Close Out a Journey Manually or Programmatically

You now have the ability to manually or programmatically close out a Journey that did not successfully reach the end.

Not every customer journey is a successful one. Sometimes processes fail, interactions go stale, applications are denied, or customers churn. In these scenarios, the journey did not reach the desired outcome and will need to be closed out.

Closing out a Journey marks the overall Journey as Closed so it will no longer show as Active in Analytics. It will also close out any active or pending Actions that are still open in the Journey so you don’t have Actions left in a limbo state.

There are two ways to close out a journey, manually and programmatically.

Manually Close Out a Journey

We added a button to the top of the journey timeline that allows users to manually close out a Journey that is still active. Selecting this action will immediately move the Journey to A Closed status and it will no longer be editable.

This is helpful when a customer is on track to complete a journey, but stops responding or churns. Something happened that was not expected and requires human intervention to resolve.

Programmatically Close a Journey

The other way a Journey can get closed out before reaching the end is when a customer hits an intentional dead end within a Journey. This can happen within a Path where one of the conditions leads to the Journey being closed out.

For example, if a customer is going through underwriting and they are rejected, that may be the end of this journey for that customer. Or if a customer does not accept your Terms and Conditions, that may remove the customer from an onboarding process. You may take additional actions before closing the Journey such as sending them an email or running an automation to close out their account. The final Close Out Action will automatically end the journey for you when it is reached.

Finding Friction Points In Your Customer Journeys

When a Journey gets closed out - either manually or programmatically - we flag that Action and can display it within your analytics dashboard so that you can identify where customers are falling out of journeys in order to focus on the areas that need the most work to improve the overall experience.

Alan Finlay

Data Center Migration for Hosted Files

We successfully migrated our file hosting infrastructure to Google Cloud Platform (GCP). This upgrade will bring improvements to the performance, reliability, and scalability of how you add, access, and download files and images.

We now have a unified file hosting service for all of our data center locations and environments, which will lead to a more seamless experience when interacting with files across all of our products and services.

This transition is part of our ongoing efforts to improve our infrastructure and provide you with the best possible experience. If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out to our support team.

Alan Finlay

Journey Selection Action

We recently introduced the Selection Action to the lineup of Actions available within the Journey Builder.

What is the Selection Action?

The Selection Action allows teams to build manual decision points into a Journey and progress a Journey down a specific Path based on that decision.

How does it work?

In the Journey Builder

When building a Journey, you can add a Selection Action to a Step and define the possible options for the user to select. The options will appear as a single select picklist on the Journey Timeline.

In the Journey Timeline

When a Journey instance gets to a Selection Action, the Journey will pause and wait for a selection to be made before progressing to the next Action.

The selected option is saved down to the context data of the Journey and can be used later in the Journey.

Using Selection Action Data

A common use case for a Selection Action is have the Journey instance owner make a decision and then a specific Path is selected based on that decision. This can be done by adding the Selection Action output to the Condition of the Path.

If you have any questions or feedback on the Selection Action, please let us know.

Alan Finlay

Introducing the HubSpot Connector for OvationCXM

We are thrilled to announce the newest addition to the OvationCXM platform – the HubSpot Connector! This powerful integration bridges the gap between HubSpot’s CRM and OvationCXM, creating a seamless workflow for teams to deliver exceptional customer experiences.

Key Features of the HubSpot Connector:

1. Sync Customers, Contacts and Cases Effortlessly

Automatically sync customer information and interactions between HubSpot and OvationCXM. This ensures your team has a unified view of customer data in real-time, eliminating the hassle of manual data entry and improving data accuracy.

2. Automated Case Creation

Convert HubSpot activities, such as form submissions or ticket updates, directly into Cases in OvationCXM. Streamline your team’s workflow and ensure that no customer request or inquiry falls through the cracks.

3. Custom Field Mapping

Use our intuitive field mapping to align custom fields between HubSpot and OvationCXM. Map properties like deal stages, ticket statuses, and more to match your unique business processes.

4. Real-Time Updates Across Platforms

Any updates in HubSpot—whether a contact is modified, a ticket is updated, or a deal closes—are instantly reflected in OvationCXM. Keep your teams aligned and your data always up-to-date.

Ready to Get Started?

If you’re interested in leveraging the HubSpot Connector to enhance your customer experience workflows, reach out to your account manager today for early access.

Questions about setup? Our support team is ready to assist you every step of the way. Let’s take your customer experience to the next level with OvationCXM and HubSpot working together seamlessly!

Prayas Tiwari

Journey Paths

We're thrilled to announce the full public launch of Paths, our new feature designed to empower you to create dynamic, personalized customer experiences like never before. With Paths, you can easily design tailored journeys that adapt to your customers' needs, behaviors, and preferences. Ready to unlock the full potential of your customer engagement? Let’s dive into the powerful features and benefits.

What are Paths?

Paths allows you to create dynamic customer journeys based on specific criteria, such as customer behavior, demographics, or anything else that you track. By using Paths, you can deliver highly relevant experiences to each user, leading to stronger relationships, improved satisfaction, and higher conversion rates.

Paths leverage conditional logic to send customers down specific parts of a journey. Once a Path is complete, the customers return to the main track of the journey headed toward the desired outcome.

Key Features of Paths

Dynamic Journey Mapping:

With Paths, you can design multiple journey paths within the same customer experience. Customers can automatically or manually be routed down different paths based on actions they take or manual decisions that you make.

Advanced Segmentation:

Use customer attributes such as location, products, or status to trigger specific paths. This helps you deliver more targeted content, messaging, and workflows that resonates with each individual.

Real-time Decisioning:

Paths allows you to make decisions in the moment, offering customers a personalized experience based on the actions taken during the journey. Whether they just entered a journey or are near the end, you can provide specific paths for each interaction they have.

Easy-to-Use Drag-and-Drop Interface:

No coding required! With our intuitive, visual editor, you can design and refine your customer journeys without the need for technical expertise. Drag-and-drop elements and basic data field logic conditions make it easy to create powerful workflows in minutes.

A/B Testing & Optimization:

Paths can also be used to design and implement A/B testing within your Journeys. You can test different paths, analyze customer responses, and optimize the journeys to continually improve your results. Find the path that works best for your audience and refine your approach based on real-time data.

Get Started with Paths Today!

The future of customer engagement is dynamic, personalized, and data-driven. With Paths, you now have the tools to create smart customer journeys that adapt to your audience’s needs in real time. Whether you’re aiming to drive sales, boost customer loyalty, or enhance user experience, Paths will help you get there.

Ready to take your customer journeys to the next level? Start creating personalized paths today and see the difference in engagement, conversion, and overall customer satisfaction.

Alan Finlay

New Journey API & Builder Canvas

Release Date: November 15, 2024

We are migrating organizations to a new drag-and-drop canvas for our Journey Builder along side of a new API version.

While this new canvas is not drastically different than the previous one, it does provide a few new enhancements, including:

1. Easily zoom in and out to better focus on the part of the journey you are working on or to visualize the big picture.
2. Better alignment and flexibility of the lines that connect each of the nodes in your journeys.
3. A quick action to realign the canvas to center to get you back in case you get too far zoomed in or out.
4. You can now view the names of Conditions on Path lines and click on them to open and edit the conditional logic of a Path.
5. Updated functionality and alignment of the +Step and +Path buttons that appear below each step in the canvas on hover.
6. Fixed a bug where the lines would sometimes remain on the screen after leaving the Journey Builder.

This canvas sets a new foundation that we will continue to build on to enhance journey flexibility and the overall builder experience. If you have any feedback on the new builder, we would love to hear it.

Alan Finlay

Dashboard Migration

We are in the process of updating our dashboards to a new cloud-hosted dashboard that will provide better performance and ultimately more flexibility for insights and analytics.

In the short term, you will not notice many changes to your dashboards except for a few styling updates and that data is updated more frequently and consistently.

Long term, we will be able to provide additional types of visualizations for your data and will be able to move towards real-time analytics across multiple objects.

The migration to the new dashboards is underway and will take place over the course of November and December 2024.

Alan Finlay

Updates & Bug Fixes

Release Date: November 2024:

CX Manager

• We added the ability to increase the vertical space on the email composer as well as to pop the composer out into its own window to provide more room to draft long emails.
• We fixed an issue that occured when a User tried to reset their password and typed in a password that did not meet the security requirements. The screen would previously show as an all white screen but now the proper fields and error messages appear on the screen allowing the user to complete the reset password process.
• For blank Locations that have no Location Name or other data on them, we now display ‘No Name’ in the Location list to make it easier to find and select these Locations.
• We fixed a bug where Quick Reply Tokens would populate the previous Customer Contact's information if a user changed the Contact on the Case and then added the Quick Reply Token without navigating away from the screen.
• We fixed an issue where selecting a Contact or Product from the View All list in the Customer Panel in the CX Manager screen would incorrectly show the Case Events rather than the selected Contact or Product details.
• We enhanced our user session management to automatically log a user out of all active tabs when they log out of one CXME tab. Previously, users would sometimes get stuck in a ‘loading’ state on their additional tabs.
• We fixed an issue where logging into the same account a second time on a separate tab would incorrectly log the user out of both tabs. Now when a user logs in, all tabs that are on the login screen will also automatically log in.
• We fixed an issue where sometimes a user would need log into the application twice in order for it to load.

Knowledge

• We fixed an issue where images would not always display when added to an Article.

Journeys

We are about to launch the new API and canvas builder for Journeys. We'll share a full release post on this soon!

Virtual Assistants

We improved the performance and resiliency of our Virtual Assistants. This applies to both the bot builder and training console as well as the customer-facing bots through Messenger.

Security

• We added a security measure where Organizations can define approved domains for Users that are allowed to be added to their Organization. A user cannot be added if the domain in their email address does not match the Organization's approved domain list. This list can found and updated under Settings > Communications > Settings > Email Domains.

Alan Finlay

Introducing the Jira Service Cloud Connector for OvationCXM

We are excited to announce the latest addition to our OvationCXM platform - the Jira Service Cloud connector. This new feature aims to enhance the customer service experience by seamlessly integrating the powerful capabilities of Jira Service Cloud with the robust customer experience management platform of OvationCXM.

As a leading provider of customer experience solutions, we understand the importance of streamlining processes and providing efficient solutions for our clients. That's why we have developed this new connector to make the transition from Jira to OvationCXM smoother and more efficient for our users.

So, what exactly does the Jira Service Cloud connector offer? Let's dive into its key features:

1. Move Tickets from Jira to OvationCXM:

With this new connector, you can easily move tickets from Jira to OvationCXM Cases automatically. This eliminates the need for manual data entry and ensures that all customer interactions are seamlessly captured in one centralized platform. The connector makes sure the data is updated with every interaction.

2. Auto Match to a Customer:

One of the most time-consuming tasks in customer service is manually matching customer information with their respective cases. With the Jira Service Cloud connector, this process is automated based on your unique IDs, saving you valuable time and effort.

3. Picklist mapping

Use our picklist mapper to map the complicated picklists between the two platforms, including status or resolution codes.

Interested in using the new Jira Connector, reach out to your account manager today to get access. If you have any questions about how to setup a connector, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our support team who will be happy to help.

Prayas Tiwari

Updates & Bug Fixes

Release Date: September 2024

CX Manager

• We improved our connection to our communication servers with enhanced indicators during the (re)connection process and we added additional automatic retries if the connection is lost. This will help improve the overall stability of sending communications from CXME and will make it more clear when a connection is not strong and will alert the user to this issue.
• We fixed an issue where the screen was not fully updated when a user navigated to a new Location under a single Customer profile. Now when a user selects a new Location from the Customer screen, the Location details and the URL will be properly updated to reflect the new Location being shown.
• We fixed an issue where creating a new Customer within the Case creation flow would result in an error. Now when a user creates a new Customer via the Create New Customer button after selecting Create > Case from the global Create button, the new Customer is saved and the Customer and Location fields are displayed in column 1. The 4 sections of column 1 load and the Case Add view is displayed in column 2 with all fields on the Case layout.
• We fixed an issue where the Default Team was not being properly added to Team Associations when creating a new Location with no Team Associations selected.
• We improved the performance of loading lists of Teams within the application.

Integrations & APIs

We improved the performance of the Phone APIs.

Messenger (Web & SDK)

• We updated the generated embeddable code snippet in the Web Chat Channel to now integrate the Messenger app instead of the old Web Chat app. You can read about Messenger here.
• Web Chat instances that are added to Knowledge Libraries have been updated to the new Messenger product as well.

Admin & Settings

• We increased the number of Tags that you can have in restricted lists by Category. Previously you could only have 6 Tags under each Category. Now you can add up to 20 Tags per Category.
• We updated the list of Alert Templates under Teams > Alert Templates to display the Alert Template Name instead of only displaying the Subject of the Alert Template. This will make it easier to identify the Alert Template you are looking for without needing to click into each one.

Alan Finlay

Updates & Bug Fixes

Release Date: 08/29/24

CX Manager

• We fixed an issue where the scroll bar didn't work on the left folder navigation under Reports. You will now see a scroll bar when you have more folders than fit on a single screen.
• We fixed an issue where navigating to the Events timeline immediately after creating a Case could somtimes display a blank panel.
• We fixed an issue where sometimes a user sending an email could experience the message successfully being sent but not showing in the messaging panel.
• We fixed an issue where the browser tab title would sometimes display the wrong screen name. When a user navigated to a Case, the browser tab title would show the correct ID and name of the Case, but when the user went back to the Cases list, the broswer tab title would not update. The browser tab title will now properly update for the screen you are viewing.

Knowledge

We fixed a bug where Users were periodically being logged out without any notification. We also added a confirmation modal to let Users know they have been logged out instead of just taken directly back to the login screen.

Journeys

We fixed an issue where a Task Action would periodically not start on the Journey timeline due bad formatting of the Due Date.

Virtual Assistants

We improved the performance, intent matching, and predication capabiltiies of the Virtual Assistants.

Reporting & Dashboards

We fixed an issue in Reports where the Status filter would display a numerical number rather than the actual name (string) of the status selected by the user.

Admin & Settings

We fixed an issue where Tags and Category dropdowns were not always populating when using them for conditional logic in Layouts.

Alan Finlay

Updates & Bug Fixes

Release Date: 08/06/24:

CX Manager

• We improved the processing performance of our email IMAP integrations.
• We moved our core application to new load balancers to enhance performance and resiliency.
• We fixed a bug that was causing the names on some dialog modals were being cut off.
• We fixed an issue where the list of files in the Case panel of the CX Manager screen did not properly scroll when the files went past the bottom of the screen.
• We fixed an issue where email history in certain email clients was displaying ‘Boomtown’ instead of the customer’s name when showing who wrote the previous emails.

Knowledge

• We fixed an issue where Articles were sometimes not rendering inside the Solutions panel on the CX Manager screen due to increased security restrictions. All Articles will now properly load in the Solutions panel.

Journeys

We launched our new journey builder that introduces a new canvas for more flexible and dynamic journeys. You can read the full release notes here.

Connectors

We released an updated Salesforce Managed Package with improved permission sets and improved load times. You can read the full release notes here.

Virtual Assistants

We improved the performance of training large virtual assistants.

Reporting & Dashboards

We fixed a bug where the value in the MID field in Reports was not showing for the latest Case on each Location.

Admin & Settings

We improved the load performance of the Teams page in settings as well as loading any object that relates to Teams (e.g. a Location or a Case).

Security

We improved security on hosted screens (such as forms) with enhanced content security policies.

Alan Finlay

Salesforce v2.5 Release Notes

We are excited to announce the latest release of our OvationCXM Salesforce Application v2.5, packed with new features and improvements.

We are pleased to share with you some of the key updates included in this release:

Fixed Issues:

• Resolved a bug where workflow rules were throwing a validation error when a read-only field was mapped from OvationCXM to Salesforce.
• Fixed an issue with data matching using OvationCXM’s external ID field.
• Corrected a bug where admins did not have permission for all configuration tabs when the package was installed only for administrators.
• Addressed a problem where users with admin permission sets were unable to delete workflow rules and log errors.

New Features and Improvements:

• Added a new minimal user permission set with permissions within Account, Contact, and Case objects.
• Renamed OvationCXM Permission sets within Salesforce to represent the associated package name.
• Improved page load times for the package configuration and settings.
• Enhanced load times for the picklist mapper.
• Added APEX class permissions to the respective permission sets.
• User experience updates for the package administrator.

You can update the package from AppExchange to take advantage of these new features and improvements.

Prayas Tiwari

Customer Journey Orchestration - New Journey Builder

You can now create more dynamic, personalized Customer Journeys more easily with the release of our new Customer Journey Builder! This update empowers you with a brand new interface and powerful functionality.

The centerpiece is the all-new canvas screen, an interactive workspace that allows you to:

• Visually map customer journeys: Enhanced drag-and-drop journey elements to create a clear visual representation of your customer's touchpoints alongside your internal processes.
• Design dynamic experiences: Trigger conditional actions and content based on real-time customer data like profile information, behavior, and previous journey interactions.
• Seamlessly orchestrate across systems: Connect your journeys with third party systems and platforms you use, breaking down silos and ensuring a unified customer experience.

Benefits of the new Journey Builder:

• Greater Journey customization: Craft journeys that adapt to individual customer needs, leading to more relevant and engaging experiences.
• Enhanced collaboration: The intuitive visual interface simplifies driving alignment between teams and departments involved in the customer journey.
• Easier and faster Journey building: Streamline the journey design process with a larger drag-and-drop building space for each Stage, saving you valuable time and resources.

Upcoming Features

Watch for new functionality over the coming weeks, too, including:

• Using context to guide journeys: save data received during a Journey and use it to influence the future Steps and Actions in a Journey.
• Personalized customer paths: define conditional logic within a Journey to create dynamic and personalized experiences for each customer.
• Selection & Wait Actions: manually make decisions during a journey and place pre-defined pauses or validations based on duration and field values.

Getting Started

The new Journey Builder will be rolled out automatically over the next two weeks. If you or your teams have any questions, please reach out to us. We would be happy to walk you through the latest set of updates.

Alan Finlay

ADA WCAG 2.1 Compliance

Releasing June 2024

We're excited to announce that our product is now fully compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at the AA level, following the guidelines set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This achievement signifies our commitment to providing an inclusive and accessible experience for all users, regardless of their abilities. This work applies to the Knowledge, Reports, Settings, and Messenger products.

What does this mean for you?

By achieving ADA WCAG 2.1 compliance, our product offers a variety of benefits for users with disabilities, including:

• Improved Color Contrast: Enhanced color contrast ensures text and graphics are clearly visible for users with low vision or color blindness.
• Enhanced Screen Reader Compatibility: Our product now seamlessly integrates with screen reader software, allowing users who are blind or visually impaired to navigate and interact with the content effectively.
• Optimized Keyboard Navigation: Full keyboard navigation allows users to access all features and functionalities without relying on a mouse. This is particularly helpful for individuals with motor impairments or who use assistive technologies.
• Clear and Concise Language: We've strived to use clear and concise language throughout the product, making it easier for users with cognitive disabilities to understand the information presented.

Benefits of ADA Compliance

Beyond its ethical importance, ADA compliance offers several advantages for your organization:

• Increased User Base: A more accessible product opens doors to a wider audience, potentially increasing your user base and customer satisfaction.
• Reduced Legal Risk: WCAG compliance helps mitigate potential legal risks associated with accessibility lawsuits.
• Enhanced Brand Reputation: Demonstrating a commitment to accessibility strengthens your brand image and positions you as a leader in inclusive design.

We believe that everyone deserves an equal opportunity to access and benefit from our product. This update reflects our ongoing dedication to creating a user-friendly and inclusive experience for all.

For any further questions regarding our ADA WACG 2.1 compliance, please don't hesitate to contact our support team.

Alan Finlay