FM Chimp - Frequently Asked Questions
Over the past year, FM Chimp has been adopted by many FileMaker enthusiasts and developers. At the same time, we have also received many questions. We have tried to answer as many of these questions as possible in the list below:
Do you offer a demo of FM Chimp?
Do I need PHP experience?
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No, FM Chimp does not require PHP experience. However, some FileMaker development experience is recommended.
Can you set it up the MailChimp & FileMaker connection for me?
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Yes currently we only sell FM Chimp with remote installation.
So its a plugin?
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No, FM Chimp is neither a plugin nor makes use of plugins. This means no upgrade dependencies, etc. FM Chimp consists of open and unlocked FileMaker & PHP code which can be installed on any FileMaker Server version 13 or higher.
Is there a recurring fee or a one-time purchase?
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A one-time purchase, after which you have the option of buying an update when we release a new major version.
Do I need a FileMaker Server?
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Yes, FM Chimp runs server-side code and uses many features that require a direct connection to your server. FileMaker Hosting will do as well. We do require Custom Web Publishing to be enabled, and we need the FileMaker server to be reachable by the MailChimp service.
Does our data passes trough your services/server/api?
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No, however, the initial syncing will take some time due to the complex validation performed by MailChimp on each contact.
Is there a max number of members in my list?
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No, although the first time syncing up will take some time due to the complex validation performed by MailChimp on each contact.
I want to communicate with a personalized selection of contacts.
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Each MailChimp contact can belong to one or multiple groups. In MailChimp, all contacts are then synced in a single list which can then be segmented based on the (MailChimp) groupings. For instance, Kempen IT has a single list of customers that includes FM Chimp customers, Azor (our CRM software) customers & Custom Development FileMaker customers. For each customer type we use a MailChimp grouping in a single list.
This approach was personally recommend to us by MailChimp. This way we prevent the situation where a contact unsubscribes from "List 1" but remains in “List 2” making the setup non-compliant with many EU regulations regarding direct marketing. This is the default setup thereby remaining EU compliant.
Do you offer a fixed set of field I can sync?
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No, FM Chimp offers a drag & drop GUI with which you can sync the fields in your FileMaker solution to the MailChimp fields currently in your list.
How fast does FM Chimp processes my list?
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FM Chimp is dependent on:
1. Your internet connection speed2. The speed of MailChimp. MailChimp uses many advanced features to counter abuse, it may cause some delay between the start of the syncing process and the actual contact appearing in your MailChimp list. FM Chimp uses a batch mechanism which divides your entire list into separate batches to avoid error-prone processes, memory limits, timeouts, and abuse triggers from MailChimp. For instance, a list of 90,000 contacts can best be split into batches of 1,000. In this case, FM Chimp will upload 90 batches which may be triggered by hand or by a server-side schedule.
Does FM Chimp re-upload the entire list every time?
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No, FM Chimp uses the timestamp of the last update/edit of the contact records. This way we only upload records updated since the last upload action. Updates from MailChimp to FileMaker are performed directly using the webhook system. See below.What is a WebHook?
"A web application implementing WebHooks will POST a message to a URL when certain things happen. When a web application enables users to register their own URLs, the users can then extend, customize, and integrate that application with their own custom extensions or even with other applications around the web. For the user, WebHooks are a way to receive valuable information when it happens, rather than continually polling for that data and receiving nothing valuable most of the time. WebHooks have enormous potential and are limited only by your imagination! (No, it can't wash the dishes. Yet.)"
FM Chimp utilizes the WebHooks of MailChimp to directly process subscriber updates, new subscribers, unsubscribes & abuse notifications.
I simply want to have the ability to update any field within any record in my MailChimp list.
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This is at the core of the FM Chimp, so yes this can be done with FM Chimp.
Are new records in MailChimp added to FileMaker?
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Yes, MailChimp offers its customers a way to generate Web forms that can be integrated into your website after which any new records in MailChimp are added to your FileMaker solution. This provides a convenient way to create lead generation forms on your site that are fully synced with your FileMaker solution.
What is the MailChimp pricing structure?
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Free up to 2000 subscribers & 12.000 emails, after which you can choose to setup a monthly payment or buy credits. In our experience if you don't send out more than 2 monthly Email campaigns credits are more economical. Read more on the pricing of MailChimp at the MailChimp site
Because FM Chimp consists of open and unlocked FileMaker & PHP code we cannot offer a time limited demo.