Once you have launched a program there are a number of ways you can change the content and the workflow, depending on the state of the program. You should always pause a program before making any changes, to make sure that no contacts are being processed at the time.
See also: Editing launched emails.
Contents:
Basic rules
When a program is active you can do the following:
- Change the name and description.
- Add nodes, but only if a new path is created.
- Change the end date in the scheduling.
- Change the exit criteria.
- Choose different forms, segments and/or emails.
- Edit the content of the form, or the filter conditions of the segment.
When a program is active you cannot do the following:
- Remove nodes you have already saved.
- Insert new nodes into a path.
- Change the start date in the scheduling.
- Change the participation settings.
- Edit the content of an email (as a workaround, you can copy the email and edit the content, then select that email instead).
Important notes on editing programs:
- Any validation errors caused by changes will cause the save to fail, but not undo the changes, so you will still have to address them.
- Before saving you have the option to discard all changes, but this cannot be undone if you accidentally save unwanted changes.
If your program has responses, then selecting another email will render the response invalid and a new one must be manually selected.
- And finally, please remember that changing the workflow of a program changes the customer journey and may make the reporting inconsistent before and after the change. We do encourage you to experiment and optimize your engagement strategies, but always keep in mind that some contacts may be caught by your changes in mid-journey.
Editing scheduled programs
When a program is active but scheduled, you can edit it as described above for active programs, and also do the following:
- Change the start date in the scheduling.
- Change the participation settings.
- Edit the content of the email.
Editing paused programs
When a program has been paused you can change the description and settings of all nodes This includes:
- Changing the Wait settings (this will not affect contacts already queued by the node - see below for details).
- Selecting a different email, segment or event.
- Changing the settings of a quick filter.
Otherwise the degree to which you can edit depends on its state when it was paused, i.e. active or scheduled.
Editing finished programs
Once a program has finished you will not be able to edit any part of it.
Editing individual nodes
If you want to change the item selected in a node, such as a form or an email, you can deselect it by opening the properties dialog, clicking Select and then OK without selecting anything. This will clear any previous selection.
Note that the deselected item will only be available for selection elsewhere once you have saved the program.
Editing Wait nodes
When you change the settings on a Wait node, this change will not affect the contacts already waiting; they will be held for the original length of time. All subsequent contacts arriving at the node will be held for the new duration.
Adding new nodes or paths
If a program is active you can only add a new node to it by adding a new path; you cannot add one into an existing path.
Disabling nodes
Wherever you can see the Enabled/Disabled toggle, you can disable a node. This is available in most of the Channels nodes.
When you disable a node, contacts will simply pass straight through it as if it were not there. You can enable it again at any time.