Mailchimp Synchronization Process

Synchronization between Maximizer and MailChimp operates in two directions: from MailChimp to Maximizer and from Maximizer to MailChimp.

Synchronization Criteria

The criteria listed below are used to determine the entries for synchronizing between MailChimp and Maximizer.

• Synchronization from MailChimp to Maximizer
  All MailChimp contacts that subscribe to the selected list in MailChimp are automatically synchronized to Maximizer. When a new contact is added to the synchronized list in MailChimp for the first time, the value of the Sync to MailChimp user-defined field for the matching contact in Maximizer is automatically set to Yes to ensure that the contact will be synchronized. If a custom field in MailChimp is mapped to Company field in Maximizer, then the sync will create Company and Contact relationship in Maximizer for any new records in MailChimp that have some value in the custom field.
• Synchronization from Maximizer to MailChimp
  In order for a Maximizer Address Book entry to be synchronized from Maximizer to MailChimp, it must meet the criteria listed below.
  • Sync to MailChimp – In order for a Maximizer entry to be synchronized to MailChimp, the value of the Sync to MailChimp user-defined fields must be set to Yes. This is a Yes/ No user- defined field that is created during the initial configuration of Maximizer Connect and is available only for individual and contact entries.
  • Email 1 – Contacts and individuals in Maximizer must have a value in the first email field in order to be synchronized to MailChimp. Even if the Sync to MailChimp user-defined field is set to Yes, the entry will not synchronize if the first email field is blank.
    When an entry is found that matches the above criteria, the entry is synchronized to MailChimp.
• Matching Criteria
  When synchronizing contacts between MailChimp and Maximizer, the synchronization service will look for matching entries using the criteria listed below in the following order:
  • MailChimp ID – This is the ID associated with a contact in MailChimp. This value is stored in the MailChimp ID user-defined field in Maximizer that is created during the initial configuration of Maximizer Connect
  • Client ID/Contact Number – This is the ID associated with an entry in Maximizer. Only MailChimp contacts that have already been synchronized with Maximizer will have values in these fields.
  • Email Address – This is the email address of the contact in MailChimp. If no entries matching the above criteria are found, the synchronization service will look for an entry with a matching email address in the first email field in Maximizer.
  • [Custom] Company Name – If this field is populated for a new entry in MailChimp, then a new Contact is created under a Company in Maximizer during the next sync cycle. If this field is left empty or unmapped to Company field in Maximizer, then any new entry in MailChimp will be synced as an Individual in Maximizer.
    If a matching entry is found using the above criteria, the existing contact is updated, otherwise a new entry is created.
• Synchronization Rules
  The rules outlined below are used to determine how entries are created and updated when synchronizing contacts between MailChimp and Maximizer.

Synchronization from MailChimp to Maximizer

When synchronizing a new contact from MailChimp to Maximizer, the contact is created as an Individual in Maximizer. However, if a custom field in MailChimp is mapped to a Company field in Maximizer, then a new contact is created under a company in Maximizer. If the company doesn’t exist, a new company is created.

Mailchimp contact properties are synchronized to the new Maximizer entry as basic fields and user-defined fields. When updating an existing entry in Maximizer, changes to user-defined fields are updated n the Maximizer entry, however changes to basic fields are not updated to avoid inadvertently overwriting Maximizer client data.

If the email address of a synchronized Mailchimp contact is changed, a new entry will be created for the contact in Maximizer. If the Sync to Mailchimp user-defined field for the original entry in Maximizer is still set to Yes, a new Mailchimp contact with the original email address is created in Mailchimp.

If a Mailchimp contact that had previously been synchronized to Maximizer is deleted, the entry is not deleted from Maximizer. Instead, the Sync to Mailchimp user-defined field for that entry is set to No on the next synchronization cycle following a change to the Maximizer entry, and the entry is no longer synchronized.

Synchronization from Maximizer to MailChimp

When synchronizing an entry from Maximizer to Mailchimp for the first time, if an existing contact with a matching email address already exists in MailChimp, the existing contact will be updated with the contact information from the Maximizer entry. This may result in the Mailchimp contact information being overwritten.

If a Maximizer entry that had previously been synchronized to Mailchimp is deleted, the contact is not deleted from Mailchimp. Instead, the contact’s subscription status in Mailchimp is updated to Archived. Any contact with subscription status set to Archived is not synced back into Maximizer on the next synchronization cycle.

Subscription Status

• Maximizer
  When ‘Do not solicit by’ field of a previously synchronized contact is updated to Email, then the subscription status of the contact in Mailchimp is updated to Unsubscribed.
• MailChimp
  When subscription status of a previously synchronized contact is updated to any value that is not ‘Subscribed’, then the ‘Do not solicit by’ field in Maximizer is set to Email.
• Sync Behavior:
  When a contact is marked as "Unsubscribed" in Mailchimp, the 'Do Not Solicit By' field in Maximizer is automatically set to Email.
  This ensures that automated campaign emails are no longer sent to the corresponding Address Book entries in Maximizer.
• Manual Emails:
  Even if the 'Do Not Solicit By' field is set to Email, you can still send individual emails. This flexibility allows you to respond to customer inquiries or send non-marketing emails as needed.
• Consent and Email Types:
  Maximizer provides options to define different email types and specify whether recipient consent is required for each type.
• Consent and opt-in settings for email recipients can be managed in the Email Profile of each Address Book entry’s email address.

Additional Reference:
For more details on managing campaign restrictions and recipient consent, please refer to the Restricting Campaign Activities article.