Double opt-in in Dynamics 365 Customer Insights

Have you heard that Google and Microsoft are strengthening their policies on email marketing? Or maybe you want to make sure you're not violating GDPR when collecting contacts? In that case, it's worth taking a look at the Double opt-in feature!

What exactly is Double opt-in?

Double opt-in is a process that requires contacts or potential customers (registering for new communication purposes or topics) to confirm their subscription by clicking on a link sent to their registered email address. This additional step allows you to confirm that the request is intended by the email address owner and that the address provided is valid and actively used.

Who should use Double opt-in?

In short: everyone.

In reality, entities subject to the provisions of the GDPR and those where local regulations extend the scope of personal data protection and processing may be required to implement Double opt-in. Countries with such restrictions include Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

Even if your company does not operate in such countries, introducing this functionality may be a good idea. Increasingly, companies outside the GDPR jurisdiction are adopting double opt-in practices because this approach not only ensures informed consent but also helps validate email addresses, thereby improving data accuracy and lead quality.

What are the benefits of using Double opt-in?

• Compliance: Ensures explicit consent for marketing communications
• Customer trust: Demonstrates transparency and respect for user preferences
• Better profiling and segmentation: Accurate and verified customer data enables advanced personalization and segmentation options
• Higher engagement: Customers are more likely to open emails, click on links (increased open rate and CTR), and show higher levels of overall engagement
• Support for email address validation: Allows you to catch addresses that, despite being correct, have been abandoned by the user

How does the double opt-in process work?

The process consists of five key steps:

• Filling out the form: A new or existing contact (or lead) uses the form to consent to communication
• Information message: After submitting the form, the user sees a page informing them that they need to check their email to receive a confirmation message (containing a link to verify their subscription)
• Sending a confirmation email: Customer Insights – Journeys sends a confirmation email to the contact or lead address provided in the form

The link in the confirmation email is only valid for 28 days. After this period, the user cannot confirm their consent.

• Confirmation of consent: The user opens the confirmation email and clicks on the link, which opens a web browser and sends an encrypted URL identifying the contact to the system.
• Record creation/update: Once confirmation is complete, the system creates a new or updates an existing contact (or lead) record with the appropriate consent. The user is redirected to a thank you page or receives an email confirming their consent.

A contact or lead record is not created or updated until the user confirms their consent by clicking on the link in the confirmation email.

Analytics and monitoring

For each form with Double opt-in enabled, additional metrics are available to determine the effectiveness of the process:

• The number of users who have confirmed their preferences
• The number of users whose confirmation is pending

Known limitations

The current version has the following known limitations:

• Event registration forms: Double opt-in does not work for event registration forms
• Preference center forms: Double opt-in does not work for preference center forms
• Brand profile requirements: If a default brand profile does not exist for a given business unit, the double opt-in configuration fails unless a brand profile is created for the business unit
• One compliance profile per form: Each form can only contain elements from one compliance profile

Summary

Double opt-in in Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Journeys helps build a high-quality mailing list and increases customer trust. In addition, it allows you to operate in accordance with the law when operating in a country that requires double verification. If for some reason you do not want to implement double opt-in in your company, it is worth consulting a lawyer who will assess whether the company will cause itself problems by ignoring this functionality.

Sources:

• Microsoft Learn – Double opt-in in real-time journeys
• Microsoft Learn – Improve engagement and compliance with Double opt-in
• Microsoft Learn – Double opt-in and GDPR