April 2024 Newsletter

April Release Special Notice

For the month of April, Blackthorn plans to make its major release available in 2 Parts:

Part 1: Critical fixes across the app suite, plus Payments and Messaging enhancements. This release is recommended for non-Events customers, plus Events customers who are affected by the critical bugs that are fixed.

Part 2: Events enhancements only. Pending end-to-end tests, this release will include significant architectural improvements to caching and capacity management. Caching enhancements will resolve the most common issues that cause conflicts between the data in Salesforce and the data displayed on the Events webapp. Capacity management enhancements will prevent the most common scenarios that cause tickets and sessions to oversell.

Part 2 will include all updates included in Part 1. If you are an Events customer and your organization is not affected by the following critical bug, we recommend you wait until Part 2 to upgrade:
Payment processing fee conflicts with discount

April Release Notes

Blackthorn Events

Experience Cloud Update | ‘Add Myself’ Bug Fix: If a user is logged into the Experience Cloud and Disable Requirement to Add Myself = “False” (unchecked), then the user can either add their own Ticket with the quantity selector or click the Add Myself button before clicking Register. Previously, the Experience Cloud user could not register for an Event by using the ticket quantity selector and clicking Register. They had to use the Add Myself button. (Known Issue: 000003215)
Off-Cycle Base Package Release: The Base package Contact Trigger (bt_base__ContactTrigger) feature is still in development and has been turned off until a feature-flagged toggle can be added. This update will not impact existing functionality. Users can now delete Contact records without causing a permissions-related error.
IN PROGRESS | Tax/GST Support (Nonfunctional New Field): The new Tax Fee field on the Event object is part of the ongoing development for the Tax/GST feature. This update is related to the foundational development of the feature and is not functional.
- When a user creates or edits an Event with the default Fee’s Type set to “Tax”, then the Event’s new Tax Fee field will be populated with the default tax fee. (The picklist value “Tax” was added to the Fee’s Type field.)
  - Field Label: Tax Fee
  - API Name: Tax_Fee__c
  - Description: The Fee record used for Event tax calculations. The tax is applied to the total amount after discounts and before payment processing fees.

For more information on these enhancements and a full list of bug fixes, please click the Events Release Notes button.

Events Release Notes

Blackthorn Payments

SALESFORCE KNOWN ISSUE | Enable Secure Static Resources for Lightning Components: This Salesforce release update has been postponed indefinitely. Test Run on this Release Update should remain disabled in order to use our Virtual Terminal components. This is due to a Salesforce Known Issue.
Spreedly Update for Payment Methods: A valid Payment Method can now be removed from a Spreedly gateway using the Salesforce UI. An error message will be displayed when a user tries to remove a Payment Method that was already deleted. Previously, when a user tried to remove a Payment Method, the process wasn’t successful. (Known Issue: 000003046).
Payment Processing Fees & Discounts: If a Payment Processing Fee is applied to a paid Event and a discount Code less than 100% off is applied to the Event Item, the following will occur. The related discount Line Item and calculations will be correctly reflected on the Invoice, and the Attendee will be charged the correct amount. Previously, Attendees saw the correct amount due, but they were charged the full amount during checkout. (Known Issue: 000003499).

For more information on these enhancements and a full list of bug fixes, please click the Payments Release Notes button.

Payments Release Notes

Blackthorn Messaging

ISSUE: Twilio No Longer Supports DUNS Numbers:
1. Description: Users who set the Business Register Type to a DUNS number on the Business Entity Information form could not complete the A2P registration process.
2. Resolution: The DUNS option in the Business Register Type field was removed because Twilio no longer supports DUNS numbers. In the future, the Business Register Type options will be updated dynamically when Twilio makes changes.
ISSUE: After-hours Message Function Not Working:
1. Description: The after-hours message function would not send messages even though the incoming and outgoing messages worked correctly for the number.
2. Resolution: An update during the Salesforce maintenance release caused an issue related to Apex Class versioning. Updating the Apex Class version resolved the issue. Customers can now receive messages from the After Hour response message feature.

For more information on these enhancements and a full list of bug fixes, please click on the Messaging Release Notes button.

Messaging Release Notes

Blackthorn Customer Support Notes

Introducing Blackthorn’s New Dedicated Support

Blackthorn Support is implementing some major changes to revamp customer service while providing the highest level of quality with every customer interaction. As part of these changes, we are introducing our new Dedicated Support Structure for Premier Support Customers.

The goal for this new dedicated support structure is to provide the highest level of quality while tackling some of the largest pain points we hear from customers on our existing support process:

Too many support engineers working a case
No way to reach support by phone for major issues or system outages
Too much back and forth with support, and cases taking too long for resolution

Premier Support Customers will now have a named Customer Support Engineer, who will serve as their main point of contact for all support tickets. If you are on Premier Support, you should be receiving an introduction email (if not already) including your named Customer Support Engineer in the near future.

Introducing Blackthorn’s New ‘Urgent/System Impaired’ Support Number

As part of our new Dedicated Support Structure, Blackthorn Support is happy to announce the launch of urgent phone support for ‘system impaired’ issues for Premier Support Customers.

If your team needs urgent support for ‘system impaired’ issues, please call the number found here corresponding to your region. *Please note you must be logged into our community to view.

If are interested learning more on our new Dedicated Support Structure and/or System Impaired Phone Number and not currently on Premier Support, please contact our Customer Success team at: success@blackthorn.io.

Manage Communication Preferences Right from the Blackthorn Support Community

From the Blackthorn Support Community homepage, click Manage Community Preferences. This links to the Communication Preferences Center, where customers can sign up for app interest and release notes.

Community Resources

News & Events

Come see Blackthorn at the Salesforce Education Summit 2024

Have burning questions about education technology or eager to learn more about Blackthorn’s solutions? Join us at our booth for a live Q&A with a Blackthorn expert! Our product managers will be on hand to provide insights, share expertise, and discuss the latest trends in education technology. Don’t miss out—secure your spot now!

May 13-15
Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina
San Diego, CA

Meet With Us

Where can you meet Blackthorn in April and May 2024?

Salesforce New York World Tour | Apr 25, 2024
New York City, NY | Javits Center
Thornies in Attendance: Chris Federspiel, Matt Frank, Jason Gannon, Amanda McDonell

Cloud for Good’s Goodie Summit | May 6 – 7, 2024
Chicago, IL
Thornies in Attendance: Matt Frank and Amanda McDonell

Salesforce Education Summit | May 13 – 15, 2024
San Diego, CA | Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina
Thornies in Attendance: Chris Federspiel, Amanda McDonell, Ashley Wagner, Dylan Dunn, Jack Casey, Jason Gannon, Katie Campbell, Katy Fujitani, Matt Frank, and Michael McDonnell

KindSight/UC Innovation ascend Innovation United 2024 | May 22 – 24, 2024
Las Vegas, NV | JW Marriott Resort & Spa
Thornies in Attendance: Amanda McDonell, Jonelle Nowak, Matt Frank, and SueEllen Mang

Are you interested in an attendee mobile app?

phone app If so, the Blackthorn Product team wants your input! If you haven’t spoken with us already, please contact Events Product Manager Katy Fujitani (katy@blackthorn.io).

Congratulations to our Product Feedback Survey drawing winners!

Lucky winners of a $50 gift card included Michael DiSarno, Steven Irby, Natalie Falato, Shannon S., and others who wish to remain anonymous.
Winner Lacy Finley reported that she used her gift card to buy sticker badge supplies to hand out to kids at her nonprofit’s upcoming events. What a cool idea! Thank you to everyone who participated and shared your valuable feedback.

Increase Your Blackthorn Messaging Users and Phone Numbers IN-APP!

Want to add a user or a phone number? No need to reach out to your CSM or Sales Rep. You can now save time by doing it directly from the admin tab in the app. Here are step-by-step instructions with screenshots.

Share Your Reviews and Win a $100 Amazon Gift Card!

Get rewarded for your favorable reviews on G2 and AppExchange! Receive a $100 Amazon Gift Card as our appreciation. Here are a few important details to consider…

You must live in The US, UK, Canada, or Australia
$25 for an AppEx-only review
$50 for a G2-only review
For an AppEx AND a G2 review, $100

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