VerticalResponse for AppExchange Blog

Switch to Our Enhanced Email Creation Tools by March 3rd

Hi! I'm Bryan, a product manager here at  VerticalResponse. I've been working to phase-in our enhanced email creation tools and retire our original editors since March 2010. If you're a new customer, you might not notice this change because you're probably already using the enhanced email editors. But if you've been with VR for AppExchange for a while, you may be aware of the change and this blog post is especially for you.

How do I know if I’m using an enhanced or original editor? We’ve been transitioning  to the enhanced email editors for the past 10 months and now over 90% of our campaigns are being sent using these editors. So, if you’re still using one of the original email editors, you’ll see the following warning message at the top of every page while creating your email.

Also, there’s a difference between how the original and enhanced editors look:

First, the Original Wizard editor looks like this:

And the Enhanced Wizard editor looks like this:

 

So you may be wondering when the original editors will finally be laid to rest? They will officially retire on March 3, 2011.

What does that mean if I am still using the original email editors? On March 3, new emails will no longer be created or sent using the original editors. However, any emails created before retirement, created using the original editors, or saved in Drafts, will be available in original editors until they're launched.

In other words, if you have a draft email message that was created using the original editors, you'll still be able to edit and launch it using the original tools. But once that email is launched you won't have access to the original email editors again - unless you have other draft emails. Also, when you copy an original-style email, it will copy to the enhanced editors.

I like using the Freeform HTML editor, is that going away? Only the original version of each editor is being retired and replaced with an enhanced version. So, each of the original editor types, the Wizard, Canvas, Freeform HTML and Text, have their counterparts with the enhanced editors. So, you’ll be able to find and select the editor that you’re familiar with. For example, if the Freeform HTML editor is your longtime preference, you’ll be able to continue using the enhanced version of that editor after the original version is retired.

Why are the original editors being retired? The main reason is to better serve you, our customers, and this is done in two ways. First, we believe the enhanced email editors are better than the original ones. We’ve improved their ease-of-use and reduced the amount of time and effort it takes to create and launch an email campaign. Second, we’ve updated the underlying technology so they’re more stable and allow us to add new features and enhancements faster than in the past. These changes were inspired by customer feedback and validated every step of the way with user feedback. The goal is to help you send messages to your customers quickly and easily.

Where can I go for help? If you need help, we have heaps of information and resources available to help you:

• Use our How to Do Everything - Email Creation page
• Attend a free demo - Using VerticalResponse for SalesForce - our Training & Education manager will walk you through step-by-step and answer your questions.
• Contact our knowledgeable Customer Support team - we're here 7 days a week to save the day

Related Posts:

AppEx Tip: Need Some Elbow Room to Build Your Emails

How to Make the Best Use of An Email Signature

VerticalResponse Goes Live on AppExchange 2

We're reporting live from Salesforce's "Cloudforce2" event in New York City.  Just this morning, CEO Marc Benioff rolled out a big announcement.  "We are opening doors today," he said. And with that, they opened the door to the AppExchange 2.

In addition to the new ChatterExchange category, AppExchange 2 has also added Aloha Apps, the new unlimited App category from salesforce.com. Aloha Apps don’t count against your system limits for Apps, tabs, and objects—no matter which salesforce.com edition you’re using--including Group Edition!

VerticalResponse is happy and proud to be chosen as an Aloha App for this debut. This means the power of VerticalResponse is now available to more people. And, if you've ever been constrained by your system limits, you can now install and use our App in conjunction with any number of Aloha Apps.  With more than 500 to choose from, you’re in for an “all-you-can-app” experience. More apps plus more access equals more success.

If you haven't installed VerticalResponse for AppExchange, try it today.  Send 500 free messages when you sign up for a free trial.

• VerticalResponse for AppExchange - for Professional, Enterprise and Unlimited edition users

• VerticalResponse for Group Edition - for Group Edition users

Salesforce to Salesforce

Salesforce's new announcement Salesforce to Salesforce (S2S...Yay! Another made up acronym.) just came out last week and it's a doozy...in a good way I think.

What can you do with it? If you've got partners (don't think about Salesforce Partners on this one) that need your leads or access to all or parts of your data, much like the way Facebook works you can grant them access immediately.

You can also track what your partners are doing with the information you give them since really "both" of you now have access to the record.

Who it might be good for? I was brainstorming and I came up with a few.

• If you have resellers of your product you can assign them leads so they can work and close them.
• If you outsource telemarketing and have them calling on contacts or leads for you and need a seamless way to get them your information.
• If you are needing to ship products, you can assign contacts to your shipper.

Bottom line? I think that there might be some privacy issues here depending on a company privacy policy, but if the rules are met, it's interesting. Oh and both companies need to be on Salesforce to establish "connections" and each connection is $100. Good customer acquisition technique ;-)

--JP