Auto-Reply Handler

Overview

In some cases, recipients of an email message from a marketing campaign may attempt to respond to that message. In this situation, the platform can be configured to submit an automated reply message (in plain text format) back to the recipient. The message could contain, for example, instructions on how to contact your company, a thank you for their reply, or other information.

Upon receipt of a reply from a consumer, the Engage+ email server will analyze the message and group it first by Client, then by Campaign, and then by Reply Category. Reply Categories represent the type of reply message based on the presence of certain keywords. For example, the acronym "OOTO" (for "Out of the Office") is often used in automated email replies when someone is going to be on vacation. If the platform finds "OOTO" in the consumer's reply message, it will categorize that email message as a "Probable Auto-Response."

By default, only the "Unknown" and "Response" Reply Categories are acted upon by the platform's Auto-Reply Handler. You can choose to set which Reply Categories you want to act on, and which ones you want to ignore. Setting the Reply Categories is an Administrator-level function so please speak with your Client Services Representative if you'd like to modify which Reply Categories you respond to.

The details of how the system handles an Auto-Reply are organized into a "profile." This profile contains the content and subject line of the reply message, and the "From" email address that should be used. The Auto-Reply Handler screen lets you define and manage your Auto-Reply profiles.

Auto-Replies can be used in conjunction with (or instead of) Response Forwarding. Response Forwarding will automatically forward a recipient's response to a specified person or group (such as a sales team, or a customer service representative, for example). For more information on Response Forwarding, please see the Forwarding Handler topic.

The following diagram depicts this process of using Auto-Replies.

Access

The Auto-Reply Handler screen is accessible by the following method:

From the Admin Banner Bar, select Settings > Campaign Settings > Auto-Reply Handler

Features

Create a New Auto-Reply Handler Profile

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To create a new Auto-Reply Handler profile:

Above the list of existing Auto-Reply Handler Profiles, click + New. The Workspace is refreshed to show a blank Auto-Reply Handler profile screen.
In the "Profile Name" field, enter a name for your new Auto-Reply Handler profile.
The "From Address" field is used to indicate from whom the Auto-Reply message will appear to have been sent. Provide a "From Address" using one of the following methods:
- Click the "Manual" tab, then enter an email address.
- Click the "Data Field" tab. The Data Field drop-down menu is populated with every field in your system that's formatted with a Data Type of "Email." From this drop-down menu, select a field / table.
In the "Subject" line, enter the Auto-Reply email subject line.
In the "Message" text box, enter the Auto-Reply message.

Note: Auto-Replies do not support the use of Dynamic Content or Personalization.

When finished, click save.

View or Edit an Auto-Reply Handler Profile

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To view or edit an existing Auto-Reply Handler profile:

When the screen is displayed, a list of all the current Auto-Reply Handler profiles is displayed in the left-hand side of the Workspace. Optionally, you can filter this list by typing in all or part of the profile name in the "Search by Name" field.
Click on the profile that you want to view. The Workspace is refreshed to show the details of the selected Auto-Reply Handler profile.
Make any necessary changes to the Auto-Reply Handler profile:
Enter a new profile name

Change the "From" email address by using one of the following methods:
- Click the "Manual" tab, then enter an email address.
- Click the "Data Field" tab. The Data Field drop-down menu is populated with every field in your system that's formatted with a Data Type of "Email." From this drop-down menu, select a field / table.
Change the Auto-Reply subject line.
Change the Auto-Reply message.

To save your changes, click save.

Assign an Auto-Reply Handler to a Campaign

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Email Campaigns can optionally be assigned an Auto-Reply Handler profile, a Forwarding Handler profile, or both.

To assign an Auto-Reply Handler profile to a Campaign:

Navigate to the desired Campaign (see Campaigns for more details).
Click the "Setup" tab.
In the "Envelope" section, select "Add Reply Handlers" from the "Advanced Options" menu. The system adds a new "Reply Handlers" section to the screen.
From the "Reply" drop-down menu, select the desired Auto-Reply Handler profile.

Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting an Auto-Reply Handler

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If your account is not deploying automated replies as you expect, please check the following:

Verify that the Auto-Reply Handler is correctly added to your Campaign(s).
Speak with your support representative to verify that your account has been configured with the correct email address to which you expect to receive replies. This email address is configured in the Messaging back-end administration system, and is not accessbile to client users, so you'll need your support representative to assist you.

If the problem persists, please contact Global Support for further assistance.