The 'Make trial subscriptions' update is used to create single copy subscriptions for existing customers and prospects in your database.
Note: 'Make trial subscriptions' update and audited publications
If you are using the audit system and want to create nonpaid (controlled) subscriptions for an audited publication, you should use the 'Make controlled subscriptions' update instead. The 'Make controlled subscriptions' update creates controlled subscriptions for prospects. It can also requalify expired subscribers, thereby extending their subscriptions. Click here for more information on the 'Make controlled subscriptions' update.
There is an exception to the above rule. Publications that are audited as ABC magazines can use the 'Make trial subscriptions' update to create 'Verified Public Place' and 'Verified Individual Use' subscriptions for all request types except 'Individually Requested'. Individually requested subscriptions require a qualification date to ensure that the request is no more than three years old.
This update is most useful when you want to send some free issues to a group of prospects and then use a renewal-like approach to try to get them to buy a paid subscription. This has a number of advantages over the alternative, which is to use the promotional label filter to create issue labels for the prospects. First the issue labels are produced by the 'Issue labels' update so that you can send the trial issues in the same mailing as the regular subscribers. Second, by creating a special renewal series for the trial subscriptions, you can use the messages on the renewal notices to promote your publication.
It is also possible to use the 'Make trial subscriptions' update to create regular or paid subscriptions. For example, you might have a list of people who attended a seminar and requested a subscription to your publication. You can import the list of names using the prospect import and then use the 'Make trial subscriptions' update to create subscriptions for them. Click here for details on the methods for entering prospects.
When creating regular, nontrial subscriptions using this technique, the term, price, shipping class, and payment status must be the same for all of the subscriptions.
Before setting up the 'Make trial subscriptions' update, you should define a unique tracking code to identify the trial subscriptions using the 'Tracking codes' definition screen under 'Marketing' on the 'Definitions' menu. Identifying the trial subscriptions with a unique tracking code will let you obtain statistics from the 'Renewal rates' report that show you how effective your trial promotion has been at converting the free trials to paid subscriptions.
The tracking code that you define should be linked to an offer that defines the length of the trial and the price (usually zero for trial subscriptions).
After setting up the tracking code, select 'Make trial subscriptions' on the 'Updates' menu. The filter for this update has several tabs. On the first tab you must enter the name of the publication, the tracking code, the term, starting issue, and shipping class. If you are creating paid subscriptions, you may also enter a payment amount, payment type, premium, and subscription agency code.
The other tabs of the 'Make trial subscriptions' update filter are used to select the customers who are to receive the trial subscriptions.
Scan customers, Scan subscriptions
These fields allow you to specify the method that QuickFill will use to select your labels. If you select "Scan customers," QuickFill will examine customer records in the order that they occur in the database. Choose this method if your database only has one publication or if you will be selecting a majority of the customers in your database; it will be faster.
If you select "Scan subscriptions," QuickFill will examine only the customers who are linked to the publications and/or prospect lists that you have selected. Choose this method if you will be selecting names from only a few publications or prospect lists.
Select the scan method by clicking on your choice.
Note: scan customers vs. scan subscriptions as related to the 'Maximum subs to create' field
When you specify a maximum number of trial subscriptions to be created, the customers for whom subscriptions are created will be different depending upon whether you scan customers or subscriptions. When you scan customers, QuickFill selects customers as it goes through the database. The customers who have been in your database the longest will be selected first.
When you specify a maximum number of trial subscriptions to be created and scan subscriptions, QuickFill selects customers after they have been sorted by zip code. Therefore, the customers with the lowest zip codes will be selected first.
Publication
Enter the code for the publication to be sent. You may either type the code directly or right click once in this field to select from a list of defined publications.
Tracking code
Enter the tracking code to be used to identify the trial subscriptions, either by typing it directly or by right clicking once in this field to select from a list of defined tracking codes.
Term
Enter the number of issues to be sent. This must match one of the offer records that are linked to the tracking code definition.
Note: prices for trial subscriptions
QuickFill will use the price associated with the offer (linked to the tracking code specified) for the term that is entered in the 'Term' field. In addition, tax will be added for each trial subscription based upon each customer's tax jurisdiction as recorded in the 'Tax juris' field.
Classification (audit system only)
The audit subscription class under which the customer's subscription is classified. Right click once with the cursor in this field to select from a list of subscription classes. Every subscription to an audited publication must be classified under one of the acceptable audit classifications.
If you want to create qualified subscriptions, use the 'Make subscriptions' update under 'Controlled subs' under the 'Updates' menu.
Note: request type for trial subscription
All subscriptions entered through the 'Make trial subscriptions' update are given a request type of 'Other sources'.
Starting issue
Right click once in this field to select the first issue that should be sent for these subscriptions.
Shipping class
Enter the code for the shipping method to be used for the trial subscriptions. You can either enter the code directly or right click one in this field to select from a list of the available codes.
Service code
If your trial subscriptions are to receive the standard service, then leave this field blank, otherwise enter the code for the type of service. You can either enter the code or right click once in this field to select from a list of the available codes.
The next two fields should be used for paid subscriptions only.
Payment
Enter the amount that the new subscribers have paid, if any.
Payment type
Enter the payment type code. Note that payments by credit card are not permitted because there is no way to enter the credit card numbers.
Premium
If the new subscribers are to receive a premium, then enter the premium code here. You may right click once in this field to select from a list of the defined premium codes. Note that the offer record linked to the tracking code record is used to determine when and if the subscriber qualifies to receive the premium.
Agency
If all of these subscriptions were received from a subscription agency, then enter the agency code here. The price of the subscription will be adjusted based on the discount rate specified in the subscription agency record. You can either enter the code or right click once in this field to select from a list of defined subscription agencies.
Maximum subs to make
The number you enter here is the maximum number of trial subscriptions that QuickFill will create—no matter how large your file or which selections you make. Entering a number in this field lets you create an exact number of trial subscriptions.
Do not use this field to select a portion of customers for a trial subscription that you eventually want to give to the rest of your customers. You will not be able to do this because when you go back to select those other customers there is no way to distinguish whether or not a customer was selected the first time. Use the 'Random numbers' field when you want to select a portion of your customers. (Click here for details on random numbers.)
Now fill in the fields on the remaining tabs of the filter to select the persons who are to receive the trial subscription. You can select from subscribers to your other publications and from prospect names you obtained from other sources. Click here for a complete description of these filter tabs .
Notice that QuickFill copies the publication name and the status code 'A*' into the list of excluded publications and statuses. This prevents the creation of trial subscriptions for people who already have active subscriptions. Depending on the nature of your promotion you might want to exclude inactive subscribers too by entering the appropriate statuses into the status fields. For example, you would enter 'C*' to exclude all expired and canceled subscribers.
Click here for more information on Filter screens.
After you are done filling in the filter, click on "OK" and a message box will appear with the following options:
Run it now exclusively, only lookup allowed
Run it now shared, all transactions allowed, much slower
Run it with tonight's jobs
Save to an existing job list
Create a new job list
Click here for details on options for running updates.