Automatically delete inactive contacts

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Due to GDPR, it’s important to not save customer data for no clear reason. Use marketing automation to automatically delete inactive contacts and make sure that you have a clean tenant with relevant and interested customers.

Here's an example of an automation workflow that will try to reactivate inactive customers. If they don’t respond, they’ll be deleted. The trigger used is Scheduled selection.

About 'Scheduled selection'

To use Scheduled selection, the first thing you need to do is reach out to the Engage support team. Since the trigger considers historical data, activating the automation may result in a massive number of included contacts from day one. The support team need to monitor the selection to ensure your desired automation doesn't get hick-ups.

Before they get going, the support team need information about your desired entry criteria for the automation. Read more about what you need to provide here.

When the support team are done, you get to build the automation flow. Here’s how.

Assign labels

You should track all contacts that have entered this automation, since you also want the option to identify them in other communication. Therefore, start off by assigning a label:

1. Click the plus sign and choose Activity.
2. Click Set label.
3. Scroll through the list of current labels or create a new one.
4. Save by clicking OK.

Communication

The contacts that are reachable by email now get an email send-out:

1. Click the plus sign and choose Activity.
2. Click Send email.
3. Choose an already existing email or create a new one.

4. Save by clicking OK.

Reactivated?

Wait for some time, like one month, and see if the contacts are reactivated or not:

1. Click the plus sign and choose Time delay.
2. Set a delay for one month.
3. Save by clicking OK.

Now you should separate the reactivated customers from the ones ready to leave:

1. Click the plus sign and choose Condition.
2. Search for the criterion “Number of purchase occasions…” and choose your relevant number.
3. Tick the box Filter on date and set a time limit.

4. Save by clicking OK.

Delete member

Time to delete your inactive contacts that haven’t made a purchase:

1. Click the plus sign and choose Activity.
2. Click Delete contact.
3. Save by clicking OK.

Finish by removing the label you set at the first stage and give the automation a clear name in Settings under the three dots in the top right corner, Save, and Activate the automation.