In Spotler MailPro, it's possible to automatically import contacts from an external location, such as an SFTP. This can be done with the following steps:
- Define the details of your external location under Setup → External connection.
- Now you can set up an import scheme with the Contact-import scheduler which imports a file with a specific name from the chosen external connection according to a schedule.
- To e-mail the contacts directly after the scheduled imports, you can make an automation with the starting moment set to 'When a contact is added to the group'.
The Contact-import scheduler is not a standard part of Spotler MailPro. Are you interested in this functionality? Then please contact your account manager or mail to sales@spotler.com so that this functionality can be activated for you.
If you do not have your own SFTP-account, Spotler can offer such an environment as an additional paid service (through securesftp.webpower.eu).
Below, we describe a complete use case for setting up an external SFTP connection, adding a contact-importplanner and setting up a flow to send mailings.
Preparation
In this use case, the customer needs two things: an SFTP*-account and an activated feature: the contact-importplanner.
*(Secure File Transfer Protocol) is a protocol for file transfer that offers secure access to an external computer to enable safe communication.
Contacts are taken from an external SFTP-account, after which they can be imported in Spotler MailPro. If the customer does not have their own SFTP-account, Spotler can offer one as a paid service (through secureftp.webpower.eu).
Creating and testing an external connection
- Add a new connection under Setup → External connection → Insert:
- Next, fill in the details of the new external connection.
Now you can set up an SFTP-connection in various ways. For example, using a username and password or using a private key and passphrase: - Test the connection after saving the details.
If everything is set up correctly, you will see four green checkmarks in the bottom-right corner.
You can always manually test each connection you created.
Setting up scheduling with the contact-importplanner
- Under Data → Contact-import scheduler → Insert, add a new schedule.
- Now you can fill in the details of the new schedule.
Here, you can choose which external connection will be used and when a chosen file should be imported to which group:
Setting up the flow
If you want to trigger a mailing after each import, you can do so by making a new flow under Automation → Create flow:
Next, under 'when' you select the option 'As soon as a contact is added to the group':