What is Batch Messaging? 📮
Accurx Batch Messaging is a paid-for feature in a premium tier of Accurx Desktop. Learn more about Accurx's paid-for features, including how to get access here.
Accurx Batch Messaging allows you to send the same message to a group of patients. This includes attaching SNOMED codes or documents to the message or collecting structured information from a group of patients by sending questionnaires as a Batch Message.
Why are there multiple ways to send a batch message? 💌
To reduce SMS costs and make messages accessible to different groups of patients, batch messages can be sent in three different ways - by email, by SMS (also known as text) and via the NHS App.
Currently, Batching Messaging by email is only available to Accurx Desktop users in primary care - we hope to extend this to Accurx Web users this Summer 🎉.
Batch Messaging via Email ✉️
Email is taken as the priority when sending a Batch Message. If a patient's email address is included in the CSV file for the batch message, the patient will only be emailed the message.
This differs from messages sent via the NHS app. If a message is sent to a patient's NHS app but is unopened after 24 hours (3 hours for the Blood pressure 4-day and 7-day home monitoring questionnaires), a second message is sent to the patient by SMS (text), known as a fallback. This does not occur for emails. You can read more about how NHS App Batch Messaging works here.
Confirming the delivery of an email ✅
Confirming the delivery of an email ✅
We can't confirm the delivery of an email with the same confidence as an SMS (text) or NHS App message.
Unlike text messages, email doesn't always provide a reliable delivery confirmation. While some email servers may send a delivery receipt, this is not universally supported, and many email clients don't automatically request or display these receipts. Because of this, we can't provide 100% certainty that an email has been delivered to a patient.
Because we do not receive the same delivery receipts from email providers, we do not include emails within the final "delivered" total in Batch Messages.
Example 👀
Example 👀
Here's an example of a successful Batch Message via email. 👇
To find your batch message status and details:
Go to your Manage Organisation Page,
Click the "View Batch Messages" button,
Select "View Details" on the batch message you'd like to view.
Here, you can see a successfully delivered Batch Message via email. Although the batch message is marked as "0 Delivered", the Batch message is completed and "Done" because the email has been successfully sent.
If the email is unsuccessful and we receive a non-delivery receipt from the email client, a number will appear under the "Failed to Deliver" header. We cannot guarantee that all failed emails will be counted under the "Failed to Deliver" header.
How to check failed emails ❌
How to check failed emails ❌
If an email fails to deliver to a patient and we receive a non-delivery receipt from the email client, this will be displayed in the "Failed to Deliver" header of the batch message. We cannot guarantee that all failed emails will be counted under the "Failed to Deliver" header due to the inconsistencies with email delivery receipts.
To find this information within the Batch Message status and details page:
Go to your Manage Organisation Page,
Click the "View Batch Messages" button,
Select "View Details" on the batch message you'd like to view.
Select the number highlighted in blue, beneath the "Failed to deliver" header to view the specific emails that have failed.
You will need to review the NHS Number and Email Address columns to identify the patients who haven't been messaged.
Based on the results shown in the "Failed to deliver" CSV file, it may be appropriate to try to contact the patient via an alternative method. You may want to send the patient a text message, call the patient directly or provide them with a letter.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) ❓
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) ❓
Can I send a mixture of Emails and text messages within one batch message?
Yes, if you would like a patient to receive an email, include their email in the CSV file you upload for the batch message. If you would like a patient to receive a text instead, simply remove their email from the CSV file.
Does Email Batch Messaging have a back-up SMS (text) message?
No, there is no backup text message if an email is left unread or fails to deliver.
Can I see which specific emails have failed to send?
Yes, you can view which emails have failed to save by going to the "View Details" page of a batch message and downloading the "Failed to deliver" CSV file. Please note, that we can't guarantee that it is a complete list of failed emails because of the inconsistent and differing undelivered receipts that are sent by email providers.
Can I send a Batch email with Self-book links?
It's not possible to send a batch self-book message via email at the moment.
Can I add multiple SNOMED codes to a Batch Message?
No, you can only add one SNOMED code per Batch Message.
If you still have any questions or concerns, feel free to chat with us using the green message bubble in the bottom right-hand corner of this page. 👉