How to set up the First Time Customer Automation

In this article, we'll look at how to set up the First Time Customer Automation in Ticketsolve. The automation is built and ready to use - all you need to do is customise it and switch it on!

Why use a First Time Customer Automation?

Keeping track of what your customers are doing within your organisation can be a huge task. Our First Time Customer Boxed Automation aims to take this burden off your shoulders. Here's how it works:

  • Automatic identification: The automation will identify any first-time customers via their email address and automatically tag them in the system. If they book a second time, the tag will be removed.
  • Emoji tags: You can add emojis to Tags, making it easier for your box office and front-of-house teams to quickly identify different types of customers. Imagine your FOH team seeing a 'firsttimecustomer🥇' Tag when they scan a customer in. They’ll know to provide specific information about the venue, ensuring a smooth experience for new visitors.
  • Welcome email: The automation will trigger an email to first-time customers to give them a warm welcome and all the information they might need. This not only enhances the customer experience but also saves you from manually tracking and communicating with new customers.

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How to set up the First Time Customer Automation

There are three quick steps to get the First Time Customer Automation up and running.

1. Create your 'First Time Customer' Tag.

2. Check the First Time Customer Email Template.

3. Enable the Automation!

Create a 'First Time Customer' Tag

If you don't already have a First Time Customer Tag in your account, you'll need to set one up. 

1. Go to Manage > Tags. 

2. Click Add New+

3. Complete the fields:

  • Name - the name of the Tag that will be displayed on customer records e.g. 'firsttimecustomer'. (Note that the name cannot have spaces so either make it all one word or use _ between words).
  • Colour - the background colour of the Tag when it is displayed.
  • Emoji - this emoji will be displayed next to the customer name in the Box Office Cart and on the Check-in App, so choose something that your team will easily recognise!
  • Description - Add a short description to explain what this Tag is for (this is only for internal use).

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4. Click Add Tag to save.

Check the email template

We've pre-built a First Time Customer MJML email template for you to use out of the box. The template will likely work for you as is, but you can customise it if you need to. Just remember, keep it simple. The email is designed to recognise the recipient as a first-time customer, thank them and tell them you can’t wait to welcome them to your venue.

 Important

If you're not yet using our new MJML email templates please contact our Support team to be switched over!

To preview your First Time Customer email:

1. Go to Settings > Email Templates. You will see a new template called Automation:first time customer.

2. Click on the Automation:first time customer template.

3. Go across to the MJML tab.

4. Click Send Preview. A preview of the email will land in the inbox of the email address used on the user profile you are logged into Ticketsolve under.

To give you an idea of how it will look, here is an example of the default design (it'll have your own logo and colours!):

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5. If you're happy with the preview of your email, you can move on to the next steps below. If you'd like to customise your template, check out our guide to getting started with MJML design and have a look at our example design below!

Enable the Automation

1. Navigate to Manage > Automations. Here you will see a First Time Customer Automation Card. 

2. Click on Enable.

3. A pop-up box will appear with three fields for you to complete:

  • Email Template - select the Automation:first_time_customer template (this will be the only option).
  • Add Tag - select the firsttimecustomer Tag you created earlier (start typing the name to filter the dropdown options).
  • Schedule - This is where you decide how long after a first order you want the email to be sent to the customer. The format needs to follow the placeholder text already visible in the field, for example:
    • 1 hour after
    • 1 day after
    • 30 minutes after
  • Trackers - enter your parameters if you want to include UTM tracking.

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4. When complete click Save.

🎉Your First Time Customer Automation is now live! 🎉

 Notes

The First Time Customer Automation will only start applying to new customers from the date the Automation is live; it won't backdate to historic first-time purchasers.

Amending the First Time Customer Automation

You'll always have the option to amend the Automation like changing the tag or schedule.

To amend the First Time Customer Automation:

1. Go to the Automations page via Manage > Automations and select the First Time Customer Automation.

2. Click on the 3 dots (additional options) icon.

3. Select Edit parameters

4. You'll now be able to make changes as required in the pop-up box. 

5. When finished click Save.

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Disabling the First Time Customer Automation

1. Go to the Automations page via Manage > Automations.

2. Click Disable

The Automation will now display as 'Inactive'. You can re-enable it at any time by clicking Enable.

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Identifying your first-time customers

Once the First Time Customer Automation has been activated for a customer, you'll see the emoji from the Tag in a couple of places...

On the Customer Record:

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In the Cart at Box Office...

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In the Check-in App:

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Reporting on first-time customers

You can also explore data like revenue, interests and geography on your first-time customers using Your Reports. 

1. Click on the Reports icon from the main menu.

2. Navigate to Your Reports.

3. Click Add new... to create a new Your Report and select Report.

4. Give the report a name and select the folder to save the report in.

5. Select Line Item Facts as the report type.

6. Click Save to create the new report.

7. Now we need to add a Filter to the report to bring in only your first-time customers, so click Add new.

8. Find the Filter called customer with tag.

9. From the list of Tags, find the First Time Customer Tag you are using in your Boxed Automation. In this example, our Tag is 'firsttimecustomer'. 

10. Click the + icon to add the selected Tag to the Filter.

11. Click Save to add the filter to the report.

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You can now use the Reporting Views to explore the data. Navigate to Summaries for an overview of orders, revenue and the number of customers, or explore the Revenue view to see which events your first-time customers have booked for. You can also look at the Geography view to explore their location by country, county or postcode.

Example First Time Customer email design

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