VAN Triggers are the "Rules" or "Actions" that allow Workspaces to sync Program data back into a VAN account.
VAN information included in this article was drawn from VAN Support documentation and was current as of November 2021. Review the VAN help documentation or contact VAN Support for additional questions.
How to setup Canvass Results Triggers
Canvass Result Codes are predefined in VAN. Select “Canvass Results Preferences” in the VAN Account. Once a TextOut Workspace is integrated with a VAN account, Result codes from VAN will appear in the Workspace > VAN Integration screen to allow mapping to conversation status and program Data Tags.
Important Updates:
1. The Canvass Result code of "Disconnected" has been deprecated.
2. The Phone Number used will always be synced back to VAN with the data to allow insight into which phone number people were attempted at for successful and unsuccessful attempts.
- Select “Administration” from the top menu ❯ “VAN Instances.”
- Click the “VAN Instances” button
- Select “Create Canvass Response - Result Code” in the first drop-down
- Select a Result code
- Create a Trigger
Sample Canvass Results Triggers
Simple Trigger Example: Canvass Result = Wrong Number
This trigger will send a Canvass Result Response of “Wrong Number” to VAN for any TextOut conversation with the "Wrong Number" data tag.
- Select Action: “Create Canvass Response - Result Code”
- Set the Result Code: “Wrong Number”
- Configure when this Action will trigger: Click “+ Add Rule” and set the field to “Conversation Data Tags contains Wrong Number.”
Complex Trigger Example: Canvass Result = Moved
To only sync back a single Canvass Response Result or a single Survey Question response for each conversation, follow these steps:
- Select an Action = Create Canvass Response - Result Code
- Set the Result Code = Moved
- Select the actions Conversation Triggers Conversation marked complete. Click “+ Add Rule” and set the fields to “Conversation Data Tags doesn't contain Wrong Number.” Add another rule, set to “Conversation Data Tags doesn't contain Deceased.” This logic will ensure that any Contact synced to VAN as Deceased will not be tagged as Moved. The actions in this group use AND, so all must be "True" to sync.
- Click “+ Add Group” with two rules. Set the fields to “Conversation Data Tags contains Out of District.” Add another rule, set to “Conversation Data Tags contains Out of State.” The second group contains an OR subgroup so that either condition can be True. If the conversation is complete, not a Wrong Number, not Deceased, and marked with Out of District or Out of State, this trigger would sync back the Canvass Result of Moved.
Because the first group is marked as “AND,” the first three rules must equal True, and the final group must evaluate to True.
Important: If the action "Conversation is Complete" is a VAN Trigger rule, then data on those conversations will not sync back to VAN until the Conversations are:
- Manually “Complete” a conversation by a Texter (for example, marking a Flagged conversation as "Complete"), or
- A conversation has had no further reply from the Contact, and they are still "awaiting inbound" after 48 hours. (Conversation Status = ConversationStatus_AwaitingInbound), or
- The Program is archived.
In this example below, we sync Canvass Result - Moved only if the conversation is Complete and NOT Wrong Number and NOT Deceased.
Sample Result Code Triggers in TextOut
| Trigger Action (Actions based on Program Data) | Result Code (to be mapped in VAN) |
|---|---|
| Conversation doesn’t contain Wrong Number AND is not Landline or unreachable carrier | Texted |
| Conversation contains Deceased | Deceased |
| Conversation contains Opt Out | Do Not Text |
| Conversation contains Spanish | Spanish |
| Conversation contains Moved | Moved |
| Conversation contains Moved | Wrong Number |
| Conversation contains Refused | Refused |
This is not an exhaustive list of VAN Result Codes. Refer to your VAN account for more information.
Important Note! The application of some Result Codes triggers additional actions in VAN. For example, if you record and sync back a Wrong Number result, the person’s phone number is marked “bad” in VAN.
Note: Using the "Conversation Marked Complete" function is optional.