The programs canvas offers improved usability, visibility, and an enhanced interface. Use the canvas to create a program where you can easily visualize how your contacts will flow through and where they are at any moment after the program is activated.

Programs support email, SMS, and mobile app messaging based on the associated contact source.

Some notes to remember about objects on your canvas:

• An unconfigured step displays on the canvas with a grey dotted outline. When configured, the object turns blue.
• A program must be deactivated before you can delete an object from the flow.
• The canvas has a limit of 200 objects.
  • A program cannot be activated with more than 200 objects.
  • As you approach this limit, notifications are provided.
  • Deleting objects does not lower the count.
  • If you transfer a classic program (legacy) to programs canvas, you'll have a limit of 300
• Programs does not prevent activation with unconfigured objects to allow users to build and test incrementally.

Add an object to the canvas

To add an object to the canvas, simply drag it from the pallet to the canvas and connect it to any allowed connection point. 

Step

Use a step to send the appropriate communication to your customer in the form they prefer it. Pull in an email, SMS, or mobile app message that you designed in Campaign to work for you in your automated program.

There are several types of steps:

• Placeholder
• Email
• SMS message (Available only if your database is enabled for SMS)
• Mobile app messages (Available only if your database is enabled for mobile app messages)

Redirect

Redirect moves contacts from their current location to another path in your program. This action simplifies your program, connects contacts with different paths, or moves them to an exit path.

Add a redirect action in the programs canvas:

1. Drag redirect to the canvas and connect to any step, decision path, percent split, or update profile action. By default, the object name is Redirect contacts and will change as you select the destination path to the name of that path.
2. Hover to access the menu and click Configure. Type the name of the path you want to direct contacts to, or select from the list. Redirecting contacts to an unconfigured path will not execute or continue to the next object until you set up a rule for the path.
   
   • When multiple sources are redirected to the same path, a badge appears displaying the number of redirects to that destination.
   • Hover over the Redirect badge to display a list of the 'Redirected from' sources.
   • Contacts can repeat the same path and any steps down that path. Be sure to include rules in a decision along the way to give the contacts a way out, and that they don't repeat indefinitely.
   • Click a redirect source or destination path to see its connection point. You’ll see a blinking yellow highlight to show where the redirect connects to or from.

Notes about redirects

• Redirect to re-evaluate contacts: Contacts can't be redirected to a decision object to be re-evaluated for the decision object rules. If you want the contacts to be re-evaluated with the same rules as a decision object:
  
  1. Add a decision object before the redirect with rules.
  2. Connect a decision to the destination path to send contacts to the path.
• Redirect to exit: You can redirect contacts to an exit through a decision path that has an Exit attached.

Update profile

When contacts reach the update profile action in the program, the contact profile data is changed based on selected rules.

You can connect update profile actions to the audience, before or after steps, to decisions and percent split paths, or to other update profile actions.

Using an update profile to update a field with a blank or empty value

It is possible to use the Update profile data action within a program to update a field with a blank value.

1. Drag an Update profile data action to your program canvas.
2. Hover over the Update profile object and click Configure.
3. Change the default Update profile name in the Name field if desired.
4. In the 'Select fields to update' pane select the fields you'd like to update.

   Note: A contact source is required to select data fields.

5. In the 'Update fields value' pane, leave the Change to field blank.
6. Click Apply again to confirm the settings.

Percent split

To test out different content options, use percent splits in the programs canvas to randomly segment audiences based on your percent split configuration.

How to add a percent split

1. Add the % icon to the canvas.

   Note: Placing objects other than an Exit after the first step prevents event-triggered behavior in an Autoresponder style.

2. Hover over the percent split and click Configure.
3. Click Add split for a desired number of variations. You can add up to 5 splits.
4. Enter percentage values to split your users. Your percents must equal 100%. Once you activate the program, you can't delete a split, but you can edit the values for each of them.
5. Click Apply.
6. Connect a Step, Exit, or Decision to each of the percent value paths so contacts can proceed.

When a group of contacts reaches a percent split, contacts are randomly divided by the set values. If a single contact or a number less than the number of splits arrives, the highest value is favored. If values are equal, the bottom value is favored.

Decisions and multi-path routing

Use decision points in your program to define paths that route contacts based on rules for their data or behavior. Set qualifying rules and a processing order to determine their fate in the program. Rules can involve: profile data, contact lists, behaviors, or CRM opportunities.

You can segment audiences and create specific paths for contacts to follow for relevant messaging, additional routing, or to exit the program using multi-path routing.

1. Drag a decision object onto the canvas.
2. Hover and click Configure.
3. Add up to 19 rule-based paths. Make sure you selected a contact source for your program, otherwise you will not be able to define rules.
   1. Rule-based paths cannot be moved below a decision and remainder paths cannot be moved above a decision.
   2. A processing order number appears beside each path to indicate the order that contacts are evaluated. When a contact meets a rule, they progress to that path and are not evaluated further.
4. Click Rule(s) beside each path to open the rule builder and define rules. You can add profile, behavior, relational table, and CRM (if enabled) criteria for each path.
   • Each decision path must include a defined rule to be fully configured. If all paths in the decision are not configured, contacts will not be processed and rules are not evaluated.
   • Contacts that meet the defined rules follow the rule-based path. Contacts that do not meet rules criteria for any paths, go to the remainder path where they are continuously re-evaluated by the Keep evaluating feature or with a wait interval. You can click the remainder path to open the Insight panel and see related details.
   • After activation, you can modify rules and path names, but the paths cannot be deleted.
5. Click Save or Save and Close after rules are defined.
6. Click Apply.
7. Configure wait times. Connect any object to the remainder path to configure a defined wait interval for that path.

Wait time

Set a relative or fixed wait interval between steps or actions to define the timeline of how you want contacts to flow through your program.

All templates provide suggested wait time intervals that can be changed to suit your program goals. You can configure relative or fixed wait times before each step.

• Use a 0 days wait time between event-triggered entry and the first step to send the first message as quickly as possible.
• Prevent sending all messages in a single processing cycle by using a wait time between a series of steps.

Wait times function differently when they are placed before the Remainder path of a decision. By default, the Remainder path continuously evaluates contacts until they meet the criteria of the decision. Attach an Exit or another interaction to the Remainder path to define waits and how the contacts within it should proceed.

1. Click the wait time icon on a connector line.
2. In the configuration box, set a wait time by selecting the Relative or Fixed
   • Relative waits are configured in days, weeks, or months.
   • Fixed waits are configured by clicking the calendar icon and choosing a fixed date or by entering a date manually.
3. Click Apply.

Note:

• The day of week start date is Sunday.
• Dates are formatted based on your language or location settings.
• If a contact reaches a step after the step's fixed date passed, it doesn't pass this step and waits unless you change the date.

CRM actions

You and your team can integrate the CRM used in the company with programs and maintain contact lead status by adding or syncing information back to the CRM system.

Supported platforms

At this point, CRM Actions support Salesforce CRM, Sugar CRM, and Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM. Only Salesforce integrations allows use of the 'Add to campaign' option while all CRM integrations use the 'Sync contact with CRM' action, which simply flags a record (if not already) for its initial sync to CRM as a newly qualified lead.

Before you start using CRM actions in programs, you'll need a supported CRM-enabled database.

1. Add the CRM object to the canvas. The action includes the connector line and a customizable wait interval.
2. Connect the CRM object to any step, decision path, percent split, update profile action, or audience.
3. Hover over the CRM object and click Configure in the menu options.
4. You'll need the Salesforce campaign ID of 15 or 18 characters (check with your Salesforce administrator).
5. If you are integrated with Salesforce CRM, you will see an optional feature to add contacts to a specific Salesforce campaign.
6. Add any rules you want to associate with the CRM sync.
7. Click Apply to save your configuration.

Direct mail, telesales, export lead

The direct mail, telesales, and export lead steps enable you to schedule and export a list of contacts in .CSV, .TSV or .PSV formats using a secure method to their direct mail vendor or any external contact with instructions:

• Export lead: use this step to send contact information to the correct recipient group (e.g. a sales team), based on a custom set of rules, e.g. the contact's place of residence.
• Direct mail: use this step to send a list of contacts to your vendor to prepare and send information such as cards, fliers, or product catalogs by postal mail.
• Telesales: add a personal touch to customer service by incorporating phone calls in your communications tool stack. With telesales, you can gather and send contacts from your program to telemarketing or sales team on a selected schedule.

Start building your program by adding objects to your workflow. Drag, drop, and connect the direct mail, telesales or export lead step to your workflow in the desired position.

1. Hover over a step and click Configure.

   To create rules for export lead, add a decision before this object and configure the rules.

2. Enter a unique name for your step or keep the name given by default. All exported files fall into a single /downloads folder and it's easier to locate a particular export with a specific name.
3. Select the database fields (all or individual) that you want included in the file for each contact.
4. (Optional) Customize the order of fields displayed in your export – click View selected database fields and drag and drop the selected fields as desired.
5. Enter the export details.
   • Enter a description, if desired.
   • Select one or more delivery options.
     
     • Stored files is selected by default. When a program generates the contact list file for a direct mail, telesales, or export lead step, a folder is created and the file is placed in the organization's Content Stored files folders. The file name includes the type, date, and timestamp. Specified email addresses will receive a notification about the file creation. Users can download the file using their user credentials. The files are available for 14 days.
     • Secure link enables you to share a list of contacts outside of your organization. First, create a password for the file download. Make sure your password does not end in a symbol. The following symbols are not supported: "<", ">", "+", ".", and "@". Then, email the link and password to your vendor. The link expires in 14 days. Best practice is to send the password in a separate email/secure manner to your external recipients.
       

       If you forget the password and need to reset, you will need to deactivate the program, update password in an export configuration screen, and reactivate. The new password is applied to all copies of the file, even those downloaded before the password reset.

     • SFTP is used if you want to automatically place a copy of the file in your campaign SFTP /downloads folder. The exported file lands in the SFTP account of the programs user who last modified the program. External users and others can't access your SFTP folder unless you allow access.
6. Create email notification.
   • Enter details for the send to, subject line, from name, additional notification fields, and a message to the recipient(s).
   • The email notification includes instructions and a secured file access link.
   • Remember to share the password with the recipient in a secure way.
7. Schedule export frequency (daily, weekly, or monthly) and time that the contact should be collected.
8. Click Apply.

Note:

• When you deactivate a program, the next scheduled export with contact data still takes place.
• When you edit the time schedule, keep in mind that the changes can take up to 24 hours to update and might not be performed immediately.
• As contacts arrive at a step, they will be 'marked' for the next scheduled export list. Each file generated includes the contacts that have arrived at the step since the last send. If no new contacts arrive, a file is generated, but without an email notification.

Exits

Contacts that arrive at an Exit leave the program, but are counted for reporting purposes. You may also send contacts to exit through configured decisions in your program rules.

If a contact arrives at a step and consent is no longer valid, they are immediately sent to exit. Contacts are also exited as a result of a merge, if they are deleted from the contact source list, or if they reach the mobile app message frequency limit.

Contacts can re-enter the program if the Repeat option is selected on the settings page and they meet the entrance criteria.

Note: Always provide an exit rule for your contacts.