Hello! Today we noticed an unusual issue on only some users' emails.
I know that Wordfly automatically applies an email source number if tracking is enabled. However, today some users found this source applied in their cart as a promo code. I have never seen this happen before unless we specifically embed it in the link - in which case we know to turn off source tracking.
The weird thing is this is not happening for all of us. Only some staff members. We're unsure if it's happening for patrons or not.
I want to reiterate that I do understand that source numbers and promo codes are the same thing, and the source is applied when the email is sent. But it is unusual today that we're seeing this applied in the cart as a promo. We really feel we would have noticed this over the past 2 years, as it would have affected various promotions and modes of sale.
Any thoughts on this? Thank you!!
Hi Jean -
Do you have examples of what the link was that the staff members clicked? You should be able to see the WordFly emails sent to a patron via Custom Screen on their constituent record.
Does that link look any different from someone who didn't have the promo code applied? Or different from ones in the past? If you don't see anything immediately I would recommend opening a ticket with us at Tessitura and we can see if we can help coordinate support with WordFly and track down the issue.
Hi Heather! We're not able to see this from the Email screen, because the tracking is applied after the email is sent, by Wordfly. And the links in question do not have embedded promo codes.
I can confirm we did not do anything different today in our sending than we have in the past. But this is the first time some internal staff members noticed the "promo code 2008" (or whatever source number) in the TNEW screen after following a link.
The one I received in my inbox: https://secure.mayoarts.org/17443/17557?utm_source=wordfly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=February2023FamilyHighlights&utm_content=version_A&promo=
Some staff members received this one, which includes the source number of the extraction: https://secure.mayoarts.org/17443/17557?utm_source=wordfly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=February2023FamilyHighlights&utm_content=version_A&promo=2013
It's the below that is the unexpected, that to the right it says Promo Code 2013. In the past, we have only seen this in the cart when we actively embedded the promo link. I do not believe this has been the behavior of all of our TNEW links in the past, or it would have been noticed. (And yes we do track all of our TNEW emails!)
Hi Jean!I wonder if someone assigned a SourceNumber to your Wordfly account's Default Test List and that is what's being appended. Is the promo code in your cart the same promo code you used for a past promotion?
I ran into a similar issue a few months ago. I got the seed list version of the email, so Wordfly pulled in the source code that I had set to my account to test a different email a few weeks prior. support.wordfly.com/.../204767744-Guide-to-testing
Thanks Jean - this is exactly the sort of information I was looking for. It sounds like, from a first initial look that starting with WordFly on this one in a support ticket would be the correct step, since the creation of the link (with or without promo code) happens on their system. I was about to mention that perhaps since it is staff getting it, someone might have seeded their account, but Angie beat me to the punch! If her suggestion does not play out, then please do start a support ticket with WordFly and we'll add some extra brains to the mix.
Cheers,
Heather
Hi! I do think we have determined that those of us on the seed list are the ones who did not receive the promo code.
The promo code number that’s being applied is the source number of the extraction. So I do understand the tracking part, and what number is in the link.
The unexpected behavior is that it appears on the TNEW page and is applied to the cart, even without explicitly embedding a promo code. What is confusing to us is no one has ever noticed and/or commented on this before today. Did something change? Or did we somehow just never notice this? (In which case I feel like a crazy person, ha!).
If this IS what always happens- then when a patron clicks on a TNEW link and there are any promo codes to apply, a patron would need to know to un-check the promo/source number before applying their code. When we send a direct offer, we embed a link, turn off source tracking and it’s not a problem. But we have other promo codes a person might apply without receiving an embedded link (student discounts, AAA, etc).
Hi all! Thanks for talking through this with me. I have confirmed that the reason a few of us do not ever see promo/source numbers applied is because we're on the seed list. So that solves that mystery!I still remain puzzled how this only came to staff members' attention yesterday - we've been on Wordfly since 2021! But I suppose sometimes something just catches your eye in an unusual way. So, now that I understand this process fully, I guess I'm wondering what other people do. I still think it looks very odd and potentially confusing to patrons to have "Promo Code 2013" on their TNEW page, even if there's not an offer involved. But I don't suppose there's any way around this except not applying source tracking at all? Curious how others handle this in your standard operating procedure.
This is a long-standing annoyance of mine with WF/TNEW. The best I can tell you is to invest some resources into getting Google Analytics set up, which is more reliable method of attributing revenue to efforts.