Why has Iterable's email deliverability rate dropped by 15% for enterprise customers over the past month?

Introduction

Iterable's email deliverability rate dropping by 15% for enterprise customers over the past month is a critical issue that demands immediate attention. This significant decline in a key performance metric could have far-reaching consequences for customer satisfaction, revenue, and overall business health. I'll approach this problem systematically, focusing on identifying the root cause, validating hypotheses, and developing both short-term fixes and long-term solutions.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Looking at the timing, I'm thinking there might have been a recent change in our email sending infrastructure. Have we implemented any major updates to our email delivery system in the past 1-2 months?

Why it matters: Recent system changes often correlate with performance shifts. Expected answer: Yes, we upgraded our email sending infrastructure last month. Impact on approach: If confirmed, I'd focus on technical issues related to the new system.

• Considering the specificity to enterprise customers, I'm wondering about potential changes in their email volume or patterns. Have we seen any significant shifts in how our enterprise customers are using our platform recently?

Why it matters: Changes in usage patterns could trigger spam filters or affect deliverability. Expected answer: Some enterprise customers have increased their email volume by 30%. Impact on approach: I'd investigate if increased volume is causing deliverability issues.

• Given the scale of the drop, I'm curious about our email content and authentication practices. Have we made any changes to our DKIM, SPF, or DMARC settings in the last month?

Why it matters: Email authentication is crucial for deliverability, especially for high-volume senders. Expected answer: No changes to authentication settings have been made. Impact on approach: If unchanged, I'd look into other technical or content-related factors.

• Thinking about external factors, I'm considering potential changes in ISP or email provider policies. Have we noticed this deliverability drop across all major email providers, or is it specific to certain ones?

Why it matters: Provider-specific issues could indicate changes in spam filtering algorithms or blacklisting. Expected answer: The drop is more pronounced with Gmail and Outlook. Impact on approach: I'd focus on understanding recent policy changes or issues with these specific providers.