User Guide - CRM Application

Version: 2.2.0 Last Updated: October 28, 2025 Application URL: https://crm.sagentix.ca

Table of Contents

  1. Getting Started
  2. Security & Session Management
  3. Distribution Lists
  4. Contact Management
  5. Email Campaigns
  6. Templates
  7. Importing Contacts
  8. Tips & Best Practices

Getting Started

Accessing the Application

  1. Navigate to https://crm.sagentix.ca
  2. Enter your email and password
  3. Click "Log In"

First-Time Setup

If this is your first login, you'll be prompted to change your temporary password:

  1. Enter your temporary password
  2. Create a new secure password (12+ characters)
  3. Click "Set Password & Login"

Dashboard Overview

After logging in, you'll see four main tabs:

Security & Session Management

Automatic Inactivity Timeout (PBMM Compliance) 🔒

For your security, the CRM automatically logs you out after 15 minutes of inactivity. This meets Canadian PBMM (Protected B) security standards.

What Happens

  1. Normal Use: As long as you're actively using the application (clicking, typing, scrolling), you stay logged in
  2. After 14 Minutes: If you haven't interacted with the app, a warning appears
  3. 60-Second Countdown: You have 1 minute to decide what to do
  4. Two Options:
  5. Click "Stay Logged In" to continue working
  6. Click "Logout Now" to log out immediately
  7. At 15 Minutes: If you don't respond, you're automatically logged out

What You'll See

When the warning appears: - ⚠️ Yellow warning modal - Live countdown showing seconds remaining - Clear buttons for your choice - Explanation of why this is happening

After Automatic Logout

Why This Matters

Tips

Distribution Lists

Distribution Lists Display

Your distribution lists are displayed in a clean, aligned grid layout for easy scanning and management:

Layout Structure: - List Name (left column) - The name of your distribution list (up to 300 characters displayed) - Created Date - When the list was created (e.g., "Oct 27, 2024") - Member Count Badge - A circular icon showing the number of members (e.g., 👥 125) - Action Buttons (right side) - Quick access to common actions

Available Actions: - 🔗 Integration - Get code to embed subscription forms on websites, email signatures, etc. - View Members - See all contacts in the list - Edit - Update list name and description - Duplicate - Clone the list with all members - Delete - Remove the list (contacts remain in system)

All columns align perfectly across all lists, making it easy to compare member counts and creation dates at a glance.

Creating a Distribution List

  1. Click the Lists tab
  2. Click "➕ New List"
  3. Enter list details:
  4. Name: e.g., "CCCS Learning Hub - ITSG-33 Updates"
  5. Description: Purpose of the list
  6. Click "Create List"

✅ Success message appears in top-right corner

Editing a Distribution List

  1. Click the Lists tab
  2. Find your list
  3. Click "✏️ Edit"
  4. Update name or description
  5. Click "Save Changes"

Deleting a Distribution List

  1. Click the Lists tab
  2. Find your list
  3. Click "🗑️ Delete"
  4. Confirm deletion

⚠️ Warning: This will remove all contacts from the list but won't delete the contacts themselves.

Getting Integration Code for a List (NEW! 🔥)

Automatically generate ready-to-use code to integrate your distribution list into websites, email signatures, and social media.

How to Get Integration Code

  1. Click the Lists tab
  2. Find your distribution list
  3. Click "🔗 Get Integration Code"
  4. A modal opens showing 4 integration types:

🌐 Website Form Integration - Complete HTML subscription form - Copy and paste into any webpage - No coding knowledge required - Works on any website platform

✉️ Email Signature Link - Plain URL for text signatures - HTML link for rich signatures - Adds subscription link to your emails - Perfect for email footers

📱 Social Media Integration - Pre-written post with subscription link - Ready for LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook - Includes engaging copy and hashtags - Just paste and publish

💼 LinkedIn Profile/Company Page - Formatted text for LinkedIn - Add to "Contact Info" section - Professional wording included - Direct subscription link

Using the Integration Code

  1. Click the 📋 Copy button next to any integration type
  2. The code/text is copied to your clipboard
  3. Paste it wherever you need it:
  4. Website HTML editor
  5. Email signature settings
  6. Social media post composer
  7. LinkedIn profile editor

✅ All URLs, API endpoints, and list IDs are automatically filled in for you!

Example Use Cases: - Add subscription form to your organization's website - Include "Subscribe" link in your email signature - Post subscription invitation on LinkedIn - Share sign-up link on company social media

Contact Management

Adding a Single Contact

  1. Click the Contacts tab
  2. Click "➕ New Contact"
  3. Fill in contact details:
  4. Email: Required
  5. First Name: Required
  6. Last Name: Required
  7. Organization: Optional
  8. Click "Create Contact"

Editing a Contact

  1. Click the Contacts tab
  2. Find the contact
  3. Click "✏️ Edit"
  4. Update information
  5. Click "Save Changes"

Deleting a Contact

  1. Click the Contacts tab
  2. Find the contact
  3. Click "🗑️ Delete"
  4. Confirm deletion

⚠️ Warning: This will permanently delete the contact and remove them from all lists.

Searching Contacts

Use the search box at the top of the Contacts tab: - Search by name, email, or organization - Results update as you type

Filtering Contacts

Use the status dropdown to filter: - All: Show all contacts - Active: Only subscribed contacts - Unsubscribed: Only unsubscribed contacts

Email Campaigns

Creating a Campaign

  1. Click the Campaigns tab
  2. Click "Create New Campaign"
  3. Full-Page Campaign Editor opens with these features:
  4. Professional, spacious layout for easier campaign creation
  5. Back to Campaigns button to return to campaign list

  6. All campaign details in one organized view

  7. Fill in campaign details:

  8. Distribution List: Choose your target audience
  9. Email Subject: What recipients will see in their inbox
  10. From Name: Your name or organization name
  11. From Email: The sender email address

  12. Email Template (Optional): Select a pre-designed template

  13. Advanced Email Editor with 4 editing modes:

  14. Split View: See HTML code and live preview side-by-side (default)
  15. Code Only: Direct HTML/CSS editing for advanced users
  16. Preview Only: See how your email will look to recipients
  17. ✏️ Visual Edit: MS Word-like editing with formatting toolbar

Visual Editor Features

When you click "✏️ Visual Edit", you get MS Word-style controls:

Text Formatting: - Bold, Italic, Underline buttons - Font Size selector (Small, Normal, Large, Extra Large)

Paragraph Formatting: - Left, Center, Right alignment buttons - • Bullet lists - 1-2-3 Numbered lists

Advanced Features: - Link insertion (click "Link" button) - Clear Format button (removes all formatting) - All changes sync instantly to HTML code

CASL Compliance (Automatic)

✅ Every campaign email automatically includes a CASL-compliant footer:

Privacy & CASL Compliance

Your privacy is protected under the Privacy Act and PIPEDA.
This communication complies with CASL.

Unsubscribe / Se désabonner (clickable link)

© 2025 Government of Canada / Gouvernement du Canada - Managed by Sagentix Advisors

⚠️ This footer is automatically added to ensure legal compliance - you don't need to add it manually.

Sending a Campaign

  1. Click the Campaigns tab
  2. Find your campaign in the list
  3. Click "📧 Send"
  4. Review recipient count
  5. Confirm send

✅ Campaign will be sent to all active contacts in the selected list.

⚠️ Note: - Unsubscribed contacts are automatically excluded - Each email includes a unique unsubscribe link for the specific list - CASL-compliant footer is automatically added to every email

Using Templates

  1. When creating a campaign, click "📋 Select Template"
  2. Choose from available templates:
  3. CCCS ITSG-33 Course Update (EN/FR)
  4. CCCS Cloud Security Course Update (EN/FR)
  5. Your custom templates
  6. Template content loads into editor
  7. Customize as needed

Templates

Creating a Template

  1. Click the Campaigns tab
  2. Scroll to "Email Templates" section
  3. Click "➕ Create Template"
  4. Fill in template details:
  5. Template Name: e.g., "Monthly Newsletter"
  6. Category: Classification (e.g., "Newsletter", "Announcement")
  7. Language: English or French
  8. Description: Purpose of template
  9. Compose template content
  10. Click "Save Template"

Editing a Template

  1. Find template in "Email Templates" section
  2. Click "✏️" (Edit button)
  3. Update content
  4. Click "Save Changes"

Deleting a Template

  1. Find template in "Email Templates" section
  2. Click "🗑️" (Delete button)
  3. Confirm deletion

Importing Contacts

Excel Import Requirements

Your Excel file must have these columns: - Email (required) - First Name (recommended) - Last Name (recommended) - Organization (optional)

Example: | Email | First Name | Last Name | Organization | |-------|-----------|-----------|--------------| | john@example.com | John | Doe | CCCS | | jane@example.com | Jane | Smith | CCCS |

Import Process

  1. Click the Import tab
  2. Click "Choose File" and select your Excel file (.xlsx)
  3. Select target distribution list
  4. Map columns:
  5. Email Column → Email
  6. First Name Column → First Name
  7. Last Name Column → Last Name
  8. Organization Column → Organization
  9. Click "Import Contacts"

Import Results

After import, you'll see: - Total Rows: Number of rows in Excel - Imported: New contacts added - Updated: Existing contacts updated - Protected: Unsubscribed contacts (not re-added) - Errors: Rows with issues

Unsubscribe Protection

✅ Contacts who have unsubscribed will never be re-added, even if they appear in future imports.

Tips & Best Practices

Email Subject Lines

✅ Good: - "October 2025: ITSG-33 Course Updates" - "New Cloud Security Resources Available" - "Reminder: Course Deadline Approaching"

❌ Avoid: - "RE: RE: Important" (confusing) - "URGENT!!!" (spam-like) - All caps (LOOKS LIKE SPAM)

Email Content

✅ Best Practices: - Keep it concise - Use clear headings - Include unsubscribe link (automatically added) - Test before sending - Personalize when possible

List Management

✅ Best Practices: - Use descriptive list names - Keep lists focused (e.g., one per course) - Regularly review and clean lists - Remove inactive contacts

Accessibility

The application supports: - Keyboard Navigation: Press Tab to navigate - Screen Readers: All elements have labels - High Contrast: Works with browser settings - Text Scaling: Zoom up to 200%

Keyboard Shortcuts

Troubleshooting

"Session Expired" Error

Solution: Log in again

Contact Not Appearing

Possible Causes: 1. Contact is unsubscribed (check status filter) 2. Contact belongs to different tenant 3. Search filter is active

Solution: Clear filters and check status

Import Fails

Common Causes: 1. Excel file format wrong (must be .xlsx) 2. Missing required columns (Email) 3. Invalid email addresses

Solution: Check Excel format and fix errors

Email Not Sending

Possible Causes: 1. No active contacts in list 2. SES not configured 3. Network issue

Solution: Check list has active contacts

Getting Help

Support Contacts

Response Time

Before Contacting Support

Please have ready: 1. Your email address 2. Description of issue 3. Steps to reproduce 4. Screenshot (if applicable)

CASL Compliance

Your Responsibilities

As a user, you must: 1. ✅ Only send emails to contacts who have consented 2. ✅ Honor unsubscribe requests immediately 3. ✅ Include unsubscribe link in all emails (automatic) 4. ✅ Keep records of consent

Unsubscribe Process

When someone unsubscribes: 1. They click unsubscribe link in email 2. System marks them as UNSUBSCRIBED 3. They're removed from all lists 4. They won't receive future emails 5. They won't be re-added during imports

✅ This happens automatically - no action needed from you.

For Admin Functions: See ADMIN_GUIDE.md
For Developers: See DEVELOPMENT_GUIDE.md

Last Updated: October 26, 2025