Message Clustering groups similar replies to a campaign so you can answer a whole group of Members at once instead of one conversation at a time. You can reply to one or more clusters, or add the Members in them to a new or existing Subcommunity.
Who this applies to: Leaders who send Campaigns and get replies from Members. Clustering works on campaign replies only, not on messages in your inbox.
What is Message Clustering
Message Clustering looks at the replies Members send to a campaign and stacks the similar ones together. The clusters appear in the right sidebar of the Campaign Details page.
Clusters build and update on a fixed schedule:
| Rule | Value |
|---|---|
| Similar replies needed to form a cluster | 3 or more |
| When clustering starts | 20 minutes after the first reply arrives |
| How often clusters update | Every 20 minutes |
To decide what counts as similar, Community finds shared word groupings across replies, then applies a set of rules that balances two things: clusters large enough to save you time, and specific enough that one reply still makes sense to everyone in them.
Why should I use Message Clustering?
When a campaign asks a question, many Members answer it the same way. Replying to each of them by hand means writing the same message over and over. Clustering does the sorting for you, so you write one reply per group and every Member in that group gets an answer that matches what they said.
Clusters are also a record of what Members told you. Adding a cluster to a Subcommunity turns those replies into an audience you can target in a later campaign, so Members who said the same thing can hear from you about it again.
How do I use it?
Finding your clusters
- Go to Campaigns and click on a specific campaign with replies.
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Depending on your screen size, look for the Responses tab in the right side navigation or above the campaign details.
If you sent the campaign less than 20 minutes ago, or fewer than three Members have replied in a similar way, there are no clusters yet. See Why don't I see any clusters? under Common questions.
Replying to a cluster
- Select one or more clusters. You can select several at once.
- Select the Message icon.
- Write your message and click Send.
Adding a cluster to a Subcommunity
- Select one or more clusters.
- Select the Add to icon.
- Choose one or more existing Subcommunities, or create a new one.
The Members in the clusters you selected are added to that Subcommunity. For more on how Subcommunities work, see Subcommunities in Community.
Common questions
Why don't I see any clusters?
| Cause | How to tell | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Not enough time has passed | The first reply arrived less than 20 minutes ago | Check back after 20 minutes. Clusters update every 20 minutes after that. |
| Not enough similar replies | Fewer than three Members have replied in a similar way | Clusters only form from three or more similar replies. Reply to these Members individually from Acting on Campaign Results. |
| The replies are not similar enough | Several Members replied, but each said something different | Reply individually. Clustering only groups replies it can answer together. |
How often do clusters update?
Every 20 minutes. Clustering starts 20 minutes after the first reply to your campaign arrives, then refreshes every 20 minutes as more replies come in.
Does this only work on responses?
Yes. Message Clustering only groups replies to a campaign. It does not cluster messages in your inbox.
Does it just look for keywords to match? What makes a message similar?
No, it does not rely on keywords alone. Community finds shared word groupings across replies, then applies a set of rules to form clusters that are large enough to save you time but specific enough that one reply still fits everyone in them.
Can I select a cluster and add those Members to a Subcommunity?
Yes. Select one or more clusters and add their Members to a new or existing Subcommunity. See Adding a cluster to a Subcommunity.