same as on the prerequisites screen: .jpg / .png / .doc / .docx / .xls / .pdf
This can be checked by hovering over the "i" icon next to the "File To Upload" option.

The system only allows one attachment per message. If a secondary file is attached, it will override / remove the first attachment.

What happens to documents I attach to a message?

They will show up on the Prerequisites screen under the "Ad-hoc Prerequisites" field:

The contractor will be notified to action the document like they have the other prerequisites, downloading it and uploading required responses, etc.

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What is a message Template?

PermitManager allows you to use message "Templates" for commonly-sent messages, as a time-saving option (these templates can only be created by Admins). Templates can have permanent attachments to be sent to contractors as well. Click the Use Text Template button:

Select the relevant template from the drop-down list and click the Use Template button.

You will sometimes need to input information to complete the template, such as Date Offsets. Macros that need completing will be shown to the left of the Preview section under the "Fields" section.

What is Date Offset?

Some templates might require you to input a "Date Offset" when creating the template. This field is used to designate a timeframe, e.g. if a contractor has to complete a task within 5 days, you will type "5" into the Date Offset field, and PermitManager will automatically calculate the due date in the template. In the example below, today's date is 09/06/17:

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How can I add extra recipients to a Message?

This feature is only available when using a Message Template. After selecting the template, the Add Recipients button will become active back on the Message screen:

A popup will appear asking which recipients to add. These could be one of the nominated Contacts on the permit, or any other email address (if other council staff or other stakeholders need to receive the message, for example):

After clicking Add, you can see who has been included as a recipient on the message at the bottom. The button will have changed to Change Recipients. You can click on this to amend / remove receivers:

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