Configuring Auto Decline/Offer Expiration

Learn how to configure and track Auto Decline/Offer Expiration

What's included in this article:

• What is Auto Decline/Offer Expiration?
• Configuring Auto Decline/Offer Expiration
• How the system counts to the Deadline
• Global or Program-specific Options
• Email/Text Templates used for Auto Decline/Offer Expiration
• Identifying a System-triggered Auto Decline

What is Auto Decline/Offer Expiration?

The Auto Decline/Offer Expiration feature allows organizations to assign a deadline for families to accept or decline an offer/placement. If the offer is not accepted by the deadline, the system will auto decline the offer. This feature is also available to be configured to require registrations to be submitted by an assigned deadline.

Configuring Auto Decline/Offer Expiration

This setting may be enabled globally for all programs by navigating to Settings > Manage Lotteries > Lottery Settings > Global. 

To configure an offer deadline, input the following information:

• Date = deadline when the offer will expire (required field)
• Days after Published Offer = number of days from time the offer is published when the offer will expire (required field)
• Time of day the offer will expire (required field)
• Note: If the number of "Days After Published Offer" extends past the date in the "Date" field, then the auto-decline/expiration occurs on the earlier of the two dates.

• You have the option to have the system send an automated reminder to the family
• You have the option to exclude weekends in the count of days to the deadline

How the system counts to the Offer Expiration Deadline

The system count begins at the time the offer is published.

Example:

• Auto Decline is set for 3 days for families to accept the offer/placement
• The offer is made (published) on a Wednesday at 12:00pm
• When "Exclude Weekends" is…
  • Disabled: the offer will expire on Saturday at 12:00pm
  • Enabled: the offer will expire on the following Monday at 12:00pm

Global or Program Specific Options

The Auto Decline/Offer Expiration setting may be configured Globally for all programs. This means that all offers made across all programs will use the same Offer Expiration deadline. 

• Settings > Manage Lotteries > Lottery Settings > Global

Or, an offer deadline may be customized for an individual program(s) while still allowing all other programs to follow the Global offer deadline.

• Settings > Manage Schools/Programs > Manage Programs > Edit for a Program > Lottery Settings > Custom

Email/Text templates used for Auto Decline/Offer Expiration

The email templates assigned to your Program(s) on the Lottery Settings tab will be used for the Auto Decline/Offer Expiration feature:

For the Program above, when auto decline/offer expiration is enabled:

• The offer email template "Lottery Results - Offered" will include a variable to auto-populate the expiration date/number of days before the offer will expire in your message to families. Confirm your email template content and make additional edits as desired before making offers.
• The deadline reminder email template: "Lottery Placement Decline Warning" will be sent to families based on the number of days before the deadline, as set when enabling this feature.
• The decline email template: "Lottery Placement Declined - Parent Notification" will be sent to families who missed the assigned deadline, resulting in the offer being auto declined by the system.
  • Note: there is no expiration variable or deadline-specific language included in this decline template sent to guardians since it is also used to confirm declines made by guardians/admins that did not have a missed deadline.
• Note: the lottery email template "Lottery Placement Email Consolidated - Sent to All Students Placed" does not support the auto-decline/offer expiration variables, and will not insert deadline date/time information into the email.

As always, you can confirm the email/text notifications that accompany publishing offers, reminders, and auto decline actions by navigating to the student's Application Communications Log.

 

Identifying a System-triggered Auto Decline

When reviewing the Offered List on the Lottery & Placements page, we recommend configuring a Saved View that includes the column from the lottery_rankings table called `accepted_declined_by'. 

The Accepted Declined By field will display who took the action to accept or decline an offer:

• A = Admin
• P = Parent
• S = System

Note: when using the Auto Decline/Offer Expiration feature, the Expiration Date column will automatically be displayed in your Offered List next to the Status column. These columns, in combination with the Accepted Declined By column, will provide clarity into who took action on the Offer and what deadlines were in place to drive that action.

If you prefer, Expiration Dates may also be displayed in the Applications module. This article describes how to Create a Saved View in the Applications Module for Lottery Information

As always, you may consult a student's Application Placement History to confirm history of the student's lottery movements.

In the example above:

• On 1/3/24. the student was moved to the Waiting list post-lottery (indicated in the Reason column)
• On 1/3/24, the admin moved the student to the Offered list (offer expiration deadline was set to 1 day)
• On 1/4/24, the deadline was missed, resulting in the system auto declining the pending offer

Click here to learn how to reissue an offer to a family who was auto-declined due to a missed deadline.