This article is intended for new users of Dynamics 365 Customer Insights (Journeys) who are interested in learning the basics of this powerful marketing platform. We will include table definitions and links to helpful Microsoft Documentation.
Segments
Segments are groups of contacts or leads that are defined based on specific criteria such as demographics, behaviors, or purchase history.
In Customer Insights, segments allow you to target personalized communications to specific audiences. You can create dynamic segments that automatically update as customer data changes, ensuring that you're always reaching the most relevant group. For example, you can build segments for high-value customers, inactive users, or those who recently engaged with a marketing campaign.
Emails
Emails are digital messages sent to customers or leads as part of your marketing and communication strategy. They can be used for various purposes, including nurturing leads, delivering personalized content, or providing updates and promotions.
In Customer Insights (Journeys), emails play a crucial role in engaging with customers across their lifecycle. You can use email campaigns to drive customer engagement, build loyalty, and guide prospects through the sales funnel. Emails can be personalized based on customer data, including name, purchase history, or behavior, and can be automated within journeys to ensure timely delivery. By leveraging dynamic content, segmentation, and A/B testing, you can optimize email performance to improve open and conversion rates. Emails are also key touch-points for tracking customer interaction and gathering insights into campaign effectiveness.
Journeys
Journeys refer to the automated workflows that guide customers through a series of touch-points based on their actions or profile data.
With journeys, you can design customer experiences that evolve as customers interact with your brand. This could include sending a welcome email after a sign-up, followed by a reminder or special offer if no purchase is made. Journeys are flexible and can be customized to respond to different customer behaviors or events in real time, allowing for a more personalized engagement strategy.
Triggers
Triggers are specific conditions or actions taken by customers that automatically initiate a step in a customer journey or workflow.
In Customer Insights, triggers help automate interactions by reacting to customer behavior, such as completing a purchase, clicking a link in an email, or abandoning a shopping cart. Triggers are essential for real-time engagement, allowing marketers to deliver timely and relevant content to customers based on their interactions with the brand.
Forms
Forms are customizable data collection tools used to capture customer information, preferences, or feedback.
In Customer Insights, forms are essential for gathering data from website visitors, event attendees, or customers. They can be used in conjunction with journeys to trigger specific actions such as sending an email or creating a segment based on the information submitted. Forms help build richer customer profiles and drive deeper personalization for marketing activities.
Channels
A channel refers to the medium through which marketing communications are delivered to customers, such as email, SMS, or social media.
Customer Insights supports multiple communication channels, allowing for a multi-channel marketing strategy. Different customer segments may respond better to different channels, so journeys can be tailored to use the right channel for each audience. You have the ability to create custom channels, such as WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger.
Settings
The Settings area in Customer Insights (Journeys) is the control center where you manage configuration options, system preferences, and customizations that define how your marketing journeys and customer data are processed and handled.
In the Settings area, you can configure key features of Customer Insights, enabling deeper customization and ensuring that your system aligns with your organization's needs.
Customer Insights Interaction Glossary
Learn the definitions and equations for various interactions terms in Customer Insights - Journeys. For example, Email processed definition, Email click-to-open rate equation, or Email hard bounced definition.