As well as any automatically scheduled activities or mail merges it's possible to generate individual, ad-hoc letters, e-mails, SMS, and telephone calls that can be associated to client or third-parties already on your system.
Section 1 - Letters
a. Navigate to Activities > Send a Letter.
b. At the top of the screen choose who is responsible for completing this activity and select a due date and time in the future if it should be completed at a later date. You can also choose a practitioner associated to the action but this can be left blank. If set to be completed at a later date then this letter will appear in the Activities List and Process Activities screens for the user responsible for completing it.
Reschedule activities using either the "Reschedule" or "Postpone" fields. Click the arrow beside the reschedule field to action. Any changes to the due time or date will automatically be recorded in the Notes field.
b. Choose if the letter is to be associated to a client or third party. If either of these are selected then the letter will appear on either the Client or Third Party log. You can then search for the correct client or third party below. Choose None if this letter needs no association and should not be recorded on a log.
c. Choose an Activity Category if required (these are created via Tools > Look Up Tables > Activity Categories) and a subject. The subject will be visible in the client or third party log and on Activities Lists and can be used to identify the letter more easily.
d. If you are using a Letter Activity Template then select it from the dropdown. You can learn more about Activity Templates here.
e. Use the Notes section to record any notes relating to the letter. These will not be present in the Letter itself. You can also associate this specific letter to a Treatment Episode if necessary, the letter will then be recorded in the Treatment Episode details for the chosen client.
f. To create or modify the content of your letter press Open at the bottom of the screen. If you're using an Activity Template then you'll see that and can make any necessary adjustments. If your template has a Word Document associated then this will open for you to make any changes. Be sure to Save the Word document itself once done. If you have no Activity Template selected then you'll be taken to the Letter Editor where you can either select a template or enter plain text content as necessary. Press Preview to view your letter in full including any letterhead or logo set up via your Letter Layout Designer.
g. At the bottom of the screen click Outcome to mark the letter as completed and fill the date and user initial fields. You can also choose to postpone and the letter will appear in the Activities Lists for the responsible user at this time in the future. If assigning to another user ensure "Auto-Notify" is ticked if you want them to receive an alert if it is Now Due. This will only happen if they have Check for Messages enabled. Leave this unticked to forgo any notifications. When the user receives the activity they can tick "Notified" to stop any further alerts relating to this activity.
You can also include these activities on the Task List (Activities > Task List) or Diary Print (Appointments Diary > Print)
Section 2 - E-Mails
a. The options in this screen are the same in most respects to those in the Send a Letter screen.
b. If you're using an E-Mail template then any plain text content will be populated in the message field for you to make any necessary changes to. If you're not using a template then just enter the content of the message in this area such as in the example above.
c. To attach a document to the E-Mail use the paperclip icon in the bottom left corner of the screen. Add additional files by clicking this icon again.
d. Choose Send to send the E-Mail now or OK if this is to be sent at a later date.
Section 3 - SMS Messages
a. Navigate to Activities > New SMS Text Messages.
b. The options in the screen are the same as those for Letters and E-Mails and it can be scheduled in the same way and can use templates or be created at the time by entering text in the Message field.
c. To send SMS you need to ensure you have set up your SMS account. It's also important to note that the standard limit for SMS messages is 160 characters. If you go over this then your message will cost more than 1 credit. Keep an eye on your character limit using the counter above the message field.
d. Choose Send SMS to send and complete now or OK if scheduling for later.
Section 4 - Telephone Calls
a. Telephone call Activity records in PPS allow you to detail calls made or to be made. Navigate to Activities > New Telephone Call to create a new call.
b. Telephone Calls can have all the same details recorded as other activities in this guide and can be postponed, linked to templates and, associated to clients or third parties.
c. If you're using a template then text will be populated in the Notes field. Make changes here or add your own information if no template is available. This will be the information available to you when making the call or can be used to record details of an already occurred call.
d. If the call is completed mark it as so by pressing Outcome before pressing OK. If it's a future call just choose OK to save and close out of the activity screen.