Reach Terminology Explained

A glossary of Reach terms. If something in the portal or a KB article isn't clicking, look it up here.

Overview

Some of the terms Reach uses aren't obvious at first glance. This glossary covers all of them plainly, with examples. It's meant to be a reference you come back to, not something you read start to finish.

Tip

Worth bookmarking. When something in the portal or in another KB article doesn't make sense, check here first.

Platform Structure Terms

Department

The top-level unit in Reach. It maps to a division in your organization, like Water Services or Billing. Subscribers, users, and campaigns are all tied to a department. Only Convey can create new ones.

Category Group

A folder that organizes Programs. Also called Program Category in the interface. A Water Department might have groups like "Outage Alerts" and "Billing Notifications." You create them in Campaigns Configuration.

Category

A tag assigned to subscribers that controls which campaigns they get. When launching a campaign, you target a category. Only subscribers in that category receive the message.

Program

A named container inside a Category Group. It represents one ongoing notification effort, like "Water Main Breaks." Each program has a Sequence Number and holds Notification Types.

Sequence Number

A number you assign to a Program or Notification Type. It's for internal organization. Assigning number ranges by department (e.g., Water uses the 20000s) makes it easier to spot duplicates.

Notification Type

A specific message event inside a Program. "Initial Alert," "Reminder," "All Clear" are all examples. Each one has its own templates per channel. You can't launch until at least one template is approved.

Messaging Terms

Template

The message content for a specific channel. Templates start as drafts, get submitted for approval, and go Live once approved. You can only use a Live template in a campaign.

Draft vs. Live

A Draft is saved but not yet approved. A Live template has been approved and is ready to send. Only one draft can be selected at a time.

Wildcard

A placeholder in a template that Reach swaps out for real subscriber data at send time. For example, @customerfirstname@ becomes "Jane" for Jane Smith. Add them using the Add Wild Card dropdown.

Channel

The delivery method. Reach supports SMS, Email, Voice (automated call), and Push. One campaign can go out through all four at once.

Quiet Hours

A time window where Reach won't send from a given program. Set quiet hours to 10 PM to 5 AM and any send scheduled during that window gets held until 5 AM. Configured per program.

Subscriber Terms

Subscriber

A person stored in Reach who will receive your messages. Each subscriber has a name, contact details, location, and a system-generated Subscriber ID.

Recipient

Anyone who gets a message from Reach. All subscribers are recipients, but not all recipients are subscribers. Confirmation campaigns send to people whose details you provide at launch, without them needing a subscriber record.

Confirmation

A message sent to someone who isn't a stored subscriber. Used in file-based campaigns, where you upload contact details and a Template ID at launch. Useful when your recipient list changes too often to maintain as subscribers.

STOP / Opt-Out

If a subscriber replies STOP to an SMS, they're automatically opted out of future messages. Reach records it and it shows up in Analytics STOPs. Replying HELP sends them assistance info.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the difference between a Category and a Category Group?

A: They're easy to mix up. A Category Group is a folder for Programs. A Category is a tag on subscribers that controls which campaigns they receive. Different levels of the hierarchy.

Q: Can a subscriber belong to more than one category?

A: Yes. When bulk uploading, you can assign multiple categories. That subscriber will receive messages from any campaign targeting those categories.

Q: What happens if I launch a campaign and there is no Live template?

A: Reach blocks the launch. You need at least one approved (Live) template per channel before you can send.

Q: Where do I find a subscriber's Subscriber ID?

A: Search for them in the Subscribers tab. The ID appears in the leftmost column of the results table.

Need More Help?

If you have followed the steps above and still require assistance, please refer to the relevant articles listed below for additional guidance.

• What is Reach?   Platform overview: how all these pieces work together.
• Campaign Structure ExplainedA deeper look at how programs, notification types, and templates are organized.