Creating sample mailings
In Sample Manager select a prototype that has a sample project that is complete with output.
Click the checkbox next to the sample project and select Mailing from the Sample Action menu.
This will open the sample mailing screen. If there are no mailings for this sample, then the New Sample Mailing dialog will appear.
The Sample Mailing editor is very similar to the Email Template editor. Sample Mailings also require the following to be defined:
- the mailing name
- the filtering requirements (if any) – these will apply to the whole mailing
- the wave name and percentage of mailing
Mailings
The mailing name defaults to Mailing concatenated with the date and time created. This can be changed if required. Mailings consist of one or more mailing waves.
Filtering tab
Sample mailings can be based on the whole sample or a subset of the sample which can be per replicate, outcome code and/or quota cells – these filters are defined on the Filtering tab and apply to the whole mailing, and therefore to all the mailing waves within the mailing.
(a) Mailing Base
A sample mailing will generally use the default option of Panellists selected by the sample.
If you want to re-use a list of panellists from a previous mailing or mailing wave, select either the option Panellists selected in a previous mailing for the sample or Panellists selected in a previous mailing wave for the sample and click on the Select button. Q_Panel will show you the names of all mailings or mailing waves previously sent for this sample project:
Select one of them and click OK. The new mailing will be sent to the same email recipients as the selected mailing or mailing wave.
It is possible to further refine the panellists the mailing is sent to by using the other filtering options - Outcome Codes, Quota Cells or Replicates.
(b) Outcome Code filter
We might already have had outcome codes backfed since a previous mailing wave went out. Perhaps we now want to chase up those who have not yet answered by sending a reminder email.
In this case, from the Filtering tab select Outcome Code filter. Click the radio button to Include only the outcome codes selected:
You can see how many outcome codes of each type exist. For our example you would select code -3 Email Sent. Now the reminder mailing will go only to these panellists.
(c) QuotaCells filter
We may want to chase up panellists in certain quotas that have not yet completed the survey. To do this, from the Filtering tab select QuotaCells filter. Click the radio button to Include only the quotacells selected:
You can see the different quota cells for the sample. In our example we will select Males that are 55 or over. Now the mailing will go only to these panellists.
(d) Replicates Filter
If the sample uses replicates to split the output files into separate batches, you may want to create a separate mailing for each replicate. To do this, from the Filtering tab, select the Replicates filter. Click the radio button to Include only the replicates selected:
You can see the different replicates for the sample. In our example we will select the first replicate. Now the mailing will go only to the panellists in the first replicate batch output file.
Mailing Waves
A Mailing consists of one or more waves defined as a percentage of the mailing. The actual email is associated with the mailing wave, so each wave could use a different email template.
The wave name defaults to Wave concatenated with the date and time created. This can be changed if required. The mailing wave name is used to identify the email job in Email Queue Manager and Mailing Queue Manager.
Leave the Percentage of mailing value at 100% if all panellists meeting the filtering requirements are to be emailed.
For large samples, you may want to send the emails out in separate waves, perhaps 10% at a time. To do this, change the Percentage of mailing value to 10%. The panellists to be emailed will be selected randomly from those selected for the mailing based on the filtering.
You can add more waves to the mailing later.
You are now ready to create your email.
You can either create a new email from scratch, or use an existing template.
Open Template
This will copy in the contents of a template from the list of email templates already saved. Once copied in these can be edited further if required.
For example: to copy in the training template click Open Template, select Training example and click Select.
Save Template
If while creating an email in the Sample Mailing editor you decide you would like to keep it as a template click on Save Template. You can choose to save a new template, in which case you must give it a name, or to overwrite an existing template.
Once you are happy with the email click on Save. The mailing and wave you have created will be saved and can be seen with a status of Draft on the Mailing screen.
This information can also be viewed from Mailing Manager.