What is the Benchmark feature?

Applies To:  ■ PoliteMail Desktop    ■ PoliteMail Online   □ PoliteMail O365

Version:  ■ 4.9   ■ 5.0   ■ 5.1+

Go to POLITEMAIL > Results > Messages.  

• Version 5.0: Select a message and click Email Metrics.
• Version 4.9x:  Double-click on a message to view it, then click the Benchmark link.

Comparing to your Company Average in the Metrics Report

Your company's benchmark data is based on all emails sent from all PoliteMail users within your account. Any tracked message is included in the benchmark, regardless of the sender. The benchmark data is comprised of all emails under a particular account. If your company has multiple licenses or accounts, the benchmark will only pull from the account you are registered to.

To view comparison metrics, look at the Benchmark: button in the menu bar.  Whatever appears after the colon (:) is what the report is currently comparing to.  By default, this is your company average.

When you look at an individual message's metrics, you will be presented with a circle graph for each metric (Read Rate, Engagement, Attention Rate, etc.) The middle number and outside circle represent the rate for your message. The number underneath and the inner circle is the average for that metric (in this example, Open Rate). You'll also be able to see whether this is an increase or decrease from the average.

In this example, the company average for Open Rate is 70%. This particular message rate is 60.1%. That means this message performed at a 16.6% decrease from the company average.

(70 - 60.1/60.1 x 100% =16.6% )

• Benchmark data in Version 4.9x uses a table instead of circular charts. 

Changing Comparison Metrics

1. To change what the page is comparing to, click the Benchmark: button at the top of the page.
2. Click <your company> Average to compare against your organization's average, or you can select an Industry Benchmark from the drop-down menus shown.  
3. The metrics displayed on the page will automatically update.

Viewing a Comparison Report

You can also view a more detailed Comparison Report from the Results page, in which you can compare the message's performance to the company average, or an industry average.

From the Results page, click the Benchmark: button at the top of the metrics page, and select View Comparison Report.

Please note that company average is based on all emails sent since you opened the account. If you are a new customer, or haven't sent many messages using PoliteMail, your company average may be very low or very high until you can gather more data. The more emails you send using PoliteMail, the more accurate your data will be. We recommend gathering data for 90 days to get a reliable benchmark.

The differential is calculated by dividing the two stats. In the screenshot below, 18% / 10.2% = 177.2% for the Ignored Rate comparison.

Where do Industry Averages Come From?

Industry Benchmark. Industry Averages are taken from PoliteMail’s Benchmark Report data, analyzing data from 1.5 billion emails sent in 10 industry sectors.  Your System Administrator will select your primary and secondary industry as part of the implementation process. Please select the two that most closely align with your business.