Setup: VAN Instance

• Getting your VAN API Key
• Adding a VAN Instance in TextOut
• Adding VAN Triggers
• Syncing Program Data to VAN

Getting your VAN API Key

1. Login to your VAN Account
2. Click "Main Menu"
3. Under the "Administrative Menu" Section, Click "Integrations"
4. Click "API Integrations"
5. Click the blue button in the upper right "Request an API Key"
6. On the "Integration" dropdown menu, Select "TextOut Civitech"
7. Click "Submit Request"
8. Once you receive your API Key, continue to the next section "Adding a VAN Instance in TextOut"

Adding a VAN Instance in TextOut

1. In TextOut, Click the "Administration" button at the top
2. Click "VAN instances"
3. Click the "Add VAN Instance" button on the right side
4. "API Key": Input your API key
5. Click the "Add" button on the right

Adding VAN Triggers

Workspace Triggers (Default)

Workspace Triggers are the VAN rules used by default across the Workspace and specified Divisions. Admins create Workspace Triggers for a VAN Instance at the VAN Integration screen. Division Administrators can set up VAN Integrations and Workspace Triggers for use on the Division(s) on which they are Administrators only.

Program Level Triggers

When creating a Program, the default Workspace Triggers will appear in the VAN Integration tab of the Program Admin, and Admins can also choose to create new Program-specific triggers.

1. Confirm VAN Integration by finding the desired VAN instance in the program VAN Integration screen.Confirm VAN Integration by finding the desired VAN instance in the program VAN Integration screen.
2. To edit the VAN Instance to add triggers, click the “Actions” button to the left of the VAN Instance and select “Edit.” 
3. Select MyVoter or MyCampaign “Triggers” at the top of the page.
4. Admins can add, edit and clone (copy) VAN Triggers on the VAN Trigger page. To add new Triggers, click the “Add New Action” button. 
5. In the pop-up, add information about the trigger. Select an action type to create the trigger. Each action type has a custom drop-down menu for selecting the relevant response or options to sync data back into VAN.

Available Trigger Types

• Canvass Response Result Codes
• Survey Responses
• Activist Codes
• RSVP for Events (VAN's My Campaign only)
• Update Email Address (VAN's My Campaign only)

Trigger Basic Rules

The basic elements to configure trigger rules are:

• Conversation Triggers: Conditions related to the flow of the conversation. Conversation Triggers include conversation status such as “First Outbound is Sent” or “Conversation Marked Flagged.”
• SMS Gateway Triggers: Check if there is or is not an SMS Gateway (deliverability) error in the conversation.
• Conversation Data Tags: Check if a conversation contains or doesn't contain a given Data Tag.
• Audience: Insert a value that corresponds to the Contact metadata 'audiencename' field. This must be included to be mapped when importing a Contact List.

Syncing Program Data to VAN

VAN Data syncs in real-time.

In order to sync program data back to VAN, Program Administrators must enable a selected VAN Instance in a Program. This is a simple toggle in the Program Admin.

You can "enable" a VAN Instance in a Program if that VAN Instance has already been integrated with TextOut, and that Program's Division has been given access to that VAN Instance.

1. Select “Administration” from the top menu ❯ “Programs.”  
2. Select the Program, click the “Edit” button
3. Within the Program, go to the “VAN Integration” sub-tab. Toggle the “Enable” to turn on program sync. 
4. Choose the desired VAN Instance from the drop-down menu for that Program. (VAN instances enabled for that Program will be available in the dropdown.)

In the pop-up, TextOut will ask to "copy" the default VAN Rules that were set up at the VAN Integration page into the Program. You can select "yes" to copy, or "cancel" to create new rules. Admins can edit default rules and add new program specific rules.