ISG Blog

Email older than one year is periodically archived automatically, which includes your mailbox. However at some point you will want to access an email from over a year ago that is critical and urgent, so how can you do this?

It is easy in webmail!

Once you have logged on and opened your mail. On the left hand menu starting with Inbox look toward the bottom and expand the Archive menu item by clicking it once.

Select SA_Archive and a new tab will be opened showing your archived email.

Notice it will have (Archive) below your name and looks and acts just like another webmail mailbox.

Email is something that it seems most people have a love hate relationship with. We love it when we want to make contact with someone to do something, but hate it because it is this bottomless pit of stuff to do! It doesn't really prioritise messages (other than by date) and leaves everything in one large pile!

However email is something that we use to help us communicate and get things done. It can be a powerful tool for us in our daily work. More than that there are lots of ways to get in and out of your email and that is what we will focus on today.

We're not advocating that you spend all day and night tethered to your email, in fact quite the opposite. We're suggesting that you look at the different ways you can access your email, then turn off notifications and dip in and out of you email around your schedule and the demands of your role.

Webmail: Every Notes account has webmail access. On any computer with a browser and an internet connection just go to webmail.sarmy.net.nz to logon. The great thing about webmail is that it is responsive to the device you're on. This means if you access webmail from a smartphone or tablet it will resize accordingly for you. It also works on any computer without having to install or configure any software.

Remember that from webmail you can also see your calendar & contacts. You can also turn on (or off) your out of office assistant if you're home and not heading back to work for a couple of weeks!

Traveler: This is an app for smartphones (and tablets) that puts email, calendar, and contacts onto your device. It has the ability to alert you to new messages (something that isn't always helpful) and work through your email in a style similar to when you're at your desk. 

However you choose to interact with your email remember there is always a different option should you get caught without your normal access option.

Plenty of times I've left the office and not turned on the out of office feature in my email. Years ago you had to use the full client to do this, then it became possible in webmail. Now (well for the last year or so) you can do it directly on your smartphone (with the Traveler / Verse client).

From your inbox tap on the menu button (this is the lines stacked on top of each other (similar to an =) in the top left corner of the blue bar that says Inbox), then tap on settings. The 2nd option is Out of Office and tapping on that gives you all the settings you need.

So rather than not set an out of office, or spend the time on your laptop, or webmail, use your phone and turn on your out of office function quickly and easily while walking to you car before driving off into the sunset.

If you have IBM Notes installed on your Android phone it is possible that over the weekend you got an upgrade that on the surface appears to have changed everything! The colour and style of icons is the most obvious change but there is more than that going on.

If you use the Traveler icon to get in and out of your email, calendar, contacts and to do's then you will need to look for the IBM Verse icon (pictured below): 

Once you've started IBM Verse then the app works fairly much the same as Traveler did. There is an updated look and feel as well as some new features. Here is the updated look:

You may notice at the bottom of the picture an exclamation with the message Not connected to server. Device is up-to-date as of today at 08:30. Don't panic! This message appears because this device is set to manually update every 15 minutes (something which helps enormously with battery life).

Most of us know that we can create calendar entries within Lotus Notes, but did you know that when you invite someone to the meeting you have just created you can also stay on top of who has replied to you and who hasn't?

In Lotus Notes this is a very simple process.  First you create your meeting invite as per your normal process and under 'Who: Required:' you would enter the email addresses of those you wish to have present, so if a staff meeting, you would enter your staff group name, or individually those in your staff you want to attend.  Remember to check their calendar to minimise the backwards and forwards of having to sort out the right time (this is under 'Find available times' at bottom of screen) and then 'Save and send invitations'.

To check on who has replied to you or not, you simply go back into the meeting entry on your calendar and at the top you can:

• 'View invitee status' - this shows you has accepted the invited who haven't and who you are still waiting to hear from;
• Go to 'Owner's actions' and select from the drop down list what you would like to do.  Reschedule, Cancel, Send message to invitees, Send message to invitees who have responded or Send message to invitees who have not responded

This is also an easy way to send an email to the various invitees with all the information already in the calendar entry and means you only do a job once rather than send an email enquiring about a meeting, and then having to send a calendar invite.

We thought it timely to remind all users who have a smartphone on the TSA mobile plan that one of the good applications to load on your smart phone is Lotus Traveler. We do have a tip sheet with some brief instructions on how to load it, but to assist you we have provided below the steps you need to follow to get this operational:

1. Open the internet browser on your phone.
2. In the address bar enter type “traveler.sarmy.net.nz”.
3. Use your lotus notes logon (e.g. FirstName [space] LastName, i.e. ‘Joe Blogg’) and then your current lotus notes password.
4. Then select ‘Sign In’.
5. On next screen, select ‘Configure your Android’.  A download of Lotus Traveler should begin downloading.
6. Once download is complete, select it to install it.  Depending on your current settings your phone may get this message “Install Blocked: For Security your device is to block installation of applications not obtained from Google Play.”
7. Go to settings and then tick the box to allow unknown sources of apps to install.
8. On the following screens simply select ‘Next’, then select ‘Install’, then select ‘Open’, and lastly ‘Accept’
9. Enter your Lotus Notes Credentials First Name – Last Name and pass word and click next.
10. Select Activate
11. Choose between your phones internal or removable memory and then select finish.
12. Select Ok in the next screen.  Your phone will now sync with the server and set itself with your data.  This may take a few minutes.

As with your normal Lotus Notes account you have to change your password every 90 days / 3 months. Every time you change your Lotus Notes password you also need to change the password on your mobile phone.

To do this you need open the actual Lotus Traveler icon on your phone.  Once done you will get options on the bottom of screen.  Open the settings menu, then to update your Lotus Notes password select ‘Account’.

To select items like notification sounds and other settings select ‘Applications’.

To download the tip sheet simply go 'Department and Services' on Intranet menu, and select ISG Tip Sheets.

Our grateful thanks to Anthony McFarlane for his assistance in the writing of this blog entry.

If you are wanting someone to have access for the first time to any database that you may use at your centre, then this is a very easy process and may not require you to contact ISG for action.

It pays to note that some of TSA Lotus Notes applications/databases are open to any staff member, and some are set up with security access that requires prior approval by the relevant line managers, so you will need to ensure that the person has access to this and if not, a request is sent through to ISG.  

However, giving them the link to the application is a simple process and you can do this yourself by emailing them a link for their workspace. 

Go to your workspace and select the required application.  Then right click on it, and highlight 'Application' , then 'Copy as Link'.

You can now paste the copied link into an email and send it to the appropriate person. The link will look like a small book icon.

They simply need to click on the icon and the link will be automatically added to their workspace.  If they have not been granted access, then when they click on the link Notes will give them an error message stating they are not authorised access.  If this happens, then get the centre manager to send through a request for access to ISG.

We all know about the "Out of Office" function in Lotus Notes, and how useful a function it is to use when you are away either on holiday, at a conference, on sick leave etc.  It helps those who have sent you an email to know when to expect a response from you.

But did you know that you can send different messages to different people with this functionality? For example, you may be away at a course or conference, and you want the generic emails to simply be told you are out of the office, and that you are unable to check on emails, but you want those in your team to know in urgent cases they can text you.  Or you are on holiday and again generic users just need to be notified when you will be back, but you can send a response to your team that says "Haha I'm on holiday and you're not" :-) or maybe something a little more professional.

To do this is very simple.  Simply follow these steps:

1. Go to your Inbox, and select 'More' > 'Out of Office..'

2.  The window that opens allows you to set your out of office for all incoming emails.  Set the date you are 'Leaving', 'Returning' and the 'Additional Body text:' is for what you want the reply email to say.  If you don't want to set a separate message to a select few, then just click on 'Enable and Close' and your out of office is now set.

3.  However, if you do need to have a separate message for the select few, then before "Enabling" select the 'Alternate Notification' tab, and in 'To' field enter the group, or individual email address to whom the message will relate to, and under  'Additional Body text' type the relevant information necessary. then 'Enable and Close'.

4.  A third option is to stop the out of office email being sent to specific groups or emails. This would be used for the likes of ISG Job Track notifications etc.  In the 'Sent by' field, enter the email address(es) which you do not want notified of your leave, as shown below.  Once done 'Enable and Close'.

Hope you have found this useful, and remember its common courtesy to let people know you are away and give them options of who to contact while you are away, or that you will respond to them on your return.

If your computer has recently upgraded itself to the latest version of Internet Explorer (IE11) then the webmail page may not display correctly.

If it looks similar to below - fear not there is an easy fix!

We need to tell Internet Explorer to "pretend" to be an older version of itself for this website to display properly.  This function is known as Compatibility View.

To do this, you need to go into the Tools menu (cog icon in the top right-hand corner, or ALT>Tools), then choose Compatibility View settings

You should see a screen like this:

Note how that window already has "sarmy.net.nz" in the "Add this website" box.

Click the [Add] button.

(if by chance that box is empty, then manually type 'sarmy.net.nz' into the top box then click the [Add] button).

Now that the website "sarmy.net.nz" is in the larger middle box in that window click the [Close] button.  That will make Internet Explorer automatically refresh the webmail page, and presto! Your webmail should now display correctly.

Note that this list of websites to display in "Compatibility View" is a per user & per computer setting.

SO you may well have to repeat these steps for YOURSELF if you use other computers.

And other people who use the same computer as you may also have to repeat this procedure.

Or you could use Google's Chrome as an alternative web browser to Internet Explorer.

Does your Inbox fill up with emails that you don't want to see (junk) or that you file in a specific folder to be read later (i.e. newsletters etc).  Then Quick Rule is what you need.

Create rules more quickly by basing them on the characteristics of a selected message.  Use them to trap junk mail or to assign high importance to messages.

The following steps will help you create it.  First go to your Inbox, then:

1. Select a message that has the characteristics you wish to use in the rule (eg. sender, subject, etc)
2. [Click] 'More' and choose 'Create QuickRule...'
3. Select and set the conditions for the rule. Choose whether one or all conditions must be met.
4. Choose the action to perform, such as 'Move to folder','Change importance to High' or 'Do not accept message'. Complete information as per screen request then [Click] Ok.

These rules are visible in the Tools > Rules view.  This is found on the left hand side of the Inbox screen, below the list of folders. To modify any rule, simply double click on the rule and make the necessary changes.

If your Inbox is anything like mine, its is constantly full  and I will often file emails into various folders I have created as I work through the various requests.

The problem with this is that occasionally I want to go back and find that one particular email that has some information I often refer to, or that I need to regularly get the information in it to pass on to others, or I need to find the email that I needed to follow up on and it can take me a while to remember who sent it, where I stored it or how to go about finding it.

There are two options:

Option 1 is DO A SEARCH.

In Folders pane, you will see listed "All Documents".  Select this, then on the top toolbar select 'View', then 'Search this view'.  A search field will appear at the top of your email listing.  Simply type in the name of the person, the subject, or any other keyword that you believe the email contains, and Lotus Notes will then present you with its findings.  The All Documents view, is really helpful as it will search through your Inbox, Sent, Draft, and any other folders you may have created.  If you were to run the search just in the Inbox, this would limit the search capability.

Option 2 is FLAG A MESSAGE FOR FOLLOW UP.

Select the email(s) you wish to flag.  Click on the Flag icon  and choose 'Quick Flag' to set a default flag based on your existing preferences.  To set custom flag options, choose 'Add or Edit Flag...' then set options and click OK.

The selected flagged items will now appear in the follow up View, which is usually located on bottom left hand corner of LN window in either the Inbox or Calendar view.

To view the email message simply double click on this list.

Over the next few weeks, the blog will be focusing on a few pointers on how to best use Lotus Notes. If you have been using Lotus Notes for a while, you may already know some of the aspects shown. Refreshers are never a bad thing though.  So we hope this series is helpful to you.

During the first part of this series we will be focusing on Lotus Notes Mail.

Today's tip and trick is on creating 'Stationery'.

As part of your role, do you have certain emails that need to be sent out on a regular basis, where only some minor changes are required, or where you constantly look for the one email you sent out last week, and then copy and paste into the new email to save you typing it all over again?

Well, Lotus Notes has the ability for you to create what they call 'stationery' which is basically a template for any email you send out regularly, ie. a monthly report, Team meeting minutes, etc.

CREATING STATIONERY

To create stationery, simply create a new email message (shortcut key Ctrl+M).  Type up the regular information into the email body, including recipients, i.e. Leadership team members, subject line and body text information.  As much or as little information as you want.

Note that this can be either the full email you would normally send, or just the 'bones' of the email for you to add information to when you are ready to send it, i.e. attach the Minutes as a document to the email once they have been completed.

Once you are happy with this, click on More and select "Save as Stationery..."

You will be asked to name the stationery, so just give it a name that makes sense to you what its for.

USING STATIONERY

To use the Stationery, you go to your Inbox, select 'More' and choose "New Message with Stationery..."

Choose the desired stationery (should you have a number of them) and click 'OK'.

Complete your message and send in the usual way.  The original Stationery will stay in the list of Stationery.

VIEWING STATIONERY LIST

To view all created stationery, go to the Folder pane and click on "Tools" then "Stationery".  This will show all the stationery you have created, where you can manage these, and delete them if no longer necessary.

There are times when you will need to provide access to your mail file to others in the office (eg.  your assistant, when you are on leave for an extended period and someone is looking after your role, etc).

So this blog entry is to assist you with doing exactly this.  Often we will receive a request for this in ISG, and we thought it may be easier if you learned how to do this yourself, which would then make the process quicker for you, and ISG is then given more time to work on the various other jobs we get.

So here are the steps to follow to do just that:

First you need to open your mailbox. Once there select ‘Preferences’ from the More options button. 

Click the ‘Access and Delegation’ tab. 

This allows you to add/remove users who can access your mail, and change what access they have. 

If you are giving someone access for the first time they will need a link to access your mailbox. The easiest way to do this is to email them a link for their workspace. 

To do this simply right click your mailbox (on your workspace) and select application – copy as link. 

You can now paste the copied link into an email and send it to the appropriate person. 

They simply need to click on the icon and the link will be automatically added to their workspace and it will also open the Inbox/Calendar on their screen.

Did you know that with MyDetails you are able to search for any person or place within the organisation? It is really simple and works anywhere you have a computer with internet access (even your mobile phone). Just follow these easy steps:

1. Open your web browser and go to www.sarmy.net.nz
2. Click on the MyDetails/ISG Job Track link
3. Log on
4. Click / enter your search
5. Find who you're looking for!

A great feature of MyDetails is that you can search for a location (for those times where you can't remember the name of the person in Foxton you want to talk to)! Another great feature is that it recognises when you're accessing it from a mobile phone and formats everything perfectly for the smaller screen.

So whenever you need that name, phone number, or address just get into MyDetails and remember Matthew 7:7

You still won’t get everyone to read your messages, but you can increase the percentage, which is only good for you and your organization.

From 10 WAYS TO MAKE PEOPLE ACTUALLY READ YOUR EMAILS (By Erik Sherman, business and tech writer for Inc, The New York Times Magazine, Fortune, and more.)

Found an article which I thought you would all find helpful.  But rather than take up your valuable time and making you read the whole thing in one go, I will give you two tips a day for the next 5 days on...

10 WAYS TO MAKE PEOPLE ACTUALLY READ YOUR EMAILS

(By Erik Sherman, business and tech writer for Inc, The New York Times Magazine, Fortune, and more.)

Email is an efficient and effective form of communication. It’s also very easy to ignore. That’s because most email is spam, so people are primed to hit the delete button.

So how do you get people to actually read your missives? Try these

Set Importance to High

Many people find themselves caught in an avalanche of email which leaves them wallowing in their inbox and not working on more important tasks. Yes important information and requests flow through email, and yes often what you need to complete an important job is found or undertaken from in your inbox. However this post is about taking control of your inbox and not letting it dictate what gets done in your day.

Top tips for controlling your inbox:

1. Set aside time to deal with what is in your inbox (i.e. make the time to deal with it and don't jump in and out constantly)
2. Turn off new email popups ... using tip 1 go look at set times
3. Use the preview to quickly ascertain if the message has any importance for you
4. Setup rules to have your mailbox deal with messages automatically (there is an ISG tip sheet available for this)
5. Think about who you are sending messages to (don't include people unless they actually need a copy especially if you're going to talk to them about it)
6. Try not to reply immediately. Email isn't instant messaging
7. For quick questions use Sametime (instant messaging)