Flowchart process overview

Process boxes are the building blocks of Unica Campaign flowcharts. All available processes are in the palette at the left of the workspace when a flowchart is open for editing.

To create a flowchart, you drag process boxes from the palette to the workspace. You then configure each process box to perform a specific operation, such as selecting customers to target for a mailing. By dragging connector lines from one box to another, you connect processes in the workspace in a logical flow to determine the order of events.

For example, you can configure a Select process to identify high-value prospects, configure another Select process to identify medium-value prospects, then use a Merge process to combine the two lists. You can end with a Call List process, which assigns offers and generates a list of customers to contact by phone.

When you do a test or production run, each process performs an action on your customer data, with the results flowing from one process to the next. The type of process and the way you configure it determines what happens when the process runs.

You can move and delete process boxes as you experiment with different flowchart scenarios. To confirm that your flowchart is progressing successfully, you can test run each process as you build your flowchart. Save your flowchart frequently as you work.

There are many types of processes, and each one performs a distinct function. Some processes are intended to be used when you implement your campaign. For example, you use the Call List process to assign offers and generate a call list. You use other processes after your campaign is deployed. For example, you use the Track process to update Contact History after you see who responds to your offers.

Typically, each process takes one or more cells as input, transforms the data, and produces one or more cells as output. (A cell is a list of IDs that identify marketing message recipients, such as customers, prospects, or responders.) Here is one simple example of how you could set up a flowchart:

  1. Configure a Select process to select all high-value customers aged 25 - 34 from a database or flat file. Call the Select process "Gold." The output of a Select process is a cell (a list of IDs), which will be used as input into a subsequent process.
  2. Configure another Select process to select all medium-value customers aged 25 - 34. Call this process "Silver".
  3. Connect both of the Select processes ("Gold" and "Silver" customers) to a Merge process to combine them into a single list. You can also use the Merge process to remove opt-outs from the list of IDs.
  4. Connect the Merge process to a Mail List process. The output of the Merge process is a list of IDs for all high and medium value customers aged 25-34 who have not opted out of marketing communications.
  5. When you configure the Mail List process, you assign pre-defined offers and generate a list of contacts. For example, you can assign a 10% discount to Silver customers and a 20% discount to Gold customers.
  6. Test run each process as you configure it to confirm that it produces the expected results, and save the flowchart frequently.