Read Mode: Configure Sent Message Format

In Mapp Engage, you can interact with your contacts through email, SMS, and mobile push.

Read Mode​

The ​Read Mode defines which message format is sent to the receiver.

Example: If a message is created in the ​SMS​ and ​Email (Text)​ formats, recipients with ​Read Mode​ preferences set to ​SMS​ receive the message as an SMS. Recipients with ​Read Mode​ preferences set to ​Email (Text)​ automatically receive the Email (Text) version of the message.

In addition to the message formats created directly on the Mapp Engage user interface, the ​Read Mode​ settings provide two additional options: ​Online​ and ​Emails (Multipart)​. Both formats are generated automatically from the specified format.

The following message formats can be selected as the ​Read Mode​:

• Email (HTML): An HTML email offers design elements, such as images, different fonts, colors etc., in addition to text.

• Email (Text): A text email contains only plain text. This format displays correctly even when a recipient's security settings restrict images and HTML.

• Email (Multipart): A multipart email is sent when both text and HTML versions of the email are available. There is no input form for multipart-emails; they are constructed by the system from the text and html version of the email. Multipart messages include two or more formats. This ensures that the message always displays correctly, without the need for complicated layouts. Mapp Engage sends multipart emails whenever possible because they ensure optimal inbox representation.

• SMS: This read mode is only available when ​SMS​ sendout for the Mapp Engage system is enabled.

• Online: This read mode supports a function no longer commonly available in Mapp Engage. Previously, discussion groups could be conducted through Mapp Engage. Message recipients had their own access to the Mapp Engage system and could read messages there. Currently, this read mode is commonly used to temporarily suspend message delivery.

Read mode for groups and recipients​

Read modes can be set for a single recipient or an entire group. Only the preference for ​Email, ​Mobile Push,​ or ​SMS​ can be specified for a group. Considerably more detailed settings can be defined for individual recipients. Formats can be explicitly prohibited or preferred. The read-online mode is adjustable only based on the recipient's settings.

The following Read Mode settings are available for recipients:

• Allow: The format is explicitly permitted as a read mode.

• Deny: The format is prohibited, a message in this format will never be sent to this recipient.

• Prefer: Indicates the desired format. If the message is available in several formats, this format is selected.

• None: The message is provided in online read mode. No message is sent. The email can be accessed online in the associated system's inbox. Mapp Engage is no longer supporting these mailboxes. The format is used only to interrupt email delivery.

• Any: All message formats can be sent to the recipient.

Specifying which formats a single recipient would like to receive is achieved by importing the appropriate information (see XML Format and CSV Format).

The primary objective of Mapp Engage as a marketing tool is message sendout. So long as a format (read mode) is not explicitly prohibited, Mapp Engage attempts to send a message to the recipient regardless of the message format.

Preferred format for groups

Setting which format a group prefers is done in the group settings (see ​Sendout Options (tab)​). A group does not prohibit any particular sendout format, rather it helps determine which format should be sent. For this reason, group settings can only specify which format is preferred. No distinction is made between html, text and multipart email messages.

In general, the group settings for the read mode only apply if no settings were entered for the individual recipient or if the existing settings are not clear enough about which message format should be sent to the recipient.

Sent format, when neither the group settings nor the recipient settings specify a clear format preference

When the read mode and resulting message format can not be determined from the group or recipient settings, Mapp Engage follows an internal sequence to determine which format to should be sent to the recipient.

The following sequence is only valid when format specifications from both the group and recipient settings are ambiguous:

1. Email-multipart: The message must be in HTML and text format to be sent as a multipart message.

2. Email-HTML: Messages sent as HTML emails are sent only in HTML format. SMS and Mobile Push formats may be present.

3. Email-text: To send text emails, the message is only sent in e-mail text format. SMS and Mobile Push formats may be present.

4. SMS: In SMS sendouts only the SMS format is available.

Overall, the format in which the message was created is pivotal.

Message Format and Read Mode​

Here are examples of how message format and read mode influence each other. For simplicity's sake, the mobile push and online formats are omitted in the following examples. The online format is only used a few very special cases.

A message format is preferred by a recipient

The recipient chooses a message format preference (in this case, SMS). The group has a different format preference (for this example, email). Both formats are included. Individual recipients get the format they prefer. This recipient receives the SMS, in other words the message format he prefers.

The recipient does not have a definitely preferred format - the group has a preferred message format

Since the recipient accepts all message formats he does not have a particular preferred format. In the group settings there is a format preference (in this example, email). An email is normally sent in this case. Because both formats (HTML and multipart) were created, the recipient receives a multipart email.

Multipart emails are created automatically when text and html emails are sent.

The recipient and the group prefer different formats

The recipient has chosen a format preference. In this case, email-HTML, however the preferred format of the group is SMS. Since the group settings are only referred to when it is impossible to determine a clear recipient preference, a html email is sent.

The recipient's preference for an email format is not detected

The recipient prefers email-text format. However, the email-HTML format is sent. Because the Mapp Engage system prefers emails over SMS, the recipient is sent an HTML email, so long as the recipient has not explicitly prohibited the email-HTML format.