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Tell A Friend Report Documentation

Menu Location: Reports > Acquisition > Tell A Friend

Access Level: Manager / Administrator

Last Updated: 2026-03-01

Overview

The Tell A Friend report tracks messages customers send through your "Tell A Friend" referral page on the website. This shows who is actively recommending your service to others, helping you monitor word-of-mouth marketing effectiveness and identify brand advocates.

Primary Functions:

  • View all "Tell A Friend" messages sent
  • See which customers are referring friends
  • Monitor referral message content
  • Track referral activity by date range
  • Export referral data to CSV
  • Identify most active referrers

Page Layout

Header Section

  • Export CSV Button: Download all data
  • Date Range Filters: From and To date selection
  • Search Button: Load messages for date range
  • Page Title: "Tell a Friend"

Information Alert

Explains this report shows messages from the "Tell A Friend" page on your website with link to view the public page.

Main Content Area

Messages displayed as postcards:

  • Airmail Postcard Design: Visual envelope aesthetic
  • Recipient(s): Email addresses message was sent to
  • Sender: Customer name (linked to account) or anonymous
  • Date/Time: When message was sent
  • Subject Line: Email subject
  • Message Content: Body of referral message
  • Scrollable Content: Long messages scroll within postcard

Report Data & Information

For Each Message

To (Recipients):

  • Email address(es) message was sent to
  • Multiple recipients shown with line breaks
  • Shows who is being referred

From (Sender):

  • Customer name with link to their account
  • Click to view customer details
  • May show as blank if sent by anonymous visitor

Timestamp:

  • Date and time message was sent
  • Format: Month Day, Time (e.g., "Mar 01, 3:45pm")
  • Chronological ordering

Subject:

  • Email subject line
  • Often personalized by customer
  • May be default template subject

Message:

  • Full text of referral message
  • Customer's personal note to friend
  • May include template text
  • Scrollable if long

Common Use Cases

Use Case 1: Identifying Brand Advocates

Goal: Find customers actively referring friends

Steps:

  1. Set date range to last 3 months
  2. Generate report
  3. Note customers sending multiple messages
  4. Record frequent referrers
  5. Consider thanking them or offering referral incentive

Example: Customer #5234 sent 5 messages in 2 months. Send thank-you email and offer referral credit.

Use Case 2: Monitoring Referral Activity

Goal: Track overall word-of-mouth marketing

Steps:

  1. Set monthly date ranges
  2. Count messages sent each month
  3. Compare month-over-month
  4. Note increases/decreases
  5. Correlate with marketing campaigns

Use Case 3: Understanding Referral Messaging

Goal: See what customers say about your service

Steps:

  1. Read message contents
  2. Note common themes
  3. Identify what customers emphasize
  4. Find testimonial-worthy quotes
  5. Use insights for marketing copy

Example: Many customers mention "freshness" and "convenience" - emphasize these in marketing.

Use Case 4: Following Up on Referrals

Goal: Convert referred friends to customers

Steps:

  1. Note email addresses in "To" field
  2. Search customer database for those emails
  3. Check if they've signed up
  4. If not, send targeted welcome email
  5. Track conversion rate

Use Case 5: Measuring Campaign Success

Goal: See if referral promotions work

Steps:

  1. Set date range during referral campaign
  2. Count messages vs. normal period
  3. Calculate increase percentage
  4. Review for follow-up campaigns
  5. Adjust incentives based on results

Export & Download Options

Export Format: CSV

CSV Contents:

  • Message ID
  • Customer ID
  • Recipient email address(es)
  • Timestamp
  • Subject
  • Message content (may need formatting cleanup)

Export Process:

  1. Click "Export CSV" button
  2. File downloads with timestamp in filename
  3. Open in Excel or Google Sheets
  4. Clean up formatting if needed
  5. Analyze, sort, filter as desired

Use Cases for Export:

  • Quarterly reporting
  • ROI analysis for referral programs
  • Sharing with marketing team
  • Tracking referral sources
  • Building targeted campaigns

Filters & Search Options

Date Range Filter

From Date:

  • Defaults to 3 weeks ago
  • Use date picker to select start
  • Format: MM/DD/YYYY

To Date:

  • Defaults to today
  • Use date picker to select end
  • Format: MM/DD/YYYY

Generate Report:

  • Click "Search" button
  • Only messages within range display
  • Wider ranges may show more data but load slower

Typical Ranges:

  • Last 7 days - Recent activity
  • Last 30 days - Monthly review
  • Last 90 days - Quarterly analysis
  • Custom - Special campaigns or specific events

Understanding the Data

Message Grouping

Messages with the same subject sent by same customer may be grouped together, showing multiple recipients in one postcard. This represents a single "share" action to multiple friends.

Anonymous Messages

If "From" field is blank, message was sent by website visitor not logged into account. Still valuable for tracking overall referral volume.

No Messages Found

If no messages in date range, may indicate:

  • "Tell A Friend" feature not promoted
  • Feature not easily found on website
  • Low referral activity period
  • Date range too narrow

Troubleshooting

No Data Showing

Check:

  1. Verify date range includes activity
  2. Confirm "Tell A Friend" page is accessible
  3. Check if feature is promoted to customers
  4. Try wider date range
  5. Verify feature is enabled on website

Can't Find Specific Message

Solutions:

  1. Expand date range
  2. Check customer account for activity
  3. Verify message was actually sent (check with customer)
  4. May be in different time period than expected

Export CSV Not Working

Try:

  1. Refresh page
  2. Try different browser
  3. Check popup blocker
  4. Clear browser cache
  5. Contact administrator if persistent
  • Referrals - Main referral program management
  • Referral Leaders - Top referrers by successful conversions
  • Referral Leaderboard - Gamified referral tracking
  • How Did You Hear - Customer acquisition sources
  • Customer Engagement - Overall customer activity

Workflow Connection: Tell A Friend shows outreach → Referrals tracks conversions → Leaders shows top performers

Permissions & Access

Required Access Level: Manager or Administrator

Best Practices

Regular Monitoring

  1. Review weekly during active campaigns
  2. Monthly review during normal periods
  3. Export quarterly for records
  4. Track trends over time
  5. Compare to other acquisition channels

Responding to Advocates

  1. Thank frequent referrers personally
  2. Offer referral bonuses or credits
  3. Feature testimonials (with permission)
  4. Create VIP program for top referrers
  5. Send appreciation gifts

Optimizing the Feature

  1. Make "Tell A Friend" page easy to find
  2. Pre-fill helpful message templates
  3. Incentivize sharing (referral credits)
  4. Promote in customer communications
  5. A/B test different referral messages

Marketing Insights

  1. Mine messages for testimonial quotes
  2. Identify what customers value most
  3. Use customer language in copy
  4. Address common concerns mentioned
  5. Amplify positive themes

Things to Avoid

  • ❌ Ignoring this free marketing channel
  • ❌ Making referral page hard to find
  • ❌ Not thanking active referrers
  • ❌ Spamming referred email addresses
  • ❌ Assuming referrals will happen without promotion

Quick Reference Card

Task Action
View recent referrals Default date loads last 3 weeks
Custom date range Set From/To dates > Search
Export all data Click "Export CSV" button
See customer details Click sender name link
Read full message Scroll within postcard area
Count monthly messages Set 30-day range > count postcards
Find top referrers Note customers appearing multiple times
Check campaign success Date range during campaign

FAQs

Is this the same as the Referrals report?

No. This shows messages sent via "Tell A Friend" page. Referrals report tracks actual sign-ups and credits. Both are valuable for different purposes.

Can I reply to these messages?

Not directly. The messages were sent from your system to the recipient. You can contact the referring customer or follow up with the recipient if they become a customer.

Does this track all referrals?

Only messages sent through the "Tell A Friend" page. Doesn't capture word-of-mouth referrals, social media shares, or other informal recommendations.

Why are some senders blank?

Messages sent by visitors not logged into an account. Shows general interest but can't be attributed to specific customer.

Can I see if the referred person signed up?

Not on this page. Check Referrals page or search customer database for the email addresses.

Should I incentivize "Tell A Friend" usage?

Yes! Offering referral credits for both referrer and referee significantly increases usage and conversions.

How do I make this feature more visible?

Link from customer dashboard, mention in emails, add to navigation menu, promote with banners, include in onboarding.

Can I customize the message template?

Yes, through your website settings or template management. Contact administrator for customization.

End of Documentation

For additional help, contact your system administrator or Kiva Logic support.