It’s finally here! The new VicNet app for Apple and Android devices will make it easier than ever for your volunteers to manage their schedules, update their profile information, and receive important information from you. We’re really excited about the app, but there are several things you need to know about the rollout, which we discuss below. You’ll also find a template email you can send to volunteers to let them know about this update.
Free Live Webinar
We’re dedicating our upcoming Volgistics 101 session to the new version of VicNet, including the transition from the legacy version. It’ll be a great topic, even if you’re not using VicNet yet, or even if you’ve already made the switch. Check out the Training page on our website to register, and learn about other training opportunities. (Don’t worry–it’ll be recorded if you miss it live!)
Officially Out of Beta
The beta period is a time when a new product or feature is mostly complete, and ready for end-users to check out, but not quite ready for everyone to use. There may be noticeable bugs or it might be incomplete in some ways.
With the launch of the app, the new version of VicNet is officially out of beta. This means that it’s complete, stable, and ready to take on all the load the legacy version has been handling (and more). It can do everything the legacy version did, but of course, just like the rest of Volgistics, our development team will still be making improvements to it.
Universal Login
Along with the app, we’ve introduced a new universal login page at https://www.volgistics.com/vicnet. By entering an email address and password here, volunteers can easily log into their profile for any organization that uses Volgistics. If volunteers don’t know or can’t find the link to your specific VicNet login page, they can use this universal page instead.
This is also used in the app to make it easy for volunteers to log in.
Legacy VicNet Retirement
The legacy version of VicNet will be retired on Wednesday, September 27th. Starting that day, we’ll begin automatically forwarding volunteers from the old portal to the new one. It’s a good idea to update the links on your website earlier, but if you don’t (or can’t) we’ll handle the forwarding automatically.
Reviewing Your Settings
The settings for the new version of VicNet are completely separate from the legacy version. So, before getting your volunteers into the new version, you’ll want to review its settings. The Getting Started with the New VicNet help topic can guide you through this, especially the section under Customize VicNet for your needs.
While you’re working on this, it may be a good idea to temporarily disable access on the new version, so volunteers who find the app on their own can’t login before you’re ready. To do this:
- Choose Setup from the menu.
- Expand VicNet.
- Click Ground Rules.
- Under Volunteer Access, uncheck all of the Status options.
- Click the Save button.
Once you’ve reviewed your other settings, you can return to that page to enable access again.
Template Email for Volunteers
Hi [[Nickname]]!
We’re writing to let you know about a few new updates to our online volunteer portal. The look of it changed, but most of the navigation is similar to what you used before.
- There’s now a free mobile app in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store called VicNet. It uses an orange icon with a white “V”. The app will keep you logged in so you don’t need to log in every time you want to use it.
- If you have multiple profiles (a volunteer and a Coordinator profile with us, or volunteer for multiple organizations that use VicNet) you’ll be able to login to each user separately. If each profile has the same email and password, you’ll be able to switch between users easily from the user menu in the top right corner.
- The desktop version changed as well, and can be accessed at www.volgistics.com/vicnet in a web browser.
- You can find a guide, including a video tutorial, showing how to use the new update here: https://www.volgistics.com/ex/help.dll?ACT=11&TOPIC=4010
Let us know if you have any trouble with these updates.
Thank you!
{Your Name}