Overview

The Preferred Channel feature on the Netcore CE dashboard is a tool for optimizing communication strategies. By identifying the channel where each customer is most active, marketers can target them more effectively. Messages are sent on the platform the customer will most likely engage with, leading to higher response rates and more efficient campaigns.

For example, some customers prefer email for detailed communication, while others may respond faster to SMS or app push notifications. With this feature, you do not have to guess. Netcore’s AI-driven algorithm analyzes past interactions and automatically determines each customer’s preferred channel, allowing you to deliver more personalized and effective communications.

Unlike other attributes, Preferred Channel cannot be manually uploaded. It is calculated based on historical data on customer interactions across different channels.

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Prerequisites to enable AI/ML-based preferred channel

• At least two communication channels (Email, SMS, App push and WhatsApp) should be enabled.
• You must have run at least one campaign (Broadcast or Journey) across both channels in the last six months.
• At least 10,000 contacts should have received at least five communications on each of the two channels and responded at least twice on one of the channels.
• To enable the Preferred Channel feature for your account or if you have any questions, contact [email protected].

Workflow

Netcore’s system analyzes engagement levels across various messaging channels, which include WhatsApp, email, SMS, RCS, and app push notifications. This helps to determine the channel where a customer is most responsive.

For example, customers click on eight out of nine emails, six out of nine SMS, and four out of nine app push notifications. The system identifies email as the preferred channel for that customer based on this engagement pattern.

Enable Preferred Channel

To enable the Preferred Channel feature, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Profile > Account Configuration.
2. Scroll to the MLAI Features section.
3. Locate the Preferred Channel option and click Active to enable it.

Once enabled, the Preferred Channel feature will begin analyzing your contact data.

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Points to Remember

• The initial data learning process will take approximately 24-96 hours to be available for campaign scheduling.
• If you would like to receive updates on the process, provide the email addresses where notifications should be sent.
• Enter the email addresses and click Enable to start receiving updates.

Using Preferred Channel in Journeys

You can use the Preferred Channel attribute when creating customer journeys. This ensures communications are sent through the most effective channel for each user.

1. Create a new journey.
2. Drag and drop the Preferred Channel node onto the canvas.
3. Build your journey based on the customer’s preferred channel, ensuring that communications are sent on the channel they are most likely to engage with.

Using Preferred Channel in Segments

1. Log in to your Netcore CE dashboard.
2. Navigate to Audience > Segment > Create Segment.
3. On the Create Segment screen, click + ADD to define your Preferred channel.
4. In the Predictive section, under Preferred channel, select the channel according to the user preferences.

Use cases

Use Case 1: Understanding Customer Preferences

• Customer A often opens emails from an E-commerce company named Shop Now, but rarely clicks links in SMS, app, or browser push notifications.
• Customer B ignores Shop Now emails but often clicks links in SMS.
• Customer C ignores both Shop Now emails and SMS, but clicks links in app push notifications.
• Customer D mostly clicks on Shop Now's web push notifications.
• Customer E has a history of clicking links in Shop Now's WhatsApp messages.
• Customer F engages the most with Shop Now's RCS messages.

This shows that each customer prefers a different way to get messages from Shop Now. The company needs to know these preferences to reach each customer on the right channel.

Use Case 2: Using Multiple Channels for Better Delivery

A Shop Now marketer wants to use WhatsApp and RCS to send rich messages, since both support images and interactive content. SMS will be used as a fallback to cover more customers.

• Shop Now sends RCS messages to active customers on RCS.
• If a customer is unreachable on RCS, Shop Now sends a WhatsApp message instead.
• If a customer is unreachable on both RCS and WhatsApp, Shop Now sends an SMS.

The system should predict which channel each customer prefers and use the most effective one for each message.