One way to gather data from your colleagues and associates through ReMind is an Excel Data Request. This type of Request allows you to upload a pre-defined Excel template which will be provided as an attachment to your Contacts. These recipients will open the attachment, input their data, and return the completed template as an attachment. Details for creating this kind of Template Request can be found below!
1) Click on the Create tab to get started.
2) You will land on a page full of Template choices. FloQast has curated some of the most popular types of data requests to help expedite your Request creation process. If you choose one of the named templates, portions of the email will be pre-filled for you in later steps! Don't worry- you can still customize the messaging if you'd like to. Or, you can start totally fresh with a clean email template. Regardless of which option you choose among these bottom 6 choices, you can always use your own Excel file to actually gather the data.
3) Choose any template by clicking the Select button to proceed.
4) Give your Request a unique name. The name of the template will be filled in here automatically if you selected one of the pre-created templates.
5) Choose which email address you would like the results sent to once everything is submitted. Your email address will fill in here by default. You may optionally choose to enabled Response Forwarding here too.
6) Choose which email address you'd like recipients to contact if they have questions about the data being requested. Your email will fill in here by default.
7) Choose the frequency of the Request. If this is a one-time request, you can select Once and this request will not repeat. If you find yourself making the same request each month or perhaps once a quarter, then the Monthly or Quarterly options will save you some time in future months!
8) Enter the start date for your Request. Today's date will fill in by default, but you may select a future date. This date is when the Initial Message will be sent.
9) Enter the number of business days before your request is due. This business day counter will exclude weekends from due dates. In the example below, the Initial Request is sent on Tuesday, October 20th. Recipients have until Tuesday, October 27th to answer. The Follow-Up message will be sent on this due date if a recipient has not responded yet.
10) Choose whether your Request should be Private (only visible to you) or visible to your entire team.
Initial Message: This message will be sent on the Start Date specified above. The emails are batched to deliver at 11:00 am Eastern/8:00 am Pacific. If you create a Request with a same-day Start Date and you are already past the standard delivery time, the Initial Message will be delivered 10 minutes after creation.
11) Add the appropriate recipients to your Request by selecting your Contacts or adding new Contacts.
12) Customize the Subject line of the email if desired. The template name and the current period will be filled in automatically.
13) Customize the body of your Initial Message. There is a full toolbar if you would like to style the text of your message.
14) You may add placeholders to your message, such as {Recipient First Name}, {Due Date}, etc. The available placeholders can be viewed from the "Tags" drop-down menu. Clicking one will insert it at the current cursor location.
15) A full preview of your message will be displayed so you know exactly what your recipients will see.
Follow-Up Message: If a recipient has not replied before the due date, a Follow-Up Message will be sent on the Due Date specified above. These emails are batched to be delivered at 8:00 am Eastern/11:00 am Pacific on the Due Date.
If a response is not received after the Follow-Up Message, a Past-Due email notification will also be sent every 24 hours until complete.
16) Customize the body of the Follow-Up Message. You may also edit the Subject line if you would prefer something different than the Initial Message.
17) Once again, a full preview will be available for your review.
18) Locate the Excel file that you'd like to use to capture data, or create a new one. There is not a template nor a specific format that your Excel file must be in. You can choose your own format and style, and ReMind will maintain your style throughout the process, even through the final tabulated export.
19) Click the attachment icon to upload your blank template. Your File Explorer/Finder will launch and allow you to select your Excel workbook.
20) FloQast ReMind will inspect your uploaded Excel file to look for a table. The headers of your table will be recorded and displayed for your review.
21) If your table was accurately captured, you can hit Accept. If you wish to make revisions to your Excel file and re-upload, you can hit Cancel to re-start the upload process.
22) Your Request is nearly finished! Give it one last review, then click the Create Request button to officially create your Request using FloQast ReMind.