New segmentation methods in Customer Insights Journeys

As a company’s marketing activities expand, the complexity of contact segmentation used in marketing campaigns gradually increases. Dynamics 365 Customer Journeys offers a set of tools that helps reduce the manual effort involved in selecting new segments. Below, I’ll explain the two types of segments (static and dynamic) and describe the process of creating a more complex segment, as well as alternatives to this method.

The difference between dynamic and static (Snapshot) segments

Selecting a segment type

Once you’ve decided to create a new segment, go to the settings:

Then select your preferred segment:

• Automatic refresh for a dynamic segment
• Static snapshot for a static segment

Dynamic segment (default)

Segments saved as dynamic – which is the default option – will automatically update their members at regular intervals according to the following rules:

• Newly created segments that are not used in customer journey: Every 30 minutes for the first 24 hours, and then every full 24 hours
• Segments in active customer journey without additional filters: Every 30 minutes
• Segments in active customer journey with at least one active filter: Every hour
• Segments not used in active customer journey: 24 hours, but after 120 days of inactivity, they transition to the „Expired” status and must be republished before they can be used in an customer journey

These segments are best used for:

• Base segments, e.g., “LoB,” “Allbase”
• Event segments that will be updated in the future before a campaign is sent but were prepared in advance
• Segments for recurring events where the list of contacts being notified continuously expands along with the entire contact database – for example, a monthly training session held for interested customers

Static segment (snapshot)

Segments saved as static represent the segments as they exist at a given moment. In other words, if on July 16 I create a static segment with 1,000 subscribers who use AllBaza, and on July 17 I add 500 new contacts, my segment will not change, and I will still send the message only to the original 1,000 contacts.

A single static segment can contain up to 2,000,000 contacts added manually or via a CSV file.

These segments are best used for:

• One-time events organized for a specific list of participants
• For creating VIP lists or Blacklist, since these have to be filled out manually anyway
• For event series where the list of participants will not change during the series

Below is a visualization of the difference between the two segment options in the list:

Microsoft Barrier – Multiply nested segments

Selecting a segment type

Microsoft does not allow the creation of multiply nested segments – that is, segments that reference other segments built from existing segments. In other words:

If I create a segment called “AllBase – ktbnet” consisting of the segments “AllBasa” and “Ktbnet,” and then try to create a segment called “My Event” that would use “AllBasa – ktbnet,” it won’t be possible. It will not appear in the list of available segments. For this reason, it is necessary to use custom methods for creating segments to reduce repetitive tasks and still save time.

Visualization below:

• Base segment – dynamic (for demonstration purposes, this is a simple segment using emails from our domain)

• A segment consisting of a dynamic segment and a subsequent contact

• A composite segment that is supposed to use a previous composite segment, but that segment is not in the list

Creating base and negative segments

Base segment

For base segments, such as AllBasa or LoB, it is best to use dynamic segments.

The process follows the standard procedure:

• We select sections from the site map (side navigation)

• We are creating a new segment

• We enter a name and select the target audience (for the purposes of this article, we’re using contacts, so the default settings apply)

• We’re adding a way to select contacts to the segment, for example, by using a portion of an email address

In the above case, the segment has 7 members.

• Once the process is complete, select „Ready to Use” or save it if you want to return to the segment later

Before saving

After saving

Negative segment

Depending on your preferences, this segment can be dynamic or static. If it uses system elements, such as a contact list, it’s best to treat it as dynamic. If, on the other hand, it is loaded manually from a list, a static segment should suffice.

The steps above follow the same procedure. Below, I’ll show you how to create a more advanced segment, which involves retrieving contacts from KTBnet and Gmail and then selecting only the test contacts from them – the ones we don’t want to send emails to.

Nested segments

Nested segments are constructed in the same way as a standard segment, but we use pre-made segments for this purpose, minimizing the need to repeat steps.

Even if it were possible to create a multi-layered segment, we would have greater control by building a segment consisting of smaller elements that we can arrange in specific relationships. This way, we don’t have to remember previous configurations. All it takes is a quick setup.

The following segment will include contacts from the @example-client.com domain who are registered for the Showcase Event, as well as everyone in the Showcase (dynamic) segment, excluding those in the Showcase (static) segment. In this example, we could send an email to the specified clients of a given company who attended the last event, as well as to the VIP group, which is always invited. An excluded person could be, for example, the company’s CEO, who has expressed reluctance to participate in a given series of events.

Alternative approaches to contact segmentation

Instead of creating complex segments over and over again, you can choose one of the alternative methods for working with contacts, which can significantly simplify the process:

• If you need to build multiple segments with a similar structure – ones that share many common elements but are themselves composed of other segments (as in the example above) – you can use a simple „trick.” Build a segment containing all the common elements, save it, then use the option to duplicate the entire segment. After that, just add the missing modifications to each variant.

• Uploading a CSV file to a segment can significantly simplify the process and save time if you follow these steps:
  1. In the contact preview, apply the filters you want to use to select the appropriate group

2. Export contacts to Excel

3. Save the file as a CSV

4. Delete all columns except „Email” – the fields to be deleted are highlighted in red (including those that were previously hidden and marked „Do Not Modify”).

5. Create a new segment and save it (this is the only way to upload static lists, including a CSV file) – you can mark it as a static segment right away. After uploading, mark the segment as „Ready to use.”

A segment that uses a CSV file will take much longer to load than a normal segment, because the file’s contents are compared against the entire contact database.

• Using the add and exclude options for segments in the „Entry” section of the customer journey allows you to create much more complex interactions – you can use multiple segments that are already nested:
  1. Create a new customer journey and navigate to the „Entry” option in the right-hand panel

2. In the „Select segments” option, just as when creating a customer journey, you can add as many segments as you like, including nested segments
3. Similarly, in “Exclude segments,” you can add as many segments as you want that contain contacts who are to be excluded when the customer journey is initialized. Again, these can be nested segments

This way, you simulate the creation of a multiply nested segment. It’s also the fastest method if you already have other segments ready.

• Using alternative outputs in the „Exit” section of the customer journey allows you to make complex modifications to the target group while the process is running (after initialization). Again, you can use multiple segments that are already nested:
  1. Create a new customer journey and navigate to the „Exit” option in the right-hand panel

2. In the „Exit when a trigger occurs” option, you can select triggers whose activation for a given contact will cancel the customer journey for that contact
3. In the „Exit by segments” option – sometimes called the suppression segment – you can add as many segments as you like. A contact that becomes part of such a segment will be removed from the ongoing customer journey. This option is only useful for dynamic segments

This method allows for greater control over continuous or repeated extraction processes

Summary

The methods described above also apply to leads.

By combining these segmentation management techniques and tailoring them to your needs, you can manage the recipients of your marketing campaigns much more efficiently, without having to manually build highly complex segments. Keep in mind that managing many simple elements is easier than managing a single overly complex one. Although the initial time investment for some of them is quite significant (preparing the base segments), the ultimate long-term gain is definitely worth the time invested.

Sources:

• Optimize segment refresh – Dynamics 365 Customer Insights | Microsoft Learn
• Build segments in Customer Insights – Journeys – Dynamics 365 Customer Insights | Microsoft Learn
• Segmentation overview – Dynamics 365 Customer Insights | Microsoft Learn
• End a journey – Dynamics 365 Customer Insights | Microsoft Learn
• Start a journey – Dynamics 365 Customer Insights | Microsoft Learn