Creating Dialogs that Use Event Wire
This section provides an overview of dialogs that use Event Wire and discusses how to::
Enable customers to enter the external system.
Enable the external system to obtain the Landing page URL.
Set the Landing page URL in the external system.
Use multiple dialogs with the same external system.
Enable online marketing to handle passed data.
Dialogs that work with Event Wire are created in the same manner as any other dialog except that in some cases the Event Wire dialog passes information to the external system (via a redirect page), and in all cases the external system submits information to the Event Wire dialog. The dialog's entry point must be an External Event trigger that points to a Landing page or Standalone page, or a Web Link Promo action that points to a Landing or Standalone page.
Before designing a dialog that uses Event Wire, you must evaluate the specific needs of your dialog. In particular, you need to consider:
How customers will enter the external system (directly or via the dialog).
If customers enter the external system via a dialog, then the dialog you create must include a redirect page to send respondents to the external system.
How you will pass the Landing page URL to the external system (passed via Online Marketing redirect page or programmed into the external system).
If customers enter the external system via a dialog, then you can include the URL in the redirect command to the external system. Your technical implementer can pass the URL using a cookie or set the URL directly in the external system.
What information about the respondent you want to pass to the external system (tracking number or other profile information).
If customers enter the external system via a dialog, then you can include profile information about the respondent in the redirect command to the external system. You will only want to do this if you need the profile information in the external system (this information is not required by Event Wire).
If the same dialog will be used to redirect to the external system and receive data from Event Wire.
This setting determines how many dialogs you must design, test, and launch.
How Online Marketing will handle data passed to it from Event Wire (save in profiles or use only in results).
This setting determines the type of fields you want to include on the Landing page and the subsequent actions you want the dialog to perform.
If you want to set up default values in the Event Wire Landing page.
If you want to do this, you must inform your technical implementer.
After you have determined your needs, you can design the dialog (create profile attributes, target audiences, documents, and the flow) and provide the necessary information to the technical implementer, who in turn can program your external system.
If customers enter via a dialog, create a dialog that includes a Standalone page that contains a redirect command to the external system.
Entering the External System via a Dialog
When customers respond to an Online Marketing Broadcast email, banner ad, or web link, they can be redirected to the external system automatically when they access the web page in the dialog that contains the redirect command.
The command that redirects respondents to the external system simply needs to specify the URL of the appropriate page in the external system. No additional information is required in this command.
However, depending on your needs, you can choose to pass information to the external system via this redirect command. For example, you can include the URL of the Landing page to be used by Event Wire, and any other profile information you want to make available to the external system.
Entering the External System Directly
When customers enter the external system directly, they do not go through the dialog and, therefore, no redirect page is needed in the dialog. The URL of the Landing page to be used in the call to Event Wire must be programmed in the external system by the technical implementer.
See Customers Originate at the External System (Scenario 1).
The external system must be able to specify the Landing page URL in the call to Event Wire. This URL can be provided to the external system by passing it in the redirect command (dynamic URL), or by having your technical implementer program it into the external system (static URL).
Which method you use depends on your needs and on how the customers will enter the external system.
You can always program the Landing page URL directly in the external system (static URL), but for you to be able to pass the Landing page URL dynamically, the customers must come through the dialog.
The redirect command contains the Landing page URL and can also include any profile information about each respondent. The static Landing page URL only contains the location of the Landing page and identifies the dialog.
Redirecting Respondents to the External System
Online Marketing can redirect to the external system all respondents to a Broadcast Email or banner ad. To redirect a respondent, you must include a redirect command in the body of the web page. The redirect command must specify the URL of the external system as well as contain the Landing page URL that the external system will use in its call to Event Wire.
Note: Because additional information must be passed along with the external system URL, Event Wire redirect commands cannot be set up via the document creation process. You must enter the redirect command directly in the body of the web document.
To specify the redirect, create either a Paragraph or Custom HTML field in a web document, and insert the following command:
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Refresh" CONTENT= "0;URL=http://
URL_of_external_system/path_and_target?
lpurl_param={Merge_field_for_link_to_landing_page}&
param_2={value_for_param_2}&
...
param_n={value_for_param_n}">
|
Field or Control |
Definition |
|---|---|
| URL_of_external_ system |
The URL of the external system. |
| path_and_target |
The location of the application on the external system. |
| lpurl_param (landing page URL parameter) |
Any parameter name you want to use to specify the Landing page URL. |
|
Field or Control |
Definition |
|---|---|
| Merge_field_for_ link_to_landing_ page |
The Landing page URL that must be passed on to Event Wire. This value is obtained by inserting a Web Link merge content item in the document. The external system must store this value and include it in the Event Wire call. |
| param_n (parameter n) |
Any parameter name you want to use for any other information you want to pass to the external system. You can specify as many parameters as you need. |
| value_for_param_n (value for parameter n) |
The value for each parameter. Typically, this value is a profile attribute obtained via a merge content item. |
For example:
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Refresh" CONTENT= "0;URL=http:// mystore.com/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/catalog/EEC? lpurl=<pstag:webLink name="landing" format="Text" id="" />">
When the dialog is running, the lpurl value will be converted to a specific URL by Online Marketing, and the actual redirect command will be similar to:
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Refresh" CONTENT= "0;URL=http:// mystore.com/DES/catalog+EEC? lpurl=<pstag:url name="EWLink" value="Event Wire Dialog 3.landing" format="HTML" id=""/>">
Note: To obtain the Landing page URL, insert a merge content item (click the Merge button, click Web Link, and enter the specific information). Then, when setting up the dialog, select the target landing page in the dialog link area.
Typically, you specify the redirect command in the body of the web document (in a paragraph). However, your technical implementer may want to use another method of transferring information to the external system, such as a cookie. In this case, the implementer will need to provide you with the appropriate code to insert in the web document.
Whenever customers can enter the external system directly, you must have the Landing page URL programmed in the external system so that it can be used in the call to Event Wire. This programming is typically performed by your technical implementer.
To set the static URL in the external system, you must first obtain the URL for the Landing page by generating the Dialog Link Report.
See Generating URLs for Web Link Promos and External Event Triggers.
When customers originate as Online Marketing respondents, they are redirected to the external system and information can be passed to the external system in the redirect command. When the external system makes its call to Event Wire, the Landing page URL can specify a page that is in the original dialog or it can be in a different dialog.
When the redirect and the Landing page are in different dialogs, you can obtain the URL for the Landing page by inserting a cross-dialog link on the redirect page.
Online Marketing can store information it receives from the external system in the profile database, or it can list the information in the dialog results.
To accept data from the external system, the Landing page must include the appropriate fields to receive all the data. You must decide which document or profile attributes to include on the Landing page, which fields to make required, and which fields are included only for dialog analysis. Event Wire does not support Text Block or File field types, so do not include those fields on landing pages intended to be used by Event Wire. Also, Event Wire does not support survey dialogs.
Field Matching Rules in the Dialog
Dialogs can use Profile Rules to determine whether a customer from the external system is known in the Online Marketing profiles.
If any matching rules are used by the dialog, you must ensure that the external system provides all of the matching fields in addition to the required fields on the Landing page. Without specifying these fields, you cannot update the profile database.
If matching fields are not included in an otherwise valid Event Wire call, the data will be available through CRM Analytics, but no data will be saved in the profile database.
Using a Standalone Web Page
A Landing page allows you to submit information to a dialog. However, if you want the external system to only record a visit to the site, you can use a Standalone page. A Standalone page does not include a submit button, and, therefore, no profile information can be passed to a dialog via a Standalone page. The Standalone page is used to record the number of times that a particular event occurs at the external system. This information can be viewed through CRM Analytics.
A Standalone page can also be used as the redirect page to redirect respondents to the external system without having them view any dialog pages.
Using Required Fields on Landing Pages
When a Landing page uses required fields, Event Wire performs additional processing to ensure that the requirements are met for each call it receives from the external system. Specifying required fields can be helpful during the design and testing phase of your dialog to ensure that the external system is passing the appropriate parameters. However, using required fields in a live dialog results in slower overall performance. Therefore, after testing the implementation to ensure proper operation, you should change the fields, marking as not required all but the necessary required fields. This prioritization improves system performance.
Note: Be sure to leave necessary required fields marked as required; otherwise, bad data might be inserted into the PeopleSoft CRM database.
Using Default Values
Event Wire can automatically use default values set in the Event Wire Landing Page. However, before these default values can be used, you must inform your technical implementer of the values, especially if any involve merge content.