CINC Systems: Set Up Community Announcements & Targeted Messaging

In CINC Systems, set up community announcements by creating a message, choosing where it appears (portal, email, SMS, app), then use audience targeting (community, building, role, tags, delinquency, opt-in groups) to send only to the right people. Always test with a small internal group first, confirm delivery logs, and keep SMS/email consent settings correct to avoid failed sends.

 

Where to create announcements and messages

 

• Go to the Communications area (often labeled Messages, Email, Text, or Broadcasts depending on your CINC setup).
• Choose Announcement for portal/newsfeed posts, or Campaign/Broadcast for email and SMS.
• If you cannot see these options, an admin must enable your role permissions for Communications.

 

Configure a community announcement (portal/newsfeed)

 

• Create a new announcement and add a clear title and short first line (this is what people see in previews).
• Set visibility: owners, tenants, board, vendors, or staff.
• Set community or association if your account manages multiple properties.
• Add start and end dates so old notices do not stay pinned forever.
• Attach files only if needed; large PDFs can fail on mobile. Prefer a link when possible.

 

Targeted messaging (email and SMS)

 

• Create a broadcast/campaign and pick channels: Email, SMS, and optionally push/app.
• Build the audience using filters such as building, unit type, owner vs tenant, board, committee, tags, or custom groups.
• For sensitive topics (delinquency, violations), target by account status or specific accounts and avoid public announcements.
• Use merge fields (name, unit, balance) only if your template supports them; test to avoid blank fields.

 

Common setup mistakes to avoid

 

• Sending to “All contacts” instead of the correct association or role.
• SMS failing because recipients did not opt in or phone numbers are not in the correct format.
• Email going to spam due to missing sender domain authentication (ask your admin about SPF/DKIM if deliverability is poor).
• Posting a portal announcement but expecting email delivery; portal posts often require a separate email notification toggle.

 

Test, validate, and troubleshoot

 

• Send a test to a small internal group (staff/board) and confirm on mobile and desktop.
• Check delivery logs: bounced emails, unsubscribes, SMS failures, invalid numbers.
• If messages show “sent” but nobody receives them, verify contact records, opt-in status, and that the correct community was selected.

 

When to contact CINC support

 

• You need help enabling SMS, short codes, consent language, or compliance settings.
• Email deliverability is consistently poor and requires domain-level changes.
• Audience filters do not match your data (missing tags, wrong roles, duplicate contacts) and you need a data cleanup plan.