VerticalResponse Product Blog

Original Email Editors To Retire in March

Hi! I'm Bryan, a product manager here at VerticalResponse. I've been working to phase-in our enhanced email editors 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 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 Upgrade page
• Attend a free demo - Using the New Tools in Your VR Account - 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:

New Image Editing Features

Updates to the New Email Wizard

New Feedback Feature Launched!

There are lots of things we consider when deciding what new software releases to work on, but none are more important than your feedback. While we’ve always taken your requests through our customer service reps and on Twitter, we've been looking for ways to make it easier for you to tell us what you think. That’s why we’re excited to share the details of our new feedback system, VerticalResponse Ideas, powered by our friends at Ideaffect.

How Do I Share My Feedback?

You may have noticed a new Feedback tab popping up on the right hand side of your browser window when you are logged into your VerticalResponse account.

 

 

Anywhere within your VerticalResponse account you can instantly click on Feedback to submit several types of feedback: Suggestions, Bugs, Questions or Ratings.

 

You can submit ratings for specific pages within VerticalResponse, report bugs or problems you’ve found, or ask VR support your questions right within the pop-up window. As you submit questions, ratings, or problems, try to submit your email address as well; this will help us reach out to you if it’s appropriate and offer some assistance.

If you want to make a suggestion, click on “Go to Feedback Community” and sign-in. The first time you do this, you’ll need to create a profile on the VerticalResponse Ideas site. Once you’re there, you can make a suggestion, comment on other user’s suggestions, and vote for the suggestions you like the most.

 

 

Based on your feedback, we will prioritize ideas for future software releases. As that happens, you’ll see ideas show up under “Ideas in Progress” and then “Completed” once they are released.

Why Should I Send Feedback?

You should submit your feedback because:

• We care about your VerticalResponse experience
• You can help us discover things we didn’t know you wanted

We hope the new Feedback system will keep us in the loop as you have thoughts about how the VerticalResponse system can better fit your needs. We also really value the chance to help you out, so if you encounter any problems as you use VerticalResponse, let us know!

The Results are In! New Email Design Winners' Templates in Your VR Account

We hope that you checked out and voted during the Email Template Design Challenge in January. The purpose was to highlight the awesome skills of up-and-coming email designers, and get some great new templates in your VR account to use for your email marketing.

Heaps of templates were submitted, we narrowed it down to the top eight, and you voted.

The top three winning templates are now in your VR account. Go to the Templates of the Month category to get started with one of these new templates today. And, stay posted because we'll introduce the other top five templates from the contest in upcoming months.

The winners are...

Third Place: Grey Sky by Dominique Elkind (winner of a $500 Apple gift card)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Second Place: Hand Drawn Notebook by Tom Oddo (winner of a $1,000 Apple gift card)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First Place: Blue Burst by Barbara Holland (winner of a $2,500 Apple gift card)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Congrats to all the winners, and thanks to everyone who participated!