5 - Repeat Response

Coming Back for More

In Salesforce, a lead or contact can only be a member of a campaign one time. But what happens when the same person engages with a campaign more than once? In Funnel Metrics, we call this a Repeat Response. It often happens when someone submits a high-value form more than once:

However, you may need visibility for a person that engages with the same campaign over time. For example, a person may submit a ‘Demo Request’ type of form more than once; unless you're rotating the campaigns associated to fixed forms on a regular basis, another campaign member will not be created for the additional form submission.

For such a high-value form, we would want to create a repeat campaign member in order to drive sales follow-up for both responses, each tracking a unique funnel. This is a use-case for creating a ‘Repeat Response,’ and we’ll review it in more depth in the next section.

Opportunity Association

In the Funnel Metrics data model, a single campaign member tracking a funnel is tied to a single opportunity.

Some companies want to track the same campaign member to multiple opportunities, particularly in cases like a new business expansion opportunity, or Pilot conversion opportunity. Because of the 1:1 relationship between campaign members and opportunities, this reporting requirement requires the insertion of a repeat response.

The Funnel Metrics system handles these, and many other use cases. In this document, we’ll review the following:

• What is a response?
• What is a repeat response
• Reporting on repeat responses
• Admin setup
  • Repeat response configuration
  • Repeat response creation
• Programmatic repeat response insertion

What is a Response?

When we reference a Response, we're referring to a Campaign Member record in Salesforce. A Campaign Member is considered a “Response” when the Full Circle field ‘Response Date’ is populated.

This date field is populated when a campaign member is created with a member status where ‘Responded’ is checked. Note that we are not referencing the Label; rather, we are referencing the highlighted configuration below:

Technical Deep Dive

1. To update campaign member status settings, go to the Campaign > Advanced Settings button.
2. Even if the member status is later set to a status that is not configured as Responded, for example ‘Sent’ in the image above, the campaign member is still considered a Response because the Response Date field is populated.
3. The API name for the campaign member Response Date field is FCRM__FCR_Response_Date__c. When inserting a member programmatically ensure the member status is configured correctly by validating the CampaignMemberStatus.HasResponded Boolean field is set to True.

What is a Repeat Response?

Funnel Metrics supports repeat business cases by enabling the creation of repeat responses. Because the "one campaign member per campaign" Salesforce limitation still applies, a repeat response is actually a repeat campaign and a repeat campaign member.

Let's build on the previous example, where a person submitted a demo form twice. With Repeat Response enabled, this duplicate submission would result in two campaigns and two campaign members. The repeat campaign name would be the original campaign name, followed by "Repeat 1." If the form was submitted again after that, the repeat campaign name would be followed by "Repeat 2," and so forth.

Funnel Metrics and campaign configuration determine whether or not a repeat response is created. More information on these configurations can be found later on, in the Admin Setup and Programmatic Insertion sections of this documentation.

Technical Deep Dive

1. Repeat responses can be created in the following ways:
   a. From the UI by selecting a response prompt campaign
   b. From campaign member updates done by the repeat response user
   c. With Response Management reactivation default campaign insertion
   d. Through the lead or contact Superpower field
   e. With Apex code
2. Because these campaigns are dynamically created (cascaded), we call the original campaign the ‘cascade parent.’ These repeat campaigns are not part of the Salesforce hierarchy. Because they exist at the same level as the originating campaign, they may reference the same campaign parent if one is populated on the cascade parent campaign. These repeat campaigns reference the cascade parent campaign with a lookup field called Cascade Parent.
3. When a repeat campaign is created, the system copies over most of the fields on the cascade parent, including the parent Campaign ID.
4. Repeat responses rely on Funnel Metrics configuration, campaign configuration, and marketing automation configuration. Each marketing automation system communicates differently with Funnel Metrics, which informs the creation of repeats.
   a. The Funnel Metrics application always references the fields and settings on the Cascade Parent Campaign when making decisions about creating repeats.
5. The repeat campaign is created with the campaign name, followed by the words “ - Repeat #,” where # is the repeat campaign count. The cascade parent name will be preserved unless it’s too long, in which case it will truncate the end of the name to make room for the Repeat # appended to the end.
6. Although the repeat campaign names are incremented with the count number, you cannot rely on a member being added sequentially to campaigns. This does usually happen in low-volume settings, but in high-volume settings, the code will add a member to an available campaign. Looking at the campaign repeat number to determine the repeat count is also not reliable because members may be deleted, and Funnel Metrics does not re-parent campaign member records. What you can tell by the repeat count number is the maximum number of times any one individual was added to the same campaign.

Reporting on Repeat Responses

When a repeat campaign is created, it references the original campaign (called cascade parent campaign) with a lookup field. In some cases, you may prefer to group your campaign and repeat campaigns under the same campaign report. Here's how you can go about grouping these metrics.

Campaign Member Reports

Most of the reports you work with will probably be campaign member reports. For these reports, use the Campaign Name (Repeat Parent) field.

Campaign Reports

To see repeat campaigns in campaign reports, you can use the Contains clause. Alternatively, you can combine campaign name = XYX with an ‘or’ Cascade Parent = XYZ to see all repeats from the same campaign, as well as the original.

Campaign Influence Reports

To report on Campaign Influence, you’ll be using the Campaign Influence Detail object. Report on the Cascade Parent Campaign field instead of the Campaign Name field.

Admin Repeat Response Configuration

Rules for creating repeat responses can be either global and campaign specific. This section explains how to programmatically insert repeats in either case. Bear in mind that all repeat responses are subject to the restrictions described in the "Repeat Response Configuration" section below.

Global Repeat Response Rules

Global repeat response rules are configured in the Full Circle CRM Response Management Application on the Response Processing Configuration page. If you navigate to the Response Processing configuration page you will see some global settings:

• Repeat Campaign Limit: The maximum number of repeats allowed for any response.
• Default Timeout: The default timeout period as the minimum time in minutes for the creation of a repeat response.
• Campaign Segment Timeouts: Translates the picklist value on the Campaign field ‘Repeat Timeout Segments’ to minutes. If you modify picklist values, be sure to adjust related minutes here.
• Repeat Response Users: Here's where you associate specific users (often dedication marketing automation users) as repeat response users. Refer to the Repeat Response Creation section below for more information on defining this type of user.

Campaign-Specific Repeat Response Rules

Each campaign has fields that identify whether or not it allows repeat responses. Remember that we are only evaluating this configuration on the Cascade Parent campaign, and not on the repeat campaign.

• Repeat Responses Allowed: This checkbox must be checked to allow repeats on this campaign. (NOTE: Apex code may call functions to bypass this setting.)
• Repeat Response Timeout Segments: A value in this field will take precedence over the global Campaign Segment Timeouts value. For example, if your global timeout setting is set to one week, you can still configure a specific campaign to allow repeats after 4 hours. This field is a picklist, so you can change or add different values. Just be sure to go into the application's configuration and associate the correct minute values to the new picklist values in the Global Response Management configuration section.

Repeat Response Creation

Since we didn’t want to create any crazy repeat response situations with salespeople accidentally creating repeats willy-nilly, specific conditions must be met in order to create a repeat response. Even if it meets all the global and campaign criteria, a repeat response can only be created under these specific circumstances:

1. The user must be a defined repeat response user in configuration. This is a special power assigned to a dedicated marketing automation user, allowing them to create repeats during campaign association or update.
2. The association must be made through the Response Prompt UI. Regular users can generate repeat responses when selecting a campaign from the response prompt UI, assuming that repeats are allowed.
3. Through the use of the FCCRM Superpower field. Using workflow, you can set a command for campaign associations on leads or contacts that can create repeat responses.
4. Through the Response Prompt Reactivation Scenario that inserts a default campaign that allows repeats.
5. Through Apex Code calling specific functions during campaign insert or update.

Repeat Response Evaluation

The evaluation of whether or not to insert a repeat occurs when an existing response is updated and the following are true:

• The campaign allows repeats.
• The repeat timeout segment has been met (campaign specific or global).
• The number of global repeats has not been met.
• The update is made by a repeat response user, or via the Response Prompt UI, through the use of the FCCRM Superpower field or with Apex Code specifying the creation of a repeat.

NOTE: Apex code may override some of the settings above as part of our extensibility model. For example, Apex code may create a repeat even though repeats aren't allowed on the campaign itself.

The FCCRM Superpower Field

The FCCRM Superpower Field on the Lead and Contact objects (API name: FCRM__FCR_Superpower_Field__c) has "superpowers" because, when populated with specific text commands, it enables you to access complex functionality without having to write code.

• Functionality is triggered when the field is populated with specific text commands and parameters.
• This field will support multiple commands over time – each command will define a specific functionality.
• When this functionality is able to trigger (for example, on insert or on update) is defined at the command level.
• This field can be set with workflow field updates, API and Apex, and manually through the UI.
• The field will be cleared by code so you should never see a text value in these fields. You may choose to turn on history tracking for this field to audit when it has be populated and cleared.
• Commands are run in a future context (Async) so there may be a delay of several minutes until the commands run.
• A syntax failure in this field will fail to process any updates. This failure is not recorded so be sure to test the syntax on single records.
• Processing failures will appear in the Full Circle CRM Event log.

This article provides details on the commands you can run with the Superpower field.

Marketing Automation Considerations for Repeat Responses

The dedicated marketing automation user is typically configured as the Repeat Response user. That way, if the marketing automation software causes an update to an existing campaign member, the system may insert a repeat campaign. When the marketing automation user is defined as a repeat response user, Funnel Metrics sees an update from the marketing automation user as just that: an update, as opposed to a specific update to the campaign member status field.

Since marketing automation systems don't all update campaign members in the same way, there may need to be adjustments to allow you to "force" an update to the campaign member. Please contact your FCI Support Rep for information on Repeat Response considerations for your marketing automation system.

Repeat Campaign Limit

Custom Funnels has a configuration that sets a limit on the number of repeat - or cascading - responses. It is found on the Response Processing Configuration page. To simplify we changed the name of this configuration from "Auto Cascade Levels" to "Repeat Campaign Limit" in 2023.

Programmatic Repeat Response Creation

You can also create repeat responses programmatically. Response Management has an extensibility model that can allow you to run as if you are the repeat response user, or to force the insertion of a repeat even if the campaign isn’t configured to allow repeats, and to bypass any repeat timeouts. Note that the global repeat configurations still apply, so if the system is configured to allow 10 repeats per campaign, Apex will not be able to insert the 11th campaign.

Your FCI Support Rep can work with you on your business case, and to help you determine the best approach.