Action Blocks Overview
An Automation Action Block is placed in a customer journey map and must follow an Automation Trigger Block in order for its action to take place. This article will provide information on what each action block does, its features, and when to use it.
Activate Offer
What it does:
Activates a SmartOffer for the contact in the customer journey.
Features:
Select SmartOffer
Select a SmarOffer from existing SmartOffers or create a new one to use in your customer journey.
Set an Expiration Date
Set an expiration date and time for the selected or newly created SmartOffer.Note: Recommended setting is 2 days with an extension to 11:59pm. Set by default.
Extend the Expiration Time to 11:59pm
Use this setting to extend the expiration time to 11:59pm of the last date.
When to use:
Use this action when you would like to present a SmartOffer to a contact, either after they have earned it or as a recovery method to incentivize them to come back in.
Start Conversation
What it does:
Starts a conversation with the contact in the customer journey.
Features:
No configuration or other features are available for this action block.
When to use:
When you would like to start a conversation with a contact in the customer journey.
Deactivate Offer
What it does:
Deactivates a SmartOffer for the contact in the customer journey.
Features:
Select a SmartOffer
Select a SmartOffer you would like to deactivate when a contact enters the Deactivate Offer action block.
When to use:
When you would like to deactivate a SmartOffer for a contact in the customer journey.
Double Opt-In
What is a Double Opt-In
A double opt-in occurs when a user signs up for an email and/or SMS marketing list, and then an email or text message is sent out to the user which includes a link to click or respond to confirm the subscription. Only after the confirmation is received will the user officially be added to the appropriate marketing list.
What it does:
Sends a Double Opt-In SMS message to the contact in the customer journey. In Patch we follow the rule or guideline that if a user provides their email there is implied consent, however, SMS is more strict regarding expressed consent so we recommend all accounts implement the double opt-in for SMS.
Features:
SMS Message Preview
Preview the Double Opt-In SMS message that will be sent to the contact in the customer journey.
Edit Opt-In
Click the purple EDIT OPT-IN button to edit the default Double Opt-In message you would like to send to the contact in the customer journey.
Reset to Default
Click the orange and white RESET TO DEFAULT button to reset the Double Opt-in message back to its default and recommended message.
Acknowledge Understanding of Compliance
If the Double Opt-In message has been edited in any way, it is required that you agree to the risk and indicate your understanding of the compliance and legal requirement and guidelines before you can proceed in saving the block.
When to use:
Read more here: https://citygro.com/text-and-email-marketing-regulations-need-know/
Eject
What it does:
Ejects the contact from the customer journey. The Eject block checks the Automation to see if the contact is in any of the other blocks within the customer journey. If the contact is found in any of the blocks then the contact is removed from the customer journey.
Features:
When to use:
If a contact is currently in a customer journey where multiple messages are sent over time (a drip campaign) it may be desirable to remove them from the journey after they have completed an action (such as making a purchase) so they do not receive messages that no longer apply to their current journey. See the Winback Wizard for a good example.
Send Email
What it does:
Sends an email to the contact in the customer journey.
Features:
Start From Scratch
Start creating an email from scratch.
Templates
Select from a list of email templates created in the Templates module or select from a list created by Patch.
Test
Send a test message before saving the email.
Email Editor
Build an email with our drag and drop builder, code your own, or use plain text. See our help center article on the email editor here: https://help.citygro.com/hc/en-us/articles/5088343077271-Email-Editor-Overview for more information.
When to use:
Use this to send emails to the contact in the customer journey.
Filter
What it does:
Segments contacts within the customer journey by contact fields.
Features:
Contacts Matched
The total number of contacts that match the current filter rules.
Use Existing Filter
Select from filters (segments) created and saved in the Contacts module.
Match ALL of these rules
The contact must match all of the rules set here in order to be set on the match path of the customer journey.
Match ANY of these rules
The contact must match at least one of the rules set here in order to be set on the match path of the customer journey.
Limit to Specific Contacts
Use this setting to select specific contacts. If the filter rules exist on the filter rules above they will also filter out contacts selected here.
Path Options
Path options are available after you save and close the settings window. When you select the path option on the Filter block placed on the canvas you will be presented with three options:
- - MATCH should be used for contacts in the customer journey that match the filter rules.
- - NOT MATCH should be used for contacts in the customer journey that do not match the filter rules.
- - ALWAYS should be used for all contacts in the customer journey.
When to use:
Use the Filter block when you would like to set different customer journey paths for the contact based on their data.
Delay
What it does:
Delays the contacts for a period of time in the customer journey.
Features:
Months
Set the number of months the contact should be delayed before continuing with the journey.
Days
Set the number of days the contact should be delayed before continuing with the journey.
Hours
Set the number of hours the contact should be delayed before continuing with the journey.
Minutes
Set the number of minutes the contact should be delayed before continuing with the journey.
Resume Anytime
Delayed tasks will resume immediately after the delay. This can lead to messages being sent at inopportune times such as in the middle of the night. It's recommended to use a timeframe.
Enable Timeframe
Enable a time frame you would like to resume the contact on the journey. A use case for this feature would be to ensure the contact receives messages from a message block following the delay block within business hours.
When to use:
Used when you would like to delay a contact in a journey. This is a common action to take in a drip campaign.
Create Report
What it does:
Creates a report that can be copied and pasted into Send Email, Send SMS, and Slack Message action blocks within the customer journey.
Features:
Select Report
Select an existing report or create a new report.
Copy and Paste
Copy and paste the SmartText that references the report to be added to message block content in the customer journey.
When to use:
Select Contacts
What it does:
Selects contacts as a group from the account to add to the customer journey based on contact data.
Features:
Contacts Matched
The total number of contacts that match the current filter rules.
Use Existing Filter
Select from filters (segments) created and saved in the Contacts module.
Match ALL of these rules
The contact must match all of the rules set here in order to be set on the match path of the customer journey.
Match ANY of these rules
The contact must match at least one of the rules set here in order to be set on the match path of the customer journey.
Limit to Specific Contacts
Use this setting to select specific contacts. If the filter rules exist on the filter rules above they will also filter out contacts selected here.
Limit Matches
Use this checkbox to limit the results to a random subset of the contacts matched.
When to use:
Set Fields
What it does:
Sets (updates) fields on the contact within the customer journey.
Features:
Select Fields
Use the drop-down menu to select contact fields that should be updated for the contact in the customer journey.
When to use:
The Set Fields block should be used when contact fields should be updated for the contact in the customer journey.
Slack Message
What it does:
Sends a Slack message every time a contact reaches this block in the customer journey.
Features:
Slack Webhook URL
Add the Slack Webhook URL associated with the Slack account that the message should be sent to.
Message Title
The title of the Slack message.
Message Text
The message text sent in the Slack message.
Test
This is used to test whether the webhook is working correctly. The message content will not include any SmartText at this time.
When to use:
When you would like to send messages to a Slack channel when a contact reaches this block in the customer journey.
Send SMS
What it does:
Sends an SMS or MMS message to the contact in the customer journey.
Features:
Start From Scratch
Start creating an SMS or MMS message from scratch.
Templates
Select from a list of SMS templates created in the Templates module or created by Patch.
SMS Preview
Preview the selected template before selecting it.
Test
Send a test message before saving the message.
SMS Editor
Build an email with our drag and drop builder, code your own, or use plain text. See our help center article on the email editor here: https://help.citygro.com/hc/en-us/articles/4672153349655-SMS-Messgaing-Overview for more information.
When to use:
Use this to send emails to the contact in the customer journey.
Automations Overview:
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