# Remind learners to start with a useful message A not-started definition, the target date the manager set and an approved audience. Updated October 27, 2026 ## Make a reminder useful, not repetitive A start reminder is a short message to people who were assigned a course and have not opened it, saying which course, why it matters, the deadline and where to get help logging in. It suits managers whose last reminder also went to people who had finished or had left. Automatic reminders are planned, not available today; today Elvina drafts the message and filters the audience, and the manager sends it. How often to remind and which hours to avoid follow a policy your side sets, and someone who never logged in gets an access check instead. ## What happens on the free demo - Book 30 minutes. Pick a time with Elvina's team. The demo is free and runs on Zoom. - Show the team your goal. Bring one role or one procedure. The team shows how Elvina would handle it, using sample materials. - Agree on the next step. You leave with a plan for the first step and its price. Nothing reaches your team until you approve it. ## What you bring and what Elvina returns | You bring | Elvina returns, for your approval | Status | |---|---|---| | The course, its deadline and the hours to avoid messaging | A start message for people assigned who have not opened it, for the manager to send within that policy | available now | | The assigned list, including anyone who left or finished | Progress per person, with never-logged-in people set apart for an access check | available now | | The second language part of the crew reads, such as Spanish | The same start message translated into Spanish for a fluent person to check | available now | ## Who this is for, and when An executive housekeeper at a resort hotel assigned a chemical-safety course to 48 room attendants two weeks ago. Nineteen have not opened it. The last reminder went to everyone, including people who finished on day one, and two attendants who had left the company. She wants a reminder that reaches only the right people, says why the course matters, and tells them where to get help logging in. ## How it works in Elvina A start message drafted for the manager to send names the course, why it matters and where to get help with access; automatic reminders are planned, not available today. - She confirms the not-started definition (no lesson opened) and the approved audience on the Learning Platform, with former employees excluded. - Elvina drafts a reminder naming the course, the deadline, one sentence on why it matters, and the access-help contact. - Elvina shows the recipient list with completed learners and departed employees removed. - She reviews the message and the list, then sends the reminder herself. Automatic sending of reminders is planned, not available today. ## A worked example A fictional resort, Saltmarsh Bay Resort, employs 48 room attendants across two buildings. The course is 'Safe Use of Cleaning Chemicals', due in five days. Two attendants on the original roster left in the past week, and three others completed the course but were counted as not started because of a group error. - A recipient list of 14 after excluding the two former employees and the three who had actually completed. - A four-sentence reminder in English and Spanish, with the housekeeping office phone number for login help. - A note that six of the 14 had never logged in at all, suggesting an access issue rather than a delay. ## What to check before relying on it Exclude people who completed or lost access. Sending frequency and quiet hours need an agreed policy. - No reminder goes to anyone who completed the course or lost access. - The message names the course, the deadline and a help contact. - Sending frequency follows a policy the manager set, with quiet hours respected. - The recipient list was reviewed by a person before sending. ## Where a person stays in charge Automatic reminders are planned, not available today. Today Elvina drafts the reminder and the list of who has not completed, and a person sends it; she does not decide how often people should be nudged. Frequency and quiet hours follow a policy the property sets. Delivery by text or a messaging app is not assumed, and this page does not send anything. A learner who never logged in needs an access check, not another reminder. ## Who this is not for, and when another tool fits ### This is not the right fit if - You want to nudge everyone on the list several times a day. - You need reminders by text message or a messaging app. - The people behind have no working login, so a reminder will not help. ### Another kind of tool may fit better - A course library, when the topics are general skills rather than your own procedures. - An instructional designer, for a large program with branching scenarios or live workshops. ## Questions **Q:** Can the reminder be different for people who started but stalled? Yes. That is a separate audience with its own message, usually pointing to the lesson they stopped on. **Q:** How many reminders are too many? Set a limit in your policy (two before the deadline is common) and stop after it. Repeated nudges to the same person signal a different problem. **Q:** What should a start reminder include? The course name, the deadline, one sentence on why it matters to that job, and a contact for login help. Leave out anything that reads like a warning, and send a different message to people who started and stalled. ## Two things you can check on this site - See a sample on the demo. [Book a demo with my team](https://calendly.com/o-dutchak-smartexpert/30min?utm_source=elvina-site&utm_medium=proof) - Every lesson, plan and quiz stays a draft until you approve it. [Check the approval step in the chat](/skills/remind-learners-to-start#talk-to-elvina) Checked October 27, 2026. No launch date is committed for planned features.