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e3 Help > Site Administration > Email Marketing > Autoresponder
Autoresponder

Toipics


Autoresponders have three major components:
  • The autoresponder email.  This is the email that the autoresponder will send to contacts when the autoresponder criteria is met.
  • The autoresponder criteria.  This is what determines which contacts will receive a copy of the autoresponder email and, in some cases, when they will receive it.
  • A schedule.  This is what determines the autoresponder's activity period, i.e. when it will start and when/if it will stop.


Autoresponder Types

You can create two types of autoresponders:

Recurring

These autoresponders send emails at a specific day and time on a recurring basis. These autoresponders are suitable for birthday emails, renewal notices, and other recurring messages.  

Note: These autoresponders rely primarily on the date (calendar) fields you have uploaded each contact.

Ex. To create a recurring autoresponder that sends an email to your contacts on their birthday each year, you need to use the Birthday Date field.

Triggered

These autoresponders send emails to contacts when they take specific actions that relate to your list or to your emails.  

Note: Triggered autoresponders are suitable for welcome emails, special promotions based on action, and other reactionary messages.
Ex. You can create a triggered autoresponder that will send an email to any contact that clicks a particular link in one of your recently-sent email campaigns.  


Autoresponder States

Autoresponders are assigned one of the following states:

  • Incomplete - The autoresponder is missing something that it needs in order to be activated.  For example, a newly-created autoresponder will stay in this status until you create an email design for it.
  • Schedule not set - The autoresponder is ready to be activated.
  • Scheduled - The autoresponder is active and will begin sending emails at the specified date and time.  While the autoresponder is in this status, you can stop it and change its schedule freely.
  • Sending - The autoresponder is currently active and sending emails (based on the criteria you specified).  While the autoresponder is in this status, any changes you make to it will pause the schedule.
  • Schedule paused - The autoresponder is active, but it is not currently sending emails.  An autoresponder enters this status if you choose to make changes to it while it is in ‘Sending’ status.  Once your edits are complete, you will need to either resume the existing schedule or reschedule the autoresponder in order to continue.
  • Schedule complete - The autoresponder has successfully reached the specified end criteria (e.g. specific date and time or number of iterations) and has stopped sending emails.  A report is available for the autoresponder.  To reactivate an autoresponder in this status, simply give it a new schedule.


Create an Autoresponder

Creating an autoresponder involves the following steps:

 


Selecting an Autoresponder type

The type of autoresponder you choose will depend on its intended purpose.

  1. Click the Autoresponders menu on the left
  2. From the Autoresponders dashboard, click on the 'New Autoresponder' button
  3. On the ‘Choose an autoresponder type’ page, selec the 'Start Now!' image that corresponds to the autoresponder type you want create


Selecting an Autoresponder template

Based on the autoresponder type you selected, you will have a number of autoresponder templates to choose from:

Recurring

  • Win-back email - Allows you to create an autoresponder that will send contacts an email each time a certain period of time goes by without any action on their part.  For example, this autoresponder can email any contact that remains unengaged (e.g. doesn’t click on any of the links in your emails) for a period of six months.
  • Recurring notice - Allows you to create an autoresponder that will send contacts an email every month or year at a certain date and time.

Triggered

  • Welcome email - Allows you to create an autoresponder that will send an email to contacts when they join your list.
  • Action response - Allows you to create an autoresponder that will send contacts an email when they perform a specific action.  For example, this autoresponder can email any contact that clicks on a particular link in one of your recently-sent email campaigns.
  1. Select the template you want to use.
  2. Review the initial criteria options that relate to your choice in the 'Select initial criteria' panel on the right and select the option that best fits the purpose of the autoresponder.
  3. Click Next.


Naming an Autoresponder

In the Autoresponder Editor, you can name the autoresponder. You can return to this page to rename the autoresponder at any time. In the Autoresponder name field, type a name for the autoresponder.  


Note: This name doesn't appear to recipients.


Create an Autoresponder Email

The goal of an autoresponder is to send an email to any contact that matches specific time or action-based criteria.  For this reason, the autoresponder email contents and design are very important, as they must be carefully tailored to meet a specific purpose.

There are three ways to create an autoresponder email design; these appear in the Autoresponder Editor email design block:

  • Use the autoresponder email template provided - Every autoresponder template has its own default email template that you can choose to use as the starting point for your autoresponder email.
  • Copy an existing email design - Copy the design and contents (including text, images, formatting, etc.) of an existing email campaign or autoresponder and use it as the basis for your autoresponder email.
  • Create a new email design from scratch - Use the Smart Email Builder or the Full Email Editor to create a brand new email design using templates or by copy & pasting in your own HTML code.

Steps to create an autoresponder email using the default email template provided:

  1. In the Autoresponder Editor email design block, select the 'Use the default email design' option.
  2. Click 'Start an email'.
  3. The email editor loads.
  4. Edit the contents of the email using the editor.
  5. Click NEXT.
  6. Enter the email details.
  7. Click SAVE DRAFT.

Steps to create an autoresponder email using an existing email design

  1. In the Autoresponder Editor email design block, select the Copy one of my existing email designs option.
  2. Click Start an email.
  3. The 'Select email campaign or autoresponder' dialog appears.
  4. Select an email campaign or autoresponder by clicking on its row in the list.
  5. Click SELECT.
  6. The email editor loads.
  7. Edit the contents of the email using the editor.
  8. Click NEXT.
  9. Enter the email details.
  10. Click SAVE DRAFT.

Steps to create an autoresponder email from scratch

  1. In the Autoresponder Editor email design block, select the Create a new email design from scratch option.
  2. Click 'Start an email'.
  3. Choose either the Smart Email Builder or the Full Email Editor by clicking on Start Now!.
  4. Select an email template.
  5. Edit the contents of the email using the editor.
  6. Click NEXT.
  7. Enter the email details.
  8. Click SAVE DRAFT.


Defining the Autoresponder Criteria

Autoresponder criteria is what determines under which conditions the autoresponder will send an email to a contact. The criteria for the autoresponder is different depending on which Autoresponder Type and template you choose.  

Learn how to define autoresponder criteria for:


Win-back email (Recurring type)

The win-back email autoresponder monitors your contacts on a daily basis and keeps track of how long it’s been since the last time they showed engagement.  Once a certain number of days have been reached since a particular contact’s last activity, the autoresponder sends them an email.

Steps to define criteria for a win-back email autoresponder

In the Autoresponder Editor criteria block, choose how long to wait before sending the email. 

Select a number of months from the drop-down (shown below).  Please note that these translate into a number of days.



 Choose what type of activity to monitor.

Select which action you want this autoresponder to monitor.


 

Choose which contacts will be monitored by this autoresponder.


 

You can apply this autoresponder to all your contacts or you can choose to limit its scope to certain mailing lists.  To limit its scope to certain mailing lists:

  1. Select the Contacts in specific mailing list(s) option.
  2. Click Select mailing list(s).
  3. The 'Select mailing list(s)' dialog appears.
  4. Choose one or more mailing lists by clicking on the mailing list row or by selecting the checkbox on the far left of each row.
  5. Click DONE

Note:  After completing Step 3, you can view the number of total number of contacts that will be monitored by this autoresponder by clicking the Refresh button in the right-hand panel.  If you add and/or remove mailing lists, simply click the button again to get a updated count.



Recurring notice (Recurring type)

The recurring notice autoresponder keeps track of time and emails contacts on or near dates stored in their contact entry.

Steps to define criteria for a recurring notice autoresponder

In the Autoresponder Editor email design block, choose which date to send the email on or near.

Select a date from the drop-down.  Any date-type field you create will show up in this list.



 

Choose when to send the email

You can choose to send the email on the date or near the date.  Select one of the options and configure the settings accordingly:
  • If you choose to send the email on the exact date, you will need to specify whether it will be sent every month (i.e. on the day specified in the date) or every year (i.e. on the day and month specified in the date).
  • If you choose to send the email near the date, you will need to specify how many days before or after the date, as well as whether it will be sent every month or every year.


Welcome email (Triggered type)

The welcome email autoresponder sends an email to contacts when they join your list.

Step to define criteria for a welcome email autoresponder
  • From the drop-down in the Autoresponder Editor email design block, select one of the ways a contact can join your list:
    • Added via sign up form means that the contact joined your list by putting their information into one of your sign up forms.  If you select this option, you will need to specify which sign up form this autoresponder will monitor.
    • Added manually means that you added the contact yourself.
    • Added from a file  means that you added the contact to your list by uploading an Excel or CSV file (for example) containing their information.
    • Added via any means will cause this autoresponder to send an email to any and all new contacts added to your list, regardless of how they’re added.


Action response (Triggered type)

The action response autoresponder sends contacts an email when they interact with your email campaigns and autoresponders.If you want, you can add a delay between the recipient's action taking place and the autoresponder email being sent.

Steps to define criteria for an action response autoresponder

In the Autoresponder Editor email design block, select the action you want this autoresponder to react to.


 
  • Click – will react when a contact clicks on a link in an email
  • Open – will react when a contact opens an email
  • Reply – will react when a contact replies to an email
Select the email you want the action to apply to.  You can choose an email campaign or an  autoresponder.



Please note that choosing an older email campaign (for example, an email campaign that was sent more than 30 days ago) may not yield great results, as activity relating to an email campaign typically drops off a short time after the email campaign is sent.  If you select an older email campaign, a warning icon will appear to the right of the drop-down.

If the email campaign or autoresponder you want to select is not in the drop-down list, click the More… option at the bottom to see a full list.  You can select the email you want from the ‘Select email campaign or autoresponder’ dialog that appears and then click SELECT when you’re done.

If you selected the ‘Click’ action in Step 1, you will need to specify which link you want this autoresponder to monitor.  Select the link from the list of tracked links in the drop-down; if you want this autoresponder to react if the recipient clicks on any of the links in the specified email, choose the 'any link' option at the top of the list.



Note:  If, after initially setting up this autoresponder, you change the name of the tracked link you selected, you will need to edit this autoresponder and select the new link name from the drop-down.

Select the time frame to monitor:
  • Anytime – while the autoresponder is active, it will send an email to any contact that performs the specified action on the specified email.
  • Between – while the autoresponder is active, it will send an email to any contact that performs the specified action on the specified email, provided the action occurs between the dates and times indicated.  Use this option if, for example, the purpose of this autoresponder is to send contacts a special offer if they click, open, or reply to a particular email within a strict time frame.
To indicate whether or not contacts will receive multiple copies of the autoresponder email if they perform the same action more than once, toggle the Make sure contacts get only one copy of this email checkbox at the bottom of the page (this checkbox is enabled by default):


Schedule an Autoresponder

An autoresponder can’t send emails until it is activated.  Activating an autoresponder is accomplished by scheduling it.

Like an email campaign, an autoresponder can be scheduled to begin sending immediately or at a future date and time.  Unlike an email campaign, an autoresponder can also (optionally, depending on its type) be scheduled to stop sending at a specified date and time or after a set number of days.

Once an autoresponder has been activated, its schedule can be temporarily paused ormanually stopped at any time.

An autoresponder that has completed its assigned schedule or that does not presently have a schedule can be scheduled.

The options we have to control are Autoresponders are as follows:

Schedule an Immediate Start

An autoresponder can be scheduled to begin sending immediately. However, please note that scheduling an autoresponder to start sending immediately doesn't necessarily mean that it will immediately send an email:

Recurring Autoresponders, when scheduled to begin sending immediately, will immediately evaluate your contacts against the criteria you set and determine whether or not any of them meet that criteria.  Any contacts that currently meet the criteria will be sent an email on the spot.  If no contacts meet the criteria, no emails will be sent and the autoresponder will try again the following day.  For example, if you create a recurring notice autoresponder set to email contacts on their birthday and you schedule it to begin sending immediately, it will immediately check your contacts to see if it's anyone's birthday.  If any matches are found, those contacts will receive an email; if no matches are found, no emails will be sent and the autoresponder will check again the following day.

Triggered Autoresponders don't send emails unless your contacts perform certain actions that will trigger them.  For example, if you schedule a welcome email autoresponder to start sending immediately, it won't actually send an email until a contact joins your list.  By scheduling it immediately, you are activating the autoresponder and instructing it to be ready -- immediately -- to respond to contact action.

Follow these steps to schedule an immediate start for a Recurring Autoresponder:
  1. From the Autoresponders menu, click on the Recurring tab,
  2. Select the Autoresponder you wish to schedule, without clicking any links in the row.
  3. In the last column of the the autoresponder you have selected, click the Schedule link.
  4. Beside 'Start sending', select Now.
  5. Click on the 'SET SCHEDULE' button.
Note:  If you want the autoresponder to automatically stop sending after a number of days or at a specific date and time, fill out the 'Stop sending' section at this point. If you don't schedule a stop, the autoresponder will continue sending until you manually stop it.

Note:  All future emails sent by this autoresponder will be sent at the same time of day, so make sure the current time is appropriate.  If it isn't, schedule the autoresponder for later on in the day.
Ex. If the current time is 5am and you choose to begin sending immediately, all emails sent by this autoresponder (on any day) will be sent at 5am.

Follow these steps to schedule an immediate start for a Triggered Autoresponder:
  1. From the Autoresponders menu, click on the Triggered tab
  2. Select the Autoresponder you wish to schedule, without clicking any links in the row.
  3. In the last column of the selected autoresponder, click the Schedule link.
  4. Select Now.
  5. Click on the 'SET SCHEDULE' button.
Note: If you want the autoresponder to automatically stop sending after a number of days or at a specific date and time, fill out the 'Stop sending on' section at this point. If you don't schedule a stop, the autoresponder will continue sending until you manually stop it.

Schedule a Future Start

An autoresponder can be scheduled to begin sending at a later date and time.

Recurring Autoresponders scheduled to begin sending at a later date and time won't send emails until the specified date and time, even if contacts match the criteria you set.  For example, if you create a recurring notice autoresponder set to email contacts on their birthday and you schedule it to begin sending at a later date and time, the autoresponder won't send emails on any contact birthdays that might come up in the interim.

Triggered Autoresponders scheduled to begin sending at a later date and time won't send emails until the specified date and time, even if contacts perform the action they're set to monitor.  For example, if you schedule a welcome email autoresponder to begin sending at a later date and time and, in the interim, a contact joins your list, the autoresponder will not send them a welcome email.

In order to schedule a future start for a Recurring Autoresponder please follow these steps:
  1. From the Autoresponders menu, click on the Recurring tab,
  2. Select the Autoresponder you wish to schedule, without clicking any links in the row.
  3. In the last column of the selected autoresponder, click the Schedule link.
  4. Located beside 'Start sending', select On.
  5. Click the calendar and clock icons beside each box provided to specify a start date and time.
  6. Click on the 'SET SCHEDULE' button.
Note:  Recurring autoresponder emails are sent at the same time each day (if there are contacts that match the criteria you set), so be sure to choose an appropriate send time.

Note: If you want the autoresponder to automatically stop sending after a number of days or at a specific date and time, fill out the 'Stop sending' section at this point. If you don't schedule a stop, the autoresponder will continue sending until you manually stop it.

In order to schedule a future start for a future start for a Triggered Autoresponder please follow these steps:
  1. From the Autoresponders menu, click on the Triggered tab,
  2. Select the Autoresponder you wish to schedule, without clicking any links in the row.
  3. In the last column of the selected autoresponder, click the Schedule link.
  4. Located beside 'Start sending', select On.
  5. Click the calendar and clock icons beside each box provided to specify a start date and time.
  6. Click on the 'SET SCHEDULE' button.
Note:  Recurring autoresponder emails are sent at the same time each day (if there are contacts that match the criteria you set), so be sure to choose an appropriate send time.

Note: If you want the autoresponder to automatically stop sending after a number of days or at a specific date and time, fill out the 'Stop sending' section at this point. If you don't schedule a stop, the autoresponder will continue sending until you manually stop it.


Schedule a Stop

An autoresponder can be scheduled to automatically stop sending.  When an autoresponder stops sending, its status changes to 'Schedule complete' and it no longer evaluates contact information (for recurring autoresponders) or reacts to contact actions (for triggered autoresponders).
If you don't want to schedule a stop, you can always manually stop an autoresponder.

In order to schedule a stop for a Recurring Autoresponder please follow these steps

  1. On the 'Schedule autoresponder' dialog, select the 'Stop Sending' checkbox.
  2. Select one of the 2 stop options:
    • After X days - will automatically stop the autoresponder after a set number of days of activity.  You can specify the number of days by typing a number into the text box provided.
    • On / at this time - will automatically stop the autoresponder at a specific date and time.  Click the calendar and clock icons beside each box to choose the date and time.
  3. Click on the 'SET SCHEDULE' button.
In order to schedule a stop for a Triggered Autoresponder please follow these steps:
  1. On the 'Schedule autoresponder' dialog, select the 'Stop Sending' on checkbox.
  2. Click the calendar and clock icons beside each box provided to specify a stop date and time.
  3. Click on the 'SET SCHEDULE' button.



Manually Stop an Autoresponder

Only an autoresponder in the 'Scheduled', 'Schedule paused', or 'Sending' states can be manually stopped.  Stopping an autoresponder causes it to immediately stop sending emails and moves its status to 'Schedule not set'.

In order to manually stop an Autoresponder you will need to follow these steps:

  1. From the Autoresponders menu, click on the appropriate autoresponder type tab(Recurring vs. Triggered)
  2. Select the desired autoreponder, by clicking on the name of it.
  3. From the Action bar, click on Stop.

Note: If the autoresponder is in 'Scheduled' status, in the last column of the row for the autoresponder, you can also click the Stop schedule link.


Delete an Autoresponder

It is possible to permanently delete an autoresponder but please aware of the following restrictions to:
  • You can delete autoresponders in any state.
  • You can only delete one autoresponder at a time.  
  • When an autoresponder is deleted, any and all activity relating to it ceases.
  • Once an autoresponder is deleted, it is no longer available.
  • If you inadvertently delete an autoresponder, you must recreate it.
  • When deleting autoresponders, you can choose to also delete the associated autoresponder report.  
  • If you delete an autoresponder but not its report, the report will remain available after the autoresponder is deleted.
In order to delete an autoresponder please follow these steps:
  1. From the Autoresponders menu, click on the appropriate autoresponder type tab(Recurring vs. Triggered)
  2. Select the desired autoreponder, by clicking on the name of it.
  3. From the Action bar, click Delete.
Note: If you wish to delete the report associated with the autoresponder, select the 'Delete the associated report' checkbox.

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