Communication limits

In this section, you can define the limit of sent messages to a single profile (emails, text messages, and web push notifications) in a given period. This can be used, for example, to avoid upsetting your customers by sending too many messages.

• For Campaigns, the limits apply separately to each communication campaign.
• For Automation, the limits apply to all messages sent from Automations. The details are described further in this article.

Communication limit events

When messages cannot be sent due to capping the following events appear on the profile’s card:

• newsletter.capping
• push.capping
• sms.capping
• webpush.capping

Defining limits

1. Go to Settings > Communication Limits.
2. By default, there are no limits on sending messages. To define a specific limit, switch a toggle on.
   Result: Two fields appear.
3. In the Limit section, enter the maximum number of messages you want to send to a profile within time unit specified in the Period field.
4. In the Period field, enter the time unit of the limit (number and unit, for example 1d which stands for 1 day). You can define limits in the following intervals:
   • s stands for a second
   • m stands for a minute
   • d stands for a day
   • w stands for a week
   • y stands for a year
     Example configurations

     

     In the above configuration, a profile can receive up to 5 mass emails per day. Before sending an email, the system checks how many of them a profile received during last 24 hours.

     

     In the above configuration, a profile can receive up to 25 mass emails per 30 days. Before sending an email, the system checks how many of them a profile received during last 30 days.

5. Repeat step 3 and 4 for preferable message types in Communication and Automations.
6. Confirm settings by clicking Save.

Automation: communication limits and automation limits

The Automation module defines its own limits:

• how many times a workflow can be triggered in a specific time unit
• how many times a trigger can be activated in a workflow
• how many times an action can be repeated in a workflow

While defining the limits in the Settings > Communication Limits menu, remember about the limits for workflows in Automation and the other way round. Otherwise conflicts may occur between them.

Suggestions:

• Keep track of the active workflows and carefully estimate the number of sent messages through them (in your calculations include both marketing messages and system emails such as transaction summary, discount coupon emails, if you use Automation to send such emails).
• Pay attention to workflows triggered by frequently occurring profile activities, which contain actions that sent messages to profiles.
• Consult each modification of limit of action nodes (Send Email, Send SMS, Send Web Push) with the global limits.

Ignoring global limits in Automation

If your workflows send system messages such as transaction confirmations, information about shipping, notifications about delay of the order delivery, and so on, you may want to make exceptions to such kind of the messages.

For such circumstances, in the action nodes: Send Email, Send Web Push, Send Mobile Push, and Send SMS, you may enable the Ignore limits option, which causes sending the message even if the the global limits for messages sent to a profile per day defined in Settings > Communication Limits are exceeded.