Bulk Print Queue for Letters

Manager release notes, 25 March 2025. Published on frontsteps.com/release-notes.

Bulk Print Queue for Letters

Managers and Administrators can now send Architectural Request and Violation letters to a centralized print queue, allowing all correspondence to be processed together in a single scheduled batch instead of sending each letter individually.

Feature Overview

The Bulk Print Queue introduces a streamlined way to manage letter generation across Architectural Requests and Violations. Wherever a letter can currently be generated, users will now see two options: Print Now and Send to Bulk Print. Choosing the latter stores a fully generated, print-ready letter in a centralized queue tied to the management company.

The Violations and Architectural Requests list views now include a Bulk Print mode that filters all items with letters queued for processing, allowing users to:

• Select one or multiple queued items and process them as a single batch.
• Monitor progress via background tasks and download the results once the job is complete. Background tasks have been updated to surface Bulk Print jobs alongside other async processes, with type filtering available to quickly locate items.

Bulk print jobs run asynchronously, so users can continue working while files are generated. The way each letter is delivered depends on how email delivery is configured for Architectural Requests and Violations for each homeowner — physical, electronic, or both. Letters sent physically include the generation of printable mailing labels. Letters sent electronically are delivered via email. Once the batch is complete, a results report is generated summarizing the outcome of the process. All generated files are stored in the history of the corresponding item (Architectural Request, Violation, etc.).

This feature is available on web and mobile.

• Chronological list view with timestamps, author details, and file attachments.

Community Contacts:

• Client Contacts: Displays contact name, title, membership, email, phone, and date range. Expired contacts are indicated with a count badge.
• Vendor Contacts: Lists vendor name, contact name, email, and phone number.

Benefits:

• Centralized Visibility: All critical info in one place.
• Reduced Navigation: Fewer clicks to access what matters.
• Operational Efficiency: Quick access to support daily community management tasks.

• Scheduled Mail Processing: Managers and Administrators can batch all outgoing physical letters and print them on a dedicated day, eliminating the need to print each letter as it is generated.
• Centralized Queue Management: A single queue view consolidates all pending letters across Architectural Requests and Violations, giving users full visibility into what is waiting to be printed.
• Non-Blocking Workflow: Because print jobs run as background tasks, users are free to continue their work without waiting for files to generate. A results report is generated automatically once the batch is complete.
• Flexible Delivery: Each letter is processed according to the homeowner’s configured delivery preference — physical mail, electronic, or both — ensuring correspondence is sent through the right channel every time.
• Mailing Labels Included: For letters sent physically, printable mailing labels are generated as part of the batch, streamlining the entire physical mail preparation process.
• Full Audit Trail: All generated and printed files are saved to the history of each corresponding item, ensuring a complete and traceable record of all correspondence.