Social Good Software

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Barcodes Scanner

Implementation Guide – Barcode Scanner

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Implementation Guide - Barcode Scanner

A complete implementation guide that helps set up your Barcode Scanner.  

All procedures in this document are compatible with the SGS app version V1.3.3.

In summary, this document covers the following:

  • Assigning Roles and Permissions in Altru
  • Creation of queries in Altru
  • Configuring the Social Good Software application (app.socialgoodsoftware.com)

For other concerns and related articles, please visit help.socialgoodsoftware.com or email us at implementation@socialgoodsoftware.com.

Please reach us at support@socialgoodsoftware.com for your questions, clarifications, and other concerns. We are always happy to help!

Merging Records for Digital Membership Cards

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Duplicate data cannot be avoided but it is also necessary to maintain a clean list for your marketing campaign. A clean record can only be achieved if you remove, update and do merging of records.

Altru looks up to constituents based on the primary information like first name, last name, and email address. If there are multiple records in the system, it will be hard to identify which data to display on the Membership Card. In this article, we will show you how to deal with duplicate records and the process of merging of data.

Duplicate Records

  • Assuming that you have two records with different first names which resulted in duplicate data. When you have these duplicates and you need to email this member for the first time then you have to pick one of the two records without deduping your data.
Note: This is for illustration only. Typically the ID contains 16 digits but in this case, we will use A-1 for the first record and B-2 for the second record.
  • In this example, we will pick the record A-1 and send an email that contains a link called A-1. If the member clicks on the email, she will get the membership card referencing the record A-1.

Merging of Data

  • if you decided to keep Kimberly Thompson and merge the two records then get rid of all the duplicates. 
  • In this example, Kim will be added as an alias under record B-2. No need to bring over Thompson because it already existed. In the case of the System ID – they can only have one.
  • This scenario shows that if you merge over record A-1 into record B-2, record A-1 will be deleted. The record ID that you are merging into will also be kept, which is the system ID of B-2. If this data was already merged and the member clicks again the link referencing record A-1 then she will get an error 404 because A-1 doesn’t exist anymore.
  • Once the merge of records happened, the Membership Record in Altru which was originally attached to record A-1 was now attached to record B-2.
  • Kimberly must ​manually tag​ to let her know that there are changes made with her record in the Altru system. 
  • Once Kimberly was manually tagged, the query will pick it up and take it over to the email which now contains the link for record B-2. When Kimberly clicks on the link, she will receive a Membership Card referencing record B-2. 
  • Take note that it is necessary to manually tag the member to re-communicate.

Types of emails for eTickets

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eTicket-email-optionsDownload

Introduction

Email designer is an app that allows you to customize and send automated emails for your Altru transactions. This tool is useful for different types of emails for eTickets because through it you can send messages with tickets in PDF form. Guests are no longer need to click on the link to download the ticket since it was already replaced by a ticket in PDF form.

In this guide, you will learn what are the types of emails for eTickets, the components of each email, and some of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) that we received regarding this topic. 

How to set-up your emails in three (3) steps:

1. Write your email in Google Docs or Microsoft word

  • We recommend that you first draft your email to Google docs or Microsoft word and check that you include all the merge fields that you need.

2. Create your query and note type with Altru for your email

  • Make sure that your query identifies who the receivers of the email are. Create a Note type in Altru to be able to monitor if the emails were sent.

3. Setup the Email Designer with your content and query.

  • To be able to send out this email, put together the content and the query to the Email Designer. 

The process of setting up your emails starts from running the query and feeding it to the Email Designer. If there are individuals who match the query, an email for that particular person will be sent out. Once the email was sent out, the app will grab a copy of it and attach it to Altru as Note Type so there will be an email attached inside the particular sales order.

Three (3) Types of Emails for eTickets

1. eTicket Email is great for sending out a PDF that auto generated an eTicket number and a PDF with their tickets.

types of emails for eTickets

There are two emails that Altru sends out. The first email is about what the guests’ purchased and the second is the link to their eTicket. 

With the use of the Email Designer, we will replace the second email that Altru sends which is the link to their ticket with our eTicket email where we will instead attach a PDF to the tickets.

2. Reminder Email is great for sending out a reminder of their upcoming visit with tickets attached as a PDF. This email can go out the day of or one day before.

types of emails for eTickets

3. Post Visit Email is great for following up with guests who have visited. You can send a membership offer or just collect feedback on their experience. 

types of emails for eTickets

It is an email to thank  the guests for visiting. Typically sent out the day or the following day after the visit.You can send this email without PDF or tickets.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Do these emails account for sales orders over the phone, online and in person?

  • The discussed type of emails above will account for all three types of sales methods. You can also exclude a specific sales method at the query level.

2. If I manually resend an email, will my tickets be updated?

  • Yes, If you resend an email the tickets will be generated at the time the email is being sent.

3. If I delete the note type from the sales order, will the email go out with the right tickets?

  • Yes, the query is looking at sales orders that do not have a note type and sends an email. If you remove the note type from the sales order, another version of an email will get off with another PDF. Typically, you won’t be doing this unless you need to resend it.

4. If I open the eTicket preview on the Email Designer, will I see the latest ticket available?

  • Yes, you will see the latest ticket  available whenever you click on the link

The purpose of this documentation is to help you understand the three (3) types of eTicket emails, and how these emails work so that it will be easier for you to create and set up eTicket emails based on their type for your organization.

How to download stats for barcode scanners

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Scanning tickets and memberships using the SGS Barcode Scanner will make your work easier and faster. It is an app that you can download to any mobile phone and tablet . You can also download backups of your stats from the scanner for record purposes or to check the result and analyze. This article will guide you on how to download stats for barcode scanners which also applies to any scanner you have set up.

Guide on How to download stats for barcode scanners:

1: Go to your Social Good Software account

2: Proceed to Barcode Scanner then click the scanner that you want to download its stat.

3: Click on STATS located at the left side of the window. 

S4: On the bottom part lies two options on how you want the data to be downloaded. You can download it as a CSV file or in Excel/Spreadsheet format.

Sample of Stat downloaded in CSV format:

Sample of Stat downloaded in Spreadsheet format:

Step 4: You can also choose a date and then the app will provide you all the data from the date you selected down the first day you use the Barcode Scanner. Click either CSV or Spreadsheet to download the data based on the selected format. If you need data from a particular date, we recommend just deleting the data you don’t need.

Note: The downloading option will download everything that was stored in it from the latest date you use the scanner or the date you selected to the first day you started using the Barcode scanner.

FAQ Digital membership cards

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FAQDownload

To ensure that the implementation process will go smoother with your organization, we compiled a series of frequently asked questions (FAQ) we have received from our clients about Digital Membership Cards to guide you.

Learn more about setting up your Digital  Membership Card with these Frequently Ask Questions (FAQ):

FAQ for digital membership cards:

Why do we need to set the transaction date as “on or after yesterday?” 

  • If the transaction date is set as “on or after yesterday”, it will accommodate queries that are purchased late at night, such as those at 11:30 PM. Altru time might differ from your organization, so we need to account for everyone possible.

What do I do with the query if the constituent email is blank?

  • The query accounts for constituents with a primary email and those whose email is blank. If you have any issues with grabbing the correct constituents, make sure you put the two email records in the “include” box in parentheses. Using “or” instead of “and” will ensure that any one of those records will pop up rather than nothing (since records generally have one or the other, not both).

Why is the Membership Level displayed twice?

  • Use one of the “Membership Levels” for displaying the level visually in the email, and the second is to enforce the membership level upon clicking on the link. If a constituent has multiple memberships connected to the name, this query will force the displayed membership to be this particular level you are writing the query for. 
  • (Ex. Tom has two active memberships under his name; if the query is for Tier 1 and NOT Tier 2, Tom will click on the link and see his Tier 1 benefits.)

I cannot find a note type that says “Digital Membership Card – Individual Membership.” How can I add this note type?

  • In Altru, go to Administration > Code Tables > Ticketing (found on “Category” drop menu) > Sales Order Note Type > Add
  • After clicking on Add, name the new note “Digital Membership Card – Individual Membership” for use in your query. You cannot set the note type field as this without creating the note type as shown.

What were the names and descriptions of the query shown in the video?

  • Video Query Name: Automated Email – Digital Membership Card – Individual Membership
  • Video Query Description: Please do not remove this query; it is used to send real-time emails for SGS to welcome new members using digital membership cards.

Where can a membership originate from?

  • Online sales orders – Webforms through Altru via the web
  • Daily sales orders
  • Advance sales orders
  • Auto recurring charge on credit card
  • Manual sending of emails for constituent information update
  • Back office manual entry
  • Back office batch entry

What do you need to do when a membership originates?

  • Verify the entered name, email, and level if it is correct.

What emails does the sales order method send?

  • Online sales orders
    • Acknowledgment email – Via Altru
    • Digital membership card email – Via Social Good Software
  • Daily sales orders
    • Digital membership card email – Via Social Good Software
  • Auto recurring charge on credit card
    • Your credit card is about to get charged – Via Social Good Software
    • Your credit card has been charged – Via Social Good Software
  • Advance sales orders
    • Digital membership card email – Via Social Good Software
  • Back office manual entry
    • Digital membership card email – Via Social Good Software
  • Back office batch entry
    • Digital membership card email – Via Social Good Software

Do I need to email the primary and secondary members separately?

  • No, we recommend you combine the emails into one

I’ve updated the information on a constituent record and I want to let them know, how do I do it?

  • You can manually tag them and this will trigger a new email to go out.

What happens when we merge records?

  • If the System Record ID changes, the link previously received will no longer work but will trigger a new email.

Is there a way to display the total number of members?

  • With the membership card designer, you can display a number like 10, 15, or 25.

Is there a way to display the number of child members?

  • You can display the number of children – Fields you can display

If a child has the same email address as his/her parent, will that parent receive multiple emails?

  • We typically just email the primary member not each member

If there’s an update made to a membership (member name, expiration date, etc.), do the digital membership cards automatically update?

  • Yes, it will send it out to ios and android automatically

Can we incorporate decals for reciprocal members via the membership card designer?

  • No, we need to do it at the design level for the image.

How to set up the continuous scanning option

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It is a great relief and assistance to have a portable scanner that can do continuous scanning during events where guests are coming non-stop. A stand-alone app that can help validate tickets and membership cards without using wifi or any extra tool or hardware.

Our SGS Barcode Scanner is a downloadable app designed to function in any brand of mobile phone and tablet. It can scan tickets and membership cards even in remote places with limited power supply or areas without podiums effortlessly and trouble-free. SGS Barcode Scanner can get you an attendance count without effort and check for a guest through visitor’s name, email, or phone number. It can track history and provide analytics of visitors too.

Just install the SGS Barcode Scanner on your phone or tablet and use the camera to start scanning. You can also enable the continuous scanning option on your SGS account and connect your gadget to a portable scanner to scan tickets and membership cards. 

This app can communicate with Altru so rest assured that all the information from the SGS Barcode Scanner will sync over to Altru.

Below is a detailed guide to set up the app on a mobile phone and tablet and directions on how to use it continuously using a portable scanner. Follow the steps to ensure that no problem will arise in using the Barcode Scanner. 

Setting up Barcode Scanner to an android phone for Continuous Scanning

Step 1: Go to Settings and proceed to the following:

a. Battery – turn off the Battery Saver to make the phone stay on.

b. Display – proceed to Advance and go to Sleep then set it to Never or 30 minutes

c. Security – click on Screen Lock Settings and set the Automatically Lock to Never or 50 minutes

Step 2: Make sure that you have the latest version of the SGS Barcode Scanner by checking the app in the Google Play Store if there’s an update button.

Step 3: You can open the app once it is updated and start using it to validate tickets and membership cards. You can also enable the continuous scanning on your SGS Barcode Scanner Account dashboard and use a hardware scanner to scan continuously.

Setting up Barcode Scanner to a Tablet

Step 1: Same with the android Phone, you need to go to Settings of your tablet and set the following:

a. Go to Display and set the Screen Timeout to 30 minutes.

b. Proceed to Screen Saver and set to nothing.

c. Next, turn off the Battery optimization.

d. Finally, go to Biometrics and Security then click Other Security Settings and check if everything was set.

Step 2: Proceed to Google Play Store and check if the app is on its latest version. Click on update if needed.

Step 3: Open the app once it’s done updating. It will then ask permission to take pictures and record videos, just click on ‘While using the app’.

Step 4: Enter your app ID then Login.  

Step 5: After you enter the app ID, the Barcode Scanner is now ready to use. You can choose to scan tickets and membership cards using the camera of your tablet or connect the device to a portable scanner for continuous scanning.

Note: Tablets are sometimes set up internationally which will not be able to recognize a portable scanner, so it is important to go to Keyboard Settings first and set it to US Standard Keyboard to avoid trouble scanning.

Barcode scanner role with Altru

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To effectively use Barcode Scanner, it must first get the correct role with Altru. You must set up the permission accurately to make the Barcode scanner track and validate any tickets. Remember that the data will not transmit to Altru if the barcode scanner role was established incorrectly. We strongly emphasize that setting up the correct permission on your account is necessary. It ensures a smooth transmission of information from the scanned tickets to Altru.

Process on how to properly set-up the Barcode scanner role with Altru

Step 1: Set up an account with Social Good Software. It is an account that usually no one is logging into. Through this account Social Good Software communicates with Altru and Altru talks back to the software. The account was very important and needs to be attached with Altru with the correct role and permission. 

Step 2: As for the right permission, go to Blackbaud main website and find the article about system roles for Altru users as reference or click on this link: 

  What system roles should I assign to Altru users? 

  • Type-in on the search bar ‘scan tickets’ and based on the result, choose a suitable role that has the ability to scan tickets. We recommend to give it the role of Ticket seller

Search Bar

Result:

Step 3: Go to your Altru account and proceed to Administration. Assign the Ticket Seller role to the account attached to Social Good Software.

  • Click on Application Users and find the account you have set up and click edit.

*Account name is for illustration only.

Step 4: Find the Ticket Seller under Edit and check its checkbox. Click on Save.

With the correct role and permission set up. You can now send information to Altru from the scanned tickets and attendance using Barcode Scanner. This makes sure that the generated output is accurate.

FAQ for duplicates

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How can I automatically detach an email address from a record with sales orders attached?

To remove an email address from a constituent record you can use the Deduper tool to safely detach the email address from the constituent and the sales orders. WARNING: This process will remove the email address from the constituent and any sales orders associated with the email. Please make sure you have appropriate backups.

We have attached the same email address to all household members, what should we do moving forward?

We need every constituent on file to have just one primary email address and not allow records to share email addresses. You will need to remove the step of “Attaching” the same email address across all household members from your regular process.

A husband and wife share the same email address, how should we handle this case?

View Walkthrough

You need to remove the email address from the husband or wife to only have one email address on record. The second option is to remove the email address from both constituent records and add it to the household.

When you detach an email address from a constituent, does this also remove the membership?

No, if you detach an email address from a constituent the membership will remain attached to the constituent. The constituent record will be left without an email address without modifying the membership.

I’m missing email addresses for constituents, how can I source new email addresses for my constituents?

You have two options for getting email addresses. You can explicitly ask for them using an email with the Email Designer and then have those emails entered manually into Altru. You can also implicitly get email addresses using data enrichment services. Blackbaud offers such a service, but there are also other vendors in the marketplace offering such services to source email addresses. WARNING: Implicitly sourcing email addresses do not give you the right to email them unless permission is granted from the constituent.

How to prevent duplicates in the future?

When manually inputting a new record make sure you search for a constituent in three different ways. For example, First Name and Last Name, Email Address, and Phone Number. Create a standard operating procedure when creating new records to always require First Name, Last Name, Email, and Phone. Keep your data up to date with Deceased Record Finder, Address Finder, and Email Finder.