To prevent spam and verify sender identity, Google and Microsoft updated their email security policies in 2024. These policies require email authentication to ensure that messages are delivered to the correct recipients and avoid being flagged as spam. This verification process affects any email sent by CTI.
Audience: CTI and client internal IT teams Configured by: CTI and client internal IT teams
Overview
To prevent spam and verify sender identity, Google and Microsoft updated their email security policies in 2024. These policies require email authentication to ensure that messages are delivered to the correct recipients and avoid being flagged as spam. This verification process affects any email sent by CTI.
As part of this process, IT teams should verify the DKIM and DMARC configurations for each association URL (e.g., yourdomain.com) before each event setup.
When/How to Verify
This verification should be performed at the start of each meeting creation. Each organization only needs to check its own domain, such as yourdomain.com
Download Instructions: Please refer to the document below for detailed steps on verifying DKIM and DMARC configurations.
In the latest release, we’ve streamlined cAdmin’s Campaign Portal Configurations to enhance user-friendliness. Key features include customizing Campaign Portal navigation labels, meeting details, directions, links, images, and the visibility of activities tailored to specific user personas, allowing for quicker and more efficient administration aligned with your campaign needs.
In the latest release, we’ve streamlined cAdmin’s Campaign Portal Configurations to enhance user-friendliness. Key features include customizing Campaign Portal navigation labels, meeting details, directions, links, images, and the visibility of activities tailored to specific user personas, allowing for quicker and more efficient administration aligned with your campaign needs.
How to Configure Portal Campaigns and Tasks
1. In cAdmin, go to Configuration > Site Configuration, then click Campaigns. Only users with the roles of Association Administrator, Distributor Administrator, Association Team Leader, or Distributor Team Leader have access to the Configuration tab.
2. Scroll to DashBlockTemplate_Messages or DashBlockTemplate_Tasks and verify that at least one activity type is assigned. If these configurations are missing, click Add New Configuration, copy and paste one of the configurations mentioned above, and save it. This ensures that the Messages (Campaigns) or Tasks tabs are visible on the Portal for users with the assigned activity type. • Note: Qualifier 1 represents the Campaign’s “Internal name,” which is hidden by default on the Campaigns dashboard. To display it, click the gear icon and enable “Internal name.” Do not add extra qualifiers for Messages or Tasks, as Qualifier 1 alone is sufficient.
3. Navigate to Settings > Workflow Applications > cPortal, and choose either the Tasks or Messages (Campaigns) tab to modify. Here, you can update the tab’s Navigation label, Instructions text (with links and images), and Sidebar content.
4. To update the fields displayed on the Portal card, return to Configuration > Site Configuration > Campaigns and navigate back to DashBlockTemplate_Messages or DashBlockTemplate_Tasks, and select one of the assigned activity types. • Note: As mentioned, no additional qualifiers other than Qualifier 1 are necessary for Messages or Tasks.
5. Add the fields in the order in which you’d like them to appear on the portal. Use the following formatting in the Option Value field to display the desired information:
Example Fields with Formatting: The dollar signs ($$) represent cAdmin fields pulled into the Portal, and the text between <propertyTitle> tags are custom labels that will appear on the Portal.
6. Test the configuration by selecting the Campaigns tab within cAdmin, choosing the configured campaign, and entering a test control number. Preview the changes in the Messages or Tasks tabs within the Portal by shadowing a test user. Refresh the Portal page after each cAdmin config update and adjust the fields to achieve the desired layout.
This new feature allows users to perform bulk updates for Response Status, Response Action, and Session Role Status in the Campaign Recipients Dashboard. It streamlines managing multiple recipients by enabling multiple edits in just a few steps. This feature saves time by simplifying bulk updates and improves accuracy through its preview functionality.
This feature allows users to perform bulk updates for Response Status, Response Action, and Session Role Status in the Campaign Recipients Dashboard. It streamlines managing multiple recipients by enabling multiple edits in just a few steps. This feature saves time by simplifying bulk updates and improves accuracy through its preview functionality.
How to Use
1. Initiate Bulk Action: • Go to the Campaign Recipients Dashboard, select recipients, and click Bulk Action.
2. Select Updates: • Choose one or more from Response Status, Response Action, or Session Role Status. • Click Next after making a selection.
3. Preview Changes: • Review the updates on the preview screen.
4. Apply Changes: • Click VERIFY CHANGE to update all selected recipients, BACK, or CANCEL to start over.
Response Status & Response Action Definitions
The Response statuses are standard in cOASIS, and you can search in double quotes by: • Not Started – might have received the email, but haven’t taken any action (i.e., clicking the landing page link) • Viewed – the landing page URL link has been clicked within the email body • Notify Action Selected – the user clicked a button on the landing page (e.g., Continue, Confirm, Accept, Decline) • Completed – depends on the Campaign Type. If the Campaign has no steps, the Response status will read “Viewed”. If the Campaign has steps and they finished all the steps, the Response status will read “Completed”
The Response Action is a customizable button text. The value indicates what button the person clicked on the landing page. Examples include Confirm, Decline, and No Action. • No Action – if the Campaign is Informational Only, it will automatically read No Action. It will also read “No Action” if the user has not clicked any of the buttons within the landing page and the applicable steps.
Starting 7/16/24, direct links from notifications have been replaced to improve security and provide a centralized Portal view of your tasks and messages.
Starting 7/16/24, direct links from notifications have been replaced to improve security and provide a centralized Portal view of your tasks and messages.
Key Changes:
Removal of Direct Notification Links: – Old: Link to Landing Page {fld:NotificationLink} – New: Link to the specified tab within Portal (more information under “Ensuring Data Protection Regulation Compliance in CTI Campaign Tools”)
What This Means for You:
• Users will now need to log in to the Portal to access their Portal tasks and messages. • This change allows users to view multiple campaigns and activities in one Portal location, providing a more organized and efficient experience. • Existing landing page links in previously sent emails will automatically redirect to the meeting info page on the Portal, requiring login. • This update ensures a more secure and integrated approach to managing your notifications and tasks.
For more information about how to configure and GDPR compliance, check out the article “Ensuring Data Protection Regulation Compliance in CTI Campaign Tools.”
Data Protection Regulations are in effect across many countries around the globe. While the most well-known may be the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), there are similar laws and regulations in Thailand (PDPA), Brazil (LGPD), Canada (CPPA), India (DPDP) and several other countries. While there is no single regulation for the United States, many states have passed their own data privacy regulations.
Purpose of the Data Protection Regulations
Data Protection Regulations are in effect across many countries around the globe. While the most well-known may be the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), there are similar laws and regulations in Thailand (PDPA), Brazil (LGPD), Canada (CPPA), India (DPDP) and several other countries. While there is no single regulation for the United States, many states have passed their own data privacy regulations. In general, these regulations: • are designed to establish a framework for the protection of personal data, ensuring the rights of individuals are safeguarded during data processing activities. • uphold the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals, emphasizing the right to personal data protection. • facilitate the unrestricted movement of personal data across international borders, provided that the protection of personal data is not compromised.
Who Do These Regulations Apply To?
• Apply to companies with a presence in the regulated country who are processing personal data • Apply to companies anywhere in the world who are offering goods or services to data subjects in the regulated countries
How Do These Regulations Impact CTI Campaign Tools?
CTI ensures user privacy and compliance with existing data protection regulations by:
1. Requiring users to sign in to the portal to access notifications. 2. Refraining from adding a presenter’s email address to an email body. In the email template content merge fields, you’ll notice that inputting OTHER individuals’ email addresses to anyone else is not feasible.
Key Changes on 7/16/24:
Removal of Direct Notification Links: Old: Merge Field {fld:NotificationLink} -> Link to Landing Page New: Merge Field {fld:PortalLink param:submit|notifyTasks|notifyMessages|review|sessionOrganizer|sessionSubmission} -> Link to the specified tab within Portal
How can an admin configure the Portal tab login options?
cOASIS uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) to send emails from cOASIS. AWS requires the registration of the domain or domain email address to verify your ownership of the domain. Major email providers (e.g., Gmail.com1 and Yahoo.com2) have recently updated their guidelines to require new DNS entries to authenticate the sender email, reduce spam, and to increase email deliverability.
cOASIS uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) to send emails from cOASIS. AWS requires the registration of the domain or domain email address to verify your ownership of the domain. Major email providers (e.g., Gmail.com1 and Yahoo.com2) have recently updated their guidelines to require new DNS entries to authenticate the sender email, reduce spam, and to increase email deliverability.
Best practice
The current best practice is to register the domain you will use for sending emails from cOASIS (e.g., myassociationdomain.com). This domain will be registered with AWS. Registering the domain will have the following outcomes:
1. Allows sending emails from your domain through cOASIS 2. Does not require the registration of specific email addresses 3. Allows sending email with any domain-based email address as the MAIL FROM or REPLY-TO address 4. Maximizes deliverability based on current security and spam guidelines 5. Requires creating multiple new DNS entries for your domain with your domain registrar or DNS provider 6. The registration process can take several days to complete
The latest update to the cAdmin Campaigns feature introduces the “Only send 1 email per user per send (for Email only)” option, specifically crafted for generic emails. This new feature aims to reduce the volume of emails sent to end users, preventing their inboxes from becoming overwhelmed with notifications.
The latest update to the cAdmin Campaigns feature introduces the “Only send 1 email per user per send (for Email only)” option, specifically crafted for generic emails. This new feature aims to reduce the volume of emails sent to end users, preventing their inboxes from becoming overwhelmed with notifications.
As part of this update, all specific identifiers, such as Control # or Presentation ID, should be removed when this option is selected. With the removal of direct links in the campaigns, clients will need to access their notifications through the Portal. Therefore, this email option can serve as a reminder for clients to log in to their portal to discover all of their notifications instead of being sent multiple individual emails.
Set up the Single Email Per User Option Campaign
1. To configure the email, navigate to the Campaigns dashboard and either create a new campaign or edit an existing one by clicking the pen icon shown below:
2. Ensure that the Campaign Type is set to Email Only, as this will be a simple notification email prompting users to log into their portal and check their other notifications. 3. Save the Campaign. 4. Test the email send by sending it to two or more control numbers with an email you have access to. You should only receive one email. Ensure you run the Duplicate Account Report under the Peopletab first, as the system checks the PersonKey for duplicate persons.
Cut costs in future meeting contracts by learning more about sending campaigns with our Campaigns Trainaul course.
1. Click a Campaign and select the Advanced search button ON 2. Ensure you use double quotes for searching. For example, typing “Viewed” will yield search results, whereas typing Viewed without quotes will not.
Watch the video below for a demonstration.
Response statuses: • Not Started – might have received the email, but haven’t taken any action (i.e., clicking the landing page link) • Viewed – the landing page URL link has been clicked within the email body • Notify Action Selected – the user clicked a button on the landing page (e.g., Continue, Confirm, Accept, Decline) • Completed – depends on the Campaign Type. If the Campaign has no steps, the Response status will read “Viewed”. If the Campaign has steps and they finished all the steps, the Response status will read “Completed”
Please note the system cannot report on email-only campaign actions without a landing page link or Response action button. You will still receive the Sent date and Recipient list.
The following are the defined Session Role Status options:
Undefined: This status is set by the client to remove controls from module inclusion or display. Invited: The client designates this status before sending campaigns to ‘invite’ a presenter. It is typically used prior to the presenter ‘confirming’ their role. Primary: This is the default status when a presentation is created. Confirmed: This status indicates that the presenter has confirmed their participation in the meeting for this presentation. Alternate: Clients or end users can assign this status to alternates as backups for primary presentations (chairs/presenters). Non-Responsive: This status is used when an end user is not responding to communications regarding the confirmation of their presentation. Unable to Attend: This status is used to indicate that someone is unable to physically attend the meeting. It can also be used to set a ‘cover slide’ in cAttendee for presentations that are not uploaded. Declined: This status is applied when a presenter declines to participate in the meeting.
These Session Role Statuses apply not only to Abstract Submissions but also to any slotted control in any session type. In Campaigns, Session Submission, and Session Builder (Organizer) users can edit these statuses. However, it’s important to note that a Session Role Status cannot be attributed to controls that are not slotted in sessions.
It’s also important to mention that Session Role Status can be automatically set based on the configuration of a campaign step (accept/decline response).
To use the Campaign Advanced Search, click and open a Campaign and select the Advanced search button ON:
The Response statuses are standard in cOASIS, and you can search in double quotes by: Not Started – might have received the email, but haven’t taken any action (i.e., clicking the landing page link) Viewed – the landing page URL link has been clicked within the email body Notify Action Selected – the user clicked a button on the landing page (e.g., Continue, Confirm, Accept, Decline) Completed – depends on the Campaign Type. If the Campaign has no steps, the Response status will read “Viewed”. If the Campaign has steps and they finished all the steps, the Response status will read “Completed”
The Response action is a customizable button text. The value indicates what button the person clicked on the landing page. Examples include Confirm, Decline, and No Action. No Action – if the Campaign is Informational Only, it will automatically read No Action. It will also read “No Action” if the user has not clicked any of the buttons within the landing page and the applicable steps.
Tips for searching: 1. You have to use double quotes to search. 2. If you type in Declined instead of “Decline”, no search results will show because the search box has to be an exact match with double quotes.
Please note the system cannot report on email-only campaign actions without a landing page link or Response action button. You will still receive the Sent date and Recipient list.
Merge Fields allow an admin to reference different meeting fields to personalize the emails for each recipient. For example, Person – first name will personalize this message for each recipient to their actual first name.
Watch the video below to learn how to use and test merge fields to personalize your email campaigns.
If you want to add a link to a specific tab in Portal, use the “Link via Portal” option and choose the tab you want the person directed to in Portal, e.g., {fld:PortalLink param:submit}.
Not all meeting fields are available. Please let us know if there are other fields you would like to be added.
• Meeting Name • Meeting Dates • Location • Year • Contact Information • Support Information • Deadlines • Client Website
Using custom merge terms for your meetings is highly beneficial. It allows you to update recurring details, like the Meeting Name, in one place. This means you only need to update the Meeting Name once for all future meetings, saving administrators time.
Watch the short video to learn how to set up and add merge terms in an email.
Standard templates called “Starter Campaigns” are templates that have been made available for all meetings to help give clients a “starting point” for traditional meeting email campaigns. Any new meeting created will have these Starter Campaigns available. These templates will provide clients with a head start managing presenters, abstracts, and the review process within the cAdmin system.
Standard templates called “Starter Campaigns” are templates that have been made available for all meetings to help give clients a “starting point” for traditional meeting email campaigns. Any new meeting created will have these Starter Campaigns available. These templates will provide clients with a head start managing presenters, abstracts, and the review process within the cAdmin system.
To use the Starter Campaigns: 1. Under the Campaigns tab, click “Add Campaign” 2. Select “Campaign templates -> Campaign Type”
3. We’ll use the example “Abstract Accept: Poster”
4. Campaign Name is an internal name only admins see in cAdmin 5. Display Name will be seen by the participants in the Portal. These names can be the same or you can make them different for internal naming convention 6. Default Expiration Date is when the campaign will expire, meaning after the expiration date the recipient (or presenter) will no longer have access. For example, an admin does not want to make the review site available to abstract reviewers if the review site has already closed. 7. Choose a Content Display Type – Email Only: Contains only the subject line, the from email, and the email body (Ex., a personal email one sends to another) – Informational: Same as Email Only, but includes a randomly generated URL link for each participant which goes to a web-based component of the campaign for the participant to view more extensive details like the exact session titles or dates. Links are important to utilize because the longer the email is, the more likely it will go to a person’s spam folder. Links help break up the more detailed information in the original email. – Email Only& Informational emails land in the participant’s Messages tab in Portal – Action with Steps: Same as Informational, but after a link is clicked within the email taking the participant to another page, the participant follows a step-by-step process. – Action Only – No Steps: Same as Informational, but one action needs to be performed by the participant. For example, a participant clicks on a link and is taken to a page where they need to either Accept or Decline to confirm their participation. The Accept or Decline would be the one action taken (with no steps involved). This action is customizable by the administrator. – Both Action emails land in the participant’s Tasks tab in Portal 8. Default Campaign: Provides the opportunity to clone an existing template to save admin time. For example, many campaigns may have similar verbiage or structure 9. Hide campaign from Contributor Portal: Check this box so the campaign does not appear in the user’s Portal and is only sent to their Inbox 10. Applies to: Check the box that the campaign is in regards to. For example, if we’re asking for a reviewer to review something, we’d check Reviewer 11. Description: Optional to fill in. Only admins will see this field. This is useful for organizational purposes for client staff and the CTI Client Services team. We’d recommend one or two sentences describing the campaign. 12. Click “Add.”
Administrators can also create a new campaign from another campaign in the meeting by choosing the second option below:
For more information on Campaigns, check out the Campaigns Trainual unit.
A single change within Settings->Blocks & Terms can translate to hours of time saved editing virtual meeting pages. Administrative users can gain efficiencies by using Terms in campaign text, incorporating system terms like Meeting Name and custom Terms such as the name of the Annual Program Chair and key dates such as submission deadlines, conflict of interest disclosure deadlines and presentation upload deadlines.
A single change within Settings->Blocks & Terms can translate to hours of time saved editing virtual meeting pages. This functionality has also been used to allow administrators to create language support for a German-language meeting.
Administrative users can gain efficiencies by using Terms in campaign text, incorporating system terms like Meeting Name and custom Terms such as the name of the Annual Program Chair and key dates such as submission deadlines, conflict of interest disclosure deadlines and presentation upload deadlines. During the set-up of the next event, rather than changing everything on a common campaign such as Abstract Acceptance or Presentation Upload, an administrator would simply need to change the Terms. On Production, you will see the Blocks & Terms settings menu segments the terms into “System Terms” and “Custom Terms”. Both sets of terms will be available in the Campaigns emails and landing pages. Custom Terms gives administrator users the capability to add Terms that are not already covered in the System Terms section.
All portions of Campaigns – steps, emails, landing pages, response pages allow the use of Terms (Landing page shown below):
A new option has been added to each Campaign recipients dashboard to allow additions of recipients directly to the list through an “Add controls” icon. Clicking on this icon will allow users to paste in comma-separated lists of control numbers, which will add presenting / primary authors from those control numbers to the campaign.
Assigning recipients to notification campaigns is easily available with the bulk actions on the Submissions, Reviewers, Sessioners and Presentations dashboards. Advanced search functions are available to filter the lists of submissions, reviewers, session organizers and presenters down to a specific group of recipients and add them to a searchable list of campaigns. When using these functions, the assignment can be accomplished through a variety of filters such as session types, activity types and session role statuses and program statuses, making easy work of the assignment.
A new option has been added to each Campaign recipients dashboard to allow additions of recipients directly to the list through an “Add controls” icon. Clicking on this icon will allow users to paste in comma-separated lists of control numbers, which will add presenting / primary authors from those control numbers to the campaign.
While this function will be used more as an “expert mode” function than a normal day-to-day assignment process, the ability to directly Add Controls can offer efficiency when a change has been made (e.g., one presenting author is being replaced by another presenting author) requiring the administrator to add a new invitation. Simply entering the control number after the author change is made will add the new presenter to the same campaign. The old invitation can then be safely expired.
We added a row action in the Recipients dashboard in Campaign details for an administrator to be able to go to Control details straight from the row, saving the administrator time from having to look it up manually.
We added a row action in the Recipients dashboard in Campaign details for an administrator to be able to go to Control details straight from the row, saving the administrator time from having to look it up manually.
We offer support for comma-separated values in advanced search for integer fields to efficiently filter records. Only Advanced search fields marked with the “target” icon accept such comma-separated lists – either typed in or pasted in.
Admins now have more built-in options to describe their items. These new description options are on many details pages where an admin can freely create source HTML/CSS text or use the built-in text options.
