SimpleConnect FAQ: How do I...?

This article answers the most common "How do I...?" questions about SimpleConnect, the marketing and reputation tool built into SimpleConsign. It covers importing outside contacts, Pistachio email marketing, SnapSMS text messaging, and Reputation Management. You'll find all of these in SimpleConnect under Marketing and Reputation Management.

In this article

• Importing contacts from another platform
• Email campaigns (Pistachio)
• Text campaigns (SnapSMS)
• Reputation Management

Importing contacts from another platform

Your SimpleConsign clients and consignors sync into SimpleConnect automatically, so most stores never need to import anything. This section is for contacts that live somewhere else, such as an old email platform or an event sign-up sheet. These contacts come in without the sales and consignment history that synced SimpleConsign contacts have.

How do I import contacts into Pistachio from another platform?

1. In SimpleConnect, go to Marketing > Pistachio Email Marketing.
2. Go to Audience > Lists and click Upload List.
3. Name your list.
4. Download the sample CSV and format your exported file to match it.
5. Import the file. The list is then available to choose when you create a campaign.

A few things to know:

• Unsubscribes stay unsubscribed. Anyone already unsubscribed in Pistachio won't be added back by an upload.
• Bringing over unsubscribes from your old platform: use Upload Suppression List instead. Only the email address is required, and every address on the file is marked as unsubscribed.
• No list limit. You can upload as many lists as you need.
• No duplicate sends. If you send one campaign to several lists, duplicate email addresses are filtered out automatically.
• Imported contacts don't have sales history, so they won't show up in List Builder results based on spending, brands, or visit dates.

How do I import contacts into SnapSMS from another platform?

Import a CSV into a group:

1. In SimpleConnect, go to Marketing > Snap SMS System > Contacts + Groups.
2. Create a group, or open an existing one. When you create a group, choose Marketing or Transactional. This decides which of your two texting numbers the group sends from.
3. Click Import Contacts. Download the sample CSV/Excel template if you need it. The file uses First Name, Last Name, Email, and Phone Number, with the field names in the first row.
4. Upload your file.

Add one contact at a time: click Add New Contact and fill in the first name, last name, email, and phone number.

Your group may come in smaller than your file. SnapSMS only adds contacts who have a valid mobile number and are opted in to texts. It also skips:

• Anyone who opted out. They have to text START to your SnapSMS number themselves. Re-importing them won't opt them back in.
• Duplicate phone numbers. If a number appears more than once in the file, only the first match is imported.
• Anything past 4,000 contacts. Each file is capped at 4,000 contacts. Split larger lists into several files. This also helps keep large sends from being flagged as spam by carriers.

Can I merge outside contact data into a SimpleConsign customer?

No. SimpleConsign is the system of record, so information flows from SimpleConsign into SimpleConnect, not the other way around. The only thing that syncs back to SimpleConsign is opt-in status.

That means contacts you import into Pistachio or SnapSMS stay in those tools. They don't create or update customer records in SimpleConsign. To change a customer's name, email, or phone number, make the change in SimpleConsign and it will sync across.

Email campaigns (Pistachio)

Pistachio is SimpleConnect's email platform. Find it under Marketing > Pistachio Email Marketing. In Pistachio, a group of people you send to is called a list.

The smoothest order to work in is: build your audience, upload images to File Manager, create and test your template, then set up your campaign or automation.

How do I build an email template with a header, multiple sections, and pictures?

1. Upload your pictures to File Manager first. JPG, PNG, GIF, and SVG are supported, up to 2 MB each. If a file is too large, resize it and try again.
2. Go to Template Gallery > Marketing Templates, pick a template to start from, and choose Create, then Start a design. This makes a new copy and leaves the original alone.
3. Give the new template a title.
4. Drag in content: headings, paragraphs, images, buttons, dividers, and columns. Under Blocks you'll also find a countdown timer and social media handles.
5. For each image, choose Upload image (this opens File Manager), then Use image. To make an image clickable, paste the full URL.
6. Set the text color, font, and size for the whole template under Body settings.
7. Clear any warnings from the template audit, the small red circle with a number in it. It flags things like missing links, images that are too large, and missing alt text, all of which can send email to spam.
8. Save, then send yourself a test email and check it on both a computer and a phone.

Templates you build appear under My Templates. There's no limit on how many you can have.

How do I edit an email template to change the picture and the layout?

1. Find the template in Template Gallery and choose Edit.
2. To change a picture: choose Upload image, pick the new picture from File Manager, and choose Use image.
3. To change the layout: drag content (columns, paragraphs, images, buttons, dividers) into place, or delete blocks you don't need.
4. Some templates include tags such as {NEW ARRIVALS LINK} that fill in automatically. If you want that information, leave the tag in place and edit the text around it.
5. Save and send yourself a test email.

Image sizes are set automatically so your email looks right on a phone.

How do I delete an email template?

In Template Gallery, choose Delete on the template you no longer need.

How do I create a list (segment)?

Go to Audience > Lists and click List Builder. There are two tabs:

• Quick List searches by one filter at a time. Each filter has its own Search button.
• Advanced lets you combine filters. Choose Client or Consignor, then click Add Condition for each filter you want. Only people who match every condition are included.

Use Advanced whenever you need more than one filter. Filling in more than one filter on the Quick List tab causes an error.

When your filters are set, click Build List. A pop-up shows who matched. Enter a list name and click Create List.

Conditions available in the Advanced tab include Store Credit, Reward Points, Is Consignor, Bought Brand, Bought Category, Consigned Brand, Consigned Category, Last Transaction Date, and Last Consignment Date.

Your count may be lower than you expect. Everyone on a list must also have a valid email address and be opted in to email. CRM clients list is created for you: it's your full opted-in list, and it updates on its own. There's no limit on how many lists you can have.

How do I edit a list?

1. Go to Audience > Lists.
2. Click the arrow next to Statistics on the list and choose Edit.
3. Change the List Name or From email and click Save.

You can't change a saved list's filters. To target a different group of people, build a new list in List Builder with the filters you want. While you're building a list, click Remove next to a condition to take it off.

How do I delete a list?

1. Go to Audience > Lists.
2. Click the arrow next to Statistics on the list and choose Delete.

The CRM clients list can't be deleted, since it's your built-in list of everyone who's opted in. There's no limit on how many lists you can have, so you only need to delete lists you no longer want.

How do I create a campaign to send to all customers?

1. Go to Campaigns and create a new campaign.
2. Audience: choose CRM clients list, your full opted-in list.
3. Setup: name the campaign (only your team sees the name) and write the subject line. Use the AI suggestion tool and aim for a green spam score. Avoid all capital letters and extra punctuation.
4. Template: choose your template.
5. Delivery: pick a date and time, or send right away. An AI check can suggest the best time to send.
6. Final check: review everything, send yourself one last test, then click Schedule to send.

Save as draft is on every screen if you need to step away. A campaign set to send right away starts within a minute or two, so there's very little time to stop it. A scheduled campaign can be edited any time before its send time.

How do I create a campaign using an email template?

Follow the steps above. At the Template step, choose to create from an existing template and pick the one you built. You can still edit it or switch to a different template there. If the template has tags, you'll be asked to paste in any missing URLs.

How do I create a campaign for customers who haven't bought anything in 90 days?

There are two ways:

• Automation (hands-off): go to Automations, choose Add new, and pick We Miss You. Set the subject line and send time, choose 90 days (30, 45, and 60 are also available), attach a template, and confirm. Pistachio checks every day and emails each customer who newly reaches 90 days since their last visit.
• One-time campaign: in List Builder > Advanced, keep Client selected and add Last Transaction Date set to Before a date 90 days ago. Build and create the list, then send a campaign to it.

Automations keep sending until you turn them off. Check them now and then so an old offer or season doesn't keep going out.

How do I target customers who bought a certain category but haven't bought anything in 30 days?

1. Go to Audience > Lists > List Builder and open the Advanced tab.
2. Keep Client selected in the first dropdown.
3. Click Add Condition, choose Bought Category, choose Is, and pick the category.
4. Click Add Condition again, choose Last Transaction Date, choose Before, and pick a date 30 days ago.
5. Click Build List, check who matched, enter a list name, and click Create List.
6. Create a campaign and choose your new list as the audience.

How do I view campaign metrics?

After a campaign sends, open it in Campaigns and click into Statistics. You'll see:

• Open rate, click-to-open rate, delivery rate, bounce rate, and opt-out rate
• Unique opens, unopened emails, clicks, and unsubscribes, each with a log you can open
• Which links were clicked most, and every subscriber who opened the email
• A preview of the email that went out

Statistics keep updating as people open the email. Deleting a campaign deletes its statistics for good, so keep any campaign you may want to look back on.

How do I compare two campaigns against each other?

Pistachio doesn't have a side-by-side comparison. Open Statistics for each campaign and compare the same numbers, such as open rate, click-to-open rate, and opt-outs. If you run seasonal or quarterly promotions, keep those campaigns instead of deleting them so you can compare against last time.

How do I create a campaign to send to all consignors?

1. In List Builder, open the Advanced tab.
2. Change the first dropdown from Client to Consignor.
3. Click Add Condition, choose Is Consignor, and set it to Is.
4. Click Build List, enter a list name, and click Create List.
5. Create a campaign and choose your new list as the audience.

The CRM clients list includes everyone who's opted in, so it isn't a consignor-only list.

How do I target consignors who haven't consigned anything in 6 months?

1. In List Builder, open the Advanced tab and change the first dropdown to Consignor.
2. Click Add Condition, choose Last Consignment Date, choose Before, and pick a date 6 months ago.
3. Click Build List, enter a list name, and click Create List.
4. Create a campaign and choose your new list as the audience.

How do I target consignors who consigned a certain brand in the last 60 days?

1. In List Builder, open the Advanced tab and change the first dropdown to Consignor.
2. Click Add Condition, choose Consigned Brand, choose Is, and pick the brand.
3. Click Add Condition again, choose Last Consignment Date, choose After, and pick a date 60 days ago.
4. Click Build List, check who matched, enter a list name, and click Create List.
5. Create a campaign and choose your new list as the audience.

Bought Brand vs. Consigned Brand: Bought Brand looks at what someone purchased from you. Consigned Brand looks at what a consignor brought in to sell. Pick the one that matches who you're trying to reach.

Text campaigns (SnapSMS)

SnapSMS is SimpleConnect's texting platform. Find it under Marketing > Snap SMS System. In SnapSMS, a campaign is a message you send to a group, either right away or scheduled for later.

Your two texting numbers

Your location has two texting numbers, and the kind of group you create decides which one a message sends from.

Keeping them separate means someone can opt out of your marketing texts and still get the service messages they want. Both numbers are listed under Settings > General.

Filtering in SnapSMS works one condition at a time

SnapSMS has its own List Builder (under Contacts + Groups > Groups). It includes the same kinds of filters as Pistachio, including Bought Category, Consigned Brand, and Consigned Category. Each filter has its own Search button, so you can only search by one condition at a time. SnapSMS doesn't have an Advanced tab for combining filters.

If you need to combine filters, such as a brand plus a date range, build the list in Pistachio's Advanced tab and send it as an email campaign instead.

How do I build a page with a header, multiple sections, and pictures?

A Page Builder page lets you share more than fits in a text, such as photos of new inventory or a wanted list for consignors, without using up text segments.

1. Go to Page Builder and click Add New Page.
2. Give the page a title.
3. Use the + button to add images, text blocks, and clickable buttons. Add as many sections as you need.
4. Pictures: use the settings icon on an image to swap the photo or change its size and shape (circle, rounded, or thumbnail).
5. Headings and text: click into a text block to edit it. Bold, italics, underline, alignment, font, size, and color are available.
6. Buttons: double-click a button to set its label and choose what it opens: a website, an email address, or a phone number to call.
7. Preview the page on mobile, tablet, laptop, and desktop. Editing in desktop view works best.
8. Click Save in the upper right, then copy the page's link and paste it into your text.

You don't always need a page. To send someone to your website or a social media page, paste the full HTTPS link straight into your text. It becomes clickable automatically.

How do I edit a page to change the picture and the layout?

1. Go to Page Builder. Your saved pages are listed there.
2. Click the pencil icon next to the page.
3. Swap a photo with the settings icon on the image, add sections with +, or click into any text to change it.
4. Click Save.

The other icons next to each page let you copy the page's link, preview it, make a copy (Copy Template) to start a new page from, or delete it.

How do I delete an SMS template?

Go to Settings > Templates. Click the trash icon on the template you want to delete. The pencil icon next to it lets you edit a template instead.

How do I create a group?

1. Go to Contacts + Groups, open the Groups tab, and click Add New Group.
2. Name the group.
3. Choose Marketing or Transactional. This decides which of your two numbers the group sends from, so choose carefully (see Your two texting numbers above).
4. Add people:
   • Search by name or phone number and add contacts one at a time.
   • Import a CSV file (up to 4,000 contacts per file).
   • Use List Builder to find contacts by one filter, such as store credit, reward points, consignor status, last transaction date, total spent, customer rating, or brand bought. Search, check the count, and save the results as a group.

Your group may be smaller than you expect. SnapSMS only includes contacts who have a valid mobile number and are opted in to texts.

How do I edit a group?

1. Go to Contacts + Groups, open the Groups tab, and click the group.
2. Change what you need:
   • Group Name
   • Group Type (Marketing or Transactional)
   • Add Clients by searching, or click Import to add people from a CSV
3. Click Update group.

Removing someone from a group: each person in the group's member list has action icons next to their name. These icons aren't labeled, so check what an icon does before you click it.

How do I delete a group?

Go to Contacts + Groups, open the Groups tab, click the group, and click Delete.

How do I create a campaign to send to all customers?

SnapSMS doesn't have a one-click way to put every customer in a group, and there's no built-in "all contacts" group. To text everyone, build the group yourself:

1. Create a Marketing group.
2. Add your contacts by searching and adding them, importing a CSV, or saving List Builder results to the group.
3. Go to Messages, search for the group name, write your message, and send. To send later, use Schedule instead.

Every marketing text automatically ends with "Reply STOP to unsubscribe." You don't need to type it.

How do I create a campaign using an SMS template?

1. Save the template first: go to Settings > Templates, give it a title (only your team sees it), write the message, and click Add Template.
2. To send now: go to Messages, search for the group, insert your template, and send. You can edit the text before sending.
3. To send later: go to Schedule, add a scheduled text, choose the group, insert your template, and set the date and time.

While writing, you can add a personalization tag (such as first name), an image, a link, or a Google Maps link to your store. Watch the segment counter as you type. One segment is 160 characters, and longer messages use more than one segment.

How do I create a campaign for customers who haven't bought anything in 90 days?

1. In Contacts + Groups > Groups, open List Builder.
2. Set Last Transaction Date to Before a date 90 days ago and click Search.
3. Save the results as a Marketing group.
4. Send or schedule a message to that group.

SnapSMS doesn't have an automation like Pistachio's We Miss You, so this is a one-time send.

How do I target customers who bought a certain category but haven't bought anything in 30 days?

SnapSMS can search by Bought Category or by Last Transaction Date, but not both together, because its List Builder searches one filter at a time. To reach customers who match both, build the list in Pistachio's Advanced tab and send an email campaign instead.

How do I send a one-to-one text?

1. Go to Messages and search for the customer or consignor by name or phone number. Or, in Contacts + Groups, click the message icon next to their name.
2. Write your message and send it.

One-to-one texts go from your transactional number, so the customer can reply and the conversation stays in one thread. A few options while you're messaging:

• Signature: your business name is added by default. You can turn it off once a customer knows your number. "Reply STOP to unsubscribe" always stays.
• Internal notes: leave notes for your team on the conversation. Customers never see them.
• From the customer profile: you can also start a text by clicking the phone number on a customer's profile in SimpleConsign.

If a customer replies to a marketing text, the reply goes to Marketing Replies. You can't answer from that screen. Search for the customer in Messages and reply from there.

How do I view campaign metrics?

SnapSMS doesn't have per-campaign statistics like Pistachio's open and click rates. Dashboard reports show activity across all your texting:

• Message volume: messages sent and received by day, week, month, or year
• Opt-in and opt-out activity
• SMS error report: messages that didn't deliver and why, such as a disconnected number. Run it for the day you sent.
• Duplicate phone number report: duplicate numbers found during syncing, which you can export as a CSV

To see responses to a marketing text, check Marketing Replies. Your segment usage shows in the upper right corner.

How do I compare two campaigns against each other?

SnapSMS doesn't have campaign statistics, so there's nothing to compare between two campaigns. The closest option is to look at message volume, Marketing Replies, and opt-outs for the days after each send.

How do I create a campaign to send to all consignors?

1. In Contacts + Groups > Groups, open List Builder.
2. Set Is Consignor to Is a Consignor and click Search.
3. Save the results as a Marketing group.
4. Send or schedule a message to that group.

How do I target consignors who haven't consigned anything in 6 months?

1. In List Builder, set Last Consignment Date to Before a date 6 months ago and click Search.
2. Save the results as a Marketing group.
3. Send or schedule a message to that group.

How do I target consignors who consigned a certain brand in the last 60 days?

SnapSMS can search by Consigned Brand or by Last Consignment Date, but not both together. To reach consignors who match both, build the list in Pistachio's Advanced tab (see the email section above) and send an email campaign instead.

Reputation Management

Reputation Management brings your reviews from Google, Facebook, Yelp, and your own review form into one dashboard. Find it under Reputation Management > Reviews. Everything below is set up on the Settings tab.

Good to know: Reputation Management emails responses to reviewers. It doesn't post replies on Google, Facebook, or Yelp. To reply publicly or dispute a review on one of those sites, go to that site directly.

How do I connect my Google Business account?

1. Go to Reputation Management > Reviews > Settings.
2. Under Required Settings, click Login with Google.
3. Sign in with the email address that's an admin of your Google Business page, and allow the connection.

If your reviews don't show up, the person who logged in probably isn't an admin of the Google Business page. The page admin has to complete the connection.

How do I connect my Facebook account?

1. Go to Reputation Management > Reviews > Settings.
2. Under Required Settings, click Login to Facebook.
3. Log in as an admin of your business Facebook page.
4. Answer the questions Facebook asks to let the system pull in your reviews.

To connect Yelp, just enter your Yelp page URL. You don't have to connect all three, only the ones your store uses.

How automatic review responses work

Automatic responses are set up under AI Agent Configuration on the Settings tab. You can send them two ways:

• AI agent: turn on Auto-Response Status and choose an AI Personality & Tone (Professional & Formal, Friendly & Casual, Warm & Empathetic, Concise & Direct, or Custom). The AI writes each response.
• Your own templates: type a Positive Reviews Template and a Negative Reviews Template under Custom Response Templates.

Responses go to the reviewer by email. When the AI agent is on, responses to neutral and negative reviews wait in AI-Powered Feedback so you can edit and approve them before they send.

How do I set up an automatic response for negative reviews?

1. Go to Reputation Management > Reviews > Settings and find AI Agent Configuration.
2. Under Response Triggers, check Negative reviews (1-3 stars).
3. Turn on the AI agent and choose a tone, or type your message in the Negative Reviews Template box.
4. Under Advanced Settings, set:
   • Response Delay (minutes): how long to wait after a review arrives before responding
   • Max Response Length (characters): 500 by default
   • Business Contact Info to Include: such as a manager's email address and phone number
5. Click Save Configuration.

Tip: set the response delay a little longer. That gives you time to read a negative review before the automatic response goes out.

How do I edit the negative response criteria?

A negative review is always 1–3 stars. That range can't be changed. You can change:

• Whether negative reviews get a response, with the Negative reviews (1-3 stars) checkbox
• The wording, in the Negative Reviews Template, or the AI tone
• Which reviews get a response, by checking Reviews mentioning specific keywords and entering words separated by commas
• The timing, length, and contact info, under Advanced Settings

Click Save Configuration after any change.

How do I set up an automatic response for positive reviews?

1. Go to Reputation Management > Reviews > Settings and find AI Agent Configuration.
2. Under Response Triggers, check All positive reviews (4-5 stars).
3. Turn on the AI agent and choose a tone, or type your message in the Positive Reviews Template box.
4. Adjust the Advanced Settings if needed.
5. Click Save Configuration.

When the AI agent is on, positive responses send on their own.

Turn one review into two: set Promote Social Media Reviews? to Yes. When someone leaves a 4- or 5-star review on your review form, they're asked if they'd also like to post it on Google, Facebook, or Yelp. They need an account on that site to do it.

How do I edit the positive response criteria?

A positive review is always 4–5 stars. That range can't be changed. You can turn positive responses on or off with the All positive reviews (4-5 stars) checkbox, edit the Positive Reviews Template or AI tone, use keywords to narrow which reviews get a response, and change the Advanced Settings. Click Save Configuration after any change.

Related articles

• SimpleConnect Overview
• Pistachio Email Marketing
• Snap SMS Messaging
• Reputation Management

Quick recap

SimpleConnect keeps your contacts in sync with SimpleConsign, so imports are only needed for outside lists. Use Pistachio's Advanced list builder whenever you need more than one filter. SnapSMS searches one filter at a time and has no campaign statistics. In Reputation Management, connect your review sites as the page admin, and set up positive and negative automatic responses from the Settings tab.