Channel
Expedify's Channel module is your complete multi-channel customer engagement platform. Reach your audience across email, WhatsApp, SMS, voice, and chatbot with personalized campaigns, intelligent segmentation, and unified conversation management—all powered by deep CRM integration.
Channel empowers marketing and customer success teams to orchestrate campaigns across multiple channels, target audiences with precision, personalize at scale, automate engagement based on customer behavior, and measure impact through comprehensive analytics.
Core Components
Channel consists of eight integrated modules that work together to power your customer engagement strategy:
| Component | What It Does | Key Capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| Campaigns | Launch and manage multi-channel marketing campaigns | Email/SMS/WhatsApp campaigns, scheduling, A/B testing, triggered campaigns, recurring sends, performance tracking |
| Templates | Create/manage message templates with dynamic content | Visual email editor, merge tags, multi-language variants, conditional content blocks |
| Segments | Build targeted audiences using demographic, psychographic, and behavioral data | Static & dynamic segments, CRM filters, behavioral targeting, activity-based filters, cross-entity filtering |
| Assets | Centralized media library for all campaign assets | Image hosting, file storage, CDN delivery, organized folders, multi-format support (images, videos, documents) |
| WhatsApp Business API for template messaging and broadcasts | Approved templates, rich media (images, videos, PDFs), interactive buttons, quick replies, broadcast lists | |
| Voice | Click-to-call interface with call management and analytics | Outbound calling, call recording, live transcription, call history, call analytics, voice logs |
| Chatbot | Embeddable AI chatbot widget for websites | 24/7 customer support, lead capture, workflow integration, voice capabilities, customizable appearance, suggested questions |
| Inbox | Email inbox integration (Gmail, Outlook) | Email client integration, conversation management, team collaboration, shared inbox, response templates |
Supported Channels
Expedify supports five primary communication channels, each with unique strengths for different use cases:
| Channel | Best For | Typical Open Rate | Delivery Speed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detailed content, newsletters, nurture campaigns | 15-25% | Minutes | Low | |
| SMS | Urgent alerts, OTPs, appointment reminders | 90-98% | Seconds | Medium |
| Two-way conversations, rich media, international | 70-90% | Seconds | Medium-High | |
| Voice | High-touch outreach, surveys, complex support | 30-40% answer rate | Immediate | High |
| Chatbot | Website engagement, lead qualification, 24/7 support | 60-80% engagement rate | Instant | Low-Medium |
Channel Capabilities
Email:
- HTML templates with drag-and-drop builder
- Advanced personalization with merge tags
- A/B testing for subject lines and content
- Delivery tracking (opens, clicks, bounces)
- Unsubscribe and preference management
SMS:
- Bulk messaging to thousands of contacts
- High deliverability and open rates
- Link tracking and shortening
- Two-way messaging support
- Unicode support for international languages
WhatsApp Business:
- Template messages (require approval)
- Rich media (images, videos, documents, PDFs)
- Interactive buttons and quick replies
- Two-way conversational messaging
- Read receipts and delivery confirmation
Voice:
- AI-powered voice agents
- Outbound calling campaigns
- IVR (Interactive Voice Response)
- Call recording and transcription
- Real-time sentiment analysis
Chatbot:
- Embeddable widget for any website
- AI-powered conversations via workflows
- Customizable appearance (colors, branding, position)
- Suggested questions for easy navigation
- Voice input and voice call capabilities
- 24/7 automated customer support
- Lead capture and qualification
- CRM integration for visitor tracking
Key Features
Campaign Types & Triggers
1. One-Time Campaigns Send immediate or scheduled messages to a selected audience.
Use cases: Product launches, event promotions, announcements, flash sales
2. Triggered Campaigns Automatically send messages based on customer actions or events.
| Trigger Type | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Event-Based | Customer performs an action | Form submission, purchase completed, cart abandoned, download |
| Time-Based | Schedule recurring sends | Weekly newsletter, monthly digest, birthday wishes, anniversary emails |
| Segment Entry | Contact joins a segment | New VIP customer, high-value lead, churned user re-engagement |
| CRM Events | CRM entity changes | Deal won, deal lost, task completed, contact created, stage change |
| Workflow Triggers | Automation workflows | Multi-step nurture flows, onboarding sequences, drip campaigns |
3. Recurring Campaigns Schedule campaigns to repeat automatically at regular intervals (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly).
Audience Segmentation
Build precise, dynamic audiences that automatically update based on real-time data:
CRM-Based Filters:
- Contact properties: Name, email, phone, location, tags, custom fields
- Company data: Industry, size, revenue, location
- Deal data: Pipeline, stage, value, close date, probability
- Task data: Status, due date, assignee, priority
Behavioral Filters:
- Email engagement: Opens, clicks, specific campaign interactions
- Website activity: Page visits, time on site, referral source
- Form submissions: Which forms, submission date
- Purchase history: Products bought, order value, frequency
Activity Filters:
- Campaign responses: Clicked, opened, replied, converted
- Workflow executions: Completed workflows, current step
- Event tracking: Custom events, event properties
- Engagement scoring: Lead score, engagement level
Advanced Targeting:
- AND/OR logic: Combine multiple conditions
- Nested groups: Complex filter hierarchies
- Segment membership: Include/exclude other segments
- Date-based filters: Relative dates (last 30 days) or absolute dates
- Control groups: Hold out percentage for testing
- Frequency capping: Limit messages per contact per time period
- Suppression lists: Exclude specific contacts or segments
Message Personalization
Dynamic Content Insertion:
- Merge tags:
{{contact.first_name}},{{company.industry}},{{deal.value}} - Conditional blocks: Show/hide content based on contact properties
- Custom variables: Pass data from workflows or external sources
- Fallback values: Default text when field is empty
Template Personalization:
- Multi-language templates: Auto-select based on contact language
- Dynamic images: Personalized product recommendations
- Conditional CTAs: Different buttons based on contact segment
- Location-based content: Timezone-aware send times, regional offers
A/B Testing:
- Subject line testing: Test up to 3 variants
- Content testing: Test different email designs or message copy
- Send time optimization: Find optimal delivery time
- CTA testing: Test button copy, color, placement
- Automatic winner selection: Based on open rate, click rate, or conversions
Analytics & Performance Tracking
Campaign Metrics:
| Metric Category | What We Track |
|---|---|
| Delivery | Sent, delivered, bounced (hard/soft), failed, queued |
| Engagement | Opens, unique opens, clicks, unique clicks, click-to-open rate |
| Responses | Replies, unsubscribes, spam complaints, list-unsubscribe |
| Conversions | Goal completions, revenue attributed, ROI, conversion rate |
| Timing | Best send time, engagement by hour/day, time to open/click |
Real-Time Dashboards:
- Live campaign performance monitoring
- Delivery progress tracking
- Engagement heatmaps (by time/location)
- Comparative campaign analytics
- Cohort analysis and trends
Export & Reporting:
- Export data to CSV/Excel
- Custom date range selection
- Scheduled email reports
- API access to metrics
Integration with CRM
Channel is deeply integrated with Expedify's CRM, creating a bidirectional data flow that powers intelligent engagement.
CRM → Channel (Targeting)
Use CRM data to build segments:
Example: Target enterprise customers in tech industry
Filters:
- Company.industry = "Technology"
- Company.size = "Enterprise"
- Deal.stage IN ["Proposal", "Negotiation"]
- Contact.job_title CONTAINS "VP" OR "Director"
Result: Dynamic segment of 847 contacts that updates automatically
Available CRM Data:
- All contact fields (standard + custom)
- Company fields and properties
- Deal pipeline and stage information
- Task status and assignments
- Custom module data (My Space)
- Activity history and timeline events
Channel → CRM (Activity Tracking)
Every engagement automatically logged:
| Channel Action | CRM Impact |
|---|---|
| Campaign sent | Activity created on contact timeline |
| Email opened | "Email Opened" event logged, engagement score +2 |
| Link clicked | "Email Clicked" event logged, engagement score +5, URL tracked |
| Email replied | Conversation created in Inbox, owner notified |
| Unsubscribed | Contact preference updated, excluded from future campaigns |
| Converted (goal) | Deal/revenue attributed to campaign, ROI calculated |
Engagement Scoring: Channel actions automatically update contact engagement scores:
- Email sent: +1 point
- Email opened: +2 points
- Link clicked: +5 points
- Replied to email: +10 points
- Converted (goal): +25 points
Example Engagement Flow:
Step 1: Contact enters "High-Value Prospect" segment
└─ Trigger: Company revenue > $5M added to CRM
Step 2: Welcome email campaign triggered automatically
└─ Activity: "Welcome Campaign Sent" on timeline
Step 3: Contact opens email within 2 hours
└─ Engagement score increases from 0 → 2
└─ Tag "Email Engaged" added automatically
Step 4: Contact clicks pricing page link
└─ Engagement score increases to 7
└─ Workflow triggered: "Assign to sales rep"
└─ Task created: "Follow up on pricing interest"
Step 5: Sales rep replies via Inbox
└─ Conversation linked to contact
└─ Deal created automatically
Step 6: Deal marked as won
└─ Revenue attributed to original campaign
└─ Campaign ROI: $50,000 revenue / $10 campaign cost = 5000% ROI
Getting Started
Prerequisites
1. Connect Your Channel Integrations
Navigate to Settings → Integrations and connect your channel providers:
| Channel | Integration Type | Popular Providers |
|---|---|---|
| Email Service Provider (ESP) | Resend, SendGrid, Gmail, SMTP | |
| SMS | SMS Gateway | Fast2SMS, Twilio, Msg91, Vonage |
| WhatsApp Business API | Meta Cloud API, Gupshup, WATI, Tata Tele, AiSensy | |
| Voice | Voice Provider | Vobiz, TataTele, Exotel, Twilio |
2. Import Your Contacts
Ensure you have contacts in your CRM before creating campaigns:
- Import from CSV: Upload contact lists
- Sync from integrations: Google Contacts, Mautic, HubSpot
- Capture via forms: Website forms, landing pages
- API import: Bulk import via API
- Manual entry: Add contacts one by one
Launch Your First Campaign (5-Minute Guide)
Step 1: Create a Template (2 min)
- Go to Channel → Templates
- Click + New Template
- Select channel (Email recommended for first campaign)
- Design your message:
- Add subject line
- Use merge tags:
Hi {{contact.first_name}} - Add call-to-action button
- Save template
Step 2: Build a Segment (1 min)
- Navigate to Channel → Segments
- Click + New Segment
- Add filter: "Email is not empty"
- (Optional) Add more filters to narrow audience
- Preview segment size
- Save segment
Step 3: Create & Launch Campaign (2 min)
- Go to Channel → Campaigns
- Click + New Campaign
- Configure:
- Channel: Email
- Segment: Select your segment
- Template: Select your template
- From name: Your company name
- From email: Your email address
- Preview to test
- Send now or Schedule
Step 4: Monitor Results
- View real-time delivery in campaign dashboard
- Track opens and clicks
- Review engagement by hour/day
- Identify top-performing content
Best Practices
Campaign Frequency
- B2B: 2-3 emails per week maximum
- B2C: 3-5 emails per week (higher tolerance)
- Transactional: No limit (order confirmations, receipts)
- Set frequency caps: Max 1 promotional email per day per contact
Optimal Send Times
| Industry | Best Day | Best Time (Local) |
|---|---|---|
| B2B | Tuesday-Thursday | 9-11 AM |
| E-commerce | Sunday-Monday | 8-10 AM, 7-9 PM |
| Media/Content | Monday, Friday | 6-8 AM |
| Nonprofit | Tuesday, Thursday | 12-1 PM |
Pro tip: Use A/B testing to find YOUR audience's optimal time
Content Guidelines
Email:
- Subject line: 40-50 characters (mobile preview)
- Preheader text: 85-100 characters
- One primary CTA per email
- Mobile-responsive design (60% of opens are mobile)
- Alt text for images (for accessibility and when images are blocked)
SMS:
- Keep under 160 characters per message segment
- Include brand name
- Clear opt-out instructions: "Reply STOP to unsubscribe"
- Use shortened, trackable links
WhatsApp:
- Get explicit opt-in consent before messaging
- Use approved templates for marketing messages
- Personalize with first name at minimum
- Respond to customer messages within 24 hours
Voice:
- Script should be conversational, not robotic
- Keep AI agent responses under 30 seconds
- Offer clear next steps or call-to-action
- Allow interruptions (don't monopolize conversation)
Chatbot:
- Keep welcome message friendly and concise
- Provide 3-5 suggested questions for easy start
- Keep AI responses under 100 words per message
- Offer human escalation option for complex queries
- Customize colors and branding to match website
- Test widget on mobile devices (60% of traffic)
- Use workflows for complex conversation logic
Deliverability Best Practices
Email Deliverability:
- ✅ Authenticate your domain (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
- ✅ Warm up new sending domains (start with 50 emails/day, increase gradually)
- ✅ Clean your list regularly (remove bounces, inactive contacts)
- ✅ Monitor spam complaint rate (keep below 0.1%)
- ✅ Avoid spam trigger words ("free", "guarantee", excessive "!!!")
- ✅ Include physical mailing address (required by CAN-SPAM)
- ✅ Make unsubscribe easy (one-click preferred)
SMS Deliverability:
- Register sender ID with carriers
- Avoid URL shorteners (use branded domain)
- Don't send between 9 PM - 8 AM local time
- Keep messages conversational, not salesy
WhatsApp Compliance:
- Only message users who opted in
- Use template messages for marketing (must be pre-approved)
- Include business name clearly
- Don't spam - max 1 message per 24 hours unless replying
Troubleshooting
Common Issues & Solutions
Problem: Campaign not sending
Checklist:
- ✅ Is integration connected and active?
- ✅ Does segment have contacts? (Check segment preview)
- ✅ Is template approved? (Required for WhatsApp)
- ✅ Do you have sufficient email credits or SMS quota?
- ✅ Is campaign status "Scheduled" or "Draft"? (Change to "Send Now")
- ✅ Check for error messages in campaign log
Problem: Low open rates (below 10% for email)
Likely causes:
- Subject line not compelling or misleading
- Sender name/email unfamiliar to recipients
- Sent at wrong time (check timezone!)
- List quality poor (old, inactive, purchased lists)
- Emails going to spam folder (check deliverability)
Solutions:
- A/B test subject lines
- Use recognizable "From" name
- Send at optimal time (use "Send Time Optimization")
- Clean list: remove unengaged contacts (no opens in 6 months)
- Check spam score before sending
Problem: High bounce rate (above 5%)
Causes:
- Invalid email addresses in segment
- Old, inactive contact lists
- Domain authentication issues
Solutions:
- Validate email addresses before import
- Remove hard bounces immediately
- Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records
- Re-engage inactive contacts before removing
Problem: Messages going to spam
Root causes:
- Domain not authenticated
- High spam complaint rate
- Poor list quality (spam traps, honeypots)
- Spam trigger words in content
Solutions:
- Set up SPF, DKIM, DMARC authentication
- Review spam complaints - why are users marking as spam?
- Implement double opt-in for new subscribers
- Use spam checker tool before sending
- Avoid all-caps, excessive punctuation, spam words
- Include clear unsubscribe link at bottom
Problem: WhatsApp templates rejected
Common reasons:
- Template violates Meta's commerce policy
- Contains prohibited content (crypto, financial advice, etc.)
- Uses variable parameters incorrectly
- Missing opt-out language
Solutions:
- Review Meta's template guidelines
- Keep templates generic, avoid specific offers in template itself
- Use clear, conversational language
- Include opt-out instructions
Next Steps
📚 Step-by-Step Guides:
- Creating Email Templates - Design beautiful, responsive emails
- Building Segments - Target the right audience
- Launching Campaigns - Send your first campaign
- Using the Inbox - Manage conversations
- WhatsApp Templates - Set up WhatsApp messaging
- Voice Calls - Configure AI voice agents
🔗 Related Features:
- Automation Workflows - Trigger campaigns from workflows
- CRM - Manage contacts, companies, and deals
- Analytics - Advanced campaign analytics
- Integrations - Connect channel providers
- API Reference - Programmatic campaign management
💡 Advanced Topics:
- Dynamic content and conditional blocks
- Lifecycle marketing campaigns
- Lead scoring and engagement tracking
- Multi-touch attribution
- Campaign automation with workflows