Overview

Financial and marketing events performed by customers outside CRM.COM can be registered in the system for additional processing and rewarding.  Customers events can include actions such as a purchase from a shop, a referral to a rewards program, spending from a specific account etc.

CRM.COM customer events can be registered in the system through the Web API or manually from the user interface.

There are several customer event types, each associated with one or more reward offer classifications.  

• The Purchase type tracks purchases that take place in external systems.

• The Referral type tracks referrals.

• The Achievement type tracks a form of success.  E.g., being one of the first 100 customers in a new store. 

• The Financial Statement type tracks events in relation to key business objectives. E.g. spending a predetermined amount of money within a period.

• The Spend Request type tracks the spending of awards.

Setting Up Customer Events and Core Processes

Before you start using Customer Events set up the system to reflect your own business needs.

• Classifications: Customer events can be assigned a classification that is used to evaluate each event against reward offers.  Each classification can be available to selected event types. It is mandatory to create a classification for achievement type CE.

• Key Performance Indicators: KPIs measure how effectively a business is achieving its objectives.  KPIs are assigned on financial statement (type) customer events and used as criteria to evaluate the eligibility of events to be awarded through financial statement reward offers. You can define a list of products used to calculate the aggregate value measured by the KPI when evaluating reward offers.

• Reduction Method Settings: Reduction Method refers to the way that discounts/awards will be provided to customers.There are 2 options

  • Front-End Reduction: reduction is done by the front-end system (for example the POS). This is the default option

  • Back-End Reduction: reduction is done by a back-end system (for example PayPal). If this option is selected then it is mandatory to specify the back-end reduction settings

    Define the default reduction settings of the system here, however these settings can be overridden for partners, if they have a specific partner agreement. Reduction Method used is shown on each Spend Request CE.

• Processing Automations: Define automations on processes, such as

  • Automatically create Purchase CE when invoices are created

  • Disable automatic award spending

  • Automatically set values on payment medium brand and type based on identifier

  • Set the number of characters allowed to be kept in the system when saving identifiers

• Processing Rules: Define rules associated to purchase and spend request CE. You can define multiple rules and each one can be applicable to a different CE classification.

  • Purchase customer events:  Allow or deny the creation of a purchase customer event even if the defined product does not exist or no product is defined. In case that this is allowed you can define a product which will be used to replace the invalid or not found product on the event.

  • Spend request customer events:

    • Allow Creating Spend Requests for Specific Amount: If enabled, a mandatory amount to be spent on the event can be specified.

    • Reject Spend Requests If the Requested Spend Amount is Not Covered: If enabled, then spend requests will not be created in CRM.COM unless the total value of all products at the requested date and time is covered by the wallet balance.

    • Minimum and Maximum Spend Request Amount: Optional, applicable if Allow Creating Spend Requests for Specific Amount is checked. Define the minimum or maximum amount that can be requested through a spend request customer event, respectively.  

      
      

      
      

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Using Customer Events

There are multiple customer event types (listed below).  Select the type that reflects the information you intend to log. Events are logged in the system through Web APIs but can also be manually created through the UI.

Specify the criteria that match the Customer Event you are interested in or use NEW > Customer Event type from the Actions Menu to create a new Customer Events. Provide the mandatory information associated to each customer vent and SAVE. Once created Customer events cannot be edited

Customer events can be created in an external system and imported into CRM.COM through a WEB API. 

Creating customer events to capture a purchase

If you would like to capture purchases performed by customers then purchase customer event is what you are looking for. The purchase might or might not be reflected to an invoice kept in CRM.COM. 

When creating a Purchase CE the products which were included on the sale must be defined in the respective tab as well as the Reference number of the purchase as logged in the external system (the customer's receipt number, if the purchase event is created based on a point of sale invoice).

Automatically create purchase customer event

Purchase customer events can also be automatically created when an invoice is registered in CRM.  When a third-party system (such as a point of sale) updates CRM.COM with a new sale, a new invoice is created.  At the same time, CRM.COM can create a purchase customer event for the rewards platform.

The invoice financial transaction types that trigger purchase customer events when an invoice is posted are defined in the Processing Automations available in Customer Events Settings

Creating purchase customer events through WEB API

When the purchase event is logged through a WEB API then the following applies. If the products of a purchased customer event don't exist, then a default one will be set based on the products define in the Processing Rules available under Customer Event Settings

The product which was initially included in the purchase will still have to be logged though as the 'purchase's intended product'.

Additionally, when logging the purchase through the WEB API you can define the 'terminal' (which could be the shop or a specific POS in a shop which submitted the purchase) by providing its identifier.

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Creating CE to capture a spend

If you would like to capture the request from a customer to pay for specific purchase customer event using its wallet funds then you are looking for a Spend Request CE. Spend requests can be initiated in one of the following ways:

• Through a consumer initiated request

• Through a reward offer that provides an instantly spend award

• Through rules that were set up and accepted by both the merchant and the rewards participant that allows available wallet balance to automatically be spent on purchases without a consumer initiated request

Spend requests are always performed against a Purchase CE which must be provided along with the Requested Spend Amount which represents the amount that should be spent. (It is either the total cost of the associated purchase customer event or the amount specified on the spend request customer event.)
The 'spend amount' defaults to the total purchase customer event amount and can be edited. Once the spend request is processed you can see the redeemed amount in  Actual Spend Amount.  Applies only to automatic awards and not to the instant spending process. A purchase customer event can only be used once. i.e. you cannot use it in more than one Spend Request CE.

Results from the spending of awards and can generate a transaction that debits the wallet of the participant.  'Spend request customer event rules', which may apply when creating reward spend transactions, are configured in the Processing Rules of the Customer Events Settings.

Creating customer events to capture a customer referral

Referral customer events are created when an existing customer is referring a new customer. In a referral CE the account of the referring customer (Referred By Participant) as well as the account of the referred customer (Referred Participant) must be provided.

It is possible that the referring customer gets awarded for referring a friend. In such case an award transaction is created that will in turn credit the wallet of the referring customer.

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Creating customer events to capture an achievement

Create Achievement CE to represent an achievement that was honoured to a specific customer. In case of achievement CE it is mandatory to provide a CE classification.

Creating customer events to capture a financial event

Financial statement customer events are used in order to measure the customers financial status and financial performance or any changes on their financial status or financial performance. This is done by specifying a set of measured customer event KPIs and the value for each one of them. Financial statements are always monthly. Multiple financial statements can be created per each customer but the combination of classification and month / year should be unique for each customer. 

When creating a Financial Statement CE you will need to define the KPI which will be measured throughout the statement, the Product related to the defined KPI and the Value that will meet the KPI objective and trigger the reward.

Cancelling a customer event

Customer events can be cancelled (for example, in case a customer returns a purchased good). Click on Cancel from the Actions' menu of the Data Entry page of the event that should be cancelled. 

If the event had triggered an award or spend transaction and the respective credit or debit wallet transactions, then all transactions are canceled and the awards are returned.

If the customer event is of type Purchase, then spend request customer events referring to the purchase are also canceled.

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Additional Processes and Automations for Customer Events

Using customer events in rewards

All customer event types except 'spend request' are used for awarding rewards participants. 

Customer events are evaluated by the rewards' engine, either when the event is executed or at a later stage with other customer events in one flow, to determine whether the participant will be awarded. 

When a rewards participant redeems an award, a spend request customer event must be registered in CRM.COM with the information for the redemption. Once the spend is successfully processed by the system, the participant's wallet is debited by the redeemed amount. 

Spend request customer events can only be created for specific purchase customer events. When a rewards participant uses an awarded amount to make a purchase:

• A purchase customer event is created

• A spend request event is created and associated to the purchase event

  • Awards are redeemed 
  • If the cost of a purchase is greater than the sum of the awards in the participant's wallet, the participant must pay the difference.

The following table displays the reward offer classifications that each customer event type is evaluated against, provided that a reward offer of the same classification is set up in CRM.COM.

Spending wallet amount upon purchase without request

Reward participants can pre-authorise the use of wallet funds for purchases.  In case a merchant does not allow this method, an explicit request is necessary (i.e., wallet funds are not automatically spent). 

To set up the system to support automatic spending of available wallet funds you need to define it both at the partner agreement in the Partner Permission Settings 'Allow Automatic Spend' and 'Enable Automatic Spending' on the Rewards Participant.

Through customer events it is possible to disable automatic spending even if its allowed by the participant or the partner.

In the Processing Automations of Customer Event Settings you can disable 'Enable Automatic Award Spending in which case the setting will override any other settings.

Award and spend transactions initiated by customer events

As aforementioned customer events are central to rewards. Results from a reward offer associated with the event under evaluation can generate a transaction (Award Transaction) that credits the wallet of the participant.

On the other hand when the customers initiate spend request customer events spend transactions are generated that debit the wallet of the participant. 

Award and Spend Transactions associated to customer events are available in the data entry page of each event.

Using back-end or front-end reduction method for spend requests

The reduction method available in spend request CE, defines how the amount that was requested to be spent will be reduced. The available methods are the following:

• Front-End Reduction: If selected then the reduction will be done by the front-end system (for example the POS). This is the default option

• Back-End Reduction: If selected then the reduction will be done by a back-end system (for example PayPal). If this option is selected then it is mandatory to specify the back-end reduction settings

The reduction method used for each spend request CE is available on the event.

The Reduction Method Settings can be set in the Reduction Method Settings available in Customer Events Settings however if reduction method settings are also defined on the merchant through which the request is performed then these settings are overridden.

Previewing awards on purchase customer events 

CRM.COM Reward Offers generate awards for purchase customer events (subject to conditions). 

By using the 'Preview' function, it is possible to view the following information on the awarded amounts before submitting an event (through WEB API only):

• Amount to be awarded

• Amount to be spent instantly

• Additional amount that can be spent on a purchase customer event (based on funds available in the customer's loyalty account)

Communicating Customer Events

A It is possible to automate communications on creating purchase and spend request customer events by setting up 'Event Based Communication Definition' accordingly. You can use tags related to Customer Events (text that is automatically replaced by values specific to selected records) when creating communications. Tags are available for selection by typing '#'. 

 It is also possible to manually create communications which include customer event related information through the communications page by adding the customer event in the 'Referring to Entities'

Refer to the Communications manual for a complete list of Customer Event tags.

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Business Flows