Since ending our campaign in June, and with a little over 5 months left in this year – 2020 – Systems Education and Analysis thought a new blog ‘look and feel’ might help us feel refreshed and optimistic for what lies ahead for University Advancement. We asked those of you new to University Advancement to follow this blog as part of your initial ADVANCE training. We utilize the blog format as a micro-learning tool to “push” out system related information to you in “smaller bites” so as not to overwhelm you with a ton of information all in one sitting!
So, welcome to the new and improved ADVANCE Innovations blog!!
We look forward to sharing new and exciting system enhancements, system usage tips and tricks, program best practices, and other related ADVANCE information. You can expect up to 10 posts in a given year.
Systems Education and Analysis manages the blog; however, we encourage each one of you to become a ”guest author” of a future blog posting. For example, if you or your team is working on a project that involves the ADVANCE system and/or supporting programs and you wish to share the “who, what, when, where, and why” of your project and how it will affect other users, we encourage you to submit a post.
To request becoming a “guest author” for the ADVANCE Innovations blog, please send an email to ADVRequest@colostate.edu.
We look forward to the time when we can reconnect personally with all of you and hope you are getting your training and information needs met during this difficult time.
If you’re utilizing ADVANCE for any communication purposes, you’ve likely heard some form of this question before. More times than not, responses to this question consist of looks of bewilderment – “The what list?”
What exactly is the “seeded” list and what does it do?
The seeded list is simply a list of internal users who have requested to be included on all communications of a certain format (email or mail), type (newsletters, solicitations, invitations) and/or group (college/unit or CSU). Those on the seeded list are seamlessly included on these communication pieces without any additional action taken on behalf of the creator of that message.
Why would anyone want to receive every email or mailing?
“Seed” lists are pretty common in the direct marketing world. One clear benefit is ensuring necessary parties are “in the loop” on all upcoming communications without having to constantly worry about including the right people on the right type of messages. By indicating what YOU would like to receive, this process guarantees you’re aware of activity relative to your role, such as upcoming events, college-specific initiatives, or general news-related updates. It is also an indirect way of monitoring what your area (or an area that directly impacts your role) is sending throughout the year. This can help minimize catching others up or having to send out additional copies of communications when referencing them down the line.
Do I need to be on the seeded list to receive my emails?
No. CDIStributor automatically sends a copy of every email to the owner of that email.
Are there any negatives to being on the seeded list?
While it may seem beneficial to see all the communications activity within ADVANCE, there are some potential reasons why this may not be a suitable option for you.
Some things to consider:
Irrelevant or non-applicable content: Alumni and friends often receive communication pieces based on their affiliation or engagement with the University. We often include merge fields to tailor these messages to reference data specific to the recipient. Since seeded list recipients don’t always have the same affiliation or engagement, that data may not be available to feed the merge fields. This may cause your specific message to present blank or misleading fields where data is not applicable.
Overrides special handling (mail only): If you are on the seeded list but also have personal special handling on record for that same type of communication, your special handling settings will be disregarded and you will receive this communication, however this pertains to mail only. If you have email suppression’s on record and are on a competing seeded list, you will be removed from the email list. For this reason, it’s always good to confirm your personal special handling rules to confirm there are no conflicts.
Busy inbox:
…millions of emails were sent via CDIStributor each year? If you’re already having trouble keeping up with your inbox, please consider the impact of receiving additional emails as a seeded list participant.
Qualification: When receiving additional communications, it’s not always evident what you actually qualify for versus what you receive through the seeded list and there have been many instances where seeded list participants have forgotten that they were on the seeded list. For example, are you actually being invited to a certain event, or is this because of the seeded list (i.e. “Why did I receive this invitation for former CSU athletes when I never participated in CSU sports? The system must be broken?” You may need to reference the mailing log (seeded individuals do not show in email metrics) or reach out to the communicator if there is any confusion.
If there are any concerns about the above considerations, it may be better to reach out to project coordinators or communicators to ask to be included on specific communication pieces.
What seeded lists options do we offer?
We have a variety of seeded list options spanning various colleges/units, as well as some overall options for CSU level communications. Please contact ADV Request if you have specific questions and we can help find the most appropriate list(s) for your needs.
Can I exclude the seeded list from my communication?
Yes! You can control this setting on your Ad-Hoc report (for mail or email lists) or through CDIStributor. This allows either the person creating the Ad-Hoc to control this option, but may also be decided by the author/content creator at the time the email shell is being created.
To exclude via your Ad-Hoc report, go to your report Settings → More Settings → Settings – General → Excluded ‘Seeded List’ (select Yes)
Note: If you exclude via Ad-Hoc, this setting will freeze in your CDIStributor email builder.
To exclude via CDIStributor, uncheck the “Include Seeded List” checkbox and click ‘Save’.
How do I know when to exclude the seeded list?
You generally do not have to worry much about excluding the seeded list, as these individuals asked to be included on communications of this type. However, there may be some scenarios that warrant exclusion:
Multiple Segments
Email: If you have multiple email segments with roughly the same message, you can consider excluding the seeded list on all but one of these. However, those on the seeded list may be interested in seeing all versions, so please use your discretion when making this decision.
Mail: If you have multiple mail segments being sent, this will generate an additional mail piece for each person on the seeded list. As you can imagine, a mailing with 6 segments would generate a considerable amount of excess mail for each seeded individual. Consider including the seeded list on your largest segment to avoid sending additional mail pieces.
Reminders or action-oriented messages: If a mail or email initiative also has reminders built in (common with invitations or opt-in pages), you can consider suppressing the seeded list from your 2nd or 3rd reminders, or if no new information is being presented.
I want to see everything – how do I get added to the seeded list?
Just email ADV Request and we’ll be happy to discuss your options and add you!
we rely on CDIStributor to send millions of emails each year? Last fiscal year alone, over 63,000 emails bounced, meaning the email message could not be delivered. Sometimes it’s simple – the email address doesn’t exist, commonly due to a typo or closed account (as with our students once they graduate). Other times, it may be a temporary issue. So how do we, as an organization, determine the reason for the bounce, and thus decide when this email truly is no longer contactable?
We have determined a point system to help rate the severity of the bounce, thus informing us at what point the email address should be inactivated in our system. The point allotment is as follows:
Hard Bounce (3 points): A hard bounce occurs when the message has been rejected because the email address does not exist or is invalid.
Medium Bounce (2 points): A medium bounce occurs when the mail server cannot be found. This can be a temporary issue with the recipient’s mail server, but sometimes may be the result of a domain that is no longer in existence.
Soft Bounce (1 point): A soft bounce indicates the email address is valid and reached the mail server, but was unable to reach the email recipient. Common reasons for a soft email bounce include a full mailbox or an inactivated/disabled account.
To minimize the possibility of a temporary issue, only one bounce per week will be added to the point total. Once the email has 5bounce points, the email is inactivated in Advance. Based on the point system and point threshold for inactivation, it’s helpful to understand that all emails will be attempted at least twice before being marked as inactive.
When an email is inactivated, the system will automatically “promote” the most recently added alternate email address (if available) to become the entity’s preferred email address.
We do not track our bounce points on the profile, but awareness of the underlying process is beneficial as you continue to communicate via CDIStributor.
For questions about email bounces, please contact ADV Request.
The flow chart above is hilarious! Unfortunately, the feedback we have received over the years is that this, although funny, accurately reflects the current flow of an email received from Innovation Technology and Education (ITE) or Systems Education and Analysis (SEA).
We recognize that numerous emails can be a time drain that deter you from “important” work; however, it is critical that you are able to recognize the emails from your inbox that will assist you with that “important work”.
ITE and SEA use email as one way to share timely and “important” system information such as the roll out of new programs, enhancements and modifications to existing programs, and critical information related to network security.
Talent Management, Training and Support offers a Customer Support Communication Best Practices training for any college or unit that requests it. Within the presentation we talk about Email best practices and etiquette.
that emotions AND email do not mix? The two most common mistakes people make when writing emails are overthinking and under-thinking, particularly if they are emotional when writing their message. The “tone” of the email is everything because body language and facial expressions cannot be seen.
This article written by Kosio Angelov says it all!!!
3 Things To Do Before You Send An Angry Email That You’ll Later Regret
You are seeing red.
Someone just said or did something so unimaginably bad (or at least that is how it seems to you) and you are overtaken by anger.
“I am so going to send him an email and give him a piece of my mind…. he’ll see…”
You sit on your computer (or take out your phone) and start pouring your feelings into an angry email. Once done, you hit the send button and, with a feeling of a temporary accomplishment, you sit back and relax in your chair. You are starting to feel better. At least for the moment.
This person has wronged you, they deserve what’s coming to them, right?
Wrong.
In about 10 minutes after you’ve blasted out that email, your anger starts fading away and doubts start creeping in your mind. Did you go a tad too far? Did you say some things that you wish you didn’t? Was it all so bad or did you overreact a little bit?
You start to realize that maybe you should’ve calmed down a little before you sent that email. Unfortunately, it is too late. The email is sent. The relationship is ruined.
In any relationship you are eventually going to experience some level of anger. It might be a mild irritation, it might be pure rage and anything in between. It is natural. Different people see things differently. Mix in some human emotions and occasionally characters clash leading to some level of anger from one, or both, sides. It happens at home, at work, with friends or even with pets.
The next time this happens to you, before you do something irreversible that you’ll end up regretting later, follow this process instead:
How to avoid sending an angry email
Step #1 – write the email
Yes, write it all out.
Let it all out and don’t hold anything back. This will help you process all your negative emotions and greatly reduce your anger. If you try to suppress it and deal with in internally, it will take you a lot of effort and time to do so. Externalizing it will help you deal with it much faster.
Don’t enter the TO field.
Notice how I said to “write”, not to “send” the email. A very important distinction to remember. To make sure you don’t send it unintentionally or just by habit, do NOT enter the TO field at all. Just start composing a brand new email and enter only the body.
Step #2 – sleep on it
Now that you have it all out of your mind and into an email, step away and sleep on it. Give yourself some time to cool down and see if you feel differently about the situation and especially about your email. Chances are the next morning you will see things much more clearly and you’ll be able to reassess the situation better.
Step #3 – make a decision
After the cool down period, it is time to make a decision.
Do you still want to send that email?
No? Great. Print it out and delete it from your inbox. This way you are not tempted to send it in the future if a similar situation with the same person arises. The goal of the print-out is to have a memory of how you felt in the particular moment which can be helpful later and can be used to learn from the entire situation.
Yes? Do the following first:
Do your homework – you might “think” you are absolutely right about how you saw the situation, but upon further investigation you might discover otherwise. Before you make any accusations, make sure you have the facts right.
Talk to someone – preferably, someone who knows both sides of the story. This will help give you a different perspective on the whole problem and might cause you to re-think you actions.
Still want to send it? Here is how to turn your email into a professional constructive criticism piece of communication instead of a personal stream of accusations:
Don’t say anything that you wouldn’t say in person – often times people feel shielded by the impersonal nature of email and the safety of not facing the other side face-to-face, so they write things they wouldn’t say otherwise. Imagine you are in the same room with the other person when you write your email. If don’t have the guts to say it to them live, don’t put it in your email as it does not belong there.
Remove any tone of anger – try to sound as objective as possible. Stick to the facts.
Remove all “I”, “you” and “us” – this will help your email to sound more professional and objective and less personal
Keep it short – the longer the email, the more personal it will sound and the more the other person would want to criticize what you said and reply to each of your points
Avoid sarcasm and threats – they are not going to help you or the other side reach a quicker resolution to the situation. Also, refrain from making remarks about the other person’s intelligence, ethics, personality, or physical appearance
Send a personal message – don’t copy any third parties, send an individual email. If you have a problem with more than one person, send each one of them a separate email, even if you are saying the same thing
Think long term – it is more important to win the relationship, than win the argument. Don’t say something that can ruin the entire relationship for good, even if you are right or the other side has “deserved” it.
After you write it, re-read your email a couple of times. Take a break of 15 minutes. Re-read it again and if still want to send it, press the “Send” button.
What to do if you have already sent an email fueled by anger
Acknowledge the mistake. If might hurt your ego a little bit to admit you’ve done something rash, but in the long term, you’ll feel much better. The worst thing you can do is to pretend like nothing happened, bury the feelings of guilt, and avoid the person who received your email.
Ask for forgiveness. Preferably in person or at least on the phone. Explain the situation and apologize for your anger. This will help alleviate the situation and it might even make the relationship between the two sides much stronger.
by Kosio Angelov
Let us know if your group needs a refresher on communication best practices. Enjoy this video I like to use in training titled: “Email in Real Life” and have a great day! Happy emailing!!
We’ve all been there. After much trial and error, you’ve finally crafted the perfect invitation list, stayed within your postage budget, AND vetted the list across all powers that be. But your report seems to have dropped all the wrong people once you’ve turned it into an invitation. So where did they go?
Communication Suppression: Most likely, these missing individuals may have some type of special handling on their record, and have chosen to opt out of this form of communication. Visit the “Special Handling” section of their profile to confirm their communication preferences.
Missing Contact Information: Depending on your communication format, we may be missing the data point required for communication. Without an active email or physical address on file, Advance cannot deliver the message. Try creating multiple forms of communication to broaden your audience.
NCOA Suppression: If you’ve exhausted your troubleshooting methods and determined there is no active special handling and all contact information is active and available, there’s the possibility that someone may have an “undeliverable” address, as deemed by the National Change of Address (NCOA) database.
Aside from our alumni data (98% accuracy), approximately 8% of all mail is undeliverable due to incorrect addresses. Advance routinely runs all address data through the NCOA database to identify any undeliverable addresses, thus saving YOU postage by not having these return to sender.
Occasionally, an address is valid, but marked undeliverable via bulk mail. Please reach out to ADV Request if you feel there may be an address marked as undeliverable but will be sending mail via First Class, as an override can be applied to your report to include this population.
While Waldo is most likely intentionally missing, we are better equipped with some clues to identify his reasons for disappearing!
…millions of emails were sent via CDIStributor each year? If you’re already having trouble keeping up with your inbox, please consider the impact of receiving additional emails as a seeded list participant.
we rely on CDIStributor to send millions of emails each year? Last fiscal year alone, over 63,000 emails bounced, meaning the email message could not be delivered. Sometimes it’s simple – the email address doesn’t exist, commonly due to a typo or closed account (as with our students once they graduate). Other times, it may be a temporary issue. So how do we, as an organization, determine the reason for the bounce, and thus decide when this email truly is no longer contactable?
that emotions AND email do not mix? The two most common mistakes people make when writing emails are overthinking and under-thinking, particularly if they are emotional when writing their message. The “tone” of the email is everything because body language and facial expressions cannot be seen.
ADVANCE Innovations 