Overview
Voucher codes are unique codes generated by your system and uploaded to Ambassador to reward participants for Referral or Loyalty activity, such as free shipping and discount codes.
There are several ways that you can issue voucher codes for your program. One of those is to add them to your Portal Reward Catalog. You can upload one or more types of codes generated by your system, along with other reward options if you like, and set a points value for each. When your participants redeem the specified points and/or referral cash for a code, they'll receive an email with a unique voucher code from an uploaded list that you've specified for that reward type.
In this article, you'll find a step-by-step guide to configure voucher codes for the Portal Reward Catalog.
Summary of Steps
Step 1: Plan the types of reward codes and details for each
Types of Codes = Start by determining the types of reward codes that you'd like to make available in your Portal Reward Catalog. You should be able to generate these codes on your own and your system should be setup to accept them. For each type of code, you will need to identify a Product Name to include in the CSV file.
Here are a few ideas:Free Shipping
$X off
%X off
Specific product SKU
Tip: We recommend starting with no more than 1 or 2 types of codes to keep it simple. You can always introduce more later.
Product Name = You will need to assign a Product Name to each type of voucher codes for our system to group them.
Points Value = How many points should a participant redeem for each code type?
Cash Value = If you payout referrals with Portal Rewards Cash, you will need to set a Points Per Dollar (PPD) value, which is the amount of points that are equal to one dollar (in your currency). If you don't set this, the default is $1 = 1 point.
For example, if you want someone to redeem $10 in portal reward cash for a free shipping voucher, your Points Value should be 1000 for the voucher in your Portal Rewards setup and your Points Per Dollar (PPD) value should be 100.
Loyalty User = You can set the PPD value in your Loyalty Settings.
Referral only = An Ambassador rep will need to set the PPD value on the backend for you.
Start and End Date = As an optional setting, you can choose to have a particular group of voucher codes available during a specific time period.
Reward Image = Create an image for each voucher reward that will be used to display it in the Portal Reward Catalog. Here are the following specs:
500px x 500px or higher recommended
Max 10MB each
Step 2: Create a CSV File
Start by creating a .CSV file with a list of unique codes from your system that can be redeemed by the recipient.
Your file must include the following column names & data:
code: The list of voucher codes from your system should go in this column.
Each code must be unique and accepted in your shopping cart or system.
product_name: You will need to assign a Product Name to each type of voucher codes for our system to group them, then insert it in this column for each row of the affiliated codes.
The product name can be anything you like, but it must be unique between each type of code.
For example, if you have codes for Free Shipping and $10 off, you will need to give each of those a product name like:
Free Shipping = free-shipping.
$10 off = 10-dollars-off
Tip: You can import two types of voucher codes in a single CSV file as long as the product_name column is unique between the two.
Remember that all voucher codes must be unique no matter the type or fulfillment method.
2. Next, click on the Vouchers tab > then, click the blue Import voucher codes button.
3. In the popup window, click upload your CSV file > then, click the drop-down to select who you want to send the import results to > and click Next.
4. On the Mapping screen, check the box for "First row contains column names" > then, select Coupon Codes and Campaign ID from the "Fields to import" column > and, click Next.
5. On the Review screen, select any sections you need to go back and edit. Otherwise, click Finish.
6. Check your email for the import results.
If it was completely successful, the codes will be displayed in the Vouchers table and you can move on to step 3.
If it was not successful, download the error file (linked in the results email) to review and resolve.
Tip: You can also monitor your import and find results in the Tasks table.
Step 4: Setup a Portal Reward email for each Voucher type
You need to setup a Portal Reward email template with a {voucher_code} merge tag, which will be used to send out the voucher code upon redemption in the Portal.
Tip: We recommend a template for each type of Voucher so that you can customize the messaging in the email to that specific reward, however you can choose to be generic in your message and use the same template for each voucher type.
First, you have to create and customize the reward Email template(s) in Portal settings. Then, you'll create or update a Reward in Portal settings and assign the applicable reward email template in the Portal Reward Email field.
1. To create a Portal Reward Email template, go to Portal > Emails > select the New Email button.
2. Next, within the Create New Email window, fill in the form fields and type selection.
Email Name: Enter an internal name for the email template.
Make sure that it's uniquely recognizable for each reward type because it will appear in a list of email templates to select from when you setup the Portal Reward.
Subject: Enter a subject line for the email's purpose and follows subject line best practices.
Example: Here is your reward code for 25% off at Blue Shark Energy
From Email & Name: This will default to the Outgoing Email Address & Domain that is setup in your Account Settings. If you change the email address, there are a two rules to follow:
It must have the same domain as what's verified in your Account Settings, otherwise you'll get an "Invalid Email Domain" error.
It must be an inbox that you can receive responses.
Type: From this list, select Voucher Reward.
3. Customize the email design, copy, and footer using the editing tool bars or enter your own HTML. You must include the {voucher_code} merge tag so that we can pull a code from the imported list that is designated in Step 5 with the product name.
Within the top-right tool bar, click "Merge Tags" to find other available tags you can use to dynamically populate corresponding information.
Note: Our Unsubscribe link is required, and will provide the recipient a choice of unsubscribing from emails and/or the program. This will only unsubscribe them from the emails sent from Ambassador specifically. If you need to be notified of these unsubscribes, you can setup a recurring Contact report or webhook.
4. Once you're done customizing the email, you can "Save Draft Email" or "Publish". We recommend saving as a draft and sending a test email to ensure that the email and links render correctly. Once you have tested successfully, mamke
Note: A test email will include a sample voucher code. It will not use your uploaded list of voucher codes.
Once you have setup the Portal Reward Voucher Email templates, you can assign it to an applicable new or existing Reward in Portal settings.
Step 5: Setup a Voucher reward in your Portal Rewards settings for each type
Heads up! If you are enabling more than one type of Voucher in your Portal Rewards, you should repeat the following steps for each type.
2. Click the Voucher tab > fill out the form fields and settings > then, upload your image for the voucher that will appear in the Portal Reward Catalog.
Redemption Item Name = Give your reward a name. It will be shown in the Portal and in your internal list of rewards.
ex: 25% off coupon code
Points Value = Input the number of points that should be redeemed for this reward.
Product Name = Select the product name given to this batch of voucher codes that you imported in Step 3.
Start Date = Enter the start date that you want this reward to be available in the portal reward catalog. It will default to the current date and go live once you publish the reward.
End Date = To limit the reward availability to a specific date-range, enter an end date. Otherwise, leave it blank and it will be available until you un-publish it.
Description = Enter a description for the reward. This will be shown in the Portal.
Segments = To limit which contacts can see this reward in the Portal, select a segment that they belong to. Click here to learn more about Segments.
Portal Reward Email = Select the name of the email template created for this reward in Step 4.
Note: An email is required for vouchers, but if you have not created the email yet, you can save this reward and come back to enable it once you've created the template.
Webhook = To send your team a webhook notification when this reward is redeemed, you must first setup the webhook in your Notification settings and then select it from this field list. Click here for steps on how to setup this webhook.
Config = Select the plus sign and then select the webhook configuration key and value created for the webhook.
Internal Notification Email = You can setup a Notification to receive an email when someone redeems Portal Rewards.
Note: Coming soon! Setup a notification to receive an email when vouchers are running low.
Image = Upload an image for this voucher type with the following specs:
500px x 500px or higher recommended
Max 10MB each
Step 6: Save > Publish > Test
Save as draft if you need to complete more details or if you're not ready to publish it yet.
To test it, you must Publish then follow these steps:
Create a contact > login to the Portal > click on Rewards > and check that the reward appears correctly.
If you are ready to test the redemption process, discuss with your Ambassador support team on how to give yourself points or referral cash and go through the process to redeem. Check that you have received the voucher reward email with the voucher code.
If possible, complete a test to redeem that voucher code in your store.
Related Support Article
If you have any question or run into any issues, contact your designated Ambassador support team or support@getambassador.com.