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Managing Communications

Contact APIs

Info

Communication Plans can be used to communicate with customers using various channels such as Email, SMS, and push notifications through third-party integrations. Communications can be generated either due to a system one-off event, a scheduled event or directly by the user, and can be customised with the use of communication tags.

Multilingual communications are also supported, the communication is sent in the Contact’s preferred language and channel of communication.

  • Contact Segments need to be defined prior to configuring Communications (Contact > Segmentation)

  • The relevant third-party CommunicationIntegrations must be enabled and successfully configured (via Platform > Integrations) prior to creating Communications
  • Communications are also configurable via Automations (Platform > Automations) on the occasion that an event is triggered

  • Configure Communication Templates to standardise frequently used communication contents

    To view or create a Communication Plan navigate to

    CRM

    > Communication Plans using the main menu on the left-hand side of the screen. Image Removed

    When you create a Communication plan the Content (on the right) will change according to the method of integration you have selected.

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    Communications are sent according to the preferred language and method of communication set by each Contact. 

    Languages

    A communication can be setup in multiple languages, switch between languages using the language button and type the contents.

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    The available languages can be configured via Settings > Platform > Languages.

    The communication will be sent according to the Contact’s preferred language, which can be set either by the Contact using the consumer app, or via the back-end from the Contact screen.

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    If the contact’s preferred language is not specified in the communication plan, but the base language of the system (English) is specified, then the communication will be sent in English.

    Communication Integrations

    Select the integrator to be used for sending the communication, only one integrator can be selected per communication configuration.

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    The available integrations can be configured via Platform > Integrations, refer to the Integrations manual for further information.

    The communication will be sent according to the Contact’s preferred marketing preferences, which can be set either by the Contact using the consumer app, or via the back-end from the Contact screen.

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    • For Refer-a-friend email communications - If no Business integration is configured then email communication will be sent using Service Owner integration

    • For Refer-a-friend sms communications - Only sent using the Business integration

    Overriding Contact Preferences

    If you enable the toggle to ignore the Contact’s marketing preferences, then your communication will also reach those Contacts who have not set the communication channel you have chosen as their preferred form of communication. I.E. If a Contact has opted-out of email communications and you have enabled the override option for an email communication, then the Contact will receive the email regardless of their preference (assuming they have an email address set).

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    Content

    Use the Content tab to create your message in multiple languages. For email communications, a rich text editor is available with options to insert images and add embedded links. Images can also be included for in-app push notifications.

    Email tracking settings can be configured (via Settings > CRM) to monitor whether an email has been read or a link has been visited.  

    Tags

    Tags can be used to create personalised Communications for customers, they are predefined and are replaced with actual values when a communication is sent. To use a tag enter a # in the message body and a drop-down list of available tags will be displayed for selection.

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    These are the generic tags available as a minimum for all types of communications. If the communication is being created via Platform > Automations then additional tags relevant to the event will also be available.

    Tag

    Contents

    #contact.name

    Contact name as it appears in the system (e.g. first name, last name)

    #contact.code

    Unique Contact code

    #contact.email

    Contact’s email address

    #contact.phone_number

    Contact’s telephone number

    #contact.referral_code

    Contact’s referral code (for referring a friend)

    #contact.first_name

    Contact’s first name

    #contact.middle_name

    Contact’s middle name

    #contact.last_name

    Contact’s last name

    #contact.balances

    All Contact’s account(s) and wallet(s) balances

    Format:

    <account currency> Account <account number> balance <account balance>, Wallet <wallet number> balance <wallet balance>

    Example:

    EUR Account A123 balance 13.00, Wallet W500 balance 5.35

    GBP Account A888 balance 55.80, Wallet W900 balance 4.90

    #account.billing_address

    Contact’s account billing address

    #account.balance

    Contact’s primary account balance

    #wallet.balance

    Contact’s (primary account) wallet balance

    #wallet.open_balance

    Contact’s (primary account) wallet Open balance

    #wallet.commerce_balance

    Contact’s (primary account) wallet Commerce balance

    Communication Templates

    When creating a Communication Plan, if you select the Save as Template option you will be able to name and save the Communication as a template which can then be used for creating future Communications efficiently.

    A template can be recalled via the Use existing template option. The available templates to select from are filtered based on your language and integrations selections.

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    Communication Templates can also be defined through Settings without the need to define a Communication Plan.

    Other uses of Templates

    A Communication template can also be used to email or print an Invoice or Order from the Contact screen Activity Feed.

    Navigate to Contacts > My Contacts > locate and select a Contact > Activity Feed > select an invoice > …

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    • Email to Contact - Email the invoice to the Contact’s current email address

    • Print - View a print preview of the invoice, save it as a pdf file, or print a copy

    For both these options, you will be prompted to select the template to be used to display the content.

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    Ditto for Orders.

    Editor Limitations

    The communication editor provides the basic requirements expected of such a tool, however, these are some known (and not restricted to) limitations:

  • With the exception of communications created for in-app push notifications, images can only be inserted using a URL. Uploading an image by browsing your device is not an option.

  • If you want to insert content below an image, press Shift+Enter to move to a new line below the inserted image.

  • Inserting HTML code using the Source Code widget (<>)may not provide the desired result.
  • Tables cannot be inserted as content

  • Scheduler

    Use the Scheduler tab to define when the Communication Plan will be executed:

    • just once - Set the one-off execution date and time

    • on repeated basis - Define the repeating time interval (Daily/Weekly/Monthly) to execute the Communication plan.

    Recipients

    Specify one or more Contact Segments for the Communication Plan, i.e. the Contacts who will receive the communication. At least one Segment must be selected in order to be able to Save a Communication Plan.

    Segments are pre-defined via Contacts > Segmentation and must be configured prior to creating any Communication Plans.

    Save

    Once a Communication Plan has been saved, it will assume a Posted state and scheduled for delivery on the date and time you have selected. It’s possible to edit and re-use a communication plan without restrictions.

    Save as Draft

    The Save as Draft option indicates an incomplete Communication Plan, the system will allow you to save the Communication Plan in Draft state without defining the recipients or the scheduled date & time.

    Delete

    A communication plan can only be deleted when in Draft state, Posted communications cannot be removed.

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    Communications Settings

    To configure Communication settings click on your logged-in user name in the top right-hand-corner of the screen > Settings > CRM > Communications.

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    Tracking Settings

    Define the tracking settings that will be used to track emails and provide information on emails viewed and links visited. Tracking options can apply to All Communications or just to Communication Plans.

    AnchorTemplatesTemplatesCommunication Templates

    Create communication templates without the need of creating a Communication Plan.

    The configuration largely resembles that of Communication Plans with the exception of:

    Entity - Usedto select the type of transaction your communication will be related to, the Entity selected also determines the communication tags available for use
  • Channel - The communication channel is used instead of the integration.

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    Reference Material

    You may also find it useful to refer to the following manuals for further reading in relation to Communications.

    Segmentation

    Create Contact Segments to group the recipients.

    Segmentation

    Automations

    Send automatic communications when an event is triggered.

    Automations

    Integrations

    Configure integrations for methods of communication.

    Integrations

    General Settings

    Select the system languages to allow multilingual communications.

    https://crmdevelopment.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/TFDv2/pages/1435795459/Generic+Settings#languages

    Rewards

    Financials

    Subscriptions

    TABLE OF CONTENTS

    Table of Contents