Create SMS Nudge

An SMS Nudge is a short, targeted message sent via SMS to engage with customers, remind them of important actions, or encourage specific behaviors. It’s designed to be concise and impactful, prompting users to take quick action, such as completing a form. SMS Nudges are highly effective due to the immediacy of text messages, high open rates, and the personal nature of mobile communication.

Common use cases include appointment reminders, promotional offers, payment reminders, new bill alerts, and notifications of time-sensitive updates. By delivering timely, personalized messages, SMS Nudges help improve customer engagement and response rates.

In the Nudge, the users can send three types of SMS Nudge notifications as listed below:

• One-time Nudge: The One-time Nudge can be scheduled to be sent immediately or later.
• Recurring Nudge: Recurring Nudges functionality allows customers to automate repetitive/recurring communication tasks by scheduling nudges to be sent regularly.
• Real-time Nudges: Real-time Nudge functionality is used to send instant and personalized communication to customers by consuming the Nudge real-time API from the source system.

To create an SMS Nudge, the user must select the type of Nudge, and by default, the “One-time Nudge” is selected.

One-time Nudge:

Step 1: Set up the Nudge:

To create a one-time SMS Nudge, the user must provide the input details for the Nudge name, Sender Number, Nudge category, and project name. By default, the recipient data source is selected as the “Manual Upload”, and click on the “Next” button.

Click on the check box “I would like to send test messages only to the mobile numbers,” and then the SMS notifications are delivered to only the mobile numbers, excluding the landline numbers.

Step 2:  Recipients Step:

In this step, the user will upload the recipient file or the contact data file, which contains the merge tags with the values to process the Nudge (Or) the user has the choice to select the existing file in the recipient step (Which should be uploaded earlier)

The users can import new contact data files into the recipient step by clicking on the “Import contact data” button. The file can be uploaded from the local drive of the respective machine.

The users have the provision to upload CSV files or flat text files into the Nudge application. During the upload of the file, the user has the provision to select the delimiter from the drop-down as shown below, and the system will allow only to upload respective file type while uploading.

Click on the “Download” link to download the sample CSV file.

Click on the “Guidelines” link to get the guidelines for importing the contact data file.

The sample text file is shown below for the delimiter “Comma,” and the user must create the text file as below by separating the values with a comma delimiter.

Click on the “Select a CSV/Text file to import” or drag and drop it here, and the system will allow the user to upload the file, and a confirmation message will be displayed once the user has successfully uploaded the file.

The uploaded file is selected by default and displayed on the recipient page as shown below

Click on the “Kebab” icon, and the system displays the option to download and preview the respective file. Click on the “Preview” option the system will preview the filtered data.

Click on the “Download” option, and the system will download the file and save it on the local machine.

The Set Filter feature in a Nudge application is an essential tool for targeting and segmenting recipients effectively when sending nudges. This feature allows users to apply specific criteria to their recipient lists, ensuring that the right messages reach the right people at the right time.

Click on the “Set Filter” button on the Choose Your Contact Data page, and the system will display the set filter page to apply the filter condition on the respective CSV or text file.

Click on the drop-down menu of “Select Merge Tag”, which displays the list of merge tags for selection and click on “Select Data Type”, “Select Condition”, “Enter the value”, and click on the “Apply” button.

The system will process the Nudge as per the filtered condition by verifying it with the contact data file.

Click on the “Preview” Icon to view the filtered data as shown below

Step- 3: Design Phase:

The Design step in sending a Nudge is a crucial phase where the visual and structural elements of the communication are crafted and fine-tuned. This step ensures the nudge is visually appealing and effectively conveys the intended message to the customers.

In this step, the user can click on the “Choose Template” drop-down menu and select the required template that must be used to send the SMS to the respective customers. The list of “Active” templates is displayed in the drop-down menu.

The “Template Preview” is displayed based on the template selection, and the user has no choice to edit the content.

Click on the “Create New” button to create a new template from the design step.

Click on the “Edit Template" button for any modifications to the current template, and the user is redirected to the design step with the latest changes (If applied) when the user clicks on the “Save & Activate” in the template editor. Click on the “Next” button.

Step- 4: Scheduling the Nudge:

The Scheduling step in sending a Nudge is a critical phase that involves setting a specific date and time for the communication to be delivered to the recipients. This step ensures that the nudge reaches the customers at the most optimal moment for maximum impact and engagement.

There are three different options to schedule a Nudge

To schedule the Nudge immediately, select the “Send Now” radio button and click on the “Schedule” button.

Select the radio button “Schedule for a specific time” to schedule the Nudge at a specific time. Select the “Date” and “Time” when the Nudge is to be delivered and click on the “Schedule” button to schedule the Nudge.

Click on the “Send after completion of another Nudge” to send the child Nudge after the completion of the parent Nudge and click on the “Schedule” button to schedule the Nudge.

In this scenario, the user must select the “Communication channel” (Any channel) and the Nudge name by clicking on the “Send after this Nudge,” which refers to the parent Nudge, and the current Nudge is considered as the child Nudge.

Click on the “Save Without Schedule” to save the Nudge but not schedule. The Nudge will be created and placed in a “Draft” status.

Step 5: Overview of the Nudge:

The Overview of a Nudge is an essential phase that provides a comprehensive summary of all the elements like “Nudge Id”, “Nudge Name”, “Sender Email Address”, “Sender Name”, “Recipient”, “Template”, “Subject”, “Created on”, “Scheduled on” and “Status”.

Click on the “Done” button.

Recurring Nudge:

The difference between one-time Nudges and Recurring Nudges is that recurring Nudges are automated messages that are sent at regular intervals to a predefined audience. These nudges are essential for maintaining ongoing engagement with recipients, providing consistent communication, and ensuring that important information is delivered timely. Here’s an overview of scheduling the recurring Nudge:

Note: Follow steps, - 1,2 and 3 from the one-time Nudge during the registration of the recurring Nudge.

Step- 4: Scheduling the Nudge:

The Scheduling step in sending a Nudge is a critical phase that involves setting a specific start date and time for the communication to be delivered to the recipients by selecting the frequency hourly, daily, or monthly (By default, hourly is selected). This step ensures that the nudge reaches the customers at the most optimal moment for maximum impact and engagement.

In the Nudge, the user can schedule a Nudge with the following categories

Click on the “Send with a Specific period” to schedule the Nudge by selecting the start date and the start time by choosing the options listed for the hourly schedule as shown in the image below, and click on the “Schedule” button to schedule the Nudge.

Note: The user has a provision to check the end date for the respective Nudge, and based on the input end date, the Nudge is stopped from delivering the recurring notifications.

Important: The nearest runs are updated based on the selection of the radio option for the respective frequency type.

Click on the “Send after completion of another Nudge” to send the child Nudge after the completion of the parent Nudge, and click on the “Schedule” button to schedule the Nudge.

In this scenario, the user must select the “Communication channel” (Any channel) and the Nudge name by clicking on the “Send after this Nudge” which refers to the parent Nudge, and the current Nudge is considered as the child Nudge.

Click on the “Save Without Schedule” to save the Nudge but not scheduled. The Nudge will be created and placed in a “Draft” status.

Step 5: Overview of the Nudge:

The Overview of a Nudge is an essential phase that provides a comprehensive summary of all the elements like “Nudge Id”, “Nudge Name”, “Sender Email Address”, “Sender Name”, “Recipient”, “Template”, “Subject”, “Created on”, “Scheduled on” and “Status”.

Click on the “Done” button.

Upload the Recipient File through API for the ongoing recurring Nudge:

Users can send one recurring Nudge to different recipients by uploading a new CSV file against the respective Nudge ID through the API.

The following step will provide a guide to uploading the recipient file through the Nudge API

Pre-condition Step 1: Create a Recurring Nudge

To send a recurring Nudge to different recipients the user can utilize the Nudge ID.

Step 2: Pass the Nudge ID to the API

Users need to pass the created recurring Nudge ID to the recurring Nudges API.

Users can explore Nudge API Documentation. To understand how to pass nudge ID clickhere

Recipient Data Source:

FTP Server:

If the user selected the recipient data source as “FTP” (File Transfer Protocol) in the Setup step, as shown below

Using an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server for sending recurring nudges based on new files is a powerful approach to automate and streamline communication processes. It ensures that updates and relevant information are sent timely and accurate manner, based on the most recent data. Here’s an overview of the importance of using an FTP server for this purpose and a detailed description of how it works:

Step 2: Recipients Step:

The FTP configurations are maintained in the Nudge Administrator account as per the customer's requirements, and initially user must upload the file through the import contact data, and later the latest contact data file is picked up from the FTP server based on the scheduled time for the respective Nudge.

Note: All the processed files are displayed in the “FTP explorer” column as shown in the image below

Step 3:Design Step:

Refer to the one-time Nudge above and follow the steps to register for the design step.

Step 4: Schedule Step:

Refer to the Recurring Nudge above and follow the steps to schedule a Nudge for the options “Send with a specific period” and “Send every time after completing another Nudge”.

For the option “Schedule Nudge when file received” the Nudge is processed based on the availability of the file in the FTP server against the respective Nudge name configurations. Click on the “Schedule” button

Note: The option “Schedule Nudge when file received” is displayed when the FTP configuration is enabled for the respective account.

ERP Integration (One-Time and Recurring):

If the user selected the recipient data source as “ERP Integration” in the Setup step, as shown below

To create a one-time Email Nudge or a recurring Nudge, the user must provide the input details to the Nudge name, Sender Number, Nudge category, project name, and recipient data source (select ERP Integration), select the use case, and select the date (Static or Dynamic). By default, the recipient data source is selected as “Manual Upload”, and click on the “Next” button.

Note: In the “Select Use Case”option drop-down menu, the list of use cases is displayed based on the use case configuration. Please get in touch with support for any additional configurations of the use cases.

Based on the selected date, the data is fetched from the SAP/ERP systems.

Note: Follow the steps 3,4 and 5 to schedule the Nudge. If the Nudge is successful, then the processed file is placed in the recipient step for the respective Nudge.

Master Data: (One-Time and Recurring Nudge)

If the user selected the recipient data source as “Master Data” in the Setup step as shown below

Follow Step 1 by referring to the steps of the recurring Nudge above.

Step 2: Recipient Step:

Pre-requisite: To send the Nudge for the “master data” data source the file is to be uploaded initially in the master data module. The following step will guide the user in uploading the master data file into the Nudge application.

Step 1:

Click on the “Hamburger Icon” and click on the “Master Data” at the Import data column

Step 2: Click on the “Import” option and upload the master data file by clicking on the “Select a CSV file to Import” option. The file can be uploaded from the local drive of the respective machine. (RecipientId merge tag is mandatory during the upload of the master data file)

Step 3: The data is displayed on the “Master Data” page after the successful upload of the master data file into the Nudge application.

Step 4:  Click on the “Export” button to export the master data into an Excel format.

Click on the “Set Filter” button on the “Choose Contact Data page” and the system will display the set filter condition page to apply the filter condition on the master data upload.

Click on the drop-down menu of “Select Merge Tag” which displays the list of merge tags for selection and click on “Select Data Type”, “Select Condition” “Enter the value”, and click on the “Apply” button. The system will process the Nudge as per the filtered condition by verifying it with the master data contact data file. Click on the “Next” button

Note: The standard and customized merge tags are displayed in the drop-down list of set-filter conditions of master data.

Click on the “Preview” Icon to view the filtered data as shown below

Step 3: Follow steps 3, 4, and 5 by referring to the recurring Nudge above

The system will process the Nudge based on the set filter conditions by referring to the master data upload and the processed file is updated in the recipient step.

Real-Time Nudge

Step 1: Set up the Nudge:

To create a Real-time SMS Nudge, the user must provide the input details to the Nudge name, Sender Number, Nudge category, and project name, and click on the “Next” button.

Click on the check box “I would like to send test messages only to the mobile numbers”, and then the SMS notifications are delivered to only the mobile numbers, excluding the landline numbers.

Step-2: Design Step:

The Design step in sending a Nudge is a crucial phase where the visual and structural elements of the communication are crafted and fine-tuned. This step ensures the nudge is visually appealing and effectively conveys the intended message to the customers.

In this step, the user can click on the “Choose Template” drop-down menu and select the required template that must be used to send the SMS to the respective customers. The list of “Active” templates is displayed in the drop-down menu.

The “Template Preview” is displayed based on the template selection, and the user has no choice to edit the content.

Click on the “Create New” button to create a new template from the design step.

Click on the “Edit Template" button for any modifications to the current template and the user is redirected to the design step with the latest changes (If applied) when the user clicks on the “Save & Activate” in the template editor. Click on the “Next” button.

Step 3: Overview:

The Overview of a Nudge is an essential phase that provides a comprehensive summary of all the elements, like “Nudge Id”, “Nudge Name”, “Template”, and “Created On”.

Click on the “Done” button.

Note: The user needs to make sure to copy or note the Nudge ID of the respective real-time Nudge to send the real-time notifications through the API.

Generating the API key and sending the Real-time Nudge through the API:

Step1: The user can create an API key by navigating to the “API management” tab in the configuration section.

Step 2: Click on the “Create New API key” and provide the input for “Name Your API key” and click on the “Generate” button

Step 3: Click on the “Copy” Icon as shown in the above Image. Click on the “Done” button.

Step 4: The configured API name is listed in the configuration of the API management

Step 5: Click on the “Read API documentation” link to redirect to the swagger for sending the real-time Nudge.

Step 6: Click on the “Authorize” button on the Swagger to authenticate the API key.

Step 7: The user must provide the API key in the value, click on the “Authorize” and later click on the “Close” button as shown in the below image

Step 8: Go to “Send Real-time Nudge” API and click on the “Try it out” button

Step 9: Provide the detail to the input fields as per the requirements as shown below and click on the “Execute” button.

Step 10: The user can view the API response as shown in the above image and the email is triggered to the respective email below.

Overall Note: Click on the “SAVE” option to apply the changes for the modification done in the “Set-up step”, “Recipient Step”, and the “Design Step”.