This is a Level 7 feature

This feature provides you with a built-in email client which allows you to send invoices to customers with the press of a button.

It is accessed from the Main Invoice Screen.  Near the "Email" address field (mid, right of the screen), and you'll see four buttons.  The first button (a bluish icon) opens an external email client.  The second button ("Opt") opens a dialog box that provides various options for using an external email client.  It's the two buttons just below the Email field that we are concerned about here.

One of these buttons is named "Auto Send" and sends a standardized cover letter and an attached copy of the invoice to the customer.  The last button ("Open") opens the internal email program and allows you to personalize the message before sending the invoice to the customer.

The information, below, is about the "Auto Send" button. For information about the "Open" button, see Open Internal Email

"Auto Send" can also be activated by selecting MAIN TASKS >> AUTOMATED EMAIL - INTERNAL PROGRAM.  Or it can be activated with the CTRL+W quick key combination.

"Open" can also be activated by selecting MAIN TASKS >> OPEN INTERNAL &EMAIL PROGRAM - MANUAL MODE.  It also has a quick key combination:  CTRL+G.

In order to use either of these features, you must, first, enter some information in Basic Program Set-up.  To do so, select FILE and BASIC PROGRAM SET UP from the Menu Bar. Click on the "Email Set-up" tab on top of the page.  The Email Set-up page will appear: More Information

IMPORTANT NOTE: to use AnyOrder's internal email program, the email account that you use must be with an Internet Service Provider (ISP).  AnyOrder's internal email is not designed to work with Yahoo, Gmail, HotMail and other web-based email.  We can customize the program to work with web-based mail, but it does required extra charges in order to do that.  ISP email accounts are very inexpensive (some less than $20 US a year).  You can have multiple accounts and pick your own identifiable domain name.

In Basic Set-up, you will be able to enter the various email parameters that allow AnyOrder to access the Internet Service Provider's (ISP's) email server.

Additionally, to use the "Auto Send" feature, you'll need to click on the "Create or Edit Default Email Message" button found in Basic Set-up.  A form will open on which you can write a short cover letter to go along with Invoices being emailed to customers.  Along with the standardized message, you'll also be able to indicate any CC's, BCC's or Reply to addresses you want included.

Once you've entered information in Basic Set-up, you can use either the "Auto Send" or "Open" features.

"Auto Send" Button (Automated Email – Internal Email Program)

Make sure that you have: 1) entered the email set-up values in Basic Program Set-up as described above, and 2) prepared a short standardized email message to go along with the attached invoice (which is done in Basic Program Set-up as well).

To send off an invoice to a customer, click on the "Auto Send" button on the Main Invoice Screen.  The cover message that you prepared along with an attached copy of the invoice will be sent to the customer.

The attachment being sent to the customer includes both an html and text copy of the invoice.  The text version of the invoice assures that it will get through to the customer no matter what settings they have on their email program.

All in all, this is a very quick and efficient way to send invoices to customers.

If you use this feature, you should monitor the sending email account to make sure you don't get any bounced back emails.  The internal email program built into AnyOrder does not receive emails, but you can monitor the account with your normal email program.  If you get a bounced back email, then you'll want to double-check and make sure you have the correct email address for the customer.

Additionally, since the internal email program doesn't use a "Sent" box, you'll want to send a blind copy to a company email address.  That allows you to have a record of the Invoices sent. When you set-up the standardized message in Basic Set-up, you can indicate an address for blind copies.

Long Email Addresses

On rare occasions you may run into an email address that doesn't fit in the email address field on the Main Invoice Screen.  In those cases, leave the email address field blank and enter the address in the "Notes" area.  Surround the address in double angle brackets, like this:

    <<jacqueline.zimmermann@someverylongnamedcompany.com>>

If you click on either the "Open" or "Auto" buttons and if AnyOrder doesn't find an email address in the email address field on the Main Invoice Screen, it will look in the Notes area.  If it finds an address surrounded by double angle brackets, it will use that address.