Send urgent requests for help

Use Resource Blast to send email and/or text-message blasts about last-minute jobs to resources instantly

Lesson #10
Calendar – Resource Blast function

If a client calls and says they need a reporter in 2 hours, how would you find someone close enough and available to handle the job? In an urgent situation like this, use Resource Blast to send a single blast email and/or text message to a group of resources that you specify.

Target the best resources for the job

Use search criteria to optimize the list of message recipients:

  • Job number
  • Resource’s distance from job (can leave blank for online meetings)
  • Single state, some states, or all states
  • Resource’s priority level
  • Resource type
  • Specialty required
  • Available resources only or all resources

The search results display resources that meet your criteria and for each resource includes how far in miles they are from the job location (except for online meetings), their email address(es), their mobile phone number & vendor, their priority level and resource type, the city/state they live in, and any warnings about the resource. You can click on any resource name in the results to view/update their listing in your RB database.

You can sort the results in the grid by one or more columns in ascending or descending order but when you exit the function, RB9 will revert back to the default order.

Select which resources in the list you want to contact and how you want to contact them by checking the email and/or SMS box next to their names. You can also export the list as an Excel spreadsheet or a CSV (comma-separated values) file to save, print, share, or use in other applications.

The message sent to the selected resources will automatically include pertinent job information like location and time. You can customize the default contents and settings for Resource Blast emails and SMS text messages in System Preferences. For example, you can automatically include case information or the witness name. You can also change individual messages on the fly before sending.

In System Preferences you can also designate the number of emails RB9 sends at one time to balance speed against spam filtering on your resources’ mail servers.

NOTE: This is an RB9-only function. It is not included in RB Lite.

TL;DR: Use Resource Blast to send email and/or text-message blasts about last-minute jobs to a targeted group of resources instantly. Customize your messages to fit your company and resources.

RB concepts in this lesson

Job: Usually the reporting of a deposition, but can also be any kind of service you provide with your reporters or other resources. More >

Priority Level: Order of selection preference for resources. For example, resources on staff vs. affiliates.

Resource: Person or thing that provides your business with a service, such as reporters, videographers, interpreters, scopists, account executives, other agencies that cover jobs for you, or a conference room.

Resource Type: Professions and other categories of resources.

Specialty: Skill or specific expertise required for some jobs, such as medical reporting, Spanish, or realtime.

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