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Informz

Important! The information on this page applies to the Informz integration to netFORUM that existed prior to summer of 2015. Informz is migrating Enterprise customers to an enhanced integration. Please contact Informz for more information on the details of this enhanced integration.

Informz technology enables personalized, highly targeted communications coupled with real-time reporting features that receive the highest delivery rates in the industry. Informz can help associations move from mass messaging to member conversations and automated dialogues to improve member communications, fundraising and event attendance. With an established global presence in Australia, Canada, and the United States, Informz specializes in a variety of industries, including:

Associations and Not-For-Profits
Higher Education
Travel and Tourism
Publishing and Trade

Abila and Informz have jointly developed an add-on integration offering between netFORUM Enterprise and Informz. This integration is built based on the following business objectives:

Client wants to use Informz to email/communicate with their members and constituents
Client wants to create dynamic email target group by selecting data in netFORUM
Client wants to update netFORUM optout information, bounce backs and email tracking from Informz

Informz Features

Email Marketing
The Informz software allows clients to create dynamic, targeted email communications, schedule precise publish dates and time, and receive measurable results with real-time reporting. Target, track, send, and report from one easy-to-use interface.
Text Messaging
Informz Text Messaging opens a new communication channel for your organization. It encompasses Targeted Broadcasts to keep mobile contacts informed. Interactive Keywords allow for inbound communication. Mobile Groups provide on-the-go coordination.
Online Surveys
Gain valuable insight and real-time marketing data with Informz's customizable Online Survey module. Integrated with your email marketing, surveys deliver strategic, targeted queries to your clients and prospects, providing you with practical, candid responses. The Informz survey-creation wizard guides you through the survey development process for effective, professional results.

See more information at http://www.informz.com/solutions/index.html

Client Tasks

Client needs to have a valid xWeb license for Informz
Participation in planning, status, and training calls or webinars with Informz
Active testing in conjunction with Informz
Ongoing availability to discuss performance with Informz

Abila Tasks

Abila will work with Informz in supplying xWeb login/password information
Abila will deploy the new metadata (new tables, child forms, schedule job and store procedures) to the client netFORUM site(s)
Abila will work with Informz on testing to make sure the integration functions properly

Usage and Instructions

This section describes the integration from the perspective of association staff user working with netFORUM and Informz.

Following are the list of items that will be implemented:

Client will define query in netFORUM. The query name must start with “Informz”.
The query defined for implementation cannot have “ask at run time” parameters.
All queries defined by the client need to have result columns and must include “email” and customer record number (cst_recno) in the result columns. The reason for this is to establish the matching logic for customers between the two netFORUM and Informz.
Informz will consume xWeb call (executemethod) to get the Informz queries. Those queries will be displayed in Informz user interface. This xWeb calls will return all the queries starting with “Informz-“and all the result columns associated with each query.
Staff will log into Informz and select the query and execute to get the target group and send mass emails to the group.
Abila will create 2 new tables, 2 new child forms and one profile tab to store the information coming back from Informz. Under the individual profile, a tab named “Informz” will be created. Under this tab, 2 child forms will be created, “Informz email tracking” and “Informz unsubscribe”.
Informz will push the email status and the unsubscribe information back into netFORUM by calling the xWeb “InsertFacadeObject” method. Informz can either schedule this process or make it real time based on the requirements of the client.
When the “Informz unsubscribe” information is updated for a netFORUM individual (the individual has “unsubscribe” to Informz emailing), Informz will also update the “Do Not Contact By E-mail” checkbox in the individual contact information page. The unsubscribe reason will be populated from Informz system in the child form.
If staff checks the “Do Not Contact By E-mail” box in netFORUM, Informz will need to get this information and mark this person as “unsubscribe” in Informz database. Abila will build a mailing list called “Informz Unsubscribe”. This list will be updated on a nightly basis to create all the “Do Not Contact By E-mail” individuals that do not have the “Informz Unsubscribe” record in the child form. Before any mass emailing is sent out in Informz, Informz will consume an xWeb call (executemethod) to get the list of records from the mailing list and update Informz system. These records are the new “unsubscribe” records that are not in Informz database yet. Once Informz database is updated, Informz will call the “InsertFacaodeObject” method (mentioned in item 7 above) to create the “unsubscribe” information into netFORUM with the reason of “Abila Update”
If a customer in the Informz system “re-subscribe” to email, Informz will call an xWeb call (executemethod) to delete the record in the child form “Informz Unsubscribe” and also uncheck the “Do Not Contact By E-mail” checkbox.

User Interface Details

Child Forms/Profile Tab:

Individual profile will have a new child form called “Informz email tracking”
Individual profile will have a new child form called “Informz unsubscribe”
Individual profile will have a new tab called “Informz”. The 2 child forms will be under this profile tab.

Database Change Details

New Table prefixes may change during implementation. All new tables will include an add date, add user, change date, and change user fields.

New table

client_avectra_informz_email_tracking

zzh_key (primary key)
zzh_cst_key (individual customer key)
zzh_message_name (Informz message name)
zzh_email_status (email status)
zzh_send_date (send date)
zzh_open_date (open date)

client_avectra_informz_unsubscribe

zzg_key (primary key)
zzg_cst_key (individual customer key)
zzg_message_name (Informz message name that triggers the unsubscribe)
zzg_unsubscribe_date (unsubscribe date)
zzg_unsubscribe_reason (reason)

New Store Procedures

The following store procedures will be created and be used in the xWeb ExcuteMethod.

client_avectra_informz_get_query

Parameters: None
Result: Return all queries with name and query key (GUID) starting “Informz-“ and all the resulting columns in the query definition in iWeb.
Usage: This will be called so queries can be displayed in a dropdown within Informz user interface

client_avectra_informz_get_unsubscribe

Parameters: None
Result: Return all records in the mailing list “Informz unsubscribe” with just the individual’s record number (cst_recno) and key value (cst_key)
Usage: This should be called before mass emailing is sent by Informz to update the unsubscribe records in Informz

client_avectra_informz_resubscribe
1. Parameters: Customer key (GUID)
2. Result: the store procedure will delete the record in client_avectra_informz_unsubscribe table for the customer key passed in and also uncheck the “Do Not Contact By E-mail” checkbox. This SP will return "Success" or "Fail".
3. Usage: This will be used when Informz want to re-subscribe a customer in netFORUM

client_avectra_informz_set_bad_email_flag
1. Parameters: Email Address (e.g. jsmith@abcompany.com)
2. Result: Return Success or Fail based on the success of the update in netFORUM.
3. Usage: This procedure will update the bad email flag for an email address in netFORUM. The procedure will also update the change date and change user to indicate it was coming from Informz

client_avectra_informz_create_unsubscribe
1. Parameters: None
2. Result: None
3. Usage: Used by Abila. A nightly process will call this method to create mailing list details for “Do Not Contact By E-mail” individuals that do not have the Informz unsubscribe records

New xWeb Call

Abila will create a custom web services called Informz_WS.ASMX. A method called InformzGetQueryCount can be consumed and return the result count for a particular query (without returning the actual data). The method will require an authorization token and a parameter of query key value.

Sample SOAPUI Request and Response

Request:

<soapenv:Envelope xmlns:soapenv="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:avec="http://www.avectra.com/">
  <soapenv:Header>    
			 <avec:AuthorizationToken>
		        <avec:Token>f800e77f-51aa-4a26-998d-ca0819c5be87</avec:Token>
 			      </avec:AuthorizationToken>
 				  </soapenv:Header>
				  <soapenv:Body>
				     <avec:InformzGetQueryCount>
				        <avec:que_key>0E11ED2C-2A94-4CB2-9B50-FB80FDA9F941</avec:que_key>
				     </avec:InformzGetQueryCount>
				  </soapenv:Body>
    </soapenv:Envelope>

Response:

			<soap:Envelope xmlns:soap="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
			<soap:Header>     
			<AuthorizationToken xmlns="http://www.avectra.com/">
			        <Token>d9097dc6-72a5-4321-9dff-5374723cda87
			</Token>     
			</AuthorizationToken>
			  </soap:Header>
			  <soap:Body>
			     <InformzGetQueryCountResponse xmlns="http://www.avectra.com/">
			        <InformzGetQueryCountResult>
			           <query_count>2</query_count>
			        </InformzGetQueryCountResult>
			     </InformzGetQueryCountResponse>
			 </soap:Body>
		</soap:Envelope>