Scenarios
Scenarios are visual chains consisting of blocks connected to each other. A scenario automatically directs the user along a given event path based on conditions or the performance of an action. The scenario interface allows you to visualise trigger communications.
About the practical application and monetization of triggered mailings, you can read the cases of our clients and find out:
• how an online store earns several million a month just from mailings
• how an online service automates communication with clients using the enKod platform
• how to increase the Retention rate by 2 times for the field of online education
• how a photo book printing service achieved a 41% conversion from subscription to order using a welcome chain
• how the online storefront converted every sixth abandoned view into a purchase
Scenario templates
enKod has ready-made scenario templates that can help you automate sending messages without having to build complex logic from scratch. Welcome chain, reactivation, abandoned cart and abandoned view templates are available.
Scenario Creation. Canvas
To create a scenario, go to Mailings ➔ Scenarios. Once the name of the scenario has been set, you will be taken to the canvas on which you need to place the blocks.
On the canvas you can find various tools that can help you when working:
- Canvas movement/object selection modes (V)
- Undo and redo (Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Shift+Z)
- Zooming - using the mouse wheel (Ctrl+scroll) or the magnifying glass in the bottom menu.
- Full screen mode (Ctrl+O)
- Show/Hide Scenario Preview (Ctrl+M)
In addition to the navigation tools, several other useful functions are available:
- Download scenario in image format
- List of all hotkeys
Creating a scenario. Blocks
Block settings are on the right sidebar. Drag a block onto the canvas and double-click to open the settings.
It is mandatory to create at least one starting and ending block for each scenario. The rest of the blocks can be combined at your discretion and tasks.
The starting block is the event that must occur for the contact to start going through the scenario. You can use multiple starting and ending blocks within a single scenario. An important setting for the initial block is “Duplicate Handling”. It regulates the behaviour of the scenario in case the same contact starts the scenario without having completed the previous walkthrough yet. Be careful, because if you use several initial blocks, this setting will be synchronised and applied in each of them.
Starting blocks
- subscription - start the scenario when subscribing from the site, by API, via contact import, segment, contact card or after permission to send mobile push notifications
- for a specific mailing group - the contact will start the scenario when he subscribes to the selected mailing group.
- for a segment-specific mailing group - the contact will start the scenario when he/she subscribes to the selected mailing group and if he/she fits the conditions of the selected segment (the segment check will take place at the moment of subscribing to the group, i.e. when the scenario starts).
- to any segment-specific mailing group - the contact will start the scenario when he/she subscribes to any of the mailing groups created in the account and if he/she fits the conditions of the selected segment (the segment check will take place at the moment of subscribing to the group, i.e. at the moment of scenario start).
- on Mobile Push - the contact will start the scenario when he/she allows sending mobile push notifications in the application
- message - click (on any or specified link) or open the selected message
- API - getting an API request to start the scenario with preliminary checking of the contact for compliance with the conditions of the selected segment (segment selection is optional)
- data change -
- start when the contact's custom field is changed to any value other than the current one or to the specified one
- start when the contact's email is changed to any value, gets filled or empty (if the contact's previous email was deleted).
- schedule - start according to the specified schedule with obligatory checking for compliance with the segment (the contact will start the scenario only if it matches the conditions of the segment).
Main blocks
- message sending - available channels: Email, Mobile Push, SMS, WhatsApp. Read more about creating scenario messages here;
- pause - waiting before the next event, waiting for a specific date;
- distribution by segments or equally. By segment - the contact will follow the path of the segment whose conditions it matches. If the contact fulfils the conditions of several segments - it will follow the branch of the first suitable one. Equal - contacts will be divided into equal groups according to the number of configured branches;
- data change - the value of the selected custom field of the contact passing through the block will be changed;
- API request - specify endpoint, request type, headers, set parameters and body (you can use DK)
Final block
- the first configuration option does not perform any actions with contacts
- re-subscribe to mailing groups - when the scenario is completed, the contact can be unsubscribed from mailing groups and subscribed to mailing groups. You cannot select the same group in unsubscribe and subscribe.
- delete contact - when the scenario ends, the contact will be deleted and can be restored in the deleted section.
If your scenario includes a final block of unsubscribing from all mailing groups immediately after the block with sending a message, we recommend to put a small pause between these two blocks. Mailers do not always process requests to send messages instantly, so it may happen that a contact is unsubscribed from groups before the message is sent to them.
Creating a scenario. Scenario messages
Scenario messages are created in the same place as normal messages, but are stored in a separate list tab.
The scenario message wizard consists of one step - the message editor. When creating a message, you can copy any existing message, even if it is not a scenario message. Once created, the scenario message will have the status “Inactive” until it is placed in the scenario and it is activated.
Scenarios. Statuses and actions
Scenarios can exist in three statuses:
- Active - the scenario is configured correctly and activated
- Inactive - the scenario is deactivated
- Draft - the scenario is configured correctly or incorrectly and saved as a draft.
Actions that can be performed on the scenario:
- Start - activation of an inactive correctly configured scenario or draft scenario
- Pause - deactivation of an active scenario with saving the process of its passing by the contacts
- Edit - editing of an inactive scenario or draft
- Deleting - a scenario in any status. Statistics on the scenario contacts will be irretrievably deleted
Features of script editing:
- All contacts that were in blocks will end the scenario instantly when those blocks are deleted
- Contacts that are not affected by the changes will continue to go through the scenario taking into account the changes made.
- When changing the pause type from pause period to a specific date - counts for all contacts that were paused at the time of the change, until the specified date, without taking into account the entry date and the time spent on the block.
- When changing the type of pause from a specific date to a waiting period - count the waiting period from zero for all contacts that were paused at the moment of change
- When a contact enters a pause block of the “Waiting for a specific date” type in a situation where the date has already passed, the contact will pass the block instantly
- When a scenario is paused, the pause of the “Set duration” type is not paused, the time countdown continues. If the pause period expires during the paused scenario, the contacts will pass to the next block immediately when the scenario is resumed.
- Editing of the “Distribution” block of the “Equal” type: when deleting one of the branches, we will not save the statistics of the number of passes on this branch; when adding a new branch, if there have already been passes on the existing ones, the contacts will continue to be distributed evenly, despite the fact that the number of passes will be different; when deleting a branch and adding it again (including without saving it), we will reset the number of passes on it to zero, because in fact it will be a new branch.
Scenarios. General information
By clicking on the scenario name you can view general information about the scenario - statistics on contacts and messages.
The contact statistics shows the scenario's users in numbers and lists (click on a tile).
A contact may fail to complete a scenario due to the deletion of the block the contact is currently on, or for some other unforeseen reason. Please note that we do not remove a contact from the script when unsubscribing from a mailing group, receiving a hard delivery error, or after a contact is blacklisted. But the contact will not receive script messages through an unavailable channel.
You can set up the required period of displaying statistics (indicators on dashboards and in the table) in the calendar.
Below you can see the statistics on script messages in the form of a graph and a table.
You can filter the graph by metrics (sends, opens or clicks), channels (email and mobile push notifications), period (days, weeks, months), and messages (all or selected). You can hide messages you don't want to see stats for at the moment in the graph by clicking on the colour message ID in the legend. You can view the quantitative indicators by hovering the mouse cursor over the line.
Scenarios. Preview
In the preview tab you can see the layout of the scenario, as well as information about the number of contacts that are currently going through it and what stage they are at.
To find a contact in the scenario, enter their email address in the search bar. The block or relationship the contact is currently on will be highlighted in colour.
Additional information on the canvas:
- The number below the scenario block shows the number of contacts currently on that block.
- The number on the connection between the scenario blocks displays the number of contacts passed through this branch
- The number below the final block shows the number of contacts that have passed through it over the entire time
Scenario fields
Scenario fields are temporary fields with information that are pre-created in the scenario creation wizard and are passed in an API request to start the scenario.
Scenario fields are used to store temporary information about a contact that is needed only when the contact is going through a specific scenario. Most often, they record data about an event (date, time, name, link), information about an event, an order and any other data that does not need to be stored for a long time (such as the city or date of birth of a contact).
Learn how to use scenario fields when creating communication chains in this section of the Knowledge Base.