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Navigation: Admin Pages > Tools > Mass Mailing

Mass Mailing Messages

One of the most important aspects of sending a mailing is the message itself. Messages are created in the Mass Mailing > Messages tab and are comprised of the elements describe below. These messages are delivered through mailings and campaigns executed on the Mass Mailing > Mailings or Campaigns page.

The message list

1 - This is a list of all messages that are available to the agent for editing. Users of this page can only see messages in the Segments to which they have been granted access. The message’s segment is determined by its topic.

2 - Use these buttons to create new messages or delete existing messages. When deleting a message, iService will display the Campaigns and Mailings in which the message is used, and prompt for confirmation. If the message is used in a Campaign or Mailing, they must first be removed before the message can be deleted.

Message configuration

Configuring a mailing message

1.Name - The name is a label that is displayed in the Message List and in other iService screens.

2.Description - This description is used to explain the purpose of the message.

3.Subject Line -This is the subject line of the message that will be viewed by the recipient.

4.Topic. All interactions within iService must have an assigned topic. This topic determines the Segment in which the message resides, which then determines agents that will have access to the message.

5.Include Ref# in Subject Line - This option will include the standard iService reference number in the subject line of the message. In some cases, the sender may not want the Ref# displayed in the subject line, especially if the message is personal or is not intended to receive a reply. The Ref# is used by iService to link any responses from the contact with the original outbound email. This association creates a message thread within interaction history that makes it easier to view the overall conversation with the contact.

6.Plain text message - Mailings are delivered as multi-part messages that include a text body and a rich text (HTML) body. This ensures that regardless of the recipient’s email client (cell phone, Outlook, etc.), the message will be rendered properly. The plain text body may include stock responses and variables, similar to composing responses from the Message Queue page. All of the contact properties to which the agent has access may be used as variables when composing a message. Variables are inserted where the cursor is placed in the text box by clicking the variable name. Although listed in the Variable quick pick list, you can also type them directly such as $ContactProperty-'Job Title'$. Be sure to use a single quote around the actual property name instead of double quotes.

7.Rich text message - The HTML body section of the page functions the same as the Plain Text Body which is described above. The same variables and stock responses may be used in both areas, and the preview panel will display using your properties. The most common method for constructing the HTML body is to use an HTML editor. For simple messages that include only basic markup, like font styles (e.g., bold, underline, etc.), use the built in Rich Text Editor.

8.Variables & Stock Responses - To include variables in the message body, select them from this panel and they will be pasted into the message at the cursor location. The list of variables displayed is limited to the agent’s segment access. That is, if the agent would not normally see the contact properties in the Contacts>Details tab, they will not be displayed here. All of the stock responses available to the agent are displayed in this tab. To insert the stock response, click the stock response name.

Link Variables

Variables and message personalization are an important part of the outbound email process. The Link command is a special class of these variables, and has special syntax for tracking message views, unsubscribe requests, and URL clickthroughs (trackable URLs). The Link command utilizes the iService Link.aspx page, which records the action and performs the requested function.

There are three versions of this command: Link, Linka, and Linkimg. The Link command is primarily used for plain text messages, while Linka and Linkimg are used for HTML messages. The syntax for each version of the command is described in the sections below.

Link click data is displayed in a separate tab visible in both the View and Action modes.

The Link command

$Link [name]$ - name is used to differentiate the links in a message and for reporting.

Optional Parameters: [-URL] [-VALUE] [-DEF] – -URL specifies the landing page for the link, -VALUE records a corresponding value in the database, and -DEF makes the link a definition that can be reused throughout the message.

The Link command generates a URL that is based on the website and link.aspx page. It is primarily used to generate trackable URLs that redirect the contact to a specified page. The optional parameters of URL and VALUE are always followed by text included within quotes (e.g., “something here”) that specify the action.

The name is required and is used to identify the link for reporting purposes. Any name can be used, such as “OurWebsite”, but the name cannot contain spaces or special characters. The name Unsub is reserved and is described in the table below.

Parameter	Example
Link Unsub	The word UNSUB is a reserved name and is used to generate an unsubscribe link. This name does not require any of the optional parameters if the standard unsubscribe landing page is desired. When clicked, the link will remove the contact’s email address from the list used in the mailing. For example, $Link Unsub$ will generate a link that looks like https://1to1service.iServiceCRM.com/link.aspx?id=25&contact=16&value=&hash=aert4323342. When clicked, the above link will remove the contact from the list used for the mailing and refresh to a similar URL that displays standard verbiage indicating the contact has been unsubscribed from the list. To refresh to a customized page, add the –URL parameter and specify the desired landing page.
Link Unsub –URL ‘foo’	The –URL parameter can be used along with the Unsub name to specify a customized landing page for unsubscribe requests. For example, $Link Unsub –URL ‘http://www.website.com/sorry.html’$ would redirect the contact to the sorry.html page after the unsubscribe request is completed. The actual url must be enclosed in single quotation marks. NOTE: do not use double quotes.
Link {name} –URL ‘foo’	This is the standard format for creating a trackable URL. The URL that is included within the quotes will be the landing page. For example, $Link OurWebsite –URL ‘http://www.website.com’$ will generate a link that looks like https://1to1service.iServiceCRM.com/link.aspx?id=25&contact=16&value=&hash=aert4323342. When clicked, this link will record the event and refresh to the www.website.com page specified by the –URL parameter. The name used in this example, OurWebsite, will display on reports and within history to indicate the specific link that was clicked by the contact.
Link {name} –URL ‘foo’ –value ‘bar’	The –Value parameter can be added to store a specified value associated with the link. This is useful for including simple surveys, asking for approval, etc. The text associated with the –Value parameter is stored by iService and available for reporting. For example, $Link Survey –URL ‘http://www.website.com/thanks.asp’ –Value ‘Yes’$ will generate a link that looks like https://1to1service.iServiceCRM.com/link.aspx?id=25&contact=16&value=Yes&hash=aert4323342. When clicked, this link will record 1) when it was clicked and 2) the value associated with the click. In the example above, the contact would be refreshed to the www.website.com page and the value of Yes would be associated with their click.
Link {name} –URL ‘foo’ –DEF	The –DEF parameter converts the link into a definition. It will not display anything where created, but is available for use as often as desired within the message. If you have a link that is used in many places, the definition can save you some time. For example, $Link OurWebsite –URL ‘http://www.website.com’ –DEF$ creates a definition of the name OurWebsite. To insert this link in various places, you could simply use the following. To visit our website, click the link below. $Link OurWebsite$ In addition, if you have a set of links that are used often, you can format them as stock responses and insert them at the beginning of your message. Then you can simply use the definition wherever desired. For example, you might add this text at the beginning or end of all of your plain text messages. $Link OurWebsite –URL ‘http://www.website.com’ –DEF$ $Link Unsub –URL ‘http://website.com/sorryurleaving.asp’ –DEF$ $Link Survey1 –URL ‘http://website.com/thanks4voting.asp’ -VALUE ‘Yes’ -DEF$ $Link Survey2 –URL ‘http://website.com/thanks4voting.asp’ -VALUE ‘No’ -DEF$

The Linka command

$Linka [name]$

Optional Parameters: [-URL] [-TEXT] [-VALUE] [-DEF]

The Linka command is identical to the Link command, except that it automatically generates the necessary HTML A tag to make the generated link a true hyperlink. That is, instead of seeing the link http://1to1service.iServiceCRM.com/Link.aspx?id=... the command will generate a hyper link that looks like click here. The text that is displayed in the message (e.g., click here) is generated by the –Text parameter, which is required.

For example, the Linka command below

$Linka Unsub –TEXT ‘click here to unsubscribe’$

will generate and an unsubscribe link that looks like this: click here to unsubscribe.

Other than generating the required HTML instead of a plain link, the Linka command functions identical to the Link command.

The Linkimg command

$Linkimg Viewed$

This command will insert an image in the HTML portion of the message. When the email is opened and the images are displayed, this action is tracked by iService and provides a reliable indication that the message has been viewed. However, if the user does not accept the images or reads the text version of the message, this attribute will not be updated.

The Linkimg command generates an image tag that looks like the following.

<img src="https://1to1service.iServiceCRM.com/Link.aspx?id=3&contact=16&value=&hash=F0A16B" alt="" />.

The link page redirects to a standard blank gif image stored on the iService website.

NOTE: for the Linkimg Viewed tag to work properly, the iService website URL must be externally accessible.

Viewing Clickthrough Details in History

Every clickthrough or img view is recorded in iService and associated with the interaction and contact. You can view the click details in the View Mode similar to interaction properties.

message-click-data

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iService User Guide

Mass Mailing Messages