Desktop Alert Software for Notification Alerts, Email Notification and SMS Message

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FAQs for Desktop Alert Notification

What are Desktop Alerts?
Desktop Alerts are messages delivered to a users computer desktop directly from your Control Panel. These messages are nearly instantaneous and do not require any thing more than your internet connection to work. Besides being spam and virus free, the branded application allows you to keep your brand identity distinct while delivering your messages.

See Whole feature list Here.
How i can i get started ?
To get started, you can first signup at this url
http://www.alertsdesktop.com/v5/desktop_alert_signup.php

After signup, you will be taken to "New Alert Group" page where you can put in Desktop Application Title, Website URL, Application icons etc. If you do not have icons ready, you can still continue with default icons and get application ready. Later on, when you have the icons, you can re-customize the Alert group and add the new icons. There is no limit or charges on any number of re-customizations.

After entering all these values, you can click "Preview Alert Group" and then click "Confirm Alert Group" on the next page and you will see the Progess bar for the new application. Your application will be ready to be downloaded within few minutes.

You can download the application and install it. After installation, application will show Activation screen asking for Email and Password. Please DO NOT use your members area email and password for this because application is asking for Alert Group Member Email and Password.

So, in order to activate the application, you need to add yourself to as an Alert Group Member, click "Alert Group Members" and then "New Member" and add your email , any password and even mobile no etc. (in case you want to use SMS alerts later on) and click "Add Group Member". Now you can use this newly added email and password for activation of application.

For any new member who wants to receive your alerts, you can repeat this process of adding new member. In case you want to automate this addition, please look at API section of this form for "Custom Pages API"

Now, you can just click "Send Alerts" , write down the alert message and click "Send Alert"

That's it. It won't take more than 5 minutes to get everything going.
How much time does desktop application development take?
It only require a few minutes for your custom desktop alerts application to compile and be available for download on your "Alert Groups" page. You should keep that page open and it will automatically show the download link when application is available for download.

For desktop alert applications with any additional requested features, the time taken will be longer and you will be notified by email when your application is ready for download.
Can i create more than one Alert Group ?
Yes, you can create as many Alert Groups as you require.

Just go to "Alert Groups" page and click "Add New Alert Group", fill in the application parameters and submit the order. Your group and its apps will be ready to go within few minutes.

Each New Alert Group is charged a development fee which is mentioned on Charges page.
Each Group will have its own Desktop Alert Application and you will be able to manage all these groups independently.
What is Alert Group member and how can i add it ?
Alert Group member is a user who receives your alerts via Desktop, Email or SMS.

To add an Alert Group Member, you can click "Group Members" and then "New Member". You can enter new member name, email address, password and cell phone no, select the type(s) of alerts it would receive (Desktop / Email / SMS) and click "Add Group Member".

You can now send your member a link to download the Desktop Alert application plus this email and password to activate that application.
How can i add large no of Alert Group members easily ?
To add large no of alert group members, click "Group Members" and then "Upload Members File" and you will be taken to page where you can upload a single text file containing details of all the members you want to add. You will be able to select the Type of Delimiter used in text file, exact Fields used in the text file, Type of Alerts you want your users to receive (Desktop / Email / SMS) and if these members subscriptions should expire at the end of expiry period.

You can prepare the text file in any text editor like Notepad.

E.g. text file can consist of lines like

name1,email1@domain.com,password1,cellphoneno1
name2,email2@domain.com,password2,cellphoneno2
name3,email3@domain.com,password3,cellphoneno3
...and so on..

On submitting the form, you will be taken to "Confirm Upload Member" page where you will see how new users will be added. If you see that everything is all right, you can go ahead and confirm. Otherwise you can go back and repeat the procedure after rectifying any flaw in the file.
What does Multiple Use mean in context of Group Members ?
You would see an option called as "Multiple Use" wherever you want to add an Alert Group Member or its subscription.

If "Multiple Use" is Yes, then that Group Member Email and Password can be used by any number of people to get alerts. In other words, the principle of "One Subscription - One Alert" won't apply to this Group Member.

Normally this option is used for creating a single Trial Group Membership whereby anyone are free to try the alerts for a limited time period after which the alert delivery stops. For setting up such a trial, another option "Expires" should be set to Yes and proper Trial Expiry period must be given.

This option should be set to NO for usual individual group members.
What does Expires mean in context of Group Members ?
"Expires" = "Yes" means that this Group member will STOP receiving alert after the specified time period.

"Expires" = "No" means this Group member will CONTINUE to receive alerts indefinitely till it is expired / deleted manually by Alert Group Owner.
Can i get Group Member registered directly from my website ?
Yes, you can use Alerts API for creating Self Registration pages which can be put up on your website or combined with other pages on your website.

Please refer to "API Pages for Auto Registration" under "Custom API Pages" in API Section of this forum
Can i send Alert Message directly from my website ?
Yes, with the help of Alerts API you can send Alert Message directly from your website or from your computer or from anywhere in fact.

Please refer to "Custom API Pages" under "API Topics" in this forum for further details.
How do i know when my customer installs Alerts Application?
When your Alert Group member installs desktop application, you will see a text like "Installed & Active: 1" against that member on the "Group Members" page in your members area.

You may even see "Installed & Active: 2" or more if your member has "Multiple: Yes" setting.
Can i see the Demo before signing up for Desktop Alerts?
Yes, sure you can see the demo of Desktop Alerts before signing up for your own Customized Branded Desktop Alerts.

You will find the Members area demo and Application demo at the below url.
http://www.alertsdesktop.com/v5/desktop_alert_demo.php
Can i try the software before buying it?
Yes, you can try for free our full featured software for 15 days.
If not satisfied, you can delete your Alert Group and no charges will be there.
If you continue, you will get invoice for the alert group on the 16th day.
How much does Desktop Alert costs?
Charges are calculated for Each Alert Group.

One time Alert Group Development charges: $47.89

Monthly Usage charges: 5 Free Group Members. Thereafter, 50 cents / Active Group Member / Month

Invoice for previous month is sent on 1st of Next Month. E.g Invoice for Feb is sent on 1st March.

Please refer to charges at this url
http://www.alertsdesktop.com/v5/desktop_alert_charges.php
What to do when Update for Desktop Application is available
If an new update is available for the Desktop alert application, you can simply go to your members area and re-customize your Alert Group by clicking re customize application and submitting the request.

After your application is recompiled (as indicated by availability of download link on Alert Groups page and Email confirmation too), all current users of the previous version will automatically get the Update Notification accepting which application will automatically update itself. Of course, New users can download and install the new version.

On rare occasions as indicated by the announcement, some versions may require full uninstall and reinstall of the application.
What are Alert Templates ?
Alert Templates are a feature to help the Alert Group Owners to keep Design elements of the Alert separate from the actual Alert Data.
So the Static Design Components like CSS, Font colors, Tables etc. can be put in the Template while only the actual Alert Message is send from the "Send Alerts" page.

Each Alert Group has a "default" template which just has a single word "". This means that entire alert message is sent from the "Send Alert" page.

Alert Group Owner can create a New template which has all the design elements which it wants to appear in the final alert but it puts the word "" in the place where actual alert message was there. Now, it can just select this template on the Send Alert page and write only the text of the alert message in the text box. System will substitute the "" word in the template with the actual alert message and final alert message is constructed and sent.

So, Template is just a scaffolding into which Alert message (and other optional variables) are placed to create the Final Alert Message.
Can i use an RSS Feed for my Campaign Messages?
Yes, you can use RSS Feed from your website or any other source to feed messages to your Alerts Group.

To do this, go to the "Alert RSS Feed" page under the "Specials" menu and click "New RSS Feed" button. It will take you to RSS Feed form where you can add the Feed Title, URL and Template.

Subsequently, all New Feeds from RSS Feed will be automatically inserted into your alert group messages.
Can i post alerts on my Facebook page ?
Yes, you can post desktop alerts to your Facebook wall with the help of Facebook Application for Desktop Alerts.

To do this, go to "Facebook Account" under "Specials" menu and click "Add Facebook Account". It will take you to series of steps which will give permission to Desktop Application to post alerts to your Facebook wall. After process is completed, you will see your Facebook Account ID on the "Facebook Account" page.

To send alert to the Facebook, you just have to check the check box next to "Facebook" on "Send Alert" page and you will see the Facebook Message box appear on the page where you can write the alert message for the facebook wall.
Can i post alerts on my Twitter page ?
Yes, you can post desktop alerts to your Twitter feed with the help of Twitter Application for Desktop Alerts.

To do this, go to "Twitter Account" under "Specials" menu and click "Add Twitter Account". It will take you to series of steps which will give permission to Desktop Application to post alerts to your Twitter feed. After process is completed, you will see your Twitter Account Username on the "Twitter Account" page.

To send alert to the Twitter, you just have to check the check box next to "Twitter" on "Send Alert" page and you will see the Twitter Message box appear on the page where you can write the alert message for the twitter feed.
How do i send Alerts to Mobiles?
Alerts to Mobiles are sent in the form of SMS.

To be able to send SMS Alerts, you need to have pre-paid SMS Credits in your account. You can purchase SMS Credits from Buy SMS page under Account section. SMS packages are available in different denominations starting from 300 SMS pack to 50,000 SMS pack. Large volume packs offer significant discounts.

For any Group member to receive the SMS alert, you must add its full mobile no (country code + mobile no without prefixing any 0 or +) and enable it to receive SMS alerts by checking the check box next to SMS while adding the new member. For existing members, you can edit the member and add only the SMS Subscription in the form provided at the bottom.

To send SMS alerts, you just need to check the check box next to SMS on Send Alerts page and you will see an SMS Text box to fill in the SMS message. Please remember that SMS message length is restricted to maximum standard sms message i.e 160 characters. Any word more than 160 characters will be truncated.

Please refer to "Mobile Alert Topics" of this forum for more details.
Can i send alert message to just one member?
Yes, you can do so by using feature called Personal Alert Message.

Personal Alert messages are special kind of alert message which are delivered to one or few of the Alert Group members and NOT to the Whole Group.

Purpose of these messages is to provide an medium to the Alert Group Owners to communicate with their members one-to-one. Please remember that these personal alert messages are not instantaneous like normal alerts, rather they may take upto 5-10 minutes to reach the member. So, these are not the alternative to usual alert message but can serve purpose in special circumstances.

To send "Personal Alert", go to "Personal Alert" page under "Specials" menu. There you can select Group Members , enter the message and send it.
Can i use mailing group to send alerts?
yes, you can use an feature called "Email to Alert" where an email can be converted into alert.

"Email to Alert" feature allows Alert Group Owners to send email to a per-designated email address and that email is converted to an alert and sent to all the Alert Group Members.
So, this feature is another way to send alert (in addition to "Send Alert" page in members area, Desktop Admin App and Custom API pages) to your members. This feature can also be utilized in special cases where you can send emails but can't open members area on the website.

To use this feature, you need to go to "Email to Alert" page under "Specials" menu. There you can define the Alert Type, Template and Expiry period and click "Get Email Address" button. This will give you an specially designed email address to which you can send the email to be converted into an alert.

Please note the following points while creating Email.

1. Subject of Email will become Desktop Alert Title / Email Alert Subject
2. Body of the Email will become Desktop Alert Message / SMS Message / Email Alert Message
3. Email must be in Text only mode. Mixed or HTML emails can lead to unpredictable results.

IMPORTANT: Before using this feature please tell HelpDesk the Email address which you will use for sending these alert emails so that your Email address can be added to contacts list and your email is not classified as Spam.
Do you offer any app for smartphones running Android OS ?
Yes we do offer custom branded mobile app for Android smartphones.

Please visit this page for all the details of Android app , its demo and screenshots
http://www.alertsdesktop.com/v5/android_app.php

This app will allow your clients to receive the alerts on their android smartphones as well. You can get this app branded and customized as per your needs. You can even publish this app in Android marketplace or you can use our account to publish it.

To order android app for your alert group, please go to "Android Application" under "Specials" menu and click "New Android Application" button. You will then see the Form (similar to Desktop App customization form) where you can enter parameters needed for creating an Android app like App Title,Icon and Graphics etc. On submitting the form, you will be taken to the payment page to complete the order.

After the payment, our team will begin creating the application and contact you when application is ready.
Can i send alerts from my desktop without logging in ?
Yes, you can use Desktop Alert Administrator for that purpose.

Desktop Alerts Administrator is an windows desktop tool for Alert Group Owners to send alerts without going to the members area.

You can download and install this application from this link
http://www.alertsdesktop.com/downloads/DesktopAlertsAdmin.exe

After installation you will be asked API Username, Password and Signature. You can get these from Settings page under Account section. First time you will have to accept the agreement and generate api codes but from next time you can just unhide the info by clicking the show buton.

Application will ask for these values only once and will remember it for future usage.

Application will allow you to create alert in WYSIWYG (rich text) editor , preview it and send it to desktop / email / sms / twitter / facebook subscribers.
Desktop Alert Application crashes after installation
If after installation, during or after activation, application crashes, it usually means that it isn't installed properly.

You can try these steps
1. Try Uninstalling and then try Re-Install.
2. Re-Download installer from the website and try Re-Install.
3. Ask your Alert Group Owner for new installer. Alert Group Owner can re-order the new copy and get new installer.
I am not receiving Alerts on my Desktop
Main reasons for not receiving desktop alerts are

1) Network down
Solution: Please check and enable the Network

2) Firewall not allowing Desktop Alerts to access Internet.
Solution: File to Allow Internet Access: DesktopAlerts.exe
Outbound Port: 80

3) Multiple Installations
Solution: Please make sure that you are using One Alert Group Member Credentials (Email and Password) for One Machine only. Software follows the principle of "One Group Member - One Alert".

4) Too short Alert Expiry time
Solution: Please make sure that Alert Expiry is not too short, 15 minutes (default) is a good option for most types of alerts.
I am receiving potential virus warning trying to install
Many anti-virus programs and even Operating Systems nowadays view every unknown program with suspicion and rightly so.
Most important thing you can check w.r.t Alert software is to check for valid signature on the installer. If application is signed by our company "Sangranet Technologies" and it is a valid signature without any errors, you can be rest assured that there is no virus or malware in the program.

Here are certain screen snapshots to underline what needs to be checked

1. You see this screen when running the downloaded installer.
http://www.alertsdesktop.com/v5/images/signature_snapshot1.gif

2. You will see this screen when you click the application publisher i.e Sangranet Technologies
http://www.alertsdesktop.com/v5/images/signature_snapshot2.gif

3. You will see this screen when click View Certificate
http://www.alertsdesktop.com/v5/images/signature_snapshot3.gif

There may be certain variations of these screens on different OS but basically you need to ensure that App Publisher is Sangranet Technologies and Signature is valid without any errors.
What will happen when member subscription expires ?
When any member alert subscription expires, that member will receive a short message on its desktop that its application copy has expired and it can contact the Alert Group Owner for renewing the subscription if required.

No alert message will be served to the member whose subscription has expired.

If Alert Group Owner renews the subscription after its expiry, member will have to activate the application again by entering its credentials (email and password).
But if Alert Group Owner renews the subscription before its expiry, member won't be required to take any action. Application will continue working as before in this case.

Please note that if Alert Group Owner has selected "Expires: No" while creating the member subscription, then the application won't expire till Owner itself expires / deletes it manually.
Can users reply to the Desktop Alert message ?
Yes, starting with version 4.9 , we have introduced the "Alert Reply & Rating Feature" as an option for the interested Alert Group Owners.

In this feature, there is an button called "Reply" available on both the Alert Window and the Log Window.
This button opens up a new window to Rate the Alert as Excellent / Average or Poor along with the Comments.

These ratings and comments are available only to the Alert Group owner in its members area on "Active / Expired Alerts" pages.
I am getting Invalid Installation message after Install
Invalid Installation usually means that Installer wasn't able to write configuration to Windows Registry. Usually this happens due to insufficient permissions for the user account which is trying to install.

You can try these steps
- Check if program is running from system tray icon and if it is running, close it by right clicking on it and selecting Exit.
- Uninstall / Remove the program
- Login as Administrator
- Reinstall the program and reactivate it

 

 


FAQs for Email Notification

I am not getting alerts in my mailbox
The possible reasons for non-delivery are

1) Invalid / Expired Email Subscription
Please login and check whether email address is valid and subscription has not expired.

2) Email in SPAM folder
Many times emails land up in spam nets or junk folders.
Every user wanting to receive the Email alerts must add alertsdesktop.com and business-alerts.com to their white lists so that incoming email alerts are not directed to spam / junk folder.
Each alert email has an Unsubscribe link at the bottom which immediately stops delivery to that email address. So, there is no possibility of sending SPAM using alerts channel.

3) Ensure adequate time for delivery
Unlike Desktop Alerts, Email Alerts are not instantaneous or fast, they take time to be sent and time to be received.
So, clients must not rely on them for fast and accurate delivery, rather they should be taken a second line of action in case user can not access its desktop but can access its email.
Please use longer Alert Expiry times so that while sending email alerts to a long queue of email addresses, alert doesn't get expired midway.

 

 


FAQs for SMS Message

I am not receiving SMS on my cell phone
Things to check are

1) Cell Phone number not in proper format.
Proper format for cell phone no in alert system is country code followed by full cell phone number without any prefix like + or 0 or any spaces
e.g. If country code is 1 (US) and area code is 773 (Chicago) and cell no is 338-7786, then the number you enter in alert system is 17733387786

2) Cell phone network / carrier not allowing incoming sms
Some cell phone operators restrict incoming sms to certain tariff plans only. So, in case you are not receiving the sms alerts, please check with your operator / carrier if you can receive international sms

3) Mobile number in Do not call / Do not text registry
Some cell phone operators in some countries have to abide by the Do not Call / Text registries. So, in case your number is in any such registry, sms delivery can fail.