Circle allows you to set a schedule for processing print, email and SMS touchpoints. For example, for email touchpoints, you can schedule the email to be sent later, which is great for automatically sending email when you are not in the office (overnight, public holidays, etc.). For print touchpoints, you may use scheduling to plan your production workflow in advance, to organize your jobs efficiently and to maximize equipment use.
When activated, your scheduling settings signal the system when to begin production for the selected touchpoint. You can schedule the process to run only once at a specified time or to recur on an hourly, daily, weekly or monthly basis. For example, while in draft mode, you can schedule the process to begin at midnight on a specific date. In live mode, the production process waits for its scheduled date and time to be triggered.
Scheduling is not triggered while the project is in draft mode. It is only activated if once the project is set to live.
This mechanism allows you to activate scheduling only once you have completed configuring your scheduling parameters. Setting the project to live indicates to Circle that the relevant touchpoint can now be queued to await its scheduled date and time.
Setting up parameterized scheduling
1. In the Build tab, make sure the project is set to draft. To do so, use the dropdown to the right of the project name, once the project is connected.
2. In the diagram,
click the Production icon 
above the touchpoint to open the Production
dialog box.
3. Hover over Schedule and then click the arrow.
The Production > Scheduling dialog box is displayed.
4. In the Scheduling section, click On to display scheduling options.
– In the Start
Date field, click the Calendar icon 
and select the date on which you want production to begin.
– In the Start Time fields, type the hour and minute at which you want production to begin.
– If necessary, select a time zone from the dropdown list. The selected time zone qualifies the selected Start Date and Start Time.
5. In the Recurrence section, do the following:
– Select Hourly, Daily, Weekly or Monthly
– Select the hours, days and dates relevant to your selection
– Select By Date and specify the date to stop.
The default option Never means that the production continues according to the times and dates you specified without end.
For example:
6. Click OK.
The scheduling settings you specified are displayed in the Production dialog box.
7. Click Save to save the scheduling settings.
This feature is only available
if you have Circle Business Edition and PersonalEffect version 8.0 or
above.
Parameterized scheduling allows you to define automation in a flexible way using project parameters. You can schedule in relation to customizable parameters, such as wedding date. For example, send the reminder email on the wedding date. You can schedule touchpoints to run as soon as the project is set to Live (using the Project Start Date & Time parameter).
The power of parameterized scheduling is enhanced by scheduling your drip campaigns in relation to parameters. For example:
● Send the email 5 days after the project start (Project Start Date + 5 days).
● Send the invitation email 21 days before the Wedding Date (Wedding Date – 21 days).
● Send the initial email on project start or next day at 8:00 (Project Start Date or next day at 8:00).
The third example shows that parameter dates can be used together with fixed times to achieve higher email response rates. In this scenario, it is recommended that you use the “or next day” modifier to ensure that the touchpoint is triggered. The system attempts to trigger on the start date and fixed time, but if the if the time has already passed, the system will trigger the touchpoint the next day.
Parameterized scheduling is extremely useful in the template-Instance scenario because instances are typically executed at different dates. It makes sense to avoid using fixed dates and to define scheduling using parameters instead.
To use parameterized scheduling:
1. Set up scheduling using parameters:
– In the Print/Email/SMS touchpoint, set scheduling to On.
– In the Scheduling page Start Date field, click the Edit button.
– Select the Parameter Date option. The Parameter Date dialog box opens.
– Select a value (e.g., Project Start Date) from the Parameter dropdown.
– Optionally, select a modifier. For the +/- days modifier, specify the number of days.
– Click OK. The Start Date field in the Scheduling page displays the selection.
– Complete the definition and save the touchpoint.
2. Set up project parameters:
– In the Library, select the Project Parameters option,
– Customize the parameter names and set values.
– Clear the Project Start Date & Time parameter.
– Click Save.
3. Set the project to Live. Automation runs using the project parameters.
Circle Parameterized Scheduling (video)
When your project is connected to uProduce, you can work in two modes:
● Draft: set your project to the Draft mode while you are defining production and scheduling parameters. Working in this mode ensures that no unintentional scheduling occurs.
● Live: when all scheduling settings are ready and you wish to go live, switch to the Live mode. In this mode, the scheduled actions will be executed according to the specified settings. When a project is set to Live, it is automatically locked for change. If you wish to modify your live project, you can perform one of the following actions:
– Switch from the Live mode to Draft
– Save your project as a new project.
Although a project is locked
once it is set to Live, some changes are still allowed. For example, it
is possible to replace the document content via the Circle user interface,
to change assets and fonts.