Program Builder Optimization - Batch Mode

Programs are used in different ways; some for lead nurturing, some for lead scoring, some for webinar invites, some for data manipulation. Each way of using Programs has with it a different goal of what matters and what is important in terms of program execution.

In normal run mode, Program Builder executes every 15 minutes, and Contacts will move through one step or Decision Rule per cycle. This is great for nurturing, free trial, and event campaigns as it has a very quick start (less than 15 minutes) and the delay between steps is governed by the marketing campaign itself (ie, emails at 30, 60, and 90 days).

For data-oriented programs, however, you have a very different dynamic. Programs that run lead scoring, data management, and lead routing algorithms need end-to-end processing. In these cases, especially for more complex Programs where there are numerous steps, running each step sequentially is not a great approach.

Instead, you can easily configure Program Builder to run in Batch Mode, in which it runs every two hours, and runs the entire Program end to end. All Contacts in the Program are evaluated through all Steps and Decision Rules.

Choose "Program Run Mode" from the Program menu, and click the "Batch Mode" button at the bottom. If you have Feeders in your Program you will be given a list of Feeders to enable at the same time.

Select the Feeders you wish to enable and click "Enable Program and Selected Feeders" at the bottom of the screen. The Program is now running in Batch Mode, and can be identified by a slightly different icon in the tree view. All Contacts will be processed through all steps every two hours.

Note that Batch Mode Programs do not appear in the Contact Activity Overview.

Quick Tip: Cleaning Up Your Contact Activity Overview

The Contact Activity Overview is a great spot to see exactly what has been happening with a particular Contact in Eloqua and get a good understanding of what they are interested in and what they are responding to - their Digital Body Language. It is also a great overview to share with your sales team as it can give them unique insights into prospect motivations and interests.

Unfortunately, it can also get cluttered with some records, such as Entry and Exit from Programs if you are doing anything like lead scoring or some forms of nurture marketing where Contacts are regularly brought into and out of Programs.

This can be easily fixed with a single check-box.

In the Program Details page for any Program that is cluttering your Contact Activity Overview, you can select the "Hide Program Entry..." option, and the Program Entry/Exit records will disappear. If you ever need to see them again, for analysis or debugging purposes, just uncheck the box and they will show up again (including all historical records).

Sales adoption of the insights you can provide them into their Contacts is often dependant on how simple and smooth the experience is. If you are showing them a Contact Activity Overview that is cluttered with extra data, they are much less likely to use it.