Messages are the building blocks of all Donut Onboarding experiences. They determine how and when Donut will interact with your new hires and other stakeholders on Slack. You'll create Messages, and build them into Templates, to create your desired onboarding experience. All Messages consist of three main components that you get to set:
Content — the message Donut will send on Slack. Certain special types of Messages also have other details to set (see below).
Recipient — who Donut sends the Message to
Timing — when Donut sends the Message
Message Timing
A Message occurs at a particular time and day.
When a Message is in an Onboarding Template it is scheduled in relation to the new hire's start date. For example 5 p.m. on Day 1 or 11 a.m. on Day 5.
💡 Looking to reschedule messages for individual new hires, without editing your template completely? Learn how to reschedule individual messages here.
Message Recipients
Messages in Onboarding Templates also have a recipient. This designates which Role will receive the Message.
(For Messages in Recurring Templates you don't specify a recipient, because all the Messages go to the same person)
Editing the Body of a Message
Go to the Templates tab and select the Template you want to edit. Once you're in the template, click the message on the calendar you'd like to edit.
Write the message you want the recipient to receive in the purple Message text box on the left. You can include information, tips, links, or anything else in the Message text box. Hit "Save" to remember your updates.
💡 Want to add a GIF to your message? Learn how to do so by clicking here.
Test All Messages
If you'd like to see what messages in a template will look like to the recipient, you can test all messages on yourself. Go the template you wish to test, and click the purple button in the upper right that says, "Test Messages."
A message will pop up letting you know that you're about to test all of the messages in the template, so you know how many to expect in Slack. Hit "Send Me All Messages" to continue — you'll receive all of the messages immediately in a DM from Donut.
Message Formatting, @ Mentions, and Channel References
Messages support all standard Slack formatting, like bold and italics. As you type the message there will be a preview on the right showing how it will appear in Slack. You can also:
@ mention specific users (like @john or @jane) by typing "@" and using the autocomplete
@ mention Onboarding Roles (like new hire or manage) by typing "@" and using the autocomplete. You'll get a placeholder like "@{new hire}."
reference channels by typing "#"
include emoji by typing ":" and using the autocomplete after you start typing
Other Types of Messages
In addition to basic Messages, there are 3 types of special Messages:
Task — Donut sends a Message with a task for the recipient to complete, and Donut will remind them about it until they hit the "Complete" button.
Poll — Donut asks a question and provides buttons for multiple choice answers.
Intro — Donut will send a message to two people together in a group DM to introduce them or ask them to schedule a meeting. The first person is the new hire or any Role of your choosing. The second person can either be a second Role of your choosing (e.g. the new hire's buddy), or a person selected randomly from a channel of your choosing.
Creating a New Message* (for Premium Customers Only)
Go to the Templates tab and select the Template you wish to edit. Once you're in the template, click "Add Message" on the date you'd like the message to send.
Next, you'll choose "Who's it for" (who should receive the message) by selecting the Role(s) or channel you wish the message to be sent to under "Send to every..." and what Template(s) the Message should be added to under "...assigned to this template."
Note: If a user is subscribed to multiple Templates that include this same Message they will only receive the Message once.
You'll then choose what time the Message will be sent under "When's it for." Update the day if you need to, and choose what time the Message should send.
Finally, you'll write the message you want the recipient to receive in the "What is it" section. You can include information, tips, links, or anything else in the Message text box. If you want to use one of the special Message types (Task, Poll, or Intro) you select that here as well — see below for more info on those.
Have questions? Contact us
Questions, comments, concerns? Feel free to contact support@donut.ai. You can also click the purple Intercom button at the bottom right to chat with us and we'll get back to you within 24 hours.