Automation is currently available in beta.
Sending service emails is a time-consuming task. With automation, these service emails are sent automatically based on triggers you set and associated rules. For example, one day before a concert, you automatically send an email to everyone who bought a ticket at that time with the latest info.
Workflows
You send automatic service emails based on workflows you configure. A workflow is a preset pattern. It consists of triggers, rules and actions. Based on this combination, Stager knows when to send which mail.
You open the automation tool via Marketing - Automation. This is also the overview of all workflows. You create a new workflow by selecting + New workflow in the upper right corner.
Make a workflow
You start with the first block called Workflow. Here you enter the following:
Name: the name of the workflow.
Description: a clarification of the workflow for yourself.
Start sending:
Now: from the moment you save this workflow, service emails will be sent automatically when the appropriate triggers and rules are met
Never: this workflow has no end date and remains active until you stop it yourself.
Stop sending:
Never: this workflow has no end date and remains active until you stop it yourself.
Custom date: you set a day here when this workflow will be deactivated.
Now: from the moment you save this workflow, service emails will be sent automatically when the appropriate triggers and rules are met
Trigger
A trigger gives the start signal for an email to be sent. A trigger is an event that causes our system to click the Send mail button.
When creating a workflow, there are two types of triggers to work with, namely Event and Order. There are different options for each type of triggers.
Event
If you select Event, you have a choice of:
Program start: you set the trigger based on the Program start time of an event.
Program end: you set the trigger based on the Program end time of an event.
Behind Execute action you set when this trigger is fired. You can choose between:
At the same time as: The trigger will be fired when the program starts or ends.
Before/After: You configure how many minutes/hours/days before or after the Program start or Program end the trigger will be fired.
Example
You want an email to be sent 24 hours before the Program start time of an event. To do this, you select Program start, select Before behind Execute action and set 24 hours.
Order
When you select Order, you can only choose the option:
Completed on: you set the trigger based on when an order has been completed.
Behind Execute action you set when this trigger is fired. You can choose between:
At the same time as: the trigger is fired at the same time an order is completed.
After: you set how many minutes/hours/days after an order is completed the trigger will be fired.
Example
You want an email to be sent 60 minutes after someone's order has been completed. You then select Order and Completed on behind Trigger, select After behind Execute action and set 60 minutes.
Rules
You have now set triggers for orders or events. You can now further specify these triggers. Set rules that clarify which type of event or ticket is involved. It is possible to combine up to 4 different rules.
You have the following options to choose from:
Event: specify one or more events.
Event type: specify a type of event, e.g. concert or movie.
Event location: specify the event location.
Ticketshop: specify in which ticketshop a ticket should be purchased.
Ticket type: specify the ticket type purchased.
This option is only visible if you have set a trigger based on Order
Example
You want people who buy a regular ticket for each concert on the Stager Mainstage to receive an automated email 1 hour after they finished their order. You do that in the way above.
Action: send email
Now that you've set up the trigger and rule(s), it's clear to Stager when an email should be sent. But in the end, of course, you want to send the right service email. In this last block, you configure which email and to whom it will be sent.
Behind Email template you select the email template to be sent when the trigger and rule(s) you set are met.
Behind Recipients you set who will receive the email.
In the case of a trigger based on Order, this is always Ticket buyers. This is because you set which order must have been completed before a trigger is fired. Obviously, this only works when someone has actually confirmed an order.
In the case of an Event-based trigger, you can choose between Ticket buyers or Audience. If you select Audience, you can select an audience to whom this email will be sent. For example, you set that an email is only sent to people from a specific audience you set. Perhaps you want to send an email on International Women's Day to all women who have visited your venue in the past six months. You can create an audience for this.
Example
You set up a trigger where 1 week before each heavy metal concert a promo email is sent to contacts with an interest in heavy metal music. In the Audience Builder, you first create an audience that consists of people with an interest in heavy metal music and then set it as the Target audience.
Templates
Through Marketing - Automation - Templates you will get to the template overview of your workflows. Select + New template to create a template for a type of workflow. The principle of these templates works the same as event templates. You set up templates for workflows that are broadly the same, but need minor adjustments.
Example
Suppose you create a workflow to send a service email 1 week after a concert, but you may want to do this for movie screenings in the future. If you save this workflow as a template, you only have to change the event type for each workflow. This way you can set up for yourself all kinds of handy and especially time-saving workflows that will make your life a little easier.
Placeholders
When you send an automated e-mail, you can add a touch of personality thanks to placeholders. You fill these placeholders in the text box of the Stager mailer. They automatically ensure that each recipient is addressed by his or her name and that they receive the right information. In the Stager mailer, you can choose from the following placeholders:
Contact first name: the first name of the mail recipient
Contact last name: the surname of the mail recipient
Contact full name: the full name of the mail recipient
Event name: the name of the selected event
Event doors open: the opening time of the selected event
Event program start: the start time of the selected event
Event program end: the end time of the selected event
Order number: the order number of the ticket purchase of the mail recipient
Order date: the date on which the mail recipient purchased tickets for the event the mail is being sent for
Note:
1: The contact placeholders are always available, even without automation. The order and event placeholders are automation-specific. So these are only executed when using automation. Order and event placeholders are only visible if you create an email template, because you can only use templates for automation. Also, these placeholders are only visible if you have permission for automations.
2: If an order contains multiple events, Stager cannot show a specific event in the place of an event placeholder. In this case, the placeholders are not filled in.