Triggered e-mail solutions enable you to automatically communicate a relevant and timely message to each of your prospects and customers and is generated based on a meaningful change or event in a customer behavior or profile. The idea behind trigger-based campaigns is this: rather than sending to a group of people all at once, trigger emails send automatically whenever one of your recipients does something – like signing up to get your emails, or having a birthday, tips and tricks emails or reminders from your site. Triggers allow you to reach people the moment they’re most likely to read and respond – on their schedule, not yours.

Only a few e-mail service providers provide triggered email solutions which also tie into both analytics and cart systems, including ExactTarget, StrongMail and Bronto.

Trigger Email Setting Example

To better understand the difference between autoresponders and triggered e-mails let me explain what autoresponders do. While traditional automated emails (autoresponders) follow newsletter sign-ups and orders, trigger marketing sends emails for other events such as particular search patterns, customer birthdays, holidays, or related products.

Autoresponder Example

Typical Uses for Event Triggered Emails:

• Account Activity – these are generally initiated with pre-determined subscriber parameters, for example if you customers want to know when their checking account hovers perilously close to double digits. Another example of good use  is when your customers’ latest rental movie has been received back so you can send them a triggered e-mail.
• Birthday Reminders – you can automatically send a triggered e-mail with a happy birthday wish and/or discount to your client
• Customer Feedback and Surveys – customer feedback e-mails are usually triggered in response to recently-performed service, or several days after a purchase to asses overall experience
• Download Confirmation for your customers
• eBills
• eCommerce Confirmation – like confirmation of an order
• Emergency Alerts
• Lead Nurturing Alerts typically deliver educational product or service information, or often an incentive to drive leads to conversion. It helps keep leads engaged with your brand. Good example are “tips and tricks” emails during the 30 day trial period.
• Match Alerts – good example is an estate agent or car website, where you can receive a match alert based on your customers criteria
• News Alert
• Out of Stock Alerts – if you have ever wondered how these work then here is the answer. Via triggered e-mails your customer will receive an automated email “back in stock” alert
• Shopping cart abandonment triggered emails: Whenever a client begins an order but then bails, you could set up an important follow up email to find out why they didn’t complete the transaction
• Behavioral triggered emails: Whenever a client purchases a certain level that elevates them to platinum status or a warranty contract that is near expiration or even when a gift certificate should be redeemed by a certain date
• Wish List Alert – you send an alert about items in your customer wish list

The trigger e-mail solutions mentioned at the beginning cost from $500+ per month. More affordable solution for small business worth to check, but perhaps not that sophisticated is from BigResponse.com.