Message Partners

Overview

Important

To comply with GDPR, new partner users are automatically opted out of receiving Supplier Emails. They can opt-in by turning on the Supplier Emails notification in their partner portal settings.

You can set up your portal Terms and Conditions (T&Cs) to specify that accepting the T&Cs automatically signs partners in to receiving your emails. For more information, see About Terms & Conditions of Service.

The Unifyr One To-Partner Communications features allow you to communicate directly with your partners. This means that you can craft messages that are tuned to your partner's needs. For example, if you hold in-person partner summits or sales meetings, the communication features allow you to alert your partners to upcoming events and related deadlines. These to-partner communications are separate from the through-partner email capabilities that are found under the Partner Marketing menu option.

Create and track the performance of a regular to-partner communication cadence by building content-rich partner communications, including newsletters, announcements, and ad-hoc messages.

There are two types of to-partner communication you can send partners: email and partner portal pop-ups.

• Email messages - when sent, emails go to all eligible active and test partner contacts that have turned on the Supplier Emails notification setting in their partner account.

  When an email has been sent, Sent/Opens/Clicks/Bounces are available for it in the message detail page.

• Pop-up messages - display in specified partner portal pages as a pop-up window when a partner logs in. New partner users are automatically opted into these in-app messages and do not have the option to turn them off. Each eligible user on the portal will get the pop-up message until it is marked as read. The message is also available in the Message Center of the partner portal for reference.

  When a pop-up has been published, Read/Unread statistics are available for it in its detail page.

For information about usage statistics, see the View Communication Performance section of this article.

We recommend using both methods when sharing information, but it is also acceptable to use one or the other. If you decide to use both methods of communication, you will need to create two separate communication instances, one for each type. 

Note

• Email and pop-up messages are not sent to users that are designated as Sales Representative or Supplier-Defined Default Lead Owners (Additional Lead Notification Recipients).
• Emails and pop-ups do not currently support translated versions or automatic translations. To provide translated communications, create a separate email/pop-up for each language.

Intended Audience

Channel Sales Director, Channel Marketing Directors, & Channel Operations Managers 

Before You Begin

We recommend planning out your content, target partners, and sending schedule prior to building the communications in Unifyr One.

Alert

• Once an email communication is in the Sending state, no changes or additions can be made to it. To make a change or add a partner, create a new email by copying the existing one.
• Once a pop-up communication has been scheduled, you cannot add/edit the To section. To add a new Partner Group, you can click Return to Draft to add the additional Partner Group or create a copy of the existing pop-up for the additional Partner Group.

Contents

Click on the + to expand the instructions for the desired task.

Create a Pop-up for the Partner Portal

Alert

Once a pop-up communication has been Scheduled, you cannot add/edit the To section. To add a new Partner Group, you can click Return to Draft to add the additional Partner Group or create a copy of the existing pop-up for the additional Partner Group.

1. Navigate to Partner Management > Communications  > Emails & Pop-ups. 
2. Click Create Pop-up.

3. Customize these areas as required - click Edit next to each one:

   Parameter	Description
   To	Select the partner groups to which to send this pop-up.  Alternatively, click Advanced to open the Advanced Rules window, where you can create rules to target specific partners and/or partner users or create temporary partner groups that will only apply to this pop-up. For more information, see Use Ad-hoc Partner Groups. When you've selected the target partner groups and clicked Save, Unifyr One displays the number of partner users that will receive this communication. You can export the information by clicking the Download icon .  Note Users that haven't enabled the Supplier Emails notification setting in their partner account are automatically excluded from the count. Once associated, the Partner Groups will be refreshed if you save a change to the pop-up, and may have been updated. You can verify membership to ensure that the communication will go to the right recipients when you're ready to send it.
   Target page	[Optional] Choose the page on which the pop-up will appear in the partner portal. You can select a standard feature page or one of your custom pages. If you don't set this field, the pop-up will appear to eligible users on the portal homepage when they login.
   Schedule dates	Select when the pop-up should display on the portal homepage: No Schedule - Displays as soon as you click Publish Now and will display until the partner user clicks Mark as Read. Between - Allows you to set a start and end date. From - Allows you to set a start date with no end date. The pop-up will display until the partner user clicks Mark as Read. Until - Allows you to set an end date with no start date. The pop-up will display as soon as you click Publish Now and will expire on the end date.
   Title	Enter the header text that will be displayed on the pop-up.
   Content	Provide custom pop-up content. You can create it manually or have AI draft it for you (if enabled). For more information, see Using AI to Generate Portal and Comms Content for more information. Click Edit to go to our WYSWYG builder, where you can drag and drop content blocks and rows, input your text and images, and specify settings such as default font and link color for the pop-up. Use Merge Tags to add content placeholders for information such as First and Last Name, Company name, or Partner ID and have them populated dynamically when the communication is sent/viewed. Merge tags representing your custom Partner and Partner User fields are available - they're identified in the list with a Partner - or Partner User - prefix, as applicable. Note: Merge tags representing custom Partner User fields are added to content with the syntax {{portaluser.field_name}}, for example {{portaluser.Preferred_Communication_Language}}. You can embed a link to a Collateral asset in a text block - use the Link to an asset option. Click Save once you have finished customizing the pop-up content.

4. The Content area displays a preview of the pop-up.

5. To make the pop-up available in your portal, click Schedule or Publish Now (the button label depends on what date settings you configured in Schedule dates).

   The button is disabled if you haven't defined the target recipients of the pop-up in the To field.

6. A message confirms the number of users who will receive the message, and how many partner accounts they represent.

   

7. You are asked to confirm that you’d like to schedule the pop-up. Click Confirm and Schedule. The pop-up is either published immediately (if you selected No Schedule/Display when published in Schedule dates), or added to the scheduling queue to be posted to the portal on the start date. 

   A Publish Now action makes the pop-up available in the portal in 5 minutes.

8. Once a pop-up is available in the partner portal, its status changes to Published.
9. To expire a published pop-up before its end date, return to this area and click the Set as Completed button on the top right-hand corner.

Partner users can mark the communication as read or give a Remind Me Later instruction when it displays on their homepage. They can also access the pop-up via their Message Center.

Create an Email Communication to Partners

Reminder

To comply with GDPR, new partner users are automatically opted out of receiving Supplier Emails. They can opt-in by turning on the Supplier Emails notification in their partner portal settings.

You can set up your portal Terms and Conditions (T&Cs) to specify that accepting the T&Cs automatically signs partners in to receiving your emails. For more information, see About Terms & Conditions of Service.

Alert

Once an email communication is in the Sending state, no changes or additions can be made to it. To make a change or add a partner, create a new email by copying the existing one.

1. Navigate to Partner Management > Communications  > Emails & Pop-ups.
2. Click Create Email.

3. Customize these areas as required - click Edit next to each one:

   Parameter	Description
   To	Select the partner groups to which to send this email.  Alternatively, click Advanced to open the Advanced Rules window, where you can create rules to target specific partners and/or partner users or create temporary partner groups that will only apply to this email. For more information, see Use Ad-hoc Partner Groups. When you've selected the target partner groups and clicked Save, Unifyr One displays the number of partner users that will receive this communication. You can export the information by clicking the Download icon .  Note Users that haven't enabled the Supplier Emails notification setting in their partner account are automatically excluded from the count. The recipients list is made up by analyzing all matching partners and providers (of status Active, Inactive, and Test) and extracting those users who have opted in to receiving Supplier Emails. Note that the email will not be sent to users from inactive partners. Once associated, the Partner Groups will be refreshed if you save a change to the email, and may have been updated. You can verify membership to ensure that the communication will go to the right recipients when you're ready to send it.
   From	The email address that recipients will see as the sender. What you see here depends on your email configuration: If your administrator has set up a verified From address for your organization in Unifyr One, it’s listed here. You can also change to any email address that uses the same domain as the verified From address. If you don’t have a verified From address, you’ll see [e-mail] listed here (or @ziftsolutions.com - mature systems may use this address). This address will be used for all emails sent to your partners. Click Email Configuration if you want to set up and verify your own email address. For more information about setting up a verified From address, see Email Configuration.
   Schedule	Select when to send this email: Send when published - the email will send 5 minutes after you click the Send Now button. Send on - allows you to schedule the email to be sent on a later date and time. Selecting this option makes the Schedule button available, where you add the email to the scheduling queue.
   Subject	Enter the subject line for the email.
   Content	Provide custom email content. You can either create it manually, or have AI draft it for you (if enabled).  If you're creating the content manually, you have a simple, branded email template available in your account. If you’d like to edit your template for future mailings, see the Edit the Email Template section of this article. For information on AI-based content drafts, see Using AI to Generate TPC Email/Pop-up Content. Click Edit to go to our WYSWYG builder, where you can drag and drop content blocks and rows, add/edit text and images, and specify settings such as such as content alignment and brand colors. For information on the options available, see Content Blocks and Properties in the Page Editor. Use Merge Tags to add content placeholders for information such as First and Last Name, Company name, or Partner ID and have them populated dynamically when the communication is sent/viewed. Merge tags representing your custom Partner and Partner User fields are available - they're identified in the list with a Partner - or Partner User - prefix, as applicable. Note: Merge tags representing custom Partner User fields are added to content with the syntax {{portaluser.field_name}}, for example {{portaluser.Preferred_Communication_Language}}. You can embed a link to a Collateral asset in a text block - use the More > Link to an asset option. An option to use AI to generate text content is provided - see Using AI to Generate TPC Email/Pop-up Content for more information. Note: All emails must include an option for recipients to unsubscribe from your mailings. The email template provided for you automatically includes a Manage your notification settings link for partner users. For information on customizing the unsubscribe option, see How to Add An Unsubscribe Link to To-Partner Comms. Click Save once you have finished customizing the email content.

4. We recommend sending a test email to yourself before scheduling the email. On the email details view, click   > Send Test.
   • Enter the email address that should receive the test email.

   • Click Send. Review the email in your inbox.

     Tips:

     • Verify that your hyperlinks link to the correct content.
     • Test emails are not included in the count for email credits.

5. To send the email, click Schedule or Send Now (the button label depends on what date settings you configured in Schedule).

   The button is disabled if you haven't defined the target recipients of the email in the To field.

6. A message confirms the number of users who will receive the message, and how many partner accounts they represent.

   

7. You are asked to confirm that you’d like to schedule the email. Click Confirm and Schedule. The email is either sent immediately (if you selected Send when published in Schedule), or added to the scheduling queue to be sent on the send on date.

Edit the Email Template

Permission Required

You must be an Administrator to edit the To-Partner Communication email template.

A To-Partner Communication email template is available in your Unifyr One account. The template includes your supplier logo, brand colors, and a footer, plus the required option for partner users to unsubscribe from your emails. Go to the Saved area of the template selector to find it.

To edit your email template, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Partner Management > Communications  > Emails & Pop-ups.
2. Click   > Manage Templates.
3. Choose the template you want to work on.

4. Use the WSYWYG email builder to modify the template to your specifications. You can drag and drop content blocks and rows, add/edit text and images, and specify settings for this email template, such as content alignment and brand colors.

   For information on the options available, see Content/Formatting Options for Supplier-Created Content .

   Note: All emails must include an option for recipients to unsubscribe from your mailings. The email template provided for you automatically includes a Manage your notification settings link for partner users. For information on customizing the unsubscribe option, see How to Add An Unsubscribe Link to To-Partner Comms.

5. Before you save your edits, enter information about what you've done in What did you change?.

   

   Click Save.

   To see the edit history of the email template, click Options > View History. You can restore a previous version of the template from here.

6. When you've completed your updates, click Save and Close. Your edits to the email template will be applied to all future to-partner communication emails.

Edit an Email or Pop-up

Attention

• Once an email communication is in the Sending state, no changes or additions can be made to it. To make a change or add a partner, create a new email by copying the existing one.
• Once a pop-up communication has been scheduled, you can't add/edit the To section. To add a new Partner Group, you can click Return to Draft to add the additional Partner Group or create a copy of the existing pop-up for the additional Partner Group.
• Partner Groups associated with an email / pop-up will be refreshed if you save a change to it. Be sure to check the To section after saving a change, to verify that the list of recipients is what you expect to see.

You can edit an email or pop-up if it's in the Draft state (emails and pop-ups) or in the Published state (pop-ups only). You may need to use the Return to Draft action. To edit a scheduled communication, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Partner Management > Communications  > Emails & Pop-ups.
2. Click on the email or pop-up you’d like to edit, to open it.
   • If you selected a pop-up, click Edit on any eligible section of the pop-up and save your changes to the live pop-up. Partner users will see the updated pop-up on their next login.

   • If you selected an email, click Return to Draft to return it to Draft status if necessary. Click Edit on any section of the email and save your changes.

     Once you are finished editing the email, make sure to click Edit under the Schedule section to re-schedule the email to send when published or to a date/time in the future.

     Click Schedule or Send Now.

For information about the possible statuses of emails and pop-ups, see the Communication Statuses section of this article.

Target a Pop-up to a Specific Portal Page

You can set a pop-up message to appear to eligible users on a particular page in your portal.

As a default (if you don't carry out these steps), the pop-up will display to eligible users on the homepage when they log in to the portal.

1. Navigate to Partner Management > Communications  > Emails & Pop-ups.
2. Click on the pop-up you’d like to edit, to open it.
3. In the Target page section, click Edit.
4. Choose the required page from the dropdown menu. You can pick a standard feature page or one of your own custom pages.
5. Click Save.

Use AI to Generate Email/Pop-up Content

When creating or updating the content of a to-partner email or pop-up, you can ask Ask IQ to help you. Ask IQ searches content from your knowledgebase to generate the content, and will give the the email/pop-up a relevant title when you accept its suggestion.

For more information about Ask IQ, and how to enable it, see Unifyr One's AI Assistants.

1. Navigate to Partner Management > Communications > Emails & Pop-ups.
2. Create a new email/pop-up or open the one whose content you want to generate/update for edit.
3. Click Edit in the Content area.
4. Click the IQ icon to launch the AI Email Generator.

5. Give Ask IQ the context of your message (what you want to talk about) and click Generate. This example shows creating content for an email:

   

6. Ask IQ generates the content and places it into the content area. It will also generate a title for the email/pop-up, and may add a default signature.

   

7. You can change the Context and/or click Regenerate until you’ve got the right content. You can also give Additional Instructions at any time, for example, Translate into Spanish.

   

8. When you’re happy with the content, close the AI generator by clicking the X.
9. Click Save.

Note

The AI Expert may make mistakes, so review important information carefully.

For more information on how Unifyr ensures transparency, security, and ethical use of AI, please review our Responsible AI Policy.

Communication Statuses

Parameter	Description
Draft	Leave your communication in this status until you are ready to schedule or send the communication to your partners.
Scheduled	The communication is set to be published/sent on a future date/time. A scheduled email can't be edited. You must click Return to Draft to bring the email back to Draft status before making any edits. Pop-ups can be edited while scheduled, except for the To section. If you need to add a Partner Group to a pop-up after it has been scheduled, you can either click Return to Draft and add the additional Partner Group, or create a copy of the pop-up for the additional Partner Group.
Sending (Email Only)	The email is currently being sent. When an email reaches its scheduled start time, the process of sending it begins. If Send when published is selected under Schedule, the email will send 5 minutes after you click Send Now. It’s not possible to edit or delete the email when it is at Sending status.
Published (Pop-up only)	The pop-up has been published to the partner portal. When a pop-up reaches its scheduled start time, it's displayed to partners on the portal. You can edit a published pop-up, except for the To section and the start date.
Completed	The email has been sent. The pop-up has reached its end date.

Copy a Communication

Copying an email or pop-up can save time if you need to re-create a similar message or send the same email or pop-up to a different Partner Group when the original has already been scheduled.

To copy a communication, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Partner Management > Communications  > Emails & Pop-ups.
2. Click on the email or pop-up you’d like to copy, to open it.
3. Click   > Copy.
4. In Copy Email, enter the name of the  new email/pop-up. Click Save.
5. A copy of the email/pop-up is created, including all attributes from the previous message except the Schedule settings.
6. Customize the email or pop-up. For more information, see the Create a Pop-Up for the Partner Portal or Create an Email Communication to Partners sections of this article.

Delete a Communication

Note

Emails that have a status of Completed can't be deleted.

To delete an email or pop-up, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Partner Management > Communications  > Emails & Pop-ups.
2. Click on the email or pop-up you’d like to delete, to open it.
3. Click   > Delete.
4. You're asked to confirm that you want to delete the email/pop-up. Click Delete to proceed. The communication and any associated metrics are deleted.

View Communication Performance

Unifyr One tracks metrics for your To-Partner Communication emails and pop-ups. When an email has been sent (status Completed), or a pop-up has been published (status Published), you can get this data about it:

Emails

• Sent - Number of emails sent
• Opens - Number of emails opened
• Clicks - Number of total hyperlink clicks within your email (the Manage your notification settings link is not included in this count)
• Bounces - Number of email sends that could not be completed.

Pop-ups

• Read - Number of partner users that have clicked Mark as read on the pop-up.
• Unread - Number of partner users that have not read the pop-up or have clicked Remind me later.

The data is shown at the top of the email/pop-up. To view statistics, go to Partner Management > Communication > Emails & Pop-ups and select a communication from the list to open it. Metrics appear at the top of the page.

To export the statistics for an email/pop-up, click   > Export Data.

Use the Legacy HTML Content Editor

You can switch to the legacy HTML Editor to edit the content of a specific email or pop-up.

Caution

Once you switch back to the legacy HTML Editor, you will not be able to revert back to the WSYWYG Editor for this specific email or pop-up.

Follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Partner Management > Communications  > Emails & Pop-ups.
2. Click on the email or pop-up to open it.
3. Choose to edit the content of the email/pop-up.
4. Click  > Switch to the HTML editor.
5. You're asked to confirm that you want to switch to the HTML editor. Click Continue.
6. Customize the email or pop-up as required.

View Partners' Email Opt-in Status

In a partner's account in Partner Explorer, you can see which partner users have opted in to your email communications (with the Supplier Emails notification activated):

• In the individual user account profile:

  

• By filtering the Users list by Email Opt In (Yes/No):

  

 Training

Learn more with our training course:

• To-Partner Communications - Emails & Popups

You will be prompted to log into your CustomerONE account to access the link.

Related Topics

• Email Configuration
• How to Add An Unsubscribe Link
• 9 Best Practices for To-Partner Communications 
• About Partner Groups