Extract and Mailout
Use the Extract and Mailout tab when you want to extract the complete set of data from the various areas in PetLinx such as customers, pets, bookings, and transactions. You’ll then be able to filter the extract down if needed, then export it in a variety of formats or even use it as the basis for a mailout to your customers.
Extract
Choosing an extract type pulls all the records for that type into a grid. From there you can sort and filter if required so you end up with a subset of records matching your criteria.
To sort: Click a column heading once to sort by that column in ascending order, click again to sort in descending order.
To filter: Click the funnel icon on the top right corner of a column heading to open the filter window. The choices in the window differ depending if you’re filtering a text, number, date, or tickbox column but all provide you with options to choose the values you wish to filter to. The filter currently applied is described at the bottom of the grid, you can clear the filter by unticking this to show all records again.
Adding and removing columns: Right click a column header and choose Hide This Column to remove a column from the grid. To add a column, right click a column header and choose Column Chooser, then click and drag the column required and drop it into the location you want it to appear. You can also change the order of columns by clicking and dragging them left or right.
Saving the filter: Click Save Current filter to save the filter you have created. A saved filter can be applied in future by choosing it in the Filter drop-down.
Exporting the extract: Click Export Extract then choose the format to export in from CSV, Text or Excel and choose a save location. In PetLinx Cloud this may read as Export (email to me) and you will be emailed the file instead.
Mailout
Mailouts are used to do a mass communication with your customers, with message content customized for each customer using their own data from the PetLinx database. The customers to include in the mailout are based on the extract, only those records that are left after being filtered and also have been ticked in the left most column of the grid will be included in the mailout.
Apart from address labels, you’ll need to choose a message template that you have setup previously for the type of mailout you are doing, by clicking the Select button at the end of the “Message Template” field. For further information on creating templates, see the Email and SMS Template Editors help topic.
The four output types available are:
Address Labels: This produces labels with the customer’s address on it. Note the standard label report supplied in PetLinx is designed for the Avery 5160 format; if you need a different size you can make your own custom labels using the PetLinx Report Designer.
Emails: To send emails you first need to ensure you have setup your email configuration, in System Options – Email and SMS. Clicking Create Mailout will bring up the Send Emails form, listing all the recipients of the email. You can untick recipients that you don’t want to send the email to and type over email addresses if they are incorrect. Once you’ve entered a subject (you can also add an attachment if required), click Send Emails to send each customer their personalized email. Any problems with sending the emails will be shown in the “Status” column.
Print: Clicking Create Mailout will display all the messages in the Mailout Print Preview form, from where you can save them to a file, or print.
SMS: To send SMS messages you first need to create an account with our one of SMS service providers – see System Options – Email and SMS. Clicking Create Mailout will bring up the Send Text/Voice Messages Batch form, listing all the recipients of the messages. You can untick recipients that you don’t want to send the messages to, and change phone numbers if they are incorrect. You can also change the Type of message to send for each customer. This will default to the customer’s Preferred Contact Method field, however if this isn’t “Text Message” or “Voice Message” then the Type will default to “Text” if a mobile phone has been entered, or “Voice” if only a home or work phone is available. Click Send Messages to send each customer their personalized SMS. Any initial problems with sending the messages will be shown in the “Status” column; you will need to log into your SMS account in order to view the completed status of each message you have sent.
