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How to send user data to the Beamer script? 

About user data

What is user data?

User data is information about your users like their personal name and contact information. Fetching and processing this kind of data can help you track and contact your users to improve their experience in your site and with your Beamer newsfeed.

Beamer recognizes four standard data parameters:

• user_id – A unique identification number that will help to track your user even if the other data parameters are changed.
• user_firstname – Your user’s personal or first name.
• user_lastname – You user’s surname or last name.
• user_email – You user’s contact email address.

Each time a user interacts with your Beamer newsfeed you can track their identity through these parameters. Even though all parameters are options (see Do I have to track user data?), we recommend that you at least use user_id to identify the activity of individual users.

Why would I track user data?

Tracking user data (make sure to disclose you’re doing it) can help you understand what do your users want and how are they interacting with your content. It will also allow you to measure trends and to tailor your content to the specific wants and needs of your audience.

If you track a users identity you can measure how that person interacts with your content. What do they read, where do they click on, what do they like, and what call to actions are the most effective to grab their attention. Beamer will use the data to process analytics, identify NPS® responses and user Feedback. We’ll also use user_id to avoid showing the same announcement or Net Promoter Score® survey to the same user on different devices.

Do I have to track user data?

No. This feature is fully optional. Without tracking user data you’ll still be able to use Beamer to measure trends through analytings or to create segments. Your users will be totally anonymous and sometimes one user will return later and you won’t know if they’re new or recurring. User tracking gives you the power to follow individual users, understand their interactions, respond to them directly, and to craft content specifically for them. So give it a try!

How can I use user data with Beamer?

Step 1: Fetching the data

Beamer can’t get your user’s information just like that. You’ll need to fetch it somehow. Maybe you have an app with user accounts, a site with membership features or you keep cookies on user subscriptions to newsletters or other voluntarily provided information. Keep that info at hand (or ask your developer to do that).

Step 2: Sending the data

1. You need to have Beamer installed in your app or site, using our Embed Code (if you don’t know how to do that read this article).
2. Fetch the parameters you want to send to Beamer (user_id, user_firstname, user_lastname, and user_email).
   
   Remember that all parameters are optional, but if you want to identify users you need to provide at least a unique user_id.
3. Add the fetched data to your Beamer embed code. You need to add it dynamically, so each current user gets their own data inserted into the Beamer Embed Code.

   user_firstname:"Jon",
   user_lastname:"Doe",
   user_email:"jon@doe.com",
   user_id:"1234",
   

4. Your code should like the following example:

   <script>
   	var beamer_config = {
   		// THESE ARE THE COMMON EMBED CODE PARAMETERS ----------------------
   		product_id : "THIS WILL BE YOUR OWN PRODUCT ID", //DO NOT CHANGE
   		selector : ".beamerTrigger",
   		display : "right",
   		top: 0,
   		right: 0,
   		button_position: 'bottom-right',
   		language: 'EN',
   		filter: 'admin',
   		lazy: false,
   		alert : true,
   		callback : your_callback_function,
   		// THESE ARE THE USER DATA PARAMETERS ----------------------
   		user_id : "the user's unique identification number"
   		user_firstname : "the user's first name",
   		user_lastname : "the user's last name",
   		user_email : "the user's contact email",
   	};
   </script>
   <script type="text/javascript" src="https://app.getbeamer.com/js/beamer-embed.js"></script>

5. When Beamer initializes, it will grab those parameters and use them for your feedback, analytics, segmentation and NPS®.

Step 3: Use the data

When user data is provided through this method, you’ll see that your users are identified in your Beamer dashboard. You’ll be able to use this data to filter your users in your analytics or as a basis for segmentation (as we explained in Why would I track user data?). If you provide an email address you’ll be also able to answer to feedback directly.

Can I provide extra information about my users?  scale

Yes! If you have an Scale account, you can provide extra parameters to track even more individual elements about each of your users. You can learn more about it here.