Switching to a Mailchimp alternative can be daunting. You might have discovered a new software that checks all the boxes but you hesitate because you know you’ll need to migrate data and train your team to use the new platform. It’s a lot of work and nobody wants to browse through dozens of help articles going around in circles.

This is why Envoke offers free and comprehensive onboarding for all new accounts switching away from Mailchimp or any other provider. The focus is on continuity of service so your contacts don’t even notice you are switching away from Mailchimp and your users feel comfortable using the new software from the very beginning.

About Envoke: A Mailchimp Alternative for Communicators

Envoke is a Mailchimp alternative for communicators who work at compliance-conscious organizations and want to send opt-in and mandatory content with an emphasis on data security and subscription management. Envoke offers Canadian data storage and is flexible and straightforward to use without the feature clutter of products like Mailchimp. Find out how we’re different from Mailchimp.

“Envoke offers what any large email marketing program offers at a similar price, but with better customer service.”

Jennifer Bhogal / Urbanspace

What’s included with onboarding when you’re switching away from Mailchimp?

The short answer is: it’s all up to you becuse our onboarding is customized to your needs. Our onboarding time is not capped at an hour or a single Zoom call. Some accounts are fully operational after an hour. Some don’t even book a training call and they get started on their own. Larger organizations may require several calls. Onboarding ends when you tell us that your users are comfortable with the new account. Once  you are up and running,  you get unlimited, ongoing support.

Typically, we start our onboarding with a kick-off meeting to gather input from everyone and establish your priorities. 

• Do you want to send out emails ASAP?
• Maybe adding forms is your number one priority. 
• Some people want to focus on importing contacts and segmenting their list. 

We’ll work with your priorities and formulate a plan that makes the best use of everyone’s time. At the end of the kick-off call, we’ll schedule the actual training call.

Training calls are customized to your needs, and are booked with your team only. Anyone can ask questions at any point during the call (as opposed to a webinar style call where everyone’s on mute). We can also record these calls (we’ll always ask your permission first, of course) and send the recording to participants for future reference.

Training calls cover the following topics:

• Your specific questions and requirements
• Going over all account level settings
• Creating user logins for the team
• Technical setup of: DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) to ensure emails are properly authenticated and custom domain for branding. These are both one time steps to be completed by your IT team. We give you instructions on what to tell them and are happy to work with them directly should there be any questions
• Establish a list segmentation framework (tags, subscriptions, custom fields and custom segments)
• Help with importing existing contacts
• Contact list and contact update functions
• Review and configure CASL settings if applicable
• Customizing the Unsubscribe page
• Forms setup and customization
• Working with the email editor (create, preview, test, send)
• Review reporting options
• Review integrations requirements and help with setup

Templates

Email templates can also be migrated over to Envoke, but there are times when a slight change is required in the template layout. These changes are minor and chances are your contacts won’t even notice them when they receive their monthly newsletter or e-blast.

Forms

Forms can be migrated pretty much as-is. Once your Envoke forms are configured, you can easily replace the old forms with the new ones.

Historical Data

Historical data and reports cannot be migrated over. You can download/export these or keep a free account with Mailchimp to keep access to reports. Mailchimp billing is by number of contacts so if you delete all but a few contacts you either won’t have to pay at all or only pay a very small amount per month.

A Word About Integrations

Envoke makes integrations simple for communicators and removes the uncertainty of manual database updates. Our support team will guide you through setting up the integration that works best for your organisation. Popular integrations include CSV sync, a universal integration that syncs with any type of database, updating your list nightly through an automated export which both updates your list and removes inactive emails. The automated process saves time over frequent manual updates, and keeping your list free from inactive emails can confer a price advantage, too. We can also build a custom integration with our powerful API, or accommodate any other integrations your system requires.

Ongoing Support After Switching Away from Mailchimp

Ongoing support includes access to an extensive knowledge base, chat, phone calls and Zoom calls. You don’t pay extra for any of these options no matter the billing plan you’re on. Our support ratings are something we’re very proud of but don’t take our word for it: you can read the reviews here.

 

How Much Does Onboarding Cost?

Onboarding of every Envoke account is free regardless of account size. At Envoke, we believe that it’s in the best interest of everyone involved to start off with a great experience, which paves the way for a long-term relationship. Consider signing up for a free trial account to discover whether switching away from Mailchimp to Envoke the right choice for your organization.