This lesson will guide you through creating and managing message templates and closure responses.
You can respond to requests in just a couple clicks by creating templates of common responses. A good place to start is by entering any form letters you already send out, or looking back through email responses to common requests. You may also want to create templates for all the standard exemptions that you cite so that your staff can insert approved legal language. Depending on your State, NextRequest may be able to provide example templates for you to input into your portal.
Templates can be edited within each message and multiple templates can be combined into a single message. So feel free to leave blanks to be filled in and to create templates for parts of messages like signature lines. NextRequest also tracks when a template is used so you can see how often your agency gives a particular response and compare totals.
There are two types of templates in NextRequest:
- Message Templates: These can be used when communicating with a requester while a request is being worked on. Common message templates include giving an estimated response time and asking for clarification about a request. You can also select one of the message templates to be sent automatically in response to each request submitted through the portal.
- Closure Responses: These are used when closing out a request to inform requesters of how and why the request is being closed. Common closure responses include stating that all responsive documents have been released, that no responsive records were found, or the particular exemption that the request was denied for.
This guide covers:
- Setting up Message Templates
- Setting up Closure Responses
- Editing Message Templates and Closure Responses
- Deactivating Message Templates and Closure Responses
- Setting an 'Initial Contact' auto-response for all new requests
Setting up Message Templates
How to create a message template
- Click the ADMIN link in the header
- Click All Templates in the sub-header
- Click Message Templates in the drop-down menu
- Click the CREATE TEMPLATE button
- Enter the Name and Template Text for the template
- Click the SAVE button
Setting up Closure Responses
How to create a closure response
- Click the ADMIN link in the header
- Click Templates in the sub-header
- Click Closure Responses in the drop-down menu
- Click the CREATE CLOSURE RESPONSE button
- Enter the Name and Closure Response Text for the closure response
- Click the SAVE button
Editing Message Templates and Closure Responses
To edit an existing template, locate that template in the Message Template or Closure Response list, then click the Edit icon (
) inline on the right. Make any updates that you want to the template information, then click the SAVE button.
Deactivating Message Templates and Closure Responses
To deactivate a template, locate that template in the Message Template or Closure Response list, then click the Deactivate button inline on the right. Click OK to confirm deactivation.
Setting an 'Initial Contact' auto-response for all new requests
You can set a message template to be included as part of an automatic email notification that is sent to a requester after submitting a request. An initial contact template is not required, however it is a good opportunity to inform the requester about when they can expect their documents, possible fees, or any other information you think is important for every requester to have. The email will also include standard information about how they can access and update their request.
How to set an initial contact template
- Go to the list of message templates
- Click the radio button next to the template you would like to be in the initial email notification
- (Optional) Click Preview to send an example initial contact email to yourself
Note: After you select a template to be an initial contact template, you can no longer go back to having no initial contact template. If you need to remove an initial contact template selection, please email support@nextrequest.com