Welcome to the Groups section, where you can effortlessly manage, organize, and communicate with your Groups!
You're in control of making changes to the Group and linking it to Keywords, Connect Cards, and Automated Workflows.
Before You Start:
Please note that only Account Users with Admin Level permissions have the authority to create new Groups.
Creating a Group:
Log in to Text In Church and click on the Groups section in the main menu.
Hit the "Add New" button in the top right-hand corner.
Name your Group and provide a description.
(Note: This name and description are for internal use only and won't be visible to your Group Members.)
Under "Assign Users," select the Account Users who should have access to this Group.
Remember, all Groups are always accessible to Account Users with Admin-level permissions.
Once you've filled in the Group Details, click "Next Step" to proceed.
On the next page, you can add a Connect Card to the Group.
Here, you can create confirmation messages that automatically send when someone completes the Connect Card, activate a Keyword for the Group, and set up Staff Notifications.In the "Link My Connect Card to Group" section, you can link a Connect Card to the Group. Ensure that you've created the Connect Card beforehand.
The "Send Confirmation Text Message" section allows you to set up an SMS message that will automatically send when someone completes the Connect Card.
Choose the sending number and customize the message as you like, and use Variables to personalize it.
The "Send Staff Notifications" section sends a text message and/or email to a User when someone completes the Connect Card.
Select the recipient and add more details as needed.
In the final section, configure a Keyword and its Automated Reply Message.
This allows members to join the Group by texting a specific word to your Text In Church number.
Enter the Keyword, select the phone number to receive texts, and create an automated reply message with links to your Connect Card, Giving Links, or event registrations.
Don't forget to click "Save" at the bottom to save your changes!
Once your Group details are set the way you want, click "Save & Close" to save your changes.
Editing a Group:
Click the three dots to the right of the Group you wish to edit and select "Edit" from the menu.
You'll be taken to the Group Details page, where you can make changes to the Group's name, description, and user permissions.
Click the blue next button on this page to access your Keyword, Automated Reply Message, Staff Notifications, Confirmation Text Message, and more!
Be sure to click "Save & Close" after making your changes.
Duplicating a Group:
Duplicating a Group is handy when you want to replicate settings and Automated Workflows for a different purpose.
Note: Members won't be copied into the new Group.
Go to the Groups section and click the three dots next to the Group you want to duplicate.
Select "Duplicate" from the dropdown menu.
Deleting and Restoring a Group:
Deleting a Group won't remove its members from the People section. If you ever want to restore a deleted Group, follow these steps:
Click on the Groups section and then select the three dots next to the Group you want to delete.
Choose "Delete" from the menu.
To restore a deleted Group, open the Groups section, click "View deleted Groups" at the top, and select the Group you want to restore.
Inside the deleted Group, click "Restore" in the top right corner.
The Group will then appear under the "Groups" tab in your account, and you can use its features again.
Sharing a Group:
To share a Group, click on the Groups tab and select the three dots next to the Group you want to share.
Then, choose "Share" from the menu. You'll get a unique Group link to share with another Text In Church user.
Please note that only the Keyword, Connect Card, and Automated Workflow(s) associated with this Group will be shared.
Message History:
Sometimes, you may want to review the message history for a specific Group. Follow these steps:
Click on the Groups tab.
Choose the specific Group by clicking on its name, taking you to the Group's overview page.
Go to the Message History tab to see the messages sent to that Group. You can view the message title, message type (SMS text message or email), and delivery date.
Click the eye icon to the right of the delivery date to preview the sent message.
Please note that the Message History displays only stand-alone messages you create and send to the specific Group, not messages from Automated Workflows.
Ensuring Additions to Groups Only After Completing a Connect Card
To ensure that contacts are not added to your main Group until they complete a Connect Card with required fields (e.g., Name or Email):
Create two Groups:
Group A: Associated with the Keyword where contacts will initially be added upon sending the Keyword.
Group B: This is the main Group where you want contacts added after completing the Connect Card.
Link the Connect Card to add contacts to Group B once they successfully fill out and submit the form.
This setup filters incomplete submissions, ensuring only valid sign-ups are added to the main Group for further engagement.
