Hammy's 2020 In Retrospect

• 16.12.2020. 11AM
• Fülöp Péter

This post is also available in:   Hungarian

Closing the year in the blog we aim at summarising the more significant developments of the 2020 and set out to answer the question: can 2020 be rightfully considered the year of Hammy?

We can bravely assert that 2020 has been the year of Hammy.

Significant new features have been added to the solution such as the Visual Drag&Drop HTML Editor, sending encrypted e-mail and managing customer declarations remotely. In addition we have started our webinar series, launched this blog on hammy3.com and vamped up our presence on social media. The software-as-a-service (SaaS) version of Hammy has been launched, dubbed Hammy Direct.

Our development team will push relentlessly into 2021, focusing on renewing marketing functionality, which is scheduled to arrive in Q1. But let us not jump too far ahead. Rather, let us take a look at highlighted results from 2020, with a preview of things to come in 2021, topic by topic.

Hammy Visual Editor (Drag & Drop HTML Editor)

In a recent webinar we presented our most significant development of 2020, the Hammy Visual Editor. This feature enables users to create fully customisable rich content for existing or potential customers. Creating such content for campaigns or messages is realised via a simple but effective WYSIWYG HTML editor. A video presentation.of this has been added as well.

Presently we continze to perfect the editor so that the very same result is attained in any e-mail client on any platform. Going forward, adding dynamic data wil be simplified, a conditional insert feature will be added and the built-in component set will be expanded.

Generating PDFs based on DOCX

One of the main features of output management by Hammy is creating PDFs based on DOCX, which has matured fully in 2020. This enables the creation of personalised printable documents.

In the DOCX template (just like in e-mails) dynamic data can be used along with looping, branching and lists – all in a freely defined structure. The DOCX template can be built from fragments, just like it is customary in the case of other communication templates.

A maintenance and approval workflow of the process is provided on an administrator’s interface. At the time of sending the e-mail, PDFs are generated by default and they can be digitally signed, time-stamped encrypted and added as at attachment to the message. In addition, generating the PDF can be initiated as a service (in SOAP XML, JSON and JSON API format via HTTP or queue). As a result, generating large volumes of PDF documents is facilitated.

2021 plans include further sophistication of the template creation and approval process on the Hammy Admin interface.

Sending encrypted e-mail

In 2017, guidelines have been issued by the Hungarian National Bank concerning the protection of sensitive customer data, throughout the data management lifecycle. Best practices corresponding to the guideline soon emerged. One such example is providing access to protected messages with protected content via a secure customer mailbox operated by the institution (e.g. the insurance company), secured by password protection or other means. Another way also corresponding to the regulator policy is encoding the content (i.e. the PDF document) containing sensitive data using a password known to the customer.

Nevertheless, both of the above methodologies have their shortcomings. The earlier requires a complex registration process to be carried out by the customer in order to access their messages via the portal. In the case of the latter, the institution may not possess the data required to generate a suitable protective password for the PDF.

We have implemented an e-mail encryption methodology which is a combination of both solutions. It does not require a complex multi-step registration, rather the customer sets their password at the time of first access. This solution has proven to be very popular with our customers and was used for sending millions of messages in 2020.

The content sent to customers (e-mail body as well as attachments) is encrypted using a unique key. The customer received this encrypted message in their usual mailbox. This solution provides a high level of security as the institution does not store the encrpyted content and cannot even decode the sent message without the participation of the customer.

Describing the full process is beyond the limitations of the present post, but our colleagues are happy to consult you about the details. Feel free to get in touch with us.

Further options of the encryption process still exist which we would like to explore in 2021. These include an integration with Google Analytics and a Javascript preparation for the content viewing page.. 

Regulating message traffic

Batch sending is an already known feature of Hammy Digital Direct Marketing (DDM). It enables the setting of sending volumes and corresponding schedules in a campaign. This functionality has now been extended generically, to all messages, across all channels. (Not just DDM.) The regulation of batch sending is aimed at avoiding sending messages to too many customers at the same time, which could result in a customer service overload. 

Regulating traffic can be based on templated, template groups or at a global solution level. There are two parameters which can be set: sending time window and sending speed. The time window sets the time periods in which the messages can be sent. It can be confugured at a minute level. The speed parameter governs the maximum number of messages that can be sent within an hour. In case more send requests are initiated, the excess messages will be temporarily parked. with a ’REGULATED’ status. These messages can be easily tracked  and reported on using the HammyAdmin interace.

The full functionality is rolled out in Hammy release 3.21.1 due in January 2021.

Introducing a Master Template

The master template represents further sophistication of template management in Hammy. This is a separate template type under HammyAdmin/Message Types, named ’Master e-mail template’. In can be created, modified, versioned and used for sending, just like any other e-mail type.

The additional functionality of the master template is associated when it is associated with another, regular e-mail template, using the Template/Setting/Master template menu item. In this case, the subject and body fields of the regular e-mail template are overwritten by the master content. This overwriting may happen unconditionally (’forced overwrite’) or only in cases when the subject or body of the regular template is empty. As a result, the content of multiple templates can be managed in a centralised fashion, on the master template page.

Managing customer declarations remotely

Corporate representatives and agents are now able to work with their customers remotely, collecting and managing binding customer declarations. This makes regular business models sustainable even in a pandemic situation. Our user organisations apply this feature to facilitate the handling of remote sales and other transactions, with the help and human touch of the representative.

We provide an easy-to-use and customisable environment to create personalised, ready-to-print documents. The contents required for the declaration of the customer is also pre-loaded into this document. All this is realised in a DOCX format where the variables, their format and potential compulsory nature is specified.

As the process is carried out, the representative is directed to a form which collects all relevant variables from the source DOCX templates. As soon as these variables are filled, the form is automatically validated. In case of validity, the final PDF can be previewed and then generated for sending via e-mail. Having received it, the customer shall respond by accepting the content (via a button in the message), closing the cycle fully digitally.

The is an ideal platform for representatives to work with their customer using digital channels or even sending unique customer correspondance. If your are interested, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.

Hammy Direct SaaS

2020 saw the launch of Hammy as a service. This is based on the capability of the solution to manage multiple organisations separately. Currently in early operations, Hammy Direct enables our customer to take advantage of Hammy without a one-off purchase of the full package and a local installation. Rather, they can opt for a subscription model governed by their usage intesity and thus implement digital messaging and campaign management flexibly.

In 2021 we plan to broaden the reach of this service. will Terveink szerint a 2021-es évben széleskörűen is elindítjuk az éles szolgáltatást. Should you be interested, kindly let us know.
 

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2020 was full of challenges for Hammy, which we feel like we were able to meet, through our dedicated team. For more than decade now, Hammy has proven to be a robust, integrated and reliable solution at the enterprise level. Hammy’s feature set now includes the Visual Editor and several new pieces which continue to expand on the Omni-channel abilities. Hammy Digital Direct Marketing has also stepped into its own, providing an extra business layer for our customers.

Enarmored by this success and entertaining many plans we have an enthusiastic outlook into 2021 and wish you a Merry Christmas and Healthy and Prosperous New Year! Let us keep in touch in 2021.

 

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