A "channel" is simply the means by which you generate an order. Some common channels include direct mail, space ads, outgoing telephone calls (telemarketing), and inserts. You could also use 'Channels' to distinguish telephone and coupon orders from space advertisements. If you have a publication that is sold on a commission basis by telephone salespeople, you could use channel codes to designate the salesperson that is to be credited for an order.
A channel code can also be used when you enter a renewal order. In that context it is designated as a "renewal channel" to distinguish it from the channel that generated the original order. The codes used for new order channels and renewal channels are all defined on this screen.
You can request that QuickFill sort your orders by channel when you run several of the reports. So you can compare the response rate, payment rate, and renewal rate and revenue generated for orders you receive through different channels and see which were most effective.
Defining channels
When you select 'Marketing' or 'Renewal' under 'Definitions' on the main menu, and then select 'Channels', you'll see one of two screens. If you select 'Channels' for the first time after installing QuickFill, you'll see a screen with a blank form for defining the channel.
If you've already defined some channels, you'll see a list of the channels you've defined in the upper portion of the screen and the "New," "Change," "Replicate," and "Delete" options running along the bottom.
If you haven't yet defined any channels, fill in the blank form and click on "OK" to save your changes.
You can define another channel by clicking on "New," filling in the fields described below, and then clicking on "OK." If the channel you want to define next is similar to one you've already defined, you can replicate the existing channel by moving the cursor to the channel you want to replicate and clicking on "Replicate."
Channel code
Enter a code to identify the channel—for example, ADS for space advertisements.
Description
Enter a brief description of the channel—"Space Advertisements," for example. This description appears with the channel code on the channel selection list that pops up on some other screens when you right click in the channel field. QuickFill also uses the code and description to identify the channel on your reports.
Sales channel for ABC business publications
Sales channel for ABC magazines
For BPA publications - Sold in combination with other products or services
These three fields only appear in systems with the audit feature.
ABC requires that you classify your sales into categories that they specify. Use this field to identify how each channel should be reported. In a publication that is ABC audited and has paid subscriptions, every tracking code used for paid subscriptions should be linked to a channel code, and each channel code should have an entry in the appropriate 'Sales channel' field.
BPA requires that you identify subscription orders that were sold in combination with other products or services. According to BPA rule B7.10 "other products or services" does not include other publication subscriptions, so you can sell two magazine titles together as a combination without having to identify them as such.
You can also change the definition of a channel by moving the cursor to the channel you want to change and double clicking on it, or clicking once on "Change." You can delete a channel that is not being used by moving the cursor on the code you want to delete and clicking on "Delete."
To delete a channel that is currently linked to a tracking code or renewal effort, you must first either change the tracking code or renewal effort so that it uses some other channel, or delete the tracking code or renewal effort.
Click here for information on how to merge channel codes.