When CustomerSure picks up a file from one of your FTP feeds, it has to work out
what each column means: which column holds the email address or mobile number to
send to, which holds the customer’s name, which is a reference, and so on. This
page explains how that mapping is decided, how you can view and change it, the
rules that apply, and the limitations to be aware of.
If you haven’t set up an FTP feed yet, start with
automating feedback with an FTP or SFTP feed.
The most important column: where to send
Every feed needs one column that tells us where to send each feedback request:
- an email address for feeds that send by email,
- a mobile number for feeds that send by SMS,
- a telephone number for automated phone-call surveys.
A feed whose send type can vary per row can use both an email and a mobile
number. If no column maps to the right send field, the file cannot be processed,
so this is the mapping to get right first.
How the first file is mapped automatically
The first time a feed processes a file, CustomerSure makes its best guess at each
column by looking at:
- the column heading (for example “Email”, “Mobile”, “Surname”, “Postcode”),
- whether the heading matches one of your segments,
- and, if nothing matches, storing the column as information only so its values
are kept against the feedback but not used to send.
We also make sure the guess is sensible: a field that can only be set once (see
the rules below) will not be assigned to two columns.
How a feed remembers its mappings
The first time a file imports successfully, CustomerSure records the mapping
it used for that feed. From then on, the feed applies its own remembered
mappings to every file it receives:
- a column the feed already knows keeps the field you (or the first import)
settled on,
- a brand-new column that appears later is auto-detected and added to the feed’s
mappings,
- a column that stops appearing is left in place, so it is ready if it returns.
This means a feed settles down and stays consistent on its own. It stops relying
on guesswork once it has learned its shape, and quietly adapts as columns come
and go.
Viewing and editing a feed’s mappings
You can see and change the mappings for any feed at any time:
- Hover over your name on the main menu.
- Click Company Settings on the drop-down
menu.
- Click Integrations on the secondary
navigation bar.
- Click Options next to the feed, then
View and edit column mappings.
Each column is shown in a box with a few example values from the feed’s most
recent file, so you can confirm at a glance what the column actually contains.
The card also tells you whether the mapping was set automatically or by a
colleague, when it was last used, and flags any mapping whose column was not in
the latest file.
From this screen you can:
- Change the field a column maps to, then Save
changes. You can change several at once, including moving a field from one
column to another in a single save.
- Delete a mapping by ticking it and saving.
- Add a mapping on its own screen using
Add mapping. This is useful when a heading
is not recognised automatically, or to set a column up before the feed’s
first file even arrives.
The rules that apply
The mapping screen follows the same rules as a manual upload, so your feeds and
your one-off uploads behave the same way:
- Single-value fields can only be used once per feed. You can only have one
mobile number, one email address, one first name, and so on. If you need a
second column that happens to hold similar data, map it to
Information only.
- Information only can be used as often as you like. Any column you want to
keep against the feedback, but not act on, can be stored this way.
- Survey and template columns are only offered when the feed needs them. If a
feed already has a fixed survey or template, those options are hidden, because
the feed decides them rather than the file.
Limitations to be aware of
- Mappings are remembered per feed, not per file. Within a single feed, a
given column heading always maps to the same field for every file that feed
receives. So you should not send two files down the same feed where the same
heading means different things. If two sources use the same heading for
different data, set them up as separate feeds: the same heading can map to
different fields on different feeds.
- A feed only learns from a file that imports successfully. If every file
fails (for example because the send column is not recognised), the feed has
nothing to remember and will keep failing the same way. Add the mapping
yourself first, using Add mapping, so the
next file has what it needs to import.
If you would like a hand setting up or checking a feed’s mappings, please
get in touch.
