Build multi-channel programs that include direct mail and telesales step resources or lead route, move to track, and CRMi actions in the classic programs interface.

1. Navigate to Automation > Programs > Create new program.
2. At the bottom of the Create a Program page, click the Classic programs. A new blank program is created.
3. The program is generated with a default program name. The Edit program page is where you create or update your Classic program flow.
4. Click Edit program settings to define the parameters of your program, including a contact source and entrance criteria.
5. Select a database or query as the contact source for your program. A contact source is required to activate a program, associate emails with your program, and route contacts. 
6. Click Save and edit flow to return to the program.
7. Add email to the step resources within the program.
8. Add more tracks, configure your messages and any direct mail or telesales steps. Add decisions and configure the rules. Rules within the program flow can contain any of the criteria you find in building queries such as profile, behavioral, UB, RT and CRT and in-query criteria.

   Note: Each classic program can activate with up to 300 Tracks and up to 600 Actions. When you attempt to add more than 300 tracks or 600 actions, you will see a warning and the program will not be activated.

9. Configure your emails. SMS, mobile app messages, and direct mail or telesales resources are available in classic programs.
10. Test your program.
11. Activate your program.
    1. Locate your program from Recently modified or the Inactive tabs on the View programs page.
    2. Click Activate. The status of the program changes based on the start date you specified or the current date if a specific date was not provided.

Note: Activating the program on the start date changes the status to running. Activating the program before the start date changes the status to Scheduled until the specified start date. Contacts enter the program immediately based on your entrance criteria if a date is not provided.

Testing classic programs

It is important to test your program prior to sending to your contact source.

To test your program, first activate and send to your test contacts. After testing your program, deactivate, then attach your desired contact source before reactivating the program.

1. Associate the program with a contact source.
2. Add test records to the contact source you selected.
3. Ensure that wait times are set to 0 days and that any date-specific conditions are configured to allow you to test in a shorter time frame.
4. On the Edit program settings page, use a query of your database that contains only your testing contacts or use the set up rule that restricts contacts to your test email addresses. For example, email equals test1@example.com. You can also select the Approved for sales check box and add contact individually via Contact insight.
5. Activate the program.

Check to see if your test contacts received the messages and moved thru the program as expected.

After testing the program, deactivate the program, reset any wait configurations set for testing purposes, and reactivate it when you are ready to go live.

Note: In the classic programs interface, all unconfigured items such as step resources or actions show a red dotted line around the item and stops the program at that point. To configure a step resource or action, click the gray arrow in the lower-right corner of the box.

More about actions in classic programs

If you place an action, such as Update profile data, on the Program level, you can also add criteria that a contact must meet in order for that action to affect the contact. Upon entry into the program, the contact might not meet the criteria. However, if later in its time in the program the contact meets the criteria, that action affects the contact. In regard to Update profile data, it changes whichever fields are in its configuration. The same is true for the Actions, Move to Track and Move to Exit.

If a conditional Action, Move to Track, or Move to Exit is placed on the Track level, this same monitoring is done while a contact is on that particular Track.

Tips for a more efficient classic program

The efficiency of your program depends highly on the amount of data it needs to process in the beginning. Starting your program with a decision point on the first track to evaluate contacts makes the program re-evaluate the entire database every time it runs. The goal is to avoid excess data processing and have your program evaluate only the targeted contacts.

Instead of using your entire database as a contact source for a program, consider a query that contains specific qualifying criteria. The query allows the program to re-evaluate only that defined subset of contacts each run. To create a dynamic query, set it to Continuously add: contacts that later become qualified are then pulled into the program. Supported query types include locked queries, queries with profile data, behaviors, or relational table criteria. Classic programs do not support queries including child relational tables, aggregate relational tables, in-queries, and universal behavior queries.

Placeholders in classic programs

A placeholder can be used to build your program flow while you are awaiting final email content or before setting your contact source. You can name the placeholder and add descriptive notes if needed.