Unica Deliver

The overriding strength of the HCL Unica suite continues to be the flexibility to process data from more or less any data source, allowing marketers to segment and target contacts with meaningful messages (offers) in both batch and real time. This allows organisations to integrate Unica with inbound and outbound channels to deliver an omni-channel experience. Leveraging a detailed contact history, responses from the channel can be attributed to treatments to provide a fully unified customer journey. The Unica Deliver module provides a seamless integration with SMS, WhatsApp, App Push and Email.

The release of the Unica Link module continues to make these channel integrations easier. Marketers are not locked into Unica Deliver for outbound communications. For outbound channels like email, the versatility of Unica allows organisations to integrate with any Email Service Provider (ESP). This can be done by transferring files via SFTP, leveraging Unica Link, or thanks to the shared IBM heritage, an integration to Acoustic Campaign, using a process box.

The challenge for connecting Unica Campaign to an outbound email channel is that response attribution for opens, clicks and bounces requires the channel to pass back treatment codes to match the response to the Unica contact history. The native Acoustic Campaign integration does part of this matching out of the box, but not completely. With other ESPs, the ability to pass back tracking codes for response attribution depends entirely on the capabilities of the channel. It is only Unica Deliver, that offers the ability to fully close the contact and response circle.

1. The target customers are uploaded from the Campaign flowchart to the Deliver Output List Table (OLT) via the Recipient List Uploader (RLU), containing the target email addresses and data to derive personalisation. Data is written to the Contact History tables in the Campaign System Tables.
2. Paired with the selected email template, the send is triggered or scheduled from Campaign
3. The messages are sent to the contact’s device
4. Responses are transferred via a queue, and pulled down to the Unica Platform via the Response and Contact Tracker
5. Response data is loaded directly to the Unica Campaign System Tables and used to update Contact & Response History tables, to be used in reporting or follow up communications

Unica Deliver

Marketers can assign offers to content in Unica Deliver, so responses can be attributed directly to the images or text in a message. Marketers can build dynamic and highly personalised content and compile complete response tracking data that feeds back into a single view of the customer, can determine follow up inbound or outbound communications, or simply provide reporting at a granular level.

Marketers access Unica Deliver via the Unica Platform, and while the Unica Campaign module is on-premise they can navigate to the cloud based Deliver interface with a few clicks. The advantage here is that HCL can release updates and enhancements to Deliver without the need to upgrade the Unica Platform. The email editor and quick builder, for example, are constantly being developed and new releases continue to be rolled out. Onboarding App Push, SMS or WhatsApp, can all be enabled without upgrading the Unica suite.

HCL Unica has been developed with flexibility in mind, and almost any data driven marketing use case can be achieved with the vast functionality that Unica offers. That versatility allows Unica to connect to a wider MarTech stack and an organisations ecosystem. Each integration comes with different challenges to provide a joined-up view of the customer journey. Unica Deliver reduces one of the most common obstacles for tracking contact and response history for outbound channels.

If you would like to learn more about Unica Deliver or the Unica suite please contact us.