A program is a multistep dialogue in which you can set up a series of communications to your customers and prospects. In the Programs screen, you can use the graphical drag-and-drop Program Flow view or the Program Explorer view to design and execute multistage, triggered, and recurring marketing programs using new or existing segments, lists, and campaigns.

You can establish multiple stages for a marketing program. Each stage can have multiple segments, segment trees, lists, and campaigns. Subsequent stages can be based on a customer response or any other event. For example, a visit by a sales person to a premium customer might trigger a follow-up email to that customer for the selected product.

In the workspace, you can use the right-click menu to manually start Marketing Server tasks. To schedule server tasks to be started automatically, use the Schedule calendar.

The graphical Program Flow designer is integrated with Siebel's workflow engine and Marketing Server. Therefore, once defined, the entire program can be automated from the initial customer segmentation through communication, to response collection and analysis. This capability is especially useful when programs are set to automatically recur, such as a monthly welcome package campaign to new customers.

Each time you design and implement a marketing program, you perform a number of tasks in the sequence shown in the following list:

1. Creating a program. Define the details of the program, such as purpose, team, the start and end date, and so on. For details, see Creating a Program.
2. Adding a stage to the program. Using the Program Flow view, add a stage milestone to the program and complete the stage details. For details, see Using the Program Flow, and Adding a Stage to the Program.
3. Assigning segments to a stage. Using the Program Flow view, select predefined segments that define the target customer you are trying to reach, and associate the segments to the stage. For details, see Assigning Segments to a Stage.
4. Adding a campaign to a stage. Using the Program Flow view, select one or more predefined campaigns with associated offers and link these campaigns to the program stage. For details, read Adding a Campaign to a Stage.
5. Defining waved distribution and vendor lists. To pace your distribution and avoid overloading your vendors and fulfillment center, you can set up waves. For details, see Setting Up Waves for a Campaign Load.
6. Adding lists to the campaign. If you have imported lists of prospects or contacts, you can optionally add these lists to the campaign. For details, see Adding Imported or Internal Lists to a Campaign.
7. Allocating segment tree cells to campaigns. For details, see Allocating Segment Tree Cells for a Stage.
8. Using program templates. For details, see Creating and Applying Program Templates.
9. Executing Programs. For details, see Executing Programs.
10. Previewing the list. You can preview the names in your distribution list to make sure the list is formatted correctly and contains the contact information you need. For details, see Previewing a List.
11. Loading the campaign. When you are ready to save your target customers in the Siebel database, you can perform the Load Campaign task from the Program Flow or Program Explorer views, or schedule the task using the Schedule view. Loading the campaign saves contacts in the Siebel transaction database. For details, see Loading Customers in Campaigns.
12. Launching the campaign. After loading the campaign and generating the lists, you can launch the campaign from the Program Flow or Program Explorer views or schedule each stage, which automatically launches the campaigns. The Launch Campaign task distributes lists to vendors using FTP or email, and sends email, wireless and fax offers to contacts. For details, see Launching Programs and Campaigns.