In this guide, we will explore the process of bulk suppressing user profiles for a specific channel. This feature allows you to efficiently suppress users across email, SMS, and/or WhatsApp channels. Before delving into the details, let's clarify the concept of suppression in NotifyVisitors.

What is a suppressed profile?

When a profile is suppressed for any channel, they will not be able to receive messages. Suppressed profiles will still have their data available in NotifyVisitors, but they won't receive any messages, even if they are included in the segment you've chosen for a broadcast campaign or journey.

Methods of suppression 

There are several methods to suppress users from receiving messages.

1. When a user unsubscribes: If a user chooses to unsubscribe from receiving email, SMS, or WhatsApp messages, they will automatically be suppressed in NotifyVisitors.

2. By system: Our system identifies invalid email addresses or mobile numbers, as well as unengaged users, and automatically suppresses these profiles. Click here to learn more.

3. Manual suppression: If you prefer to suppress a profile yourself, you have the option to do so. Learn how to do it by clicking here.

4. Manual bulk suppression: If you have a large number of profiles that you want to suppress, you can choose this method.

Bulk suppress profiles

To bulk suppress profiles for a particular channel, follow these steps:

Step 1 - Create a segment

In order to suppress profiles in bulk, the first step is to create a segment of the users you wish to suppress. For instance, if you want to suppress users who haven't interacted with your emails, you can create a segment with this criteria. The same process can be followed for SMS and WhatsApp as well.

Once you have created your segment, you can navigate to the segments section and locate the segment you just created. To perform bulk suppression, you will need to export the user logs of this segment, make necessary modifications to the exported sheet, and then import the sheet back into NotifyVisitors.

Step 2 - Export user logs as CSV

To export user logs, simply locate the three-dotted eclipses icon located next to your created segment. From there, select "user logs" to proceed. Afterward, click on the export button situated at the top right corner of the screen. Enter your email address where you wish to receive the user logs list, and click on the export data option.

Please allow 1-2 minutes for the process to complete. Once finished, you will receive an email containing a link to download the user logs. Access your email and click on the provided link to initiate the download of the user logs CSV file.

Step 3 - Making changes in the CSV file

Now open the downloaded spreadsheet and remove all the columns except “userID” and the channel you want to suppress. For an example, we are going to use email as a channel to suppress.

As shown in the image below, we have removed all the columns except “userID” and “Email”. Now, add another column with the header "email_opt_in". If you are suppressing for the SMS or WhatsApp channel, use headers "sms_opt_in" or "whatsapp_opt_in" respectively. Fill in the value “5” in the “email_opt_in” column right next to each email address.

Lastly, save your CSV file.

Step 4 - Import

Now, we need to import this file. To do this, navigate to the settings menu and select the "Upload Users" option. Within this section, choose "Upload User Data" and pick your CSV file. Verify the relevant attributes, and then proceed by clicking "Next”. In the next step, you will be prompted to choose a segment, but please note that selecting a segment is not required in this case. Therefore, you can leave it as it is and simply click the upload button.

Allow a few moments for the system to process the upload, and once completed, ensure that the status reflects as "Success."

Checking suppressed profiles

To verify if the user is excluded from a specific channel, navigate to segments and click on the three dots next to the segment used for suppression. From there, choose user logs and click on the user's name. This will open the user's profile. Next, click on attributes to view the user's subscription status for a particular channel. In our situation, we utilized email, so the email subscription status is displayed as unsubscribed.

Unsupressing profiles

If you want to resume sending messages to suppressed profiles, you will need to unsuppress or resubscribe them. The process to do this is similar to what was mentioned earlier, with one small difference. Instead of filling in the value 5 in the opt-in column of your spreadsheet, you will need to fill in the value 1, as shown in the image below.

Once you have made the necessary changes, save the sheet and upload it.

To check the status, go to the attributes section of the user's profile, as mentioned above. Here, you will now see that the channel status has returned to subscribed. From now on, all the users that you have unsuppressed will start receiving your messages.

Conclusion

We've just covered the process of bulk suppressing user profiles for a specific channel. Suppressing profiles is highly recommended over deleting them entirely. When you suppress a profile, all user data is retained, ensuring comprehensive information is at your disposal while preventing them from receiving messages. This strategic approach allows for future re-engagement by simply unsuppressing these profiles. On the contrary, if a profile is deleted, all associated data is permanently removed

In case you're dealing with a substantial amount of data, please be patient, as exporting and uploading lists may take a few minutes. If you encounter any issues during this process, we encourage you to raise a ticket or reach out to our dedicated support team for assistance.