Overview

When creating triggered communications in ReadyWorks, external image hosting is a critical best practice that benefits both single-customer implementations and multi-customer platform environments. This comprehensive guide covers the proper approach for hosting images, including recommended file structures, management strategies, and implementation considerations for all deployment scenarios.

 

Recommended Image Hosting Strategy

Host Images Externally with Scalable Architecture

Instead of embedding graphics directly into your TCOMM (Triggered Communications) messages, establish a structured hosting environment that can scale from single-customer to multi-customer implementations:

 

For Single Customer Deployments:

• Company’s public website with organized subdirectories
• Company intranet (for internal communications)
• Dedicated content delivery network (CDN)
• Cloud storage with public access and proper organization

 

For Multi-Customer Platform Environments:

• Customer-segmented hosting with isolated directories
• Multi-tenant CDN structure with customer-specific paths
• Scalable cloud storage with granular access controls
• Subdomain-based customer separation if warranted

 

Comprehensive File Hierarchy Structure

Single Customer Implementation

https://assets.yourcompany.com/
├── branding/
│   ├── logos/
│   │   ├── primary-logo.png
│   │   ├── secondary-logo.png
│   │   └── variations/
│   ├── headers/
│   │   ├── email-header.jpg
│   │   └── seasonal/
│   └── footers/
│       ├── standard-footer.png
│       └── compliance-footer.png
├── campaigns/
│   ├── 2025-q1/
│   │   ├── promotional/
│   │   └── product-launches/
│   ├── 2025-q2/
│   └── seasonal/
│       ├── holiday/
│       └── special-events/

Multi-Customer Platform Implementation

https://assets.yourcompany.com/
├── global/
│   ├── company-branding/
│   │   ├── logos/
│   │   ├── headers/
│   │   └── footers/
│   ├── templates/
│   │   ├── backgrounds/
│   │   ├── borders/
│   │   └── layouts/
│   └── shared-resources/
│       ├── icons/
│       ├── buttons/
│       └── regulatory/
├── customers/
│   ├── customer-a/
│   │   ├── branding/
│   │   │   ├── logos/
│   │   │   │   ├── primary-logo.png
│   │   │   │   ├── white-version.png
│   │   │   │   └── favicon.ico
│   │   │   ├── headers/
│   │   │   │   ├── email-header.jpg
│   │   │   │   └── seasonal-headers/
│   │   │   ├── footers/
│   │   │   │   ├── standard-footer.png
│   │   │   │   └── legal-footer.png
│   │   │   └── color-schemes/
│   │   ├── campaigns/
│   │   │   ├── 2025-q1/
│   │   │   │   ├── promotional/
│   │   │   │   ├── product-launches/
│   │   │   │   └── seasonal/
│   │   │   ├── 2025-q2/
│   │   │   └── ongoing/
│   │   │       ├── evergreen/
│   │   │       └── automated-series/
│   │   ├── products/
│   │   │   ├── category-images/
│   │   │   ├── product-shots/
│   │   │   │   ├── thumbnails/
│   │   │   │   └── full-size/
│   │   │   └── promotional/
│   │   │       ├── banners/
│   │   │       └── badges/
│   │   ├── notifications/
│   │   │   ├── transactional/
│   │   │   │   ├── order-confirmations/
│   │   │   │   ├── shipping-updates/
│   │   │   │   ├── receipts/
│   │   │   │   └── account-alerts/
│   │   │   ├── system/
│   │   │   │   ├── maintenance/
│   │   │   │   ├── security-updates/
│   │   │   │   └── feature-announcements/
│   │   │   └── marketing/
│   │   │       ├── newsletters/
│   │   │       ├── promotions/
│   │   │       └── event-invitations/
│   │   └── custom/
│   │       ├── industry-specific/
│   │       ├── seasonal-overrides/
│   │       └── special-projects/
│   ├── customer-b/
│   │   └── [identical structure to customer-a]
│   └── customer-c/
│       └── [identical structure to customer-a]

Enterprise Subdomain Structure (Alternative for Large Platforms)

https://customer-a-assets.yourcompany.com/
https://customer-b-assets.yourcompany.com/
https://shared-assets.yourcompany.com/
https://platform-assets.yourcompany.com/

 

Why This Approach is Essential

Universal Benefits (All Implementations)

Improved Email Deliverability:

• Reduced email file sizes prevent messages from exceeding server limits
• Avoid spam filter triggers that flag emails with large embedded content
• Ensure compatibility with email servers that restrict attachment types
• Maintain consistent sender reputation across all communications

Enhanced Performance:

• Faster email loading times with smaller file sizes
• Reduced server processing load for ReadyWorks
• Better mobile device performance
• Improved user experience across all email clients

Operational Advantages:

• Easy image updates without recreating email campaigns
• Centralized version control for consistent branding
• Enhanced analytics and engagement tracking
• Professional formatting that avoids attachment display issues

 

Additional Benefits for Multi-Customer Organizations

Solution Scalability:

• Independent customer image management without cross-contamination
• Bandwidth optimization through distributed hosting
• Storage efficiency with organized, non-duplicative structures

 

Implementation Best Practices

Universal Implementation Guidelines

Image Hosting Requirements:

• Ensure all images are accessible via HTTPS for security
• Optimize image sizes for web delivery (typically under 1MB per image)
• Maintain automated backup systems for all hosted images
• Implement CDN distribution for global performance optimization if warranted

ReadyWorks TCOMM Usage of Images:

• Use absolute URLs when referencing images in email templates
• Test image display across corporate standard email clients before production
• Include comprehensive alt text for accessibility compliance
• Design fallback options in TCOMM design for recipients with image blocking enabled

Security and Compliance:

• Host images on secure, reliable servers with guaranteed uptime SLA
• Implement regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
• Use customer-owned domains for image hosting when possible to maintain brand trust
• Ensure GDPR, CCPA, and other regulatory compliance for hosted content
• Maintain detailed access logs for security and compliance reporting

 

Multi-Customer Platform Specific Practices

Customer Onboarding Process:

1. Automated directory creation following standardized hierarchy during account setup
2. Style guide distribution with optimal image formats, sizes, and naming conventions
3. ReadyWorks TCOMM template configuration with customer-specific variables and paths
4. Testing protocol execution to validate all image paths and display consistency

Ongoing Service Management:

• Regular performance audits of customer image libraries and usage patterns
• Automated cleanup processes for unused or outdated images
• Storage quota monitoring with alerts for customers approaching limits
• Cross-customer performance analysis to identify optimization opportunities
• Compliance verification ensuring all customer content meets Security standards

 

Advanced Configuration Options

Load Balancing and Performance Optimization

• Geographic CDN distribution for optimal global image loading speeds
• Intelligent caching strategies based on image usage patterns and customer geography
• Automated image compression while maintaining quality standards
• Progressive loading implementation for large image sets

 

Troubleshooting Guide

Universal Image Hosting Issues

Missing Images:

• Verify image URLs are publicly accessible and properly formatted
• Check hosting server status and uptime
• Confirm HTTPS accessibility and SSL certificate validity
• Validate file permissions and directory access rights

Performance Problems:

• Analyze image file sizes and compression levels
• Review CDN configuration and cache settings if in place
• Monitor server response times and bandwidth usage
• Routinely assess email client compatibility and rendering issues

 

Specific Issues when delivering Multi-Customer Services

Cross-Customer Contamination:

• Audit directory permissions and access control lists
• Verify customer isolation in file system and application layers
• Check for inadvertent shared directory usage

Scalability Challenges:

• Monitor storage capacity across all directories
• Analyze bandwidth usage patterns and peak demand periods
• Assess CDN performance across different geographic regions where applicable

Customer-Specific Problems:

• Validate customer directory structure adherence to your standards
• Check customer-specific SSL certificates and domain configurations
• Review customer image optimization and compression practices
• Analyze customer-specific usage patterns for optimization opportunities

 

In Conclusion

External image hosting with proper organizational structure is fundamental to successful ReadyWorks implementation, whether for single-customer deployments or complex multi-customer platforms. The comprehensive file hierarchy and implementation guidelines outlined in this guide provide the foundation for reliable, scalable, and professional email communications.

The recommended approach ensures optimal email deliverability, superior performance, and operational efficiency while providing the flexibility needed for diverse business requirements. Regular monitoring, adherence to security best practices, and proactive maintenance of the image hosting strategy will ensure long-term success and maximum return on investment for all stakeholders.

By implementing these best practices, organizations can leverage ReadyWorks’ full potential while maintaining the professional appearance, reliability, and scalability required for effective triggered communications in today’s competitive digital environment.

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Start your troubleshooting here

1. Verify ReadyWorks is using the right email address

• If the message was sent according to the TCOMM History, but the user still did not receive the message, next let’s ensure that ReadyWorks has the correct email address for that user.
• Start by reviewing the User Asset and verify the email field found in the appropriate asset against the known proper email address.
• Ensure there are not two User assets for the same person with differing email addresses.
• Either correct the email address value in ReadyWorks by editing the asset or rationalize the duplicate assets for the same person.
• If the User Asset email address is correct then move on to the next step, Step 2.

2. Review the ReadyWorks TCOMM History

• Review the TCOMM History to confirm that your TCOMM was sent by ReadyWorks. Confirm the recipient and template sent.
• Check that this TCOMM wasn’t previously sent by ReadyWorks – ReadyWorks keeps track of who received which TCOMM. This mechanism is how the platform ensures users don’t receive duplicate messages and ruin the End-User experience.
• If the TCOMM History has no record of the TCOMM being sent, then skip to step 3.

It’s important to note that ReadyWorks keeps the history of all TCOMMs sent, including recipient and date/time as well as which template was used.

If the history shows the right message was sent to the right address, then that’s the end of your troubleshooting ReadyWorks as a source of the issue.

This is always the case when things “just stop working,” unless you or someone has made changes to your instance.

To continue troubleshooting the issue outside of ReadyWorks, skip to Step 5

 

If TCOMM History shows messages were not sent, test ReadyWorks' messaging features for issues

3. Use the TCOMM Template Tester

• As of the May 2023 release of ReadyWorks, a simplified testing feature for TCOMMs has been introduced.
• Instructions on how the TCOMM Template Tester works are found in our Help Pages on this page. We recommend that you send the TCOMM to yourself during this test.
• If the test fails then go to the next step, if you receive the test TCOMM you sent to yourself, then skip to Step 5.

4. Verify your ReadyWorks SMTP Configuration

• If the log shows the TCOMM did not send, and the email address is correct in the User Asset, next confirm SMTP server details within ReadyWorks. The person checking the configuration will require access to the server running ReadyWorks to gain access to the ReadyWorks Server Admin Console.
• Confirm the settings in ReadyWorks and modify them if required.
• If your SMTP is configured correctly, we’ve eliminated ReadyWorks as the root cause of the issue. Next, move to Step 5.

If you’ve eliminated ReadyWorks as the source of the problem, we recommend the following troubleshooting steps

It's important to note that while our Support Resources are happy to assist with problems that prevent your use of ReadyWorks, we are only able to act on the ReadyWorks platform itself.

The Windows OS, server/virtual machine, and all external platforms and data sources are all the responsibility of the Customer.

5. Analyze any downstream Firewalls and Security Systems:

• In most cases when Customers report issues where TCOMMs were working but now aren’t, stopped, the issue resides in a downstream system that processes your messages.
• For example, if you work with the United States Government you are required to implement a standardized intrusion detection system named Einstein, which in the data flow between ReadyWorks and the End-User message recipient changed the hyperlinks in TCOMMs in the interest of security. Similar platforms are in use across many organizations – make sure you are aware of changes that affect your ability to execute.
• This activity requires cooperation with your Corporate Messaging or Network Team to assist.
• Should you wish to engage a ReadyWorks resource with your messaging group, please open a Service Request via the “Submit a Request” link next to your avatar, in the top right-hand side of the page, or email us at support@readyworks.com

6. Check your DNS Settings for the ReadyWorks host:

• Engage your Network team to understand if any changes have been made to your DNS that would cause errors in using your host for message processing.

7. Perform Network Diagnostics:

• Trace the connection from ReadyWorks to the SMTP server to definitively identify any resources SMTP passes through.

8. Evaluate your Corporate Spam Filters and Policies:

• In extreme cases, it may be necessary to whitelist message types, or the ReadyWorks server depending on your deployment architecture.

Preventative Measures to Ensure Problems Don’t Occur

9. As a Stakeholder, gain awareness of Change Management Process decisions

• As stakeholders tasked with efforts driven by security and compliance, your use of ReadyWorks lends value to the entire organization. Ensure you are not blind to changes to the messaging data flow.

10. Implement or gain access to Email Monitoring and Analysis Tools

• As stakeholders in the messaging infrastructure, you should be able to gain access reliably and easily to monitoring reports and any analysis results to diagnose issues. Inclusion in messaging platform alerts would be beneficial too.

11. Skill up your Team with a ReadyWorks Subject Matter Expert

• Our most successful customers have at least one highly skilled individual who is not only familiar with ReadyWorks but also has a deep understanding of your network architecture and the supporting organization. This derives even greater value from your investment and decreased time to deployment.
• Individuals who excel as SMEs are skilled in Business Analysis, SQL, end-user computing, and traditionally integrated data sources (e.g., Active Directory, Intune, ServiceNow, Tachyon 1-E/F)

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