Enhancing customer experience: Streamlining orders with custom email notifications in IBM Cloud

Let’s contemplate the operations supervisor of a thriving on-line enterprise specializing in handmade crafts. This operations supervisor understood the significance of catering to their loyal buyer base, a few of whom resided in numerous time zones. Of their quest to supply distinctive service, they confronted a problem—how to make sure that prospects may place orders as quickly as new shipments of their artisanal merchandise arrived.

The reply to this predicament got here within the type of the Customized Electronic mail Vacation spot characteristic inside IBM Cloud Event Notifications. With this revolutionary software at their disposal, the enterprise was capable of set up a devoted electronic mail tackle that might routinely present notifications each time a contemporary cargo of their crafts turned out there for buy. This method eradicated the necessity for patrons to continuously monitor the enterprise’s web site or social media channels for updates.

Image this situation—each Monday at 9 AM EST, the enterprise receives a brand new cargo of handmade soaps. To facilitate seamless ordering, they created the e-mail tackle order@myhandmadesoapshop.com. As quickly as a cargo arrived and was prepared for buy, IBM Cloud Occasion Notifications would promptly ship an electronic mail from this tradition tackle, full with complete particulars concerning the new cargo, together with pricing and product availability.

Prospects may then effortlessly reply to the e-mail, specifying their order particulars akin to amount and desired gadgets. It was a hassle-free course of, guaranteeing they may place orders promptly immediately.

By implementing the Customized Electronic mail Vacation spot characteristic in IBM Cloud Occasion Notifications, the enterprise reworked the way in which its prospects stayed knowledgeable about new shipments. Gone had been the times of ready for updates to be posted on-line. As an alternative, prospects acquired well timed electronic mail notifications, permitting them to position orders immediately through this handy channel. It was a win-win state of affairs, saving each the enterprise and its prospects useful time.

Let’s take a look at tips on how to arrange and use the Customized Electronic mail Vacation spot characteristic in IBM Cloud Occasion Notifications.

Step 1: Create an IBM Cloud Occasion Notifications service occasion

1. Log in to your IBM Cloud account.
2. Within the IBM Cloud catalog, search Occasion Notifications > Occasion Notifications.
3. Choose a Area from the checklist of supported areas and Choose a pricing plan.
4. Present a Service identify.
5. Choose a useful resource group.
6. Click on Create.

Step 2: Create a customized API supply

1. Navigate to the Supply part throughout the created occasion notification occasion.
2. Click on on Add > API Supply.
3. Present a reputation and outline for the API supply.
4. Click on on Save.

Step 3: Create an IBM Cloud Occasion Notifications vacation spot

On this step, you’ll make it possible for a customized electronic mail vacation spot exists the place notifications might be forwarded.

1. Within the Occasion Notifications UI, go to Locations.
2. Create a vacation spot
   • From the navigation, click on Locations > Add.
   • Present a reputation to your vacation spot (e.g., myhandmadesoapshop).
   • Choose Customized Electronic mail because the vacation spot kind.
   • Add the area identify (e.g., myhandmadesoapshop.com).
   • Click on Add.

Step 4: Configuring a customized electronic mail vacation spot

You possibly can configure a customized electronic mail vacation spot within the Locations tab. As a part of the configuration, enter the area identify for use for sending emails.

Customized area identify verification

After you create the vacation spot along with your area identify, be certain that it’s validated for the fitting possession. This may forestall misuse of your area and avoid unhealthy actors. To confirm your customized area identify, comply with these steps:

1. Choose the configure overflow menu for the vacation spot you wish to confirm.
2. Create a Sender Coverage Framework (SPF), which is used to authenticate the sender of an electronic mail. SPF specifies the mail servers which are allowed to ship electronic mail to your area.
   • Open your DNS internet hosting supplier for the area identify configured
   • Create a brand new TXT report along with your area identify registerer with the identify and worth offered within the configure display for SPF
3. Create DomainKeys Recognized Mail (DKIM), which permits a corporation to take duty for transmitting a message by signing it. DKIM permits the receiver to test that the e-mail that claimed to have come from a particular area is allowed by the proprietor of that area.
   • Open your DNS internet hosting supplier for the area identify configured.
   • Create a brand new TXT report along with your area identify registerer with the identify and worth offered within the configure display for DKIM.
4. Save the TXT data.
5. On the vacation spot confirm display, click on on the Confirm buttons for each SPF and DKIM.

Observe: A number of the frequent verification points could possibly be that the area identify is spelled incorrectly or the DNS report for the area just isn’t up to date appropriately. Confirm if the SPF/DKIM values are copied appropriately. The DNS propagation could take as much as 72 hours to be up to date throughout the web.

Step 5: Create an IBM Cloud Occasion Notifications matter

Subsequent, you’ll outline an IBM Cloud Event Notifications topic that can obtain an occasion from IBM Cloud Secrets Manager.

1. Click on Matters.
2. Click on Create. The Subject particulars panels will open.
3. Within the Subject particulars, enter the next:
   • Enter the Identify to your matter (e.g., myhandmadesoapshop orders).
   • For Supply, choose the IBM Cloud Occasion Notifications supply, which is called as ArtisanAqua Soaps on this instance.
4. Click on Add a situation (if you don’t click on Add a situation earlier than you click on Create, the subject might be created with no circumstances related to it.)
5. Click on Create. Your matter might be displayed within the Matters checklist.

Step 6: Create an IBM Cloud Occasion Notifications Electronic mail subscription

On this step, you’ll configure who will obtain a Electronic mail alert when a notification is processed.

1. Click on Subscriptions.
2. Click on Create. The Create a subscription panel opens.
3. Within the Create a subscription panel, enter the next:
   • Enter the Identify to your subscription (e.g., myhandmadesoapshopSubscription).
   • For Subject, choose the subject you created (e.g., myhandmadesoapshop orders).
   • For Vacation spot, choose myhandmadesoapshop.
   • For Recipients, enter a legitimate electronic mail tackle (e.g., MyEmail@MyCompany.com).
4. Click on Create. Your subscription might be added to the Subscriptions checklist.

You possibly can configure your individual template for customized electronic mail invites and notifications.

The next is a customized electronic mail invitation template:

<html>
    <head>
        <title>
            IBM Occasion Notifications
        </title>
    </head>
    <physique>
        <p>
            Howdy! Invitation template
        </p>
        <desk>
            <tbody>
                <tr>
                    <td>
                        Howdy, this is the invitation hyperlink: {{ ibmen_invitation }}
                    </td>
                </tr>
            </tbody>
        </desk>
    </physique>
</html>

Customized electronic mail notification template:

<html lang="en">
    <head>
    </head>
    <physique>
        <div class="container">
            <h1>
                New Product Data
            </h1>
            <p>
                Howdy {{ibmenreferer personalization ibmenmailto 'identify'}}, Good {{knowledge.greet}}
            </p>
            <div class="product-info">
                <h2>
                    {{knowledge.identify}}
                </h2>
                <p>
                    Value: ${{knowledge.worth}}
                </p>
                <p>
                    Description: {{ibmendefaultshort}}
                </p>
                <p>
                    Ranking: {{knowledge.ranking}}
                </p>
            </div>
            <p>
                Thanks to your curiosity in our new product!
            </p>
            <p>
                Finest regards,
            </p>
            <p>
                IBM Cloud
            </p>
            <h5>
                If you happen to do not want to obtain these messages click on right here:{{ibmen_unsubscription}}
            </h5>
        </div>
    </physique>
</html>

Step 7: Ship a take a look at electronic mail to the Customized Electronic mail vacation spot

Ship notifications physique from the occasion. For extra details about Occasion Notifications payloads, see here.

Instance request:

curl -X POST — location — header “Authorization: Bearer {iam_token}” — header “Content material-Sort: software/json” “{base_url}/v1/cases/{instance_id}/notifications”

{
"id": "b2198eb8-04b1-48ec-a78c-ee87694dd845",
"time": "06/06/2022, 14:23:01",
"kind": "com.ibm.cloud.order.alert:replace",
"message_text": "Hello, Welcome from the IBM Cloud - Occasion Notifications service!",
"supply": "apisource/saopshop",
"specversion": "1.0",
"ibmensourceid": "d6f08a53-05f6-465f-903e-03db3fa91b64:api",
"knowledge": {
"greet": "Afternoon",
"create_time": "2022-07-06T09:19:45.213429645Z",
"create_timestamp": 1657099185,
"issuer": "IBM Cloud Occasion Notifications",
"issuer_url": "https://cloud.ibm.com,
"long_description": "Success! Your order is positioned.",
"payload_type": "take a look at",
"reported_by": {
"id": "compliance",
"title": "IBM Cloud Occasion Notifications",
"url": "https://cloud.ibm.com/"
},
"severity": "LOW",
"short_description": "Success! Your order is positioned.",
"transaction_id": "e539778e-4915-4586-b4c9-48e44af5c010",
"identify": "IBM Cloud Occasion Notifications",
"worth": "100",
"ranking": "4.9"
},
"datacontenttype": "software/json",
"ibmendefaultlong": "This can be a authentic lengthy message",
"ibmendefaultshort": "IBM Cloud Occasion Notifications is a routing service that gives details about vital
occasions in your IBM Cloud account",
"ibmenfcmbody": "{"notification":{"title":"Howdy Pradeep, Your Order abstract - Soap1 ($20)
and Soap2 ($11) is on its means!","time_to_live":100}}",
"ibmenpushto": "{"platforms":["push_chrome"]}",
"ibmenmailto": "["pgopalgo@myhandmadesoapshop.com"]",
"personalization": {
"pgopalgo@myhandmadesoapshop.com": {
"identify": "Pradeep"
}
}
}

Get began with IBM Cloud Occasion Notifications

In abstract, Customized Electronic mail Vacation spot in IBM Cloud Occasion Notifications enabled the enterprise to ascertain a seamless communication channel with their prospects. This translated into quicker order processing occasions and heightened buyer satisfaction. It’s a testomony to their dedication to enhancing the shopper expertise and streamlining operations.

This case examine could encourage different companies to discover comparable options for enhancing buyer engagement and satisfaction.

Learn more about IBM Cloud Event Notifications