A frequently requested feature is a standalone form that allows subscribers to change their email address themselves. This guide shows you how to set up this function without a Campaign Manager .

To offer a form for changing email addresses, you need several components. A fundamental component is a new subscriber field of the type "single-line text", in which the new email address is stored. Additionally, you need to set up a duplicate check on the existing subscriber list and create a special double opt-in confirmation email for the registration process.

Another important component is the registration form itself, which must be configured with special settings. Furthermore, you need a target group to identify change requests and a profile enrichment that automates the data update process.

Start by creating a new subscriber field of the type "single-line text", for example with the name "new_email". This subscriber field serves to temporarily store the new email address until the final update.

The duplicate check is crucial for the correct assignment of change requests. Set it up so that the existing email address is used as the identification field, while your newly created field for the new email address serves as the matching field.

The confirmation email should be specifically designed for the purpose of changing the email address. The content should clearly communicate that this is a change of email address and not a new registration.

The registration form serves as the interface to the subscriber. In the basic settings of the registration form, activate the double opt-in with your newly created confirmation email. It is also important to enter the email address of an editor who receives copies of the dialog emails. You can enter the email address of the editor under advanced settings > Email forwarding.

In the subscriber lists section, select the list where your subscribers are already stored. The form itself should contain fields for the existing and the new email address, as well as an OK button.

Don't forget to place a note on the dialog page that processing can take up to 24 hours or one business day.

The target group serves to identify records where an address change exists. Create a target group that selects subscribers for whom the field for the new email address is both defined and not empty.

The profile enrichment carries out the actual update. In the first step, select your subscriber list and the previously created target group.

In the third step, you define two changes: First, the email field should receive the value from the field for the new email address, and second, the field for the new email address should be emptied.

In the fourth step, activate the automatic profile enrichment with a daily interval. A time during the night is recommended as the execution time to avoid disrupting regular operations in your MAILINGWORK account.

The email address change process varies depending on whether the subscriber still has access to their old email address or not.

If the subscriber still has access, they fill out the form, after which the registration is saved as unconfirmed. They receive a confirmation email at their old address, while the editor receives an info email in parallel that a registration has taken place. After the opt-in confirmation by the subscriber, the data is inserted into the stored subscriber list and assigned to the existing record. The nightly profile enrichment then takes over updating the email field with the new address.

If there is no more access to the old email address, the process begins similarly with filling out the form. However, the confirmation email cannot be delivered. The editor still receives an info email about the completed registration and can, after manual review of the data, click the opt-in confirmation link themselves to confirm the change. After that, the data transfer and update takes place as in the first case.

This solution is based on a daily automated process. For real-time changes or more complex scenarios, the Campaign Manager could be an alternative, although it has a similar level of complexity in setup.