Web Fax Merge - Protus Fax Merge PIPSUGMSWFM.01.07 Contents i Contents Getting Started..... .....1...

Web Fax Merge

Protus Messaging Services User Guide Web Fax Merge

PIPSUGMSWFM.01.07 Contents i

Contents Getting Started....................................................................................................................................... 1

Setting up an account........................................................................................................................ 1 Requirements.................................................................................................................................... 1 Logging In ........................................................................................................................................ 1

Sending a New Web Fax Merge............................................................................................................ 2 Who are you sending your fax to? .................................................................................................... 2

Sample Merge List .................................................................................................................... 3 Changing a recipient list ............................................................................................................ 4

What would you like to fax?............................................................................................................. 4 Advanced Settings (Optional)........................................................................................................... 4

Fax Image Resolution................................................................................................................ 5 “From” Field.............................................................................................................................. 5 Schedule Date & Time .............................................................................................................. 5 Billing Code .............................................................................................................................. 6 Save This Fax Document........................................................................................................... 7

Place Merge Points on Document..................................................................................................... 7 Page View Window................................................................................................................... 8 Page Thumbnails ....................................................................................................................... 8 Merge Point Controls ................................................................................................................ 8

Sending your Web Fax Merge........................................................................................................ 10 Sending a Saved Web Fax Merge ....................................................................................................... 11

Deleting a saved Web Fax Merge................................................................................................... 11 Reporting on a Web Fax Merge ......................................................................................................... 12

Email reports .................................................................................................................................. 12 Confirmation report ................................................................................................................. 12 Completion report.................................................................................................................... 12

Online reports ................................................................................................................................. 13 Faxes in progress report........................................................................................................... 13 Fax History report ................................................................................................................... 15


PIPSUGMSWFM.01.07 Getting Started 1

Getting Started Web Fax Merge is a Web-based Internet fax service designed for personalized fax broadcasts, regardless of size. Your message is customized for each destination and delivered using the reliable and secure Protus Fax service. Once your message is sent, you can check the delivery status using our on-line web reporting.

Setting up an account Before you can use Web Fax Merge, your Protus Account Executive will help you set up a Web Fax Merge account.

Requirements The following web browsers are officially supported by Web Fax Merge:

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.x, 5.x, 6.x

• Netscape Navigator 4.7x, 7.x

Other browsers must have the following features enabled in order to access Web Fax Merge through our web interface:

• SSL encryption at the 128-bit level or higher

• Tables

• Cookies

• RFC1867 support for multiple forms and file uploads

• Java Script

Note: If your browser uses Pop-Up blockers, you may need to disable them for Web Fax Merge to operate correctly.

Logging In Go to www.protus.com. Click on the Login link at the top of the page - this will take you to your Account Login page.

Note: Bookmark this page before entering your User ID and password.

Enter your User ID and Password in the boxes provided, and click the Login button.


PIPSUGMSWFM.01.07 Sending a New Web Fax Merge 2

Sending a New Web Fax Merge To get ready to send a new Web Fax Merge, select the Web Fax link on Your Secure User Site, or select Web Fax from the Services side-bar menu, then click the Web Fax Merge – New link.

Web Fax Merge enables you to completely manage a merge fax broadcast through your web browser. The Web Fax Merge user interface is broken down into four easy to manage sections:

• Who are you sending your fax to?

• What would you like to fax?

• Advanced settings

• Place merge points on document

Who are you sending your fax to? Here is where you provide the destinations for your faxes(s), by adding a recipient list that is stored on your computer.

This is a list that you created in a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel saved in CSV format. The list must meet the following:

• Comma-separated csv file

• First row is header, containing field names

• First three field names are: faxnumber, to and , id

• Subsequent fields are used as the merge fields

• No commas are used. Use of commas interferes with the merge points.

The “faxnumber” field holds the individual destination fax numbers, which must begin with the country code. For North America, the country is 1. For example, to represent the fax number 555-1234 in area code 613 in North America, the number would be formatted as “16135551234”.

The “to” field contains the individual destination contact information that will appear in the fax banner. Normally the individual’s name (for example, John Doe) would go here,



The “id” field enables you to set a unique identifier for each destination that will appear in the broadcast history report, but not on the document itself.

Both the “to” and “id” fields may be left blank, but the fields themselves must exist, with the field names in the header. Note: The first three fields, “faxnumber”,”to”,and “id” can not be used as merge fields. If you wish to use the data in these fields in your merge, you must create a new field containing the same information as your merge field.

Note: The column names cannot have capital letters in them. Use only lower case letters in the column names. There can be no spaces between the words – for example, firstname not first name.

Sample Merge List

Note that the id field was left blank in this example.

1. Once you have a list prepared and ready on your computer, click the My Computer button. A window will pop up entitled Select a Contact List from My Computer.

2. Click the Browse button to open the file selection browser on your computer, and

locate the list you wish to upload.

3. Click the Open button in the browser window to select the list. This closes the browser window and returns you to the Select a Contact List from My Computer window.



4. The file path and name of the list file appears in the “Select List:” box. Click the Select button to load the list. The file name appears in the Recipient List box, with the number of recipients in the list in parentheses ().

Changing a recipient list If you made a mistake and wish to change a recipient list that you have already entered, click the My Computer button again and select the correct list. The new list replaces the previously selected one.

What would you like to fax? This is where you select the document that you are faxing. Note that it is important that you have left blank spaces in the document where you wish to place each merge field. For example, you could enter Dear ________. The blank spaces indicate the location for the individual names from your .csv files are merged into the fax.

1. Click Add Document. A window will pop up entitled Add a Document.

2. Click the Browse button to open the file selection browser on your computer, and locate the document you wish to upload.

3. Click the Open button in the browser window to select the document. This will close the browser window and return you to the Add a Document window.

4. The file path and name of the document file will appear in the “Select List:” box. Click the Select button to load the document. The file name will appear in the box above the Add Document button.

Advanced Settings (Optional) If you want to use these features, click the Advanced Settings button to get started. A popup window called “Advanced Settings” will open, with five settings that you can control:

• Fax Image Resolution

• “From” Field (This field is defaulted on your account.)

• Schedule Date & Time

• Billing Code

• Save This Fax Document

Once you have made your selections, click Apply to return to the Web Fax Merge user interface. Click Reset only if you think you have made a mistake and wish to



start over. If you wish to return to the Web Fax Merge user interface without changing any of the options in Advanced Settings, click the Close Window link.

Fax Image Resolution

Set if the fax image should be delivered in Draft (default) or Fine resolution.

“From” Field

Edit who the fax is from in the fax banner line. If you do not enter anything here, the default value as set in the system account is used.

Schedule Date & Time

By default, your Web Fax Merge is queued to be delivered as soon as possible, once you click Send.

Sometimes though, you want to set up a broadcast ahead of time and have the system deliver it later that day, or even days later. You may have a plan involving sending out different broadcasts throughout the coming weeks. You can use this screen to make that happen.

How scheduling works To schedule a broadcast, you need to set the “Start Date and Time”, and the range of hours to “Deliver Messages Between”.

A scheduled broadcast is placed automatically on hold status in the system where no message delivery is enabled until the “Start Date and Time” is reached, at which time the broadcast is released into an active status.

Once the broadcast is in active status, it can deliver messages to its destinations as long as the time is inside the range of allowable hours to Deliver Messages Between.



This is defined as the range of time from the beginning of the start hour, until the end of the end hour.

For example, if the start hour is 10 and the end hour is 14, the time range is taken as meaning from 10:00 until 14:59 (10:00 AM until 2:59 PM). The default setting of 00 and 23 indicates that delivery will be allowed starting at 00:00 (or 12:00 AM) and will be allowed to continue until 23:39 (or 11:59 PM).

Note: Web Fax Merge is set to Eastern Time (either Eastern Standard or Eastern Daylight Saving Time, depending on the time of year). Also, Web Fax Merge uses a 24-hour clock. Enter your times taking these two facts into consideration.

During the course of a broadcast, if the actual time exceeds the end of the range defined by the allowable hours, then the remainder of the broadcast will be suspended. The broadcast will be resumed when the start hour is reached again.

If you do not wish the fax broadcast to resume once it has been suspended, check the Do Not Resume After End Time checkbox. If you check this option, once the fax broadcast reaches it end hour, it will stop and not resume, even if more faxes were waiting to be sent. This is a useful option when sending dated or legally binding documents.

Setting up Scheduling 1. Click the checkbox to schedule the broadcast.

2. Using the drop-down menus provided, set the Month, Date, and Year that you want to send the broadcast.

3. Using the drop-down menus provided, set the Hour and Minute that you want to send the broadcast.

Note: the Start Date and Time is always set using Eastern Time (either Standard or Daylight Savings, depending on the time year).

4. Set the start hour of the allowed delivery range of hours (“Deliver the messages between:”), using the drop-down menu provided. The start hour indicates the start of the first hour of the day that delivery will be permitted.

5. Set the end hour of the allowed delivery range of hours. The end hour indicates the end of the last hour of the day that delivery will be permitted.

Note: The start and end hours in the delivery range are always set using Eastern Time (either Standard or Daylight Savings, depending on the time of year. Also, all times are expressed in the 24-hour clock.

Billing Code



Sometimes you may find it necessary to keep track of which faxes were sent for what purpose. Legal firms often have this requirement in order to know which clients to charge for faxes sent on their behalf. Web Fax Merge offers the Billing Code field for this and any other situation where you want to place an identifier on a Web Fax Merge broadcast, that you can refer to later on reports about the broadcast. It provides a convenient means of cross-referencing.

Type any alpha-numeric identifier in the field provided. This will appear in the “Billing Code” field in the broadcast reports. Do not use special characters in the Billing Code – only letters and numbers are acceptable.

Save This Fax Document

Since creating a Web Fax Merge job often involves setting numerous merge points, this is a way to preserve your work, so you do not need to repeat the same tasks each time you want to send out the same document. Check the box and fill in a descriptive name for the job. When you have completed the set-up and sent the merge, the system saves everything about the job, including the document, the merger points, and even the list. The next time you wish to use the same document, you can retrieve it for use without having to go through the set-up again.

Place Merge Points on Document Once the list and document have been uploaded, and the resolution selected within the Advanced Settings, you need to position where in the document the merge fields will be placed. This is done through a graphic interface where you point and click. Click the Place Merge Points button to begin. You are presented with the Merge Point placement screen.



Page View Window The Merge Point placement screen consists of three main areas. On the right, occupying the larger portion of the screen is an enlarged view of one page of the document itself. Scroll bars are used to access the entire document.

Page Thumbnails On the left, the bottom half displays a thumbnail image of each page in the document. If needed, a scroll-bar appears to enable any page to be displayed. Clicking on a page’s thumbnail image causes that page to appear in the large display area.

Merge Point Controls Again on the left, the top half of the screen comprises a set of controls that are used to aid in placing the merge points.

Field Name The box at the very top displays the field name of the current merge point, taken from the header of the list being used. In the example shown, the field name is “custname”.

Page Number Under the field name box, the current page number is displayed.

2. Place the Merge Field anywhere on the page by dragging it into position with your mouse, or by adjusting the Start Point X and Y coordinates.

3. Adjust your font style and size.

5. Click the double arrow and move forward or backward to the next Merge Point Field you wish to edit

4. Click Apply.

1. Choose the Merge Point Field you wish to edit here

6. Click the Preview button to proof your document



Start Point The start point indicates the co-ordinates of the upper-left corner of the merge point being placed. Changing the values in this box can be used to fine-tune the position of the merge point once a rough placement is done using the mouse.

Font You can change the font of the text in a merge point to match that of the surrounding text in the document. Use the drop-down menu to select an appropriate font name. Then, type in the size. You can also check the boxes to indicate bold or italic as desired.

Wrap Use this box to indicate if long text in a merge point should be allowed to wrap to the next line. Place a number in the box, and click Apply. Note that wrapping is only visible in the Preview after all the merge points have been placed.

Sample Text This displays the text found in the first record in your list for the merge field being used.

Apply Click Apply when you are satisfied with the placement of a merge field and want to move on to the next. Remember, you must always click Apply to save the current merge point information and move onto the next merge point.

Cancel Click Cancel if you want to undo the placement of the current merge point.

Navigation The Navigation box shows the merge point on which you are currently working. Clicking the << or >> arrow buttons enables you to select a different merge point.

How to Position Merge Points 1. Using the scroll bars in the main area of the window, bring the part of the

document where you want to add your first Merge Point into view. Ensure that your first Merge Point is the one selected in the Navigation area.

2. Position your mouse cursor on the screen where you want to place the Merge Point, and click. You can reposition it until you are satisfied either by clicking or by changing the coordinates in the Start Point area.

3. Set the Font Style and Size.

4. Click Apply. Note that you may want to record the X and Y values for each Merge Point for future use.



5. Using the << and >> buttons, select the next Merge Point you wish to position, and repeat the process. You can re-position each Merge Point as often as you wish, until you are satisfied.

6. Once all the Merge Points are set, click Preview. This redisplays a sample of the merged document as it will appear when faxed.

7. If you wish to reposition any of the Merge Points, click Re-Edit Merge Points to be returned to the Merge Point Placement screen. You can repeat this process as often as desired.

Sending your Web Fax Merge Once you have placed your Merge Points, and have returned to the Web Fax Merge User Interface, double-check that your Advanced Settings are set according to your wishes, and click Send Merge Job. Your Web Fax Merge is now delivered according to the specifications you provided. You see a confirmation screen indicating that your Web Fax Merge was successfully loaded.


PIPSUGMSWFM.01.07 Sending a Saved Web Fax Merge 11

Sending a Saved Web Fax Merge If you have previously sent a Web Fax Merge, and you used the Advanced Settings to save it and give it a name, you can re-load the same job with all the settings intact, for reuse. This can be a huge timesaver, especially if you have many finicky merge points.

1. Select the Web Fax link on Your Secure User Site, or select Web Fax from the Services side-bar menu, then click the Web Fax Merge – Saved link.

2. You will see a list of all jobs that you have saved in the past, listed by Reference #, Broadcast Date, Description, and Billing Code. Click on the reference number of the job you wish to restore. The Web Fax Merge interface appears, with the list and document fields already populated. Note that the Place Merge Points button is missing. If you are using a saved document, but changing the list, ensure that the header names in your new list are the same as the original list used.

3. If desired, change the list to which you are sending, by loading the new list using the My Computer button. Ensure that the new list has all the same fields as the old one did, or you might get unpredictable results.

4. You can also change the Advanced Settings as required.

5. One thing you cannot change is the Merge Point placements. If you need to re-position the Merge Points, follow the procedure for creating a New Merge Fax. Always click Preview to confirm the location of your merge points in your document before sending the fax. .

6. When you are ready to send the Web Fax Merge, click Send Merge Job.

Deleting a saved Web Fax Merge 1. While the list of Saved Web Fax Merge jobs is displayed, check the box beside

each job you wish to delete.

2. Click Delete Selected Items. You see a confirmation message.

3. If you are certain you wish to do so, click OK; otherwise click Cancel. Deleted jobs are completely removed from the system and cannot be restored.


PIPSUGMSWFM.01.07 Reporting on a Web Fax Merge 12

Reporting on a Web Fax Merge A number of reports are provided as part of the Web Fax Merge service. Emails are sent confirming submission of a fax broadcast (including Web Fax Merge), as well as notifying of completion, including detailed results. On-line reports are available showing the status of a fax broadcast in progress, as well as a historical summary of past broadcasts.

Email reports Two types of reports are available by email:

• Confirmation report

• Completion report

Confirmation report The Fax Broadcast Confirmation report is an email that is sent to you, indicating that the system has successfully received the broadcast that you submitted. It provides details identifying the job, including the following:

• Customer information including phone number

• Reference No. identifying the fax broadcast

• Billing Code entered when broadcast was submitted

• Total Destinations to which the broadcast is going

• Estimated Cost of the broadcast, including applicable taxes

Completion report The Fax Broadcast Completion report is an email that is sent to you, providing final results of the broadcast, and includes attached files with details of the individual successful and failed calls. It includes the following details:

• Customer User ID

• Reference No. identifying the fax broadcast

• Billing Code entered when broadcast was submitted

• Completed At – timestamp indicating when the broadcast completed

• Total Destinations to which the broadcast was sent

• Successful Destinations count

• Failed Destinations count

• Cost of the broadcast including applicable taxes



Online reports Two types of reports are available online:

• Fax broadcast in progress report

• Fax broadcast history report

Faxes in progress report The Fax broadcast in progress report provides real-time status information on a current broadcast, including the following information:

• Ref No – the reference number identifying the fax broadcast

• Received – the date and time the broadcast was received by the system

• Scheduled – the date and time the broadcast was scheduled for delivery (if unscheduled, shows 12:00:00 AM)

• #Faxes – the total number of destinations

• #Success – the current number of destinations that have succeeded

• #Failed – the current number of destinations that have failed

• Pages – the number of pages per fax destination

• Billing Code – the billing code that was submitted with the broadcast

See the sample below:

Viewing the Fax Broadcast in Progress report 1. On the sidebar menu, highlight Reports. A second level menu appears with all

the available online reports.



2. Click on the menu item Faxes in Progress. The Faxes in Progress page appears.

3. Under “Choose the type of fax status report…” select “Broadcast”.

4. Click Create Report. The page refreshes, showing currently available information.

Updating the Faxes in Progress report Click Create Report. The page refreshes, showing currently available information.

Filtering for a specific billing code 1. Type the billing code on which you wish to filter in the available box.

2. Click Create Report. The page refreshes, showing available information only for fax broadcasts that match the specified billing code.

Resubmitting a Credit Hold broadcast Occasionally, you may submit a Web Fax Merge request, but your account does not have sufficient funds in it to complete the request. The request is then placed on Credit Hold. Once you have added more funds to your account, you can then use the resubmit Credit Hold Broadcast option to resubmit your request.

1. On the Faxes in Progress page, check the time at which the request was originally scheduled.

2. If this time has not already past, click the Resubmit ‘Credit Hold’ Broadcast(s) button. The broadcast will proceed as planned.

3. If the time for the broadcast to start has already passed, you must select the fax using the checkbox.

4. Click the Cancel Selected Broadcast(s) button. You must then reschedule your broadcast as a new request.

Canceling a Fax Broadcast Under some circumstances, it can be possible to cancel part or all of a broadcast in progress. If there are still some destinations that have not yet been queued for final delivery, those destinations can be cancelled. If the broadcast is scheduled and has not yet been released for delivery, then the entire broadcast can be cancelled. Any destinations that have already been queued for final delivery cannot be cancelled, even though they have not yet been delivered.

1. Check the box beside each broadcast that you wish to cancel.

2. Click Cancel Selected Broadcasts. If possible, part or all the broadcast is cancelled before it is delivered.



Fax History report The Fax History report provides summary information about past broadcasts that have already been completed, accessible by date. It includes the following information:

• Ref No – the reference number identifying the fax broadcast

• Received – the date and time the broadcast was received by the system

• Scheduled – the date and time the broadcast was scheduled to be released

• Delivered – the date and time the broadcast completed delivery

• Pages – the number of pages per fax destination

• #Success – the actual number of destinations that have succeeded

• #Failed – the actual number of destinations that have failed

• Bill Code – the billing code that was submitted with the broadcast

Viewing the Fax History report 1. On the sidebar menu, highlight Reports. A second level menu appears with all

the available online reports.

2. Click on the menu item Fax History. The Fax History page appears.

3. Select the Month and Day for which you wish to view reports, using the dropdown menus provided. Select All for Day if you wish to view an entire month.



4. Click Create Report. The page refreshes, showing the history reports for the date or month selected.

Filtering for a specific billing code 1. Type in the billing code on which you wish to filter, in the available box.

2. Click Create Report. The page refreshes, showing the history reports for the date or month selected for fax broadcasts that match the specified billing code.

PIPSUGMSWFM.01.07

Date post:	15-Mar-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	doandieu
View:	214 times
Download:	2 times

Web Fax Merge - Protus Fax Merge PIPSUGMSWFM.01.07 Contents i Contents Getting Started..... .....1...

Documents