When an outbound message is sent, a customer needs to match for the message, but a conversation also needs to be created in our codebase before the message is something that your customers can actually see.
In this context, create conversation means that from the customer's standpoint, the message/conversation is ready to be received/has been sent to them (Chats or Post: message was sent in realtime or the message is ready for them when they are next online; Email/Push: message was sent to the customer).
When we create the conversation, the last contacted at attribute for the customer is updated.
Breakdown of Matching + sending based on channel
Message Channel | Dynamic message? | Fixed message? |
In-app (bulk) | Match + create conversation when the user/lead/visitor sends a ping | Match when the message is first set live -> create a pending delivery while we wait for the user to come online -> create conversation when the user sends a ping |
Chat (1:1) | N/A - can't send a 1:1 dynamic message. | Match when the message is first set live + create conversation immediately. |
In-app with push notification | Match, send push notification and create conversation immediately when the message is first set live or during the hourly checks. Chat or post with push that are triggered on ping will see users getting the push notification and in-app at the same time (this is regardless of if it is a bulk or 1:1 message) Note: for Series we do checks every 15mins. | Match when the message is first set live, send a push notification immediately, and create conversation immediately |
Email / Push (without Scheduling Window) | Match and create conversation when the message is first set live, when a new user/lead is created and ping in the first two hours, or during the hourly fan outs we do Note: for Series we do checks every 15 mins. | Match when the message is first set live, and create conversation immediately |
Email / Push (outside of Scheduling Window) | Match only during scheduling window, when the message is first set live, when a new user/lead is created and ping in the first two hours, or during the hourly fan outs. With the new message matching system, we no longer match users and create 'pending' records that send on the next scheduling window. Note: for Series we do checks every 15mins. | N/A - can't have Scheduling Windows on manual messages |
Message with start date | If a message has a start date, it will match when the start date starts, not when it's set live. | If a message has a start date, it will match when the start date starts, not when it's set live. |
What happens when a customer matches multiple in-app content types at the same time?
As we expand the number of in-app content types available, we need to think more about how these different content types interact with each other and which ones take priority over the others.
In the past we only had conversational type in-app messages (i.e. Chats, Posts, bot messages). There were simple rules for what happens when you match more than one of these at the same time and one content type never needed to know that another content type had been matched. The Messenger itself was responsible for deciding how to display multiple notifications, see Chats, Posts, Workflows.
With the introduction of Tours (also Carousels on mobile), Banners and now Surveys, we are starting to develop rules for what content types a customer can match at the same time and what content types a customer can match when they have “active” content already.
There are 2 ways we can prioritize different content types:
In matching, where you simply can’t match a certain content type if you also match one of the others (or already have an “active” content type); or
Display logic in the Messenger for when you do match multiple content types.
When there are also matches for a...
| Banner | Carousel | Chat | Workflow | Post | Survey | Tour |
Banner | 1️⃣ | n/a | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
Carousel | n/a | 1️⃣ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | n/a |
Chat | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Workflow | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | 1️⃣ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Post | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Survey | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | 1️⃣ | ❌ |
Tour | ✅ | n/a | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | 1️⃣ |
n/a — Does not apply as these content types are only available on either web or mobile.
1️⃣ — The customer can match a single one of these content types at a time.
❌ — The customer cannot match one of these content types because there are matches for another content type.
✅ — The customer can match this content type regardless of the other matches.
If a message has a start date, does it match the user when you set it live, or when the start date starts?
This is when the start date starts.
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