Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
These are the most frequently asked questions we hear. Just click on the question to show the answer. If your question isn't here then just ask us!
About CommsBox™
What is CommsBox™
A single system that will run your web-site, your email campaigns and your contacts!
Is my data safe?
Yes! The CommsBox™ service runs on our own servers and the data is continually replicated in real time to backup systems. Full backups are then taken every day.
Where did CommsBox™ come from?
YellowHawk developed the software that drives CommsBox over about 10 years (and continue to develop it!) while
working with large and medium sized public and private organisations. CommsBox brings these enterprise class tools within the reach of the SME.
Managing content
Do I need to be a technical wizard/web-designer to use CommsBox?
No! We've designed CommsBox to be easy to use by anyone with basic computer literacy skills. If you can use a word processor you can use CommsBox!
What content can I change?
You can change the copy on existing pages, create new pages or even add new items to your site's menu structure.
What happens if I make a mistake?
You can see the results of your changes in draft mode - both page and menu changes. Check them in draft mode and
publish only when you are completely happy with the results!
Who can make changes to my content?
CommsBox supports a secure multi-user administrator interface. Only people with a valid user name and password can make changes.
We'll create the first administrator account for you. You can create additional accounts for other people in your organisation.
I want to add a high-impact marketing page to my site - I don't have the graphical skills. What should I do?
If you work with an existing graphic designer then you can provide them with an admin account and allow them to make the
changes for you. Alternatively you can work with us to add their design or have us design the page for you. We're here to help!
Can I restrict which areas of the site some people can change?
Yes - we can create different administrative areas for you. This allows your sales people to manage just the sales pages and
your support people to manage the support pages.
I work with a marketing company - can they manage the content for me?
Of course - simply create an account for them and give them access to the tools they need. CommsBox security model allows you to restrict which
areas of the site they can manage and which tools they can use. For example you might not want them managing your site content but do want them
to manage your email marketing.
Contact Management (CRM)
Can I import my existing contacts from Outlook or another package?
You can import your existing contacts from many systems. All you need to be able to do is export contacts from
your existing system into a 'csv' formatted file. This is an option on many packages. We can help you if you have problems.
I've bought a marketing list - can I import that into CommsBox?
Yes BUT the list must be from a reputable source and must only contain people that have
opted into being part of that list. Good sources for such information in the UK are the local Chambers of Commerce. Don't
use contacts for which you don't know the source. Very bad sources are anonymous spam email offering thousands of addresses
for next to nothing!This is as much for your own reputation as it is for us.
I want to use my contacts for a traditional mail-merge promotion. Can I do this?
Yes. You can export all or some of your contacts (by list or distance) to a spreadsheet which you can then use
with third party software.
Will contacts be automatically added to the database when they contact me?
Yes. If people fill in the 'contact' page, comment on a blog or fill in a registration form they will be automatically
added to the system. They can also automatically be added to distribution lists for you. With our full CRM option we'll
also automatically log the message they enter against their record.
How to I manage email opt-outs?
Each email sent from CommsBox has a footer automatically attached with an 'opt-out' link. If the recipient
clicks on this link they are added to the opt-out list and CommsBox will not send them another email. If a recipient manually contacts you
and asks to be removed from your lists then you can add them to the opt-out list via the control panel.
Does the CommsBox opt-out work across the whole of my site?
Yes - management of this list for the most part is completely automated and because
CommsBox is a single integrated system you only have one place to manage. This prevents the damage to your reputation that
results from accidentally emailing people that have told you not to email them!
How many contacts can CommsBox manage?
How many do you have? CommsBox is successfully managing lists comprising in excess of 20,000 contacts. We charge based
on the number of contacts you have - in this way you effectively pay for what you use.
Email marketing with CommsBox
I currently email my contacts using Outlook/Outlook Express/Google Mail - why should I use CommsBox?
Unless your list is very small traditional email applications become very cumbersome to use for serious email marketing.
Can I personalise email to my contacts?
Yes - you can include traditional customisation such as Dear John but
much richer customisation is also possible. For example include a special section just for people that have
purchased from you before, or for people living within a 30 mile radius of your organisation. CommsBox makes
this kind of customisation easy!
I'm running an event - can CommsBox help me find delegates?
Yes - you can target emails to people within certain locations. Running an event in your home town? Use CommsBox to
message just people in the local area.
How much do you charge per email sent?
While many of our competitors charge per email sent we don't! Instead we charge you simply for the number of contacts managed - regardless of
the number of messages you send.
How can I be sure my email will look good?
CommsBox allows you to create a 'test list' and do a dummy distribution to that list before you send to your main list. We recommend that
you test your email before sending to your list of customers to make sure you're getting across the right points!
Blogging for business
Why is 'blogging' good for my business?
The Internet allows you to reach a wide audience regardless of the size of your company. To reach that audience you first need to convince search engines you're a worthy destination for their users. Then, once those valuable contacts arrive on your site you need to convice them that you know what you're doing.
Writing regular 'articles' for your site is a great way of achieving both these objectives by helping you build your on-line reputation.
Although traditionally called blogging there's no need to use that term on your site. Think of it as a knowledge base, article collection or whatever is most appropriate to your audience.
Why is CommsBox a good choice for blogging?
There are many answers to this question. CommsBox provides all the tools you'd expect from any blogging platform as well as those that are uniquely valuable for businesses:
- Write and save draft articles before publication
- Schedule articles for automatic publication
- Automatically email your distribution list with a summary each time you publish a new article
- Contacts made through CommsBox Business Blogging are automatically added to your marketing lists
- Manage the meta-data associated with your articles directly
- Article page analysis provides the information you need to optimise your article for users and search engines
Partnering with YellowHawk and CommsBox
I a marketeer and CommsBox would be a great addition to my portfolio - can we work together?
Yes!. YellowHawk are always looking to form strong partnerships with marketing, PR and content providers. You provide the marketing service and we'll provide the technology.
If you'd like to know more about how we can work together then please get in touch
We like CommsBox but we'd like to put our own branding on it - is this possible?
Yes. We're more than happy to offer a white-labelled version of the CommsBox platform that you can
integrate into your own value-added services.
I'm a web-designer. Can I use CommsBox to add functionality to my static sites?
CommsBox is an ideal product for current web-designers that are getting pressure to add functionality to otherwise static web-sites. You manage the relationship and
develop the graphic design. We take your design and translate it into CommsBox templates.
Software
What software do I need to use CommsBox?
You just need a modern web-browser with JavaScript enabled. That's all. This means you can access your data
from just about any computer, tablet or mobile device using any operating system from Microsoft Windows to Apple Macs to Linux desktops.
Do I need to install any other software on my computer?
No - you just need a modern browser (we recommend Mozilla Firefox 3.5+, Internet Explorer 8+, Google Chrome or Apple Safari.