May 01, 2008

A Big May Update, Part 1

We’re wrapping up our latest batch of goodies, scheduled to be released Monday. There are several ‘convenience’ improvements, some interface updates, and some actual new chunks of functionality that I think you’ll like. 

(Note: If you’re not yet an OfficeAutopilot user, please ignore anything that doesn’t make sense.  )

Faster Contact Browsing
Although we liked our animated contact screen (how it swooped open and closed.. nice right?) we noticed that it became a little annoying when you’re using the interface seriously all day long.  So, it got the axe.

In its place, a totally new and improved contact manager that features faster browsing, quick page jumping, easier customization of your overview screens, and a super slick new search function that makes the old one look like.. well, old.

Also, we’ve upgraded the way you add and remove tags to a contact and subscribe or un-subscribe them to sequences.  Very modern.  You’ll see.

New Message Library
We’ve added owners and permissions to individual emails in your message library so you can limit who can edit the emails in your message library and who can pull and send them.  That way, you can make it so your sales people only see the complete, approved emails that are meant for them to use.. and not your entire list of everything.

Field Editor
Create and edit your own contact database. Add fields and sections.  Finally, right?

This is a long time coming and it may seem stupid that we didn’t have this available to you before, but.. well, let’s just say that this project wasn’t painless over here. 

One super-nice new feature is the added ability to hide sections from different user types.  That is, if you don’t want your sales people to see some private information, or tags and sequences, or whatever.. you can now hide those sections from those roles.  You can also choose to show a section, but make it uneditable to a role.  Nice.

Rule Triggers in Tasks
Ok, this feature is very interesting.  I know some of you are going to put this to use in some interesting ways that I haven’t thought of, so let me know how you’re using this, if you do.

It is a bit of a brain bender at first, though, so sit down.  (Non-OA Users, please close your eyes and ears!)

We’ve added a new rule trigger called Task Link Clicked. What it allows you to do is add a link (via a merge field) in the body of a task that, when clicked, triggers a rule.

Confused yet?  Let me explain….

Here’s the deal.  Automated systems are what we’re all about, and they’re wonderful in many ways.  But sometimes you will want to allow a little human intervention into your system. 

For example, say you have an email that goes out 30 days after a contact’s last purchase date.  The email says, ‘Hey, where’d you go? Why aren’t you buying?’ and it’s sent from the contact’s salesperson. That’s all good, but what if the sales person and the client have a real relationship… and the sales person actually knows that the client hasn’t been buying because they’re on their honeymoon?  To send an automated email saying ‘hey, where’d you go?’ when the sales person knows darn well where they went.. well, that’s a little robotic even for us (and embarrassing for the sales rep).

Wouldn’t it be nice to give the sales person a heads up before that email is sent?  That’s what Rule Triggers in Tasks are for.

So instead of automatically sending the email, you send a task to the sales rep.  The task will say: “Client Joe Schmoe hasn’t bought in 30 days.  Click Here to send the ‘where’d you go?’ email”.

When that link is clicked, it triggers a rule in ActiveResponse, which can then do whatever you want (send an email, subscribe to a seq, etc etc).

Dig?

As I said, I think y’all will come up with all sorts of interesting uses for this, which is why we decided to put it in. (Feedback, please.)

Split Testing in Email
OK, this is both cool AND simple.

As you know, testing your marketing is the key to improving it. Some tests, though, are easier than others to get done.

When you’re sending a big email blast, it’s easy to send half your list one email and half another… but what about in an automated follow up sequence?

Wouldn’t it be nice to test different subject lines on your ‘thanks for signing up, here’s your free report’ email to see which gets the most to actually download your report?

Yes it would, and now it’s easy.  You can write as many as four versions of each email in your sequence, and we’ll automatically round robin them and show you the results. Check back in a bit, and you’ll see the winners emerge.  Rinse and repeat.

Support Vids
We’ve recently added Tobin Poppenberg to the team as our Training and Support Jedi.  He’s put together a whole bunch of new training vids. You’ll find them in the HELP section, link in the upper right of your screen once logged in.  We hope you like ‘em.  Let us know.

If Received Email rule.
Another addition to ActiveResponse, this one for Outlook Plugin users only.  Now you can trigger a rule when you receive an email from a contact.  This is useful in situations where you’re emailing a series of emails to a contact requesting that they write back… once they do, you want to stop any more automated communications.  So, ‘if we received an email from contact, then… remove from sequence X’ or whatever.

If you’re using a PC and Outlook, but don’t have our plugin, you’re missing out.  Let us know.

Coming Soon…
This release cycle is going to be a short one.  Next update is scheduled for 5/19, which will bring a few new features, one of which is going to change the way a lot of us think about and manage our businesses.  Stay tuned.