Is Operational Channel Included or Excluded in Marketing Reporting?

[Tom_Kerlin2]

Hello,

We're in the process of building out a Lead Entry Form for one of our partners to use when they want to send us new leads. Currently new leads are received from them via email, but this process leads to inconsistencies and missing pieces of data in the lead details, so we're creating this form to help standardize the data collected.

Before I proceed with building out program, I was wondering what Channel should be assigned to the program. I'm thinking of assigning program the "Operational" Channel tag, but is that channel type included or excluded in Marketing Reporting? If it is excluded from Marketing Reporting, do you recommend that I create new channel, or should I settle with Engagement Nurture?

If you have any suggestions or experience with building out program for this purpose (i.e. lead entry) please comment!

Thanks,

Tom

[Anonymous]

There is no special use for the Operational channel. Customers often choose to use it to just so that operational programs and campaigns do not skew the analytics of marketing (specific) programs. The channels are all arbitrary and are solely for the users to decide upon.

[Dory_Viscoglio]

Personally, I'd create a new channel. I like some of the basic stuff in Marketo, but find that for situations that are unique that you'll want to track specific steps/whether specific data exists, then I like to have custom channels. Hope this helps a bit.

[Tom_Kerlin2]

Thanks Dory! I inherited this instance; are you saying that "operational" channel option is an out-of-the-box feature? For my lead referral form, I'm likely going to make every field on the form required, hopefully to help reinforce idea that all of the necessary data should be submitted in one form submit. Do you have recommendations on specific set of steps I should be tracking for a project like this? I imagine the progression statuses being something simple, maybe only having "Referred Member" status of program with this also being the success status?