Messaging, consent and segments

Before you start

• Setting up messaging needs an owner or manager. Only the owner can change the marketing opt-in setting.
• Do Catalogues and Enquiries and follow-ups first: you will send a published catalogue and use the customer's Relationship tab.
• For email, have your mail server details to hand (server, port, user name and password). For SMS, you need an SMS gateway that takes a web address.

Step by step

1. Open Messaging

Go to Administration › Messaging. This is where you choose how this PC sends Email, SMS and WhatsApp. Each channel shows Not set up until you set it up. The settings and passwords stay on this PC, so set up each PC that will send messages.

2. Set up email

Next to Email, choose Set up. Enter the Mail server, Port and Security (STARTTLS, SSL/TLS or None), then your User name and Password. Add the Sender name and Sender address your customers will see, and choose Save.

3. Add SMS and test WhatsApp

For SMS, choose Set up and enter your gateway's Gateway address. Put {to} where the number goes and {text} where the message goes. WhatsApp needs no setup: Kade opens WhatsApp with the message written and you press Send. Use Send test on any channel to check it works on this PC.

4. Choose who gets marketing

Under Marketing messages, the owner decides whether to tick Only send marketing messages to customers who opted in. It starts ticked. Reminders, statements and documents always go, whatever you choose here.

5. Record a customer's consent

Open the customer and choose the Relationship tab. Marketing consent shows one line per channel. Choose Change, pick the Channel, set Consent to Opted in, Opted out or Unknown, choose How we know (Verbal, Written, Form, Reply or Import), add a Note if you like, and Save.

6. Build a segment

Go to Customers › Segments and choose New segment. Give it a Name, then pick what the customers have in common: Tags, Lifecycle, Source, Price list, Open enquiry, Marketing consent, Bought, Spent, Last purchase or Balance. Members updates as you choose. Save it, and use Export to save the list as a file.

7. Send a catalogue to a customer

Open a published catalogue and choose Send…. Pick the Customer, then Send by Email or WhatsApp, and the File: PDF or Interactive. Check the Subject and Message Kade drafted, and choose Send. With WhatsApp, attach the file from the folder Kade names, press Send in WhatsApp, then answer Yes, it's sent.

8. Check what went

The catalogue's Sent tab lists every send: When, Customer, Sent by, File and By. Email waiting for the mail server shows here and in Outbox (this PC) on the Messaging screen, as Waiting to send, Sent or Not sent. Use Retry to send a stopped message again.

Good to know

• Sending one catalogue to one customer is not marketing, so it does not check consent. Kade tells you if that customer was already sent the catalogue, but lets you send it again.
• SMS can't carry a file, so catalogues go by email or WhatsApp only. A withdrawn or expired catalogue can't be sent.
• Give items a photo in the item's Photo box (Choose photo…, or drop a PNG or JPEG). Catalogues show them, and Share card on a saved item makes a square picture of it to share. A catalogue's Share cards button makes them for its items.
• Segments are for owners and managers. A segment's members change by themselves as customers buy, so open it again for today's list.

Try it yourself

1. Set up email in Administration › Messaging and use Send test to send yourself a message.
2. Open a customer you know, go to Relationship, and record their Email consent as Opted in, Verbal.
3. Make a segment called "Email OK" with Marketing consent › Email › May be messaged, and check they appear under Members.

Recap

Set up each PC's channels in Administration › Messaging and test them. Record consent on the customer's Relationship tab, group customers with Segments, and send catalogues with Send…, then check the Sent tab and the Outbox.