ALAN FAQ's

• How do I point my ads to the ALAN funnel?

1. Install the pixel code into the head tracking code box in the ClickFunnels settings of the ALAN funnel. - https://www.loom.com/share/07b8871b67d3441ba605f646ad563c02
2. Create a new custom conversion that is set to the “Thank You” page URL of the ALAN funnel. - https://www.loom.com/share/cb482d4ab65c4b6eb95d0c6ef640dfac
3. Adjust Ads - https://www.loom.com/share/02d6cefd3b71466e96830a2ea559af65

• Duplicate the campaign from the Facebook manager campaign level. 
• Move to the ad set level of the new campaign, and select the new custom conversion on all ad sets. 
• Move to the ad level of the new campaign, and set ALAN optin URL on the new ads under “Website URL” and the ad copy. 
• Publish.
• OPTIONAL: Turn off old campaigns with ads that are not pointing to ALAN.

 

• What is your recommended availability?

• Based on the data science we have conducted, we recommend being available Monday-Friday from 9am-12pm, and 2pm-7pm, as well as Saturday’s from 9am-12pm.
• What we have seen is those with the highest ALAN performance scores also have the most availability. So even though those with limited availability may have a good scheduling percentage, their show percentage suffers. This has nothing to do with ALAN but has to do with the fact that people will schedule for a time that is not convenient for them if you have limited slots, but they are much less likely to show. People are much more likely to show when you have more availability because it is a time that is convenient for them, and we know this based on the countless studies we have done as we built ALAN to work for you.

 

• How do I change my availability?

• You can change your availability at any time within your calendar in your Acuity account. Remember NOT to change the appointment type or the calendar itself, simply adjust your availability. Please keep in mind, ALAN is optimized by presenting significant availability for your leads.

 

• What if I want to change my funnel?

• You are able to make cosmetic changes to your ALAN funnel at any time (words, pictures, challenge name). If you want a complete overhaul of your funnel, please contact your ALAN Certified Partner. 

 

• Does ALAN stop texting the lead if the chat is in my live chat?

• No, ALAN’s campaign will continue even if someone has ended up in your live chat; therefore, please ensure you are checking your live chat so that a client’s question or concern does not go unacknowledged. 

 

• Which programs can I get rid of?

• The only programs that ALAN requires are ClickFunnels (or Go High Level), Acuity, and Twilio. If you were using any other platforms for lead nurture, you will no longer need them unless you were using them for another reason within your own business. 

 

• What if I change my promotional offer? How do I update the funnel and the text message?
• You can update your funnel cosmetically at any time. To update the promo name that ALAN will text your clients, please be sure to visit your “My Info” tab to update the correct text message field. 

 

• What if I don't have my own photos to upload?

• Not to worry: we have uploaded some for you! If you would like to change these, you can do so at any time via the “My Info” tab. 

 

• What should I offer as a virtual “freebie”?

• If you decide that the virtual “freebie” offer is right for your campaign, it should be specific to your niche. Here are just a few examples:
• Gym/Fitness: Virtual cookbook  (Watch How To) (Cookbook PDF) (Cookbook SMS Image)
• Dental: Dental care kit- ex: toothbrush, floss, toothpaste
• Chiropractic- E-book or weekly newsletter.

 

• How can I know what ALAN is saying to my clients? Can I get a list of the text messages?

• We do not offer a list of text messages; however, you can review the text messages any time by visiting the “Messages” tab within your ALAN account. In the beginning, we invite you to do this so that you know exactly what ALAN is saying to your clients, and you become more comfortable with the platform. 

 

• How do I reset my password?

• You can reset your password via the “My Account” tab at any time. 

 

• Who is making my ads?

• The ALAN team does not make ads. As a reminder, ALAN is a lead nurturing platform, NOT a lead generation platform. 

 

• How long will it take before I know if ALAN is working?
• ALAN is the king of follow-up, the first adopters, laggards, and the can kickers. He is working day and night to get all your leads in your door over weeks, hence why the performance continues to get better over time. You should notice that the performance will continue to increase over time. We see peak performance typically 3-4 weeks into ALAN due to ALAN working not only your current leads, but also leads from 1, 2 & 3 weeks prior. ALAN is not only getting your present day leads scheduled, but getting those who may not have been ready a few weeks ago, “in the door”. When you first start running traffic, there will not have been any time for ALAN to work leads from weeks prior, so the % scheduled will be lower until ALAN has time to get all the can-kickers in the door! 

 

• Can I load old leads into ALAN?

• We do NOT recommend loading old leads into ALAN directly, as the messaging campaign will not align with their present situation, and can lead to a poor client experience. What you will want to do is create a communication with your cold lead (email, text, Facebook message, smoke signal, etc) and in that communication, you will need to have a short description of your current promotion and the URL to the opt-in of your ALAN funnel (the same one that goes into your ALAN ads). By re-engaging your cold leads and familiarizing them with the offer before they are put into ALAN there will be less confusion and better traction.

 

• Will I get a notification when something enters my live chat?

• Yes! ALAN will send you an email each time a lead is assigned to your live inbox. The Live Chat team will assign a lead to your inbox when ever they need your help responding to a lead's specific question. 

 

• Can I use ALAN on my phone?

• At this time, ALAN is optimized for a desktop/laptop.

 

• Can I set up webhooks, APIs, or Zapier?
• No, please do NOT set any webhooks or APIs into ALAN, as this will cause ALAN to stop working properly. For more information regarding Zapier, please reach out to our Support Team at support@usealan.com

 

• Does ALAN sync with my Google calendar?

• Yes, ALAN can sync with your Google calendar - Watch How To

 

• How do I view or update someone’s contact information in ALAN?

• You can find the contact's phone number by clicking on their appointment on the ALAN calendar. Below the contact's name, you will find the phone number they provided. 
• If you need to update a contact's information in ALAN you can edit their info in Acuity and it will push over to ALAN in a few minutes.

 

• Why is the opt-out button grayed out/not selectable?

• You are not able to opt-out contacts who have an appointment scheduled in the future. It may also be grayed out if the contact has already been opted out previously.

 

• What do the colors on the calendar mean?
• Black = Appointment has not passed yet.
• Blue = Appointment marked as "show".
• Green = Appointment marked as "sold".
• Red = Appointment marked as "no show" or has been Blacklisted.
• *If an appointment in the future is red it means the lead was marked as a no show for a previous appointment.
• *Canceled appointments are completely removed from the calendar

 

• Will changing the Acuity “ALAN Calendar” name affect ALAN?
• Changing the calendar name of the ALAN calendar in Acuity will affect ALAN. Please do NOT edit or change the calendar names.

 

• Will changing the Acuity “ALAN Appointment Type” name affect ALAN?
• Changing the appointment type name in Acuity will adversely affect ALAN.

 

• Will changing the funnel paths affect ALAN?
• Changing the funnel paths will adversely affect ALAN.

 

• Am I able to change the campaign messages?

• You are unable to change or edit the full campaign message. You can update the “My Info” section which alters the auto-responses for that particular subject. 

 

• If I cancel or mark a contact as “No Show” will ALAN send anything?

• Yes, once a lead is marked as “No Show” or has their appointment canceled, ALAN will reach out shortly after with a cancellation/no show campaign that requests the next best available time for them.

 

• How do I follow up with a lead who showed but did not buy anything?

• ALAN does not currently have a campaign for those that showed but did not buy. Once a lead has scheduled and been nurtured to your doorstep, the ALAN nurturing journey has been completed. We suggest reaching out to that lead outside of the ALAN platform as a follow-up. 

 

• Why did the messages not update after I changed the “My Info” section or swapped to a new campaign?

• When the “My Info” section is updated or a new campaign is applied, only leads who opt-in after that change was made will receive the new “My Info” values. All leads who opted in prior to the change will still receive the previous “My Info” values and/or the old campaign messages in their texts.

 

• Can I receive appointment notifications when someone schedules/reschedules/cancels?
• Yes you can set up notifications to be sent to multiple emails or phone numbers - Watch How To

 

• Can I change the number of appointments per time slot?

• Yes -  Watch How To

 

• How do I set appointments to display in 15-minute intervals?

• We have seen best results when setting ALAN appointments to display in 15-minute intervals -  Watch How To

 

• How do I stop the automated messages from sending?

• On each conversation, in the upper right-hand corner, there will be a red “Opt-Out” button. If the button is greyed out the contact has either already been opted out (there will be a timestamp below the button) or the contact is currently scheduled for an appointment. If you need to stop communications with someone who is currently scheduled you will need to cancel their appointment on the calendar tab and then opt them out using the red Opt Out button on the contact’s conversation. 

 

• Can I run multiple campaigns with ALAN?

• Yes! As of July 2023 End Users can now run an unlimited number of campaigns PER location. For assistance with running multiple campaigns please reach out to our Support Team.

 

• Can I run multiple funnels?

• You can run multiple funnels however you must be running the same promotion/play on each funnel. Please reach out to our Support Team for assistance in adding additional funnels into ALAN.

 

• If I use the remote offer, do I call the client or do they call me?

• If your campaign is the remote phone call campaign, please note that YOU will call the client (they will NOT be calling you). 

 

• What is a confirmation? 

• A confirmation is the way ALAN is compensated for getting a person to show without relying on the user to mark an appointment as having shown (as I'm sure you can imagine, not everyone would answer honestly). ALAN captures a large number of data points for each lead, and using that information, ALAN knows the likelihood the lead will show; therefore, confirmations are billed for. 

 

• What is model billing?
• We have enough data within ALAN to accurately predict the % of leads that should show by the campaign, without requiring the End Users (EU) to take action.
• There will ALWAYS  be variations when looking at a short-term view (days or week), but these variations even out when measured in weeks and months. Similar to Facebook, you may see small discrepancies between lead counts in the dashboard vs. what is shown in CF, but what is important is the overall picture.

 

• What is the average cost per month for a Twilio user?

• An average user can expect to pay $20-$30 per month in Twilio fees. 

 

• What is the difference between the opt-out button and the blacklist button?

• Opt-Out Button: the opt-out button can only be used if the lead is not currently scheduled for an appointment (grey-ed out if scheduled). This button ONLY deletes currently scheduled message(s); however, the lead can still message in and both the live chat team and business owner can still message out manually. Any new action, such as scheduling an appointment, will trigger the automated system to start again.  
• Blacklist Button: the blacklist button can only be interacted with if the lead is not currently scheduled for an appointment (grey-ed out if scheduled). The blacklist button deletes ALL currently scheduled messages and stops ALL communication with the lead regardless if the interaction is automated or manual. 

 

• Is ALAN a taxable service?

• ALAN is taxable in some states at this time.