FAQ Emails/Text

1. How can I prevent awkward line breaks in my emails?
2. What’s the best way to make email formatting consistent?
3. Why is the text wrapping in my emails?

A: The way your email displays on someone else's screen depends on several factors—including their email provider, browser, and device. For example, an email opened in Gmail on a Mac using Chrome will automatically wrap text to fit the screen. Because there are so many combinations of platforms and settings, there’s no one-size-fits-all way to control exactly how your email looks for every recipient.

If you're aiming for more consistent formatting across devices, consider using a fully designed HTML layout (like those created with tools such as Mailchimp). Even then, individual email clients may still override certain styles based on user preferences or settings.

Want more control over line breaks?
You can insert HTML line breaks (<br>) at the end of each line. While this won’t stop text from wrapping completely, it can help create a more uniform appearance and reduce the chance of horizontal scrolling.

1. Why Are Guests Seeing a “Good News!” Message When Trying to Sign Up for Our Online Auction?
2. Can you disable to “Good News!” redirect on my site?
3. Is the Good News redirect a bug in the software?

A: Understanding the Good News! Feature
The Good News! message is designed to prevent duplicate user records from being created, ensuring a smooth experience for our users. It's a feature that enhances security and prevents potential issues such as multiple accounts and bid discrepancies. Good News! You're already in our system. . .

How It Works:

1. Existing User Recognition: If you attempt to sign up with an email address that already exists in our system, you'll receive a Good News! message. This message directs you to check your email for a login link. This process verifies that you own the email address associated with the existing account.
2. Accessing Your Account: The email you receive contains a secure link that automatically logs you into your existing account. From there, you can immediately start participating in bidding or accessing other features of our platform.

Why It's Important:

• Security and Data Integrity: By recognizing existing emails, we prevent the creation of duplicate accounts that could lead to confusion and operational issues.
• User Experience: This process ensures that users have uninterrupted access to their accounts without the need to manage multiple logins or shopping carts.

Testing the Process:
We encourage you to test the Good News! feature yourself to see how it works:

1. Visit our demo site at: https://schoolauction.helpscoutdocs.com/article/923-sandbox-site
2. Ensure you are not logged in to see the signup buttons/link.
3. Click on Signup and enter your email address. If your email is unrecognized, proceed with the new user signup process as directed.
4. Log out and repeat step 3. This time, your email should be recognized, and you'll receive instructions via email on how to access your existing account.

1. Why are my guest being redirected when trying to purchase Tickets?
2. How can we avoid the "Good News" redirect on our site?

A: Understanding the Good News! Feature
The Good News! message is designed to prevent duplicate user records from being created, which enhances security and streamlines the user experience. Good News! You're already in our system. . .

How It Works:

• Existing User Recognition: When a buyer enters an email address that matches an existing record in our system, they receive a Good News! message. This message directs them to check their email for a login link.
• Verification Process: Clicking the link in the email automatically logs the user into their existing account. This process ensures that only the rightful owner of the email address gains access, protecting their personal information.
• Continuity in Shopping: After logging in, users are returned to the same page to complete their order seamlessly.

Why It's Important:

• Preventing Issues: Ignoring matching emails could lead to the unintended creation of duplicate accounts. This could result in confusion with multiple shopping carts, bids placed against oneself, and other complications.

Testing the Feature:
To see how the Good News! feature works, you can view the process in action by visiting our demo site: https://nwsupport.schoolauction.net/latest/homepages/show. 

By experiencing the process firsthand, you'll gain a better understanding of how it benefits both users and administrators alike.

1. How can I get donor emails from my site?
2. Can I create a report with all of our supporter emails?

A:The Invitation System isn’t just for sending event invites—it’s also a flexible tool for gathering and exporting specific contact information for communications or outreach. Invitations: Overview + Video

To export specific email addresses, you can use the Customize View feature by clicking on the blue "Customize" button to select and gather the emails you need.

Once selected, export the file by clicking the grey "Saving As CSV" button. After saving the file as a CSV, you can open it in Excel. From there, your email manager can import the contacts. 

For illustrated instructions on creating the CSV file, refer to: Creating Custom Reports.
 

1. Can you help me troubleshoot why donors aren't receiving emails?
2. What should I do if supporters report not receiving emails?
3. Can you check to see if emails are being sent from my site?

A: If you're receiving isolated reports of missing emails, here are a few things to check:

1. Confirm the recipient's email address is correct in their User Record. A small typo is a common cause.
2. Check the recipient’s spam or junk folder. This accounts for about 95% of reported missing emails.
3. School or government email addresses may have strict filters or firewalls that block messages from unknown senders.
4. Smartphones may not sync instantly. Default settings often check for new messages every 15 minutes to preserve battery and data.

Email providers have varying spam filtering algorithms that evolve over time. Some providers redirect suspected emails to spam folders or block them outright. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee every email will reach the recipient's inbox.

If none of these reasons explain the missing email: 
Try reproducing the issue by sending a test email to yourself. If you don't receive it, please let our Customer Support Team know so we can assist you further with troubleshooting. You can reach them by clicking on the Help Widget found on the right side of any event screen.
 

1. Why are Outbid Notifications not going through to certain users?
2. Can I see a log of which texts were successfully sent or received?

A: If your guests are not receiving text messages, here are a few things to check first:

1. User Profile and Phone Number:
   • Ensure each guest has a phone number in their user profile, and that it is a valid number.
2. Review Message Content:
   • For Invitation Templates: Check for unusual characters like accent marks, double dashes, or foreign characters. These can prevent messages from being received.
   • For Outbid Notifications: Verify the Item Name and remove any text that could be flagged as advertising for prohibited items such as gambling, firearms, or alcohol. These references can trigger message blocking.

If only specific users are affected:
Ask them to text "BIDNOW" to 844-218-2243. Our texts are sent from a shared (not dedicated) shortcode, which may have been blocked by users who previously received promotional messages from other businesses using the same code. Texting "NOWBID" to the number above should resolve any blocks.

Please note:
We don't have a visible log for sent and received texts. If the above steps don't resolve the issue, contact our Customer Support Team via the Help Widget found on the right side of any event screen and  provide specific examples (user, phone number, email sent) so we can investigate further.

If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out. We're here to help ensure your messages reach your guests effectively.