Objective:
In this article, we will be talking about the Monthly Spend Limits area of Core iQ and how you can use it to make automation easier. We will explore the following topics:
- How to create a monthly spend limit on both your digital and print mail pieces in Core iQ
- How to edit and override your spend limit if your budget changes
Adding in monthly spend limits to your Core iQ environment can mean the difference between overspending and perfectly budgeting during high volume months at your financial institution. These safeguards were put in place to allow for any bank or credit union to dictate their overall budget within the system, without ruining the flexibility that every organization needs. We allow you to create an easily editable amount each month for both your digital and print mail communications with customers. Core iQ will automatically notify you if a certain campaign will take you over your allotted budget for the month, giving you the chance to either halt the campaign or edit the budget. This article will walk you through how to start using monthly spend limits, as well as how to decide which communications are prioritized each month.
How to set up your Monthly Spend Limits
To enable this feature of Core iQ, you need to navigate to the Admin menu and click on Bank & Core Import Setup. Click on your bank name, then Monthly Spend Limits on the left side. Here, you can enable and set your monthly limits, as well as view the spend for each previous month that you had this feature enabled.
At the top of your screen, you will see two boxes labeled Next Month Electronic Limit and Next Month Print Limit. These two fields are used to set the dollar amount that you want Core iQ to use as your limit for the next calendar month. When you begin using this feature, these numbers will also serve as your current month’s budget. These values will be carried over each month if your budget stays the same. If you don’t plan on going over your budget, then these values shouldn’t need to be changed once they are set. This screen is also where you can go to Override a monthly budget if you are about to go over your allotted amount for either print or digital pieces.
What happens if I reach my budgeted limit?
During the next month, if you reach the value that you input in either the Next Month Electronic Limit or Next Month Print Limit field, then Core iQ will notify you. Your first indication will be a dashboard notification that lets you know that communications have been paused until you increase your budget. All email/print items that have been queued to process, but are over budget, will stay at the status of Approved by Admin until you increase the print and/or email budget. To allow these items to be Processed, you need to go back to your Monthly Spend Limits area to Override your current month’s print or digital budget. Once you have done that, Core iQ will immediately begin processing the paused items, and they will be successfully sent from the system using your newly set budget limit.
What happens to paused items at the end of the month?
If you have items in Core iQ that are still paused for budget reasons at the end of the month, then these communications will continue to stay in the Reviewed and Approved status. They are no longer affected by an increase in your budget or any of the next month's print or email budget. This means that you will need to bulk Remove them using the 'Clear # Unprocessed' button, and resubmit them if you want them to leave Core iQ.
How is my budget progress calculated during the month?
Your budget progress throughout the month is tabulated instantly as items are processed. This means that as items are successfully sent from Core iQ, their cost will be added to your progress towards your budget. Once you reach that cap, Core iQ will place all future communications in the Failed Processing area until the budget is increased and the items are resubmitted for Processing. It is best practice to regularly check your budget throughout the month to ensure that items are sent out in a timely manner, especially if you regularly queue items as Reviewed & Approved. You can Override your budget at any time. If you stay on top of your outgoing items, then you’ll have an easier time ensuring that you don’t reach your maximum each month.