Auto Preferences Manager Documentation

Menu Location: Reports > Products > Auto Preferences

Access Level: Manager / Administrator

Last Updated: 2026-03-01

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Overview

The Auto Preferences Manager automatically identifies products that customers consistently substitute out of their orders and sets those products to "NO" in their preferences. This intelligent system reduces future substitutions by not offering items customers have repeatedly rejected, improving customer satisfaction and reducing order management workload.

Primary Functions:

• Automatically detect products customers don't want
• Set unwanted products to "NO" in customer preferences
• Notify customers of automatic preference changes
• Review historical auto-preference actions
• Preview what changes will be made before running
• Process individual customers or entire customer base

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Page Layout

Header Section

• Page Title: "Auto Preferences Manager" with gear icon
• Week Selection: Dropdown to view current or historical weeks
• Customer Filter: Optional field to process/view single customer
• Action Buttons: View button to load selected week's data

Information Panel

• How This Works: Explanation of the auto-preference algorithm
• Criteria Display: Lists all requirements for auto-setting preferences
• Automation Status: Shows if automation is ON or OFF

Main Content Area

Current Week Mode (Preview):

• Preview callout explaining dry-run mode
• Table showing affected customers and products
• Detailed statistics for each product
• Summary of total changes
• "Run Process" button to execute changes

Historical Week Mode:

• Historical view callout
• Table of notifications generated that week
• Customer names with links
• Products set to NO for each customer
• Notification timestamps (created, shown, dismissed)

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The Auto-Preference Algorithm

Qualification Criteria

A product is automatically set to "NO" when ALL of the following are met:

1. Offered at least 2 times

• Product was assigned to customer in at least 2 different weeks
• Ensures sufficient data before making preference changes

2. Substituted out 100% of the time

• Customer replaced it with something else every single time
• Zero tolerance - even one kept item disqualifies the product

3. Never chosen as a substitution

• Customer has never actively selected this product when swapping
• Shows customer actively avoids this item

4. Never purchased standalone

• Customer has never added this product as an extra item
• Confirms lack of interest beyond substitutions

Processing Limits

• Maximum 3 products per customer per run
• Prevents overwhelming customers with too many changes
• Most problematic products addressed first

Customer Notification

System creates notification that appears on customer's next login:

• Explains what was changed
• Lists products now set to "NO"
• Provides reasoning for the change
• Customer can override if desired

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Actions & Operations

Preview Changes (Current Week)

Purpose: See what changes would be made without committing

Steps:

1. Select current week from dropdown
2. Optionally enter customer ID for single customer preview
3. Click "View" button
4. Review preview results table
5. Check summary statistics

What You See:

• Customer names (clickable to customer detail)
• Product names
• Times offered / times substituted
• Times chosen as substitute
• Standalone purchase count
• "Will set to NO" action label

Run Process (Current Week)

Purpose: Execute auto-preference changes for current week

Requirements:

• Must be viewing current week
• At least one customer must qualify
• Confirmation required

Steps:

1. Review preview results carefully
2. Click "Run Process for Current Week" button
3. Confirm action in popup dialog
4. System processes all qualifying customers
5. Success message shows count of customers and preferences
6. Notifications created for affected customers

What Happens:

• Qualifying products set to "NO" in customer preferences
• Notification record created for each customer
• Notification will display on customer's next login
• Historical record saved for future reference

View Historical Week

Purpose: Review auto-preference actions from previous weeks

Steps:

1. Select historical week from dropdown
2. Optionally filter by customer ID
3. Click "View" button
4. Review notification history table

Information Displayed:

• Customer name and ID
• List of products set to NO
• Notification created timestamp
• When notification was shown to customer
• When customer dismissed notification
• Total notification count

Process Single Customer

Purpose: Run auto-preferences for specific customer only

Steps:

1. Select current week
2. Enter customer ID in optional field
3. Click "View" to preview
4. Review that customer's qualifying products
5. Click "Run Process" to execute
6. Only that customer is affected

Use Cases:

• Testing the feature with one customer
• Customer service request to check preferences
• Troubleshooting preference issues
• Targeted preference optimization

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Common Use Cases

Use Case 1: Weekly Auto-Preference Review

Goal: Review and apply auto-preferences for the current week

Steps:

1. Navigate to Auto Preferences page
2. Ensure current week is selected (default)
3. Review preview results
4. Check number of customers affected
5. Review products being set to NO
6. Click "Run Process for Current Week"
7. Confirm the action
8. Verify success message

Best Time: Early in weekly cycle before orders open

Example: Week 450 shows 23 customers with qualifying products. Preview shows Customer #5234 will have "Brussels Sprouts" and "Kale" set to NO (both offered 3 times, subbed out 3 times, never chosen). Running process creates 23 notifications totaling 47 preference changes.

Use Case 2: Investigate Customer Preferences

Goal: Understand why specific customer keeps substituting items

Steps:

1. Go to Auto Preferences page
2. Enter customer ID: 5678
3. Select current week
4. Click "View"
5. Review what products qualify
6. Check substitution patterns
7. Decide whether to run process

Tips:

• Review in customer detail page first
• Check customer's actual preferences
• Consider calling customer if many products qualify
• May indicate product quality issue vs. preference

Use Case 3: Review Historical Actions

Goal: See what auto-preference changes were made last month

Steps:

1. Select week from 4 weeks ago
2. Click "View"
3. Review notification table
4. Check which customers were notified
5. See which products were set to NO
6. Review notification engagement (shown/dismissed)

Use Cases:

• Customer calls about changed preferences
• Audit auto-preference effectiveness
• Identify patterns in product rejections
• Report on system performance

Use Case 4: Test Feature with Single Customer

Goal: Try auto-preferences with one customer before full rollout

Steps:

1. Identify test customer ID (preferably staff or friendly customer)
2. Enter customer ID in filter
3. Review preview results
4. Run process for that customer only
5. Login as customer to see notification
6. Verify preference changes applied correctly
7. Confirm customer sees and understands notification

Use Case 5: Audit Product Rejection Patterns

Goal: Identify products consistently rejected across customers

Steps:

1. Select current week
2. Review preview results
3. Note which products appear most frequently
4. Create list of commonly rejected items
5. Consider if these products have quality issues
6. May need to discontinue or improve these products
7. Use data to inform purchasing decisions

Example: Preview shows 15 different customers all qualifying for "Turnips" to be set to NO. This suggests a broader product issue rather than individual preferences. Consider discontinuing turnips or finding better supplier.

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Report Data & Columns

Preview Table (Current Week)

Column	Description	Interpretation
Product	Name of the product	Item customer consistently rejects
Times Offered	How many weeks product was assigned	Minimum 2 required
Times Subbed Out	How many times customer swapped it	Must be 100% (same as times offered)
Times Chosen	How often customer picked as substitute	Must be 0 to qualify
Standalone Purchases	Purchases as add-on item	Must be 0 to qualify
Action	What will happen	Always "Will set to NO"

Historical Notification Table

Column	Description	Information Provided
Customer	Customer name and ID (linked)	Who was affected
Products Set to NO	Bulleted list of items	What changed
Created	Timestamp of notification creation	When process ran
Shown	When customer saw notification	Engagement tracking
Dismissed	When customer dismissed notification	Customer acknowledged

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Troubleshooting

No Customers Qualify in Preview

Symptoms:

• Preview shows "No Changes Needed" message
• No customers listed in results
• Empty table

Solutions:

1. This is normal - not every week will have qualifying products
2. Check that you're viewing current week
3. Criteria are strict (100% substitution rate required)
4. May indicate customers are satisfied with current preferences
5. Try viewing previous weeks to see historical patterns

This is actually good news - means customers are happy with their products!

Process Button Doesn't Appear

Symptoms:

• Cannot find "Run Process" button
• Only seeing historical view

Check:

1. Verify you're viewing CURRENT week, not historical
2. Make sure at least one customer qualifies in preview
3. Check that you have Manager/Administrator access
4. If automation is OFF globally, button may be hidden

Common Causes:

• Viewing historical week instead of current
• No qualifying customers this week
• Insufficient permissions

Customer Didn't See Notification

Symptoms:

• Notification created but "Shown" is "Not shown"
• Customer reports preferences changed without notice
• Dismissed column shows "Not dismissed"

Solutions:

1. Customer must log in to see notification
2. Notification displays on NEXT login after creation
3. Check if customer has logged in since process ran
4. Verify notification record exists in historical view
5. Customer may have dismissed without reading

If Problem Persists:

• Check customer's notification settings
• Verify notification display is working globally
• May need technical support for notification system

Wrong Products Set to NO

Symptoms:

• Customer complains about incorrect preference changes
• Product was set to NO but customer wants it

Check:

1. Review historical data for that week
2. Verify product met all criteria
3. Check if data was accurate at time of processing
4. Customer can manually reset preference to "YES" or "MAYBE"

Solutions:

1. Explain auto-preference logic to customer
2. Help customer reset preference if desired
3. Document if this happens repeatedly (may indicate algorithm issue)
4. Customer preferences always override auto-settings

Escalation: If multiple customers report incorrect auto-preferences, contact system administrator to review algorithm.

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Related Pages

• Customer Detail - View and manually adjust individual customer preferences
• Customers Page - Filter customers by various criteria
• Recurring Items Report - See products customers have on recurring
• Product Love/Hate Report - Broader view of product popularity
• Product Quantities Over Time - Historical product demand

Typical Workflow:

1. Weekly cycle begins → Run Auto Preferences preview
2. Review proposed changes → Run process if satisfied
3. Customer logs in → Sees notification → Can override
4. Customer calls with questions → Check historical view → Explain changes

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Permissions & Access

Required Access Level: Manager or Administrator

Access Level Capabilities:

• Customer Service: No access to this feature
• Manager: Full access - preview and run process
• Administrator: Full access - preview and run process
• Kiva Admin: Full access + ability to enable/disable automation globally

Restricted Features:

• Enable/Disable Automation: Requires Kiva Admin
• Modify Algorithm Criteria: Requires developer access
• Bulk Preference Reset: Requires Administrator

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Best Practices

Timing

1. Run auto-preferences EARLY in weekly cycle
2. Before customers can access their orders
3. After menu is finalized for the week
4. Same day each week for consistency
5. Allow time to review before customers see changes

Review Process

1. Always preview first - never run blind
2. Check number of customers affected
3. Review which products are being set to NO
4. Look for patterns (same product across many customers)
5. Document any unusual findings
6. Confirm week selection before running

Customer Communication

1. Notification system informs customers automatically
2. No additional communication needed for normal operations
3. If many customers affected, consider advance email explaining feature
4. Have talking points ready for customer service team
5. Emphasize customers can override any changes

Product Quality Monitoring

• If same product appears repeatedly across customers, investigate
• May indicate quality issue, not preference issue
• Use data to inform purchasing and supplier decisions
• Track products frequently set to NO
• Consider discontinuing consistently rejected items

Things to Avoid

• ❌ Running process without previewing first
• ❌ Running late in cycle after customers have edited orders
• ❌ Ignoring patterns of same product across many customers
• ❌ Running for historical weeks (not possible, but don't try)
• ❌ Processing customers mid-cycle while they're editing
• ❌ Overriding customer manual preferences with auto-settings

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Automation Status

Current Status: Automation is currently OFF while Kiva Logic observes and tests in production

What This Means:

• Process must be run manually by admin
• Feature is not running automatically in background
• Full control over when and how it executes
• Kiva Logic monitoring effectiveness before enabling auto-run

When Automation is ON (Future):

• Process would run automatically at scheduled time
• Still able to preview and review results
• Manual run still available if needed
• Automated run would happen early in weekly cycle

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Quick Reference Card

Task	Action/Location
Preview current week changes	Select current week > View
Run auto-preferences process	Preview > Run Process button > Confirm
View last week's actions	Select previous week > View
Check single customer	Enter customer ID > View
See notification status	Historical view > Check Shown/Dismissed columns
Count affected customers	Preview summary section
Review qualification criteria	Read "How This Works" panel
Find commonly rejected products	Review preview table for repeated items
Verify process completed	Check success message and customer count
Audit historical changes	Select historical week > Review table

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FAQs

How often should I run this?

Run once per week, early in the weekly cycle before customers access orders. Always preview first.

Can customers override the auto-preferences?

Yes! Customers can manually change any preference from NO back to YES or MAYBE. Customer preferences always take priority.

What happens if a customer actually wanted that product?

The notification explains the change. Customer can immediately reset the preference. The algorithm only changes items they've consistently rejected, but mistakes can happen.

Why does it only change 3 products per customer?

To avoid overwhelming customers with too many changes at once. The most problematic products are addressed first. Additional products will qualify in future runs.

Can I exclude certain products from auto-preferences?

Not currently. The algorithm applies equally to all products. If you need to exclude a product, contact Kiva Logic support.

Does this work for new customers?

No. Customers must have at least 2 weeks of order history for products to qualify. New customers won't be affected until they have established patterns.

What if I accidentally run it twice?

Running twice won't cause harm. The algorithm checks current data each time. Products already set to NO won't be reset unless customer changed them back.

Can I undo a process after running?

No automatic undo. You'd need to manually review affected customers and reset preferences if needed. This is why preview is critical.

How do I know if it's working?

Check historical views to see notifications created. Monitor customer calls about preference changes. Review if substitution rates decrease over time.

Should I notify customers before enabling this feature?

Good idea! A brief email explaining the feature helps set expectations. Emphasize it's designed to improve their experience and they can override any changes.

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End of Documentation

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