Technical Parameters Addendum
This Technical Parameters Addendum (the “Addendum") is referenced in, and is incorporated into, the Instantly Terms of Service. Please review it carefully to better understand certain technical aspects (and dependencies) of certain features of our Services.
Email Campaigns and Related Analytics – In General
As part of our Services, you are able to see dashboard analytics with respect to the campaigns that we facilitate. It is important to acknowledge the technical means we use to run our campaigns for you, and the limits on our ability to accurately measure their results.
“Open” Rates
Our Services allow but do not require you to track the “open” rates with respect to emails sent during your campaigns. It is important to understand the limitations of the “open” rates as an analytical metric. Open tracking works by inserting a tracking pixel (a transparent image) into the body of an email. When that image is loaded, that loading records as an “open” event with respect to the email in question. However, the above-described process is not 100% reliable, for several reasons, which makes the “open” status difficult to confirm.
We track all “opens” as they are reported to our system, without further investigation. Specifically, when a request to load an embedded tracking image pixel is sent to our servers, we automatically record that email as “opened,” even if such determination is inaccurate. The complications surrounding “open” rate tracking include the following: Lack of Tracking of certain data: Instantly does not track: (i) the IP addresses of the origin of any requests made to load the tracking pixel, or (ii) whether the tracking pixel was loaded on the recipient or sender's end (by opening the sent email, for example).
False Positives: There are a growing number of false positives when it comes to the “open” rates that are beyond our control. Below are a few examples:“Open” Designation of Screened-out Emails: The existence of the open tracking pixel may cause the email to be screened out by bots because of the presence of that image (which may be seen as an attachment and, therefore, suspect by pre-scanning bots). This act of being screened out by a bot may trigger an “open” designation in our system.
Caching and Previews: Some email tools might count preview pane views or cached versions of emails as “opens,” even if the recipient hasn’t fully engaged with the content. This can lead to inflated “open” rate metrics.
Load Triggers: The use of some email clients or tools may automatically trigger the loading of images, including tracking pixels, when an email is selected, even if that email is not fully opened by the recipient.
Image Rendering by Third Party Intermediaries Between Sender and Recipient: Certain email clients or platforms may automatically load images that are embedded in emails for tracking purposes (for example, to save the images on their servers before serving to a user), even if the recipient does not actively open the email. These loading requests are controlled by third parties and may come from an email client or platform on either the sender or recipient’s end. These types of requests may also originate from a server that is not in the email delivery path. This could be a server responsible for serving content on either the sender or recipient’s end. For example, such an automated request may originate from a server (or service) responsible for serving content on Gmail.com (i.e., the web client) in addition to any other servers that are involved in the sending and receiving of the email.
Bot and Spam Filters: Some automated bots or spam filters may inadvertently trigger the tracking pixel.
Previews: Some email providers have a preview mode so people can “open” an email without actually opening it, including to move or /delete it. In this case, even though the recipient does not actively open the email, this reports as an “open.”
Drag and Drop: Drag-and-drop (even into trash files) may trigger the tracking pixel and report as an “open.” Preloading Content: Email clients and apps may preload emails to improve load times. This preloading can trigger the tracking pixel without the recipient opening the email.
Email Sorting: Moving an email from one folder to another or using inbox filters may also trigger the tracking pixel, even though the recipient didn't actively engage with the content of the email.
False Negatives: There also are false negatives. For example, some email providers, email clients, and apps may allow for an email to be opened by a recipient but may also block the embedded tracking pixel, meaning the pixel may not be triggered even when the email is opened.
Third Party Intermediaries Between Sender and Recipient:
As noted above, whether an email has been opened is determined by embedding a transparent image (a tracking pixel) into the body of an email. When a request to load that tracking image pixel is sent to our servers, our records automatically count this as an “open.” In addition to the explanations provided above, the technical trigger for this “open” status may also come from a third party intermediary between the sender and recipient, not directly as a result of the delivery path.Some email service providers or email clients may send automatic requests to load images embedded in emails (for example, to save the images on their servers before serving to a user).
Such automated requests may originate from any third-party server or email client involved in serving emails to a human user on both the sender's or recipient's end.
Such a request may also originate from a server that is not in the delivery path of the email from a server of the sender's email service to a server of the recipient's email service. For example, such an automated request may originate from a server (or service) responsible for serving content on Gmail.com (i.e., the web client) in addition to any servers being involved in the sending and receiving of an email. Such automated requests to load images embedded in an email - including the factors determining when such requests are made and whether they are made with or without human interaction - are controlled by third parties.
Some email clients/providers may always serve images by first storing them on their servers - in such cases, a human opening an email may not trigger a direct request from the human user's device to our servers.
Summary: As a result of the above, Instantly cannot confirm that the “open” rate metrics it provides are 100% accurate; they are based solely on Instantly’s reasonable efforts to track “open” rates.
That being said, user may find this metric useful, including, for example, if the “open” rate is very low, which may then be worth investigating. If You are concerned about the accuracy of the “open” rate analytics, you may elect to disable “open” tracking, which itself may result in fewer emails being screened out of recipient’s inboxes, as noted above.
Certain of our clients prefer to rely on actual reply rates, meetings booked, and revenue generated, as examples of alternatives to “open” rate analytics to make business decisions.
“Warm Up” Emails Analytics
Part of the Services utilizes “warm up” emails that are designed to improve both “open” rates (see more on “open” rates above) and acceptance rates. We are not always able to detect whether such a warm up email bounces. Where we do confirm a bounce-back, we may re-attempt to deliver a warm up email to another alternative account connected to your warmup pool.
We do not guarantee that the "warm up" process or ANY other Instantly services will improve your account's overall performance, reputation, or the deliverability of your emails, since several combined factors impact those outcomes.
We do not guarantee that the use of "warm up" or ANY other Instantly services will not get your domain, email account(s), or any other infrastructure included on a blocklist - or that it will not get your services disrupted by a third-party email service or any other software or service provider, since several other factors could impact those outcomes.
Using the data available to us at a given time, we provide our best estimate of the volume of warm-up mails that were sent and which our data show were not found in spam folders.
Again, however, this is an estimate only, and the accuracy of the data we receive and our estimate to you can be impacted by various factors beyond our control, including, as examples, the policies of the various ISPs our Services encounters, email filters deployed by recipients, and server andconnection issues.
Instantly attempts to detect email bounces but does not guarantee infallibility. As stated in the Instantly Terms of Service: "the Instantly Service, Instantly Platform and documentation are provided “as is” and “as available” and Instantly further does not “guarantee that all emails will be processed and delivered by Instantly.”
We cannot guarantee that the specified number of warmup emails you set in your settings will be the precise number of warmup emails delivered. While we aim to hit your preferred number, technical constraints prevent us from ensuring delivery of the precise set amount.
IP addresses and Blocklists
We do not control whether any IPs or infrastructure used by Instantly may appear on any blacklist (or blocklist) or any other spam filter or similar technologies on the Internet, nor do we guarantee that this will not occur.
Instantly utilizes IP addresses allocated by third-party cloud infrastructure providers. We undertake reasonable efforts to identify and disassociate from blacklisted IPs per internal protocols, but cannot guarantee that no IP used by Instantly appears on any blacklist or blocklist.
Link Tracking
Link tracking faces similar challenges to open rate tracking, including: Caching and Previews: Email clients often cache email content, including links and images, to improve loading times. This can lead to instances where the cached version is displayed to recipients, triggering link tracking even if the recipient hasn't actively clicked the link.
Load Triggers: Some email clients or tools load images and tracking pixels automatically when a recipient opens or selects an email. This can result in link tracking being triggered without the recipient engaging with the actual content.
Image Rendering: Certain email platforms automatically render images to provide a seamless experience for recipients. However, this can lead to links being tracked as clicked even if the recipient didn't explicitly interact with the link.
Bot and Spam Filters: Automated bots and spam filters may inadvertently interact with links in emails, causing false positives in link tracking. These interactions aren't genuine recipient engagements and can skew tracking data.
Preview Mode: Many email providers offer a preview mode that allows users to see email content without fully opening it. This can lead to link tracking inaccuracies, as recipients might engage with the preview without actively clicking links.
Mechanical Events: Actions such as previewing an email, dragging it to folders (including the trash), or moving it can trigger link tracking. These mechanical interactions don't necessarily reflect true recipient engagement with the link.
False Negatives: Some email providers might block external content, including tracking pixels, by default. This can result in missed link tracking data, as the pixel isn't loaded when the link is clicked.
Email Filtering: Email clients and services may apply additional filtering mechanisms that prevent certain tracking pixels from loading. This can lead to inconsistencies in link tracking results.
Mobile and Offline Access: Recipients accessing emails on mobile devices or in offline mode may not trigger link tracking pixels due to different email client behaviors and limitations.
Privacy Settings: Privacy-focused email client and browser settings may block tracking pixels, leading to inaccurate link tracking data.
Network Issues: Temporary network issues or slow connections can prevent tracking pixels from loading, causing instances where valid link clicks aren't accurately recorded.
Delayed Load: Some email clients may delay the loading of images and tracking pixels until after the initial email preview. This can lead to discrepancies between the time of link interaction and when the tracking pixel is triggered.
Tracking Domains
Instantly uses a shared pool of tracking domains if you do not add a custom tracking domain. While we make reasonable efforts to keep those domains off of any blocklists, we do not guarantee that no tracking domain Instantly uses will appear on any blacklist or blocklist. We also do not guarantee that the use of custom tracking domains in emails sent through Instantly will preclude those tracking domains from appearing on a blacklist or blocklist, as several other factors determine that outcome.
Bounce Rates
Bounce rates, which signify undelivered emails, are subject to a range of factors that can occasionally lead to inaccuracies in reported metrics. Factors contributing to these potential discrepancies, include: Server Responses: Bounce rates can be affected by the responses of recipient email servers, which can vary in their accuracy and reporting mechanisms.
Temporary Delivery Issues: Transient network or server problems can lead to temporary bounce notifications, even if the email is eventually delivered successfully.
Recipient Settings: Recipients may have strict spam filters or email configurations that result in false positive bounces.
Delayed Reporting: Some bounces might not be immediately reported, leading to delayed accuracy in bounce rate metrics.
Soft Bounces: Soft bounces, caused by temporary issues like full mailboxes, may not always accurately reflect long-term engagement.
False Positives: Legitimate emails could be flagged as bounces due to misconfigurations or misinterpretations by email servers.
User Behavior: Recipients opening emails briefly before marking them as spam can impact bounce rate calculations.
Dynamic Email Landscape: Email systems and delivery mechanisms are complex and constantly evolving, introducing uncertainties into bounce rate calculations.
Recipient Unsubscriptions: Emails marked as bounces might include recipients who have unsubscribed, affecting accuracy.
Multiple Addresses: Email addresses with multiple aliases or forwarding configurations can lead to discrepancies in bounce tracking.
Other Metrics
Sending Volume: We can't ensure 100% accuracy in tracking every email sent due to technical constraints. Delays in data updates and server responses can occasionally lead to variations in reported sending volumes.Replies/Reply Amount: Not every reply may appear with 100% accuracy due to technical reasons. Factors like spam filters and recipient behavior can influence the count. We undertake reasonable efforts to aim for precision, but variations can occur.Unsubscribed Number: Due to technical limitations, we may not capture every unsubscribe immediately. Different email settings and client behaviors can cause minor variations in reported unsubscribed numbers.
Split-testing / A-B Testing / Step Analytics: While we work to offer accurate insights, the intricate nature of email interactions and processing times can lead to slight differences in our split-testing or A-B testing results. Our step analytics provide valuable data, but variations may arise due to technical intricacies.
CRM
The “Total Opportunities” number is derived from the lead value you've established, rather than reflecting the precise amount of revenue generated. This approach accounts for the potential of varying lead values and allows for flexibility in assessing opportunities. While the figure aligns with your lead valuations, it's important to note that it might not directly mirror the actual monetary outcomes.
Unibox
Note that due to technical limitations, we cannot ensure the presence of every reply in Unibox. Additionally, AI tagging might not achieve complete accuracy at all times, also due to technical constraints.
Lead Finder
We cannot ensure the accuracy of the data in our B2B lead finder tool all of the time, nor can we guarantee the accuracy of the results and outcomes from email verification. These limitations arise from technical factors and other constraints.
