Communicate Step
The communicate step, one of several steps in the Designer module in an interaction, works with the Outbound Messages module to send correspondence to an interaction's subjects. You can add multiple communicate steps to an interaction design.
This feature is available in Aprimo Marketing Studio 9.1 only.
For an interaction design example with a communicate step, see Pathing Based on the Type of Audience Member.
You can configure an interaction with a communicate step to use the email deliverability service.
When you create a communicate step, you must specify the outbound message it should use. You can select any outbound message that meets both of these conditions:
- The message has been added to the same activity or lead process as the interaction.
- The message has been created for the same type of target group as the interaction.
The communicate step does not send any correspondence to audience members with Inactive status, and it does not send email messages to audience members who have used an opt-out form to indicate they do not want to receive specific types of correspondence from your organization.
Details
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
From Display Name |
Type the email message sender's name, or click the Insert button to select a field tag. |
|
From Email Address |
This field appears if you use the email deliverability service. It indicates the sending email address. The portion of the email address that appears before the @ symbol is the mailbox. The portion that follows the @ symbol is the domain. A system administrator lists the available domains and their default mailboxes in the Configuration module in System Tools. |
|
Reply Email Address |
Type the email address to which recipients send replies to the email message, or click the Insert button to insert a field tag. If the interaction targets leads, this email address is for the sales representative assigned to the lead. Note:
The email address can be the standard email address field or an email extended attribute in the master record of an audience member or participant. |
|
Bounced Email Address |
This field appears if the interaction does not use the email deliverability service. Type the email address to which the application returns undeliverable email messages. |
|
Outbound Message |
Select the outbound message the communicate step sends. If the outbound message you want does not exist, you can create it in the communicate step by clicking the New Outbound Message button. |
|
Notification Type |
This field appears if you set the Notification method(s) field to Each Valid Notification Method or First Valid Notification Method. Select the notification types the communicate step can use. For an audience member to receive a communication generated by the communicate step, the Notification Type field's value for the communicate step must be the same as the Notification Type field's value in the audience member's master record. The Fax, Mail Merge, and Call Center options are always available to select, even if you have not configured the corresponding outbound message for these delivery options. If you select one of these options, be sure to configure the outbound message properly for the selected option before you start the interaction. For the Email option to be available, you must enable the HTML email format or the plain text email format in the outbound message. |
|
Notification method(s) |
Select how the application determines the notification type used by the communicate step to send the message. |
|
Email Method |
This field appears if you configure the communicate step to send an email message. Choose whether the communicate step should send a message to every email address in the subject's record, or only to the first email address in the record. If you select Each Valid Email Address, the subject might receive multiple copies of the same email message. |
|
Email Addresses |
This field appears if you configure the communicate step to send an email message. Select the fields the communicate step uses to determine the email addresses to which to send the email message. The communicate step cannot process subjects with blank email address fields. |
Notification Methods
These notification methods are available in the Notification method(s) field.
| Notification Method | Description |
|---|---|
|
Subject's Preferred Notification Method |
Sends the message using the method specified in the subject's Notification Type field. If you select this option, do not select a notification type. |
|
Each Valid Notification Method |
Sends the message using the method specified in the communicate step's Notification Type field. Example:
You select Email and Fax in the Notification Type field. The communicate step sends an email message and a fax to each subject. |
|
First Valid Notification Method |
Sends the message using the method determined by how the communicate step sends the outbound message. This depends on the selections in the communicate step's Notification Type field and the subject record's Notification Type field. Example:
he communicate step's message configuration sends both a fax and an email message. You select the Email option and the Fax option in the communicate step's Notification Type field. The subject's Notification Type field determines whether the communicate step sends a fax or an email message to the subject. |
Email Content Options
This section appears on the Details tab when you set the Notification Type field to Email or you configure the outbound message to send email messages.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Include Opt-Out Link |
Choose whether a link to an opt-out form appears in the email message footer. An opt-out form gives the message recipients the option to stop receiving specific types of email messages from your organization. You can create a custom message for the link to the opt-out form on the outbound message's Header/Footer tab. Note:
If you choose to include the link in the body of the email message using EmbeddableTags, choosing Yes in this field puts a duplicate link in the message footer. CAN-SPAM is an act of the United States Congress that became law in December of 2003. In 2008, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approved revisions to the act. One requirement of the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 and its 2008 revisions is that your outbound email messages include an opt-out link. If messages do not comply with the rules, your organization may be fined or charged with a criminal and civil offense. |
|
Include Physical Mailing Address |
Choose whether the application appends your physical mailing address to the email message. If the Physical Mailing Address field on the outbound message's Header/Footer tab contains an address, that address is used. If that field is empty, the AIM Service Physical Mailing Address system parameter's address is used. By default, the physical mailing address's formatting on the email message is the same as the opt-out link and the forward to a friend link. However, any formatting of the address on the Header/Footer tab of the outbound message or in the system parameter value overrides the default formatting. |
|
Include Forward to a Friend Link |
Choose whether a link to a forward to a friend Web page appears in the email message footer. This page gives message recipients the ability to forward the message to their friends and associates. You can create a custom message for the forward to a friend link on the outbound message's Header/Footer tab. Note:
If you choose to include the link in the body of the email message using Embeddable Tags, choosing Yes in this field puts a duplicate link in the message footer. |
|
Include View as a Web Page Link |
Choose whether a link to view the email message as a Web page appears in the email message header. You can create a custom message for the Web page link on the outbound message's Header/Footer tab. Note:
If you choose to include the link in the body of the email message using EmbeddableTags, choosing Yes in this field puts a duplicate link in the message header. |
|
Email Format |
Select the email message format the communicate step should use. Depending on the outbound message's configured media types, you might be able to send email messages in HTML format only, in plain text format only, or in both formats. HTML email messages enable you to use sophisticated formatting and graphics in an outbound message. However, not all subjects can receive HTML email messages. To ensure all your subjects receive an email message, follow these steps:
If you select Both in this field, the step sends only 1 email message to each subject. The email message appears in the appropriate format for the application the recipient uses to read the message. |
|
Email Encoding |
Select the type of character encoding for all email messages the communicate step sends. The character encoding affects the appearance of the email message's contents. If you select the incorrect encoding, your target group members might be unable to read your email message. |
Cost and Revenue
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Revenue Per Subject |
Indicates the estimated revenue per subject in the currency used for the activity. |
|
Cost Per Subject |
Indicates the estimated cost per subject in the currency used for the activity. |
Current Subjects
The Current Subjects section appears on the Details tab after you start the interaction.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Processed By This Step |
This field displays the number of subjects that have proceeded from the step. |
|
Currently At This Step |
This field displays the number of subjects that have reached the step but have not proceeded. You can click the hyperlinked number to view more details about subjects currently at this step. A subject might remain at a communicate step for these reasons:
|
Expected Response Rates
When you create a communicate step in an interaction that targets audience members, you can specify the estimated response rates by group and by channel. This enables you to evaluate your interaction's expected effectiveness before you actually run it. After you run the interaction, you can compare the actual results with the expected results. These fields appear when you edit the expected response rates.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Outbound Message |
This field displays the outbound message's name from the Details tab. |
|
Group Preference |
Choose whether you want to specify a different expected response rate for each group, or use a single rate for all groups. Your selection for this field and for the Channel Preference field determine which response rate percentages you can complete. |
|
Channel Preference |
Choose whether you want to specify a different expected response rate for each channel, or use a single rate for all channels. Your selection for this field and the Group Preference field determine which response rate percentages you can complete. |
The groups that appear in the Expected Response Rates section on the Expected Response Rates tab are the groups you selected in the Selected Groups field to populate the interaction.
For more information on response rates, see these topics:
Response Rate Percentages
After you complete the Group Preference field and the Channel Preference field, specify the expected response rates. Specify the rates in percentages. This table provides examples of how to specify the percentages.
| Group Preference field setting | Channel Preference field setting | Action to perform |
|---|---|---|
|
Use Individual Rates For Each Group |
Use Individual Rates For Each Channel |
For each group, specify a separate expected response rate for each channel. |
|
Use Individual Rates For Each Group |
Use One Rate For All Channels |
Specify the expected response rate for each group. The application applies this rate to each communication channel used by the communicate step. |
|
Use One Rate For All Groups |
Use Individual Rates For Each Channel |
Specify an expected response rate for each channel. The application applies this rate to all groups processed by the communicate step. |
|
Use One Rate For All Groups |
Use One Rate For All Channels |
Specify the rate to automatically apply to all channels and all groups used by the communicate step. |
After you start the interaction, if you change the communicate step's outbound message, the expected response rate value automatically resets to 0.
Actual Response Rates
When you create a communicate step in an interaction that targets audience members, you can specify how the application should recognize when an actual response occurs. After you run the interaction, you can compare your actual results with your expected results.
The Response Rates module summarizes the expected response rates and the actual response rates from all communicate steps in the interaction.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Contact History Record Type |
Select the type of contact history record the application creates when an individual responds to the outbound message sent by the communicate step. When you create a new contact history record of the selected type for a subject in the interaction, the application recognizes it as an actual response to the communicate step. |
|
Number of Communications Sent |
This field appears while the interaction is running. It displays the total number of communications sent by the step. |
|
Number of Responses Received |
This field appears while the interaction is running. It displays the total number of communications received in response to the message sent by the step. You must complete the Actual Response Rates tab's fields in the communicate step to see this information in the Response Rates module. |
Contact History Record Type Fields
This section appears on the Actual Response Rates tab, and enables you to indicate the criteria the application uses to determine whether the audience member has responded to the communicate step. You specify which contact history record fields the application considers, and which values constitute an actual response. For the application to recognize an actual response, the audience must match the criteria you define in this section.
You sent out a customer survey that allows your customer to evaluate your customer service for the previous year. The survey's deadline is 01/01/2010. You consider completion of the survey on or before 01/01/2010 to be an actual response. You define this criteria:
- Criteria 1
- Attribute: Inbound Form Title
- Operator: is equal to
- Value: Customer Service Survey 2009
- Criteria 2
- Attribute: Completed Date
- Operator: is before or on
- Value: 01/01/2010
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
|
Attribute |
Select the standard or extended attribute the criteria uses. |
|
Operator |
Select the logical operation applied to the value. |
|
Value |
This field appears after you select an attribute. Enter the value to which the operator's logic is applied. |
For more information, see:
Mail Merge Status
If a communicate step uses the Mail Merge notification type, you must use the Mail Merge Status tab to complete the mail merge process. You complete the mail merge process when all subjects reach the end step and the interaction is still running.
You must associate the template you use to create or print the mail merge file with the outbound message that the communicate step is configured to send.
To complete the mail merge process, choose either of these options:
- Send the mail merge results to a file.
Click the Create File button to create a mail merge file. You can find the file in the folder specified in the Temporary File Directory system parameter. After the application creates the file, a link to it appears on the Mail Merge Status tab. - Send the mail merge results directly to a
printer.
Click the Print button to send the mail merge documents to the printer specified in the MailMerge Printer system parameter.
If your interaction is non-recurring, wait until the interaction finishes before you complete the mail merge process. This ensures the communicate step processes all subjects before you complete the mail merge.
Fax Status
If your communicate step uses the Fax notification type, you must use the Fax Status tab to complete the fax process. You complete the fax process when all subjects reach the end step and the interaction is still running.
You must associate the template you use to create the fax documents with the outbound message the communicate step is configured to send.
To complete the fax process, click the Fax button to send the fax results to a fax machine. The application sends the fax results to the fax machine specified in the Fax Machine Path system parameter.
If your interaction is non-recurring, wait until the interaction finishes before you complete the fax process. This ensures the communicate step processes all subjects before you complete the fax.