Depending on where contacts are loaded within the NextGen platform, the number of contacts display can differ. This guide outlines the difference in contact count views throughout the platform.
All Contacts Page
The All Contacts page displays the number of profiles associated with the organization displayed in the sidebar. If the organization contains multiple domains, contacts from all domains will be listed on this page.
Each profile represents an individual person. A profile may have a single identifier (e.g. email address) or multiple identifiers (e.g. email address and phone number). These identifiers are also known as points of contact.
The page contains three different types of profiles:
Subscribers: Contacts who are opted-in to at least one type or program in a channel (e.g. marketing, cart abandonment) based on the activity on the site. The green checkmark on the channel identifier indicates a contact is subscribed.
Unsubscribers: Contacts who have opted-out of of all program types in a channel. The red X in the channel identifier indicates a contact is not subscribed.
Purchasers: Contacts who have made a purchase associated with the identifiers, but has never opted-in to any program. The red X in the channel identifier indicates a contact is not subscribed.
Contacts Counts when Building and Editing Segments
When building a new or editing an existing segment you can start drilling down into the profiles on the contacts page. All three types of profiles may be included in the segment, depending on the criteria chosen.
💡 A segment includes any contact within the organization who meets the criteria.
Segments Page
The segments page lists all previously created segments. The page provides a breakdown of the contacts count in different manners. The segments display the identifiers (e.g. email addresses) for the profiles that match the criteria chosen when building the segment.
💡 The segment count can include more than one identifier (e.g. a contact with both an email address and a phone number) that was represented as a single profile on the contacts page.
The main segment count (#1) column displays an estimated count of the contact identifiers who are subscribed to at least one program in any channel. This estimate is updated when the segment is first created and then once a day moving forward. The last counted date shows when a segment count was last estimated.
When hovering over the segment count the segment is further divided.
The number on the left side of the bar (#2) are the number of identifiers opted in to at least one program in the channel.
If multiple channels are enabled in the account, adding the numbers on the left equals the estimated segment count.
The numbers on the right side of the bar are the total number of contact identifiers that meet the segment criteria.
This number includes contacts who are not opted in to the channel, but have a known identifier (e.g. provided a phone number for shipping updates, but did not opt-in).
Applying a Segment to an Audience
When a segment is applied to an audience in any channel, you can combine multiple segments to target a group of contacts that include or exclude contacts who are members of a previously created segment.
When the message creation experience is loaded, the audience count displays all contacts opted in to the program associated with the list noted in the filter section.
The Audience Builder
Clicking Build Audience opens the audience builder, which displays all previously created segments in the left sidebar.
The segment count (#1 & #2) displays the estimated count of contacts opted in to the channel who meet the segment criteria. This number is a rounded version of the count of opted-in contacts seen when hovering over the segment count.
⚠️ This count uses the estimated count from the last time the segment count was generated and may show a different number than the current segment count.
The Audience Count (#3) shows the current count of contacts who would receive the message based on the included or excluded segments. When the audience is applied, it will also show on the main message creation screen in the filter recipients section.
💡 The audience will dynamically update at the time the message is sent to identify contacts who meet the audience criteria and are opted in to the list and channel. Any changes made to the segment criteria will be applied to the audience when the message is sent.
SMS Review & Send Page
The SMS Review page is the last step in creating and scheduling and SMS or MMS message. The audience screen above is used when creating the message, but you also see the audience count on the review screen.
The Approximate Recipients (#1) is the number of SMS contacts opted in to the SMS short code and list at the current time who will receive the message based on the applied audience. The count is approximate because the segments will be re-calculated at the time of message send and recipients may change slightly as a result.
You can also confirm the segments you added in the include and exclude section of the audience builder (#2).