> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.cymbal.co/help/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.cymbal.co/help/contacts/contact-rating-system.md). # Contact Rating System ## **Overview** Cymbal assigns a **star rating (1 to 5 stars)** to email and SMS subscriptions based on how often they engage with campaigns and purchase tickets. This rating helps organizations understand which contacts are most active. * **Higher-rated contacts (4–5 stars)** frequently open emails, click links, and buy tickets. * **Lower-rated contacts (1–2 stars)** rarely engage with campaigns or make purchases. * **Ratings change over time** based on a contact’s activity ## **What Do the Ratings Mean?**
Star RatingWhat It Means
⭐ (1 star)Rarely engages with campaigns and is often excluded from marketing.
⭐⭐ (2 stars)Newly subscribed or re-engaging after inactivity.
⭐⭐⭐ (3 stars)Occasionally interacts with emails or texts.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 stars)Regularly engages with campaigns and sometimes buys tickets.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 stars)Highly engaged—frequently interacts and purchases tickets.
## **New Subscription Ratings** * When someone **subscribes for the first time**, they start at **2 stars**. * If a subscription bounces or unsubscribes, it will **not have a rating** until it is subscribed again. ## **What Causes Ratings to Increase?** A contact’s rating improves when they **engage with marketing campaigns**, such as:\ ✅ **Opening emails** \ ✅ **Clicking links in emails or texts**\ ✅ **Buying tickets after receiving a campaign** More engagement leads to a **higher rating** (up to 5 stars). ## **What Causes Ratings to Decrease?** A contact’s rating decreases if they **ignore multiple campaigns** in a row:\ 🔻 If an email contact **does not open emails** over time, their rating will drop.\ 🔻 If an SMS contact **does not click links** in texts, their rating will drop. Once they engage again, their rating can **increase** and stop declining. ## **Refreshing Inactive Contacts** Since 1-star contacts are often excluded from campaigns, Cymbal periodically **refreshes** them. If a contact remains at **1 star for over 2 months**, they may be given **another chance** and move back to **2 stars** to re-engage. ## Why is my Email going to Less Recipients? That’s because a significant portion of your contacts were **demoted** to a 1-star rating, which you are currently excluding from that email campaign. If your open rates are **less than 20%** a large portion of your contacts may get demoted to **1-star**, but this is actually a positive step. By filtering out unengaged contacts, you improve your sending reputation with Gmail. Over time, this helps Gmail **stop routing your emails to spam**. As engagement improves, our system will gradually promote 1-star contacts back to 2-star status, giving them the opportunity to receive your emails again. This process can take a few months, but in the long run you should expect open rates in the **40–60%** range, which will have a materially positive impact on overall email performance. ## **What Happens to Suppressed or Bounced Contacts?** * **Bounced or unsubscribed contacts** do not have a rating. * **Suppressed contacts** keep their rating but **do not change** while suppressed. If they are unsuppressed, they continue from where they left off.