Enterprise Overview

What is NorthStar CCM Enterprise?

NorthStar CCM Enterprise is a complete customer communication management platform. It combines the document rendering engine used by every NorthStar CCM tier with a browser-based application for managing the entire communication lifecycle: organizing projects, designing templates, emails, and forms, automating production with workflows, and delivering communications through print, email, SMS, and more.

Where NorthStar CCM Essentials renders documents one API call at a time, Enterprise gives your teams a central place to store and manage templates, data connections, and generated output, and gives business users the tools to create and update communications without depending on IT.

Previous product names

NorthStar CCM Enterprise is the latest version of the product previously known as EngageCX Converse and Ecrion Engage. You'll still see earlier names in some places, such as the installer file name (MHCEngageCX-x64...), the default database name (EOSDB4), and the main configuration file (EOS4.config).

Enterprise and Enterprise Plus

Enterprise is available in two license tiers. Enterprise Plus includes everything in Enterprise, plus applications that extend NorthStar CCM into ongoing, personalized customer engagement.

Included	Enterprise	Enterprise Plus
API-based document generation	✅	✅
Centralized project, template, and asset storage	✅	✅
Communications, Tasks, and Workspaces apps	✅	✅
NorthStar Designer, Email Editor, Form Editor, and Workflow Editor	✅	✅
AI-assisted authoring and translation (cloud only)	✅	✅
Journeys, People, and Promotions apps	—	✅
Recipient document portal	—	✅

For a full comparison of all NorthStar CCM tiers, see NorthStar CCM Solutions.

Key Capabilities

Capability	Description
Project management	Group templates, data models, emails, forms, and workflows by project, and organize all assets in permission-controlled workspaces.
Browser-based template design	Create and edit templates and content fragments in NorthStar Designer, directly in the Enterprise Website. Connect data sources, and add data fields, conditional content, repeating rows, and multiple languages.
Emails and forms	Design email templates and interactive webforms with drag-and-drop online editors.
Workflow automation	Build workflows that process your data and publish documents to one or more output channels, such as print, email, or SMS. Run them on demand, on a schedule, or from triggers.
Accessibility verification	Choose an accessibility standard per project (PDF/UA, WCAG 2.0, 2.1, or 2.2), run reports against your templates, and track each document's compliance status.
AI Assist	Refine and translate template text, build and explain XPath expressions, generate sample data, and convert existing documents into webforms. Available on cloud deployments with MHC AI Studio enabled.
Signatures	Add electronic signatures, digital signatures (Adobe-trusted certificates), or Box Sign to your documents and workflows.
Integrations	Connect with Box, NetSuite, OData, and other external systems.
Developer and identity tools	Integrate using the REST API and .NET, Java, or JavaScript SDKs, and sign users in through SAML or WS-Federation single sign-on.
Rich output formats	Render PDF (including PDF 2.0, embedded files, and AES 256-bit encryption), Word, editable PowerPoint, HTML, and more.

Platform Architecture

Websites

The NorthStar CCM Enterprise platform consists of three websites, each addressed to different stakeholders.

Website	Audience	Default port
Enterprise Website	Enterprise users, environment administrators, and developers. This is where you manage projects and use the NorthStar CCM apps.	8094
Administration (Sysadmin) Website	System administrators and environment administrators. Used to configure licensing, environments, services, storage, and other platform settings.	8095
Customer Portal (Enterprise Plus)	Your customers, who use it to access the documents generated for them.	8096

Server components

An onPrem Enterprise installation includes the following main components:

Database: A Microsoft SQL Server database that stores all the metadata created by the platform.
Storage: A storage folder on the application server that holds the content of every file created or added through the platform.
Engines: The Publishing Engine (document rendering), Data Engine (data aggregation), and Analytics Engine.
Backend services: Services that handle storage, locking, engagement, workflows, scheduling, triggers, licensing, logging, and more. These run as Windows services and communicate over configurable ports.
Websites: The three websites described above, hosted in IIS.

For the full list of components and default ports, see Installation Requirements.

Deployment options

Enterprise can be deployed on cloud (hosted and managed by MHC), onPrem / anyPrem (on infrastructure you manage, whether on-premises or in a private cloud such as AWS or Azure). AI-assisted features are only available on cloud deployments. See Deployment Options.

For onPrem deployments that need greater business continuity, you can set up High Availability (HA) with two servers, each running a full instance of NorthStar CCM against a shared, clustered database. See High Availability Setup.

Setting Up Enterprise

If you're using NorthStar CCM on cloud, MHC hosts and maintains the platform for you. You can go straight to Logging In.

For onPrem installations, follow this path:

Prepare your environment. Create the SQL Server database, set up the storage folder, and install IIS 10.0 or later with URL Rewrite, the .NET 10 hosting bundle, and .NET Framework 4.8. See Installation Requirements.
Install NorthStar CCM. Run the setup wizard and configure each component. See the Installation Guide.
Configure High Availability (optional). See High Availability Setup.
Complete post-installation configuration. Update IIS bindings for remote access, enable secure connections, and set up folder and HTTP(S) whitelists. See Post-Installation Configuration.
Configure the platform. In the Administration Website, install product keys, and configure environments, email, authentication, and services. See the Sysadmin Guide.
Set up your organization. In the Admin app, add users and groups, configure access control, and connect integrations. See the Admin App Guide.
Set up single sign-on (optional). See Single Sign-On (SSO)
Plan ongoing maintenance. Establish daily and weekly maintenance routines and active monitoring. See the Maintenance Guide.

Enterprise Guides

Installation and upgrade

Guide	What it covers
Requirements	Database, storage, required software, operating system, High Availability, and port requirements.
Installation Guide	Single-instance setup and configuration of each component.
High Availability Setup	Configuring two synchronized instances for High Availability.
Post-Installation	Changing initial configuration, IIS settings, whitelists, optional configuration, and uninstallation.
Upgrade Requirements	System requirements to confirm before upgrading.
Upgrade Process	Backing up, uninstalling the previous version, and installing and testing the new version.

Administrators

Guide	What it covers
Sysadmin Guide	Licensing, system configuration, maintenance, monitoring, and troubleshooting in the Administration Website.
Admin App Guide	Managing users, groups, domains, integrations, connections, and workspaces.
Maintenance Guide	Recommended maintenance routines and active monitoring of services, logs, and certificates.

Creating and managing communications

Guide	What it covers
Communications App Guide	Managing projects and channels, reporting, monitoring, and accessibility.
Template Editor	Designing templates in NorthStar Designer, adding data and dynamic content, and previewing templates.
Email Editor	Designing email templates.
Form Editor	Designing interactive forms.
Workflows	Building workflows that process data and publish documents.
Tasks	Creating, assigning, and tracking production tasks.

Customer engagement (Enterprise Plus)

Guide	What it covers
Journeys	Designing customer journeys and automating customer engagement.
People	Managing accounts, contacts, and lists.
Promotions	Adding targeted ads to transactional documents and tracking engagement.

Developers

Guide	What it covers
API Guide	Authentication, template management, and using the JavaScript, .NET, and Java SDKs.
API Reference	Endpoints for authorization, rendering, the repository, jobs, resources, distribution, and security.
Single Sign-On (SSO)	Setting up SAML and WS-Federation with third-party identity providers.
Workspaces	Managing workspace files, folders, jobs, schedules, and triggers.

Upgrading from a Previous Version

If you're using EngageCX Converse or Ecrion Engage (versions 12.0 through 14.0), NorthStar CCM Enterprise keeps all your existing functionality and remains compatible with your existing templates and workflows. You'll need to reconfigure the new version after you install it.

If you're using EngageCX Create, Ecrion Develop, or NorthStar CCM Essentials, upgrading to Enterprise adds the Enterprise application on top of the rendering engine you already use.

For version details, what's changed, and next steps, see Upgrading to Enterprise. For the latest features, see the Release Notes.

Getting Started

NorthStar CCM Enterprise provides a complete, end-to-end customer communication management solution that integrates every process involved in the creation of professional documents into a smart, unified and easy-to-use platform.

It consists of three websites, addressed to different stakeholders:

Enterprise Website: Aimed at environment administrators, enterprise users, and developers.
Sysadmin Website: Aimed at system administrators and environment administrators.
Customer Portal: Aimed at customers.

Skimming over this guide, you will be provided with guidelines on how to go from a novice to an advanced end-user of each NorthStar CCM Apps that form the Enterprise Website of your personalized organization.

Logging In

Once you receive credentials via e-mail or directly from your administrator, you can access the website from your browser and start downloading apps for producing and designing your documents.

Here's how to log in for the first time:

Open a web browser and enter the NorthStar CCM URL, consisting of a Host Name or an IP Address, along with the Port Number of the Enterprise Website server. As an example, the link in your browser should look as follows:

http://mhcserver:8094
Next, you must fill in the following mandatory fields, then click Sign In.
- Username: Enter the username received in your email or from your system administrator.
- Password: Enter the password associated with your account.
If multiple environments are available for the presented credentials, you will have to select the environment you would like to access.

Personalizing your Experience

After logging in, at any time, you can change your password for a better security or update your personal account information with just a few clicks.

Changing your Password

Follow the steps below to change the current password:

Click on your account name in the upper right-hand corner, then select My Account from the drop-down menu.
Select the Change Password button on the bottom of the dialog.
Enter your existing password ( Old Password ), then the new one (New Password).
Once you're ready, select Change.

Notes

If you forgot your old password, return to the login page and select Forgot Password hyperlink to receive a reset link via the email address associated with your account. If multiple environments are available for the provided email address, you will have to select the environment for which you want the password to be reset.
A reliable email connection needs to be configured to receive the reset mail with the new password. For more details, please access the Domain Emails chapter from the System Administrator website.

Updating Personal Information

Follow the steps below to edit your personal information as an NorthStar CCM Platform user:

Click on your account name in the upper right-hand corner, then select My Account from the drop-down menu.
In the Edit Account dialog, modify your personal information.
When edit, note that:
- If you change your email address, a confirmation mail will be sent to the new address.
- Your account time zone serves as the default time zone for all the documents and automatic processes enhanced in your environment.
- By default, all the hidden folders are concealed in your environment, but you can opt to show them whenever you need.
- Alerts allow you to stay updated with all the changes encountered in your environment. You can opt to turn on or off alerts for emails, job triggers or print processes. To receive alert mails, a functional email connection is required.
- You have the option to reset all the warnings and walkthroughs from your environment.

Organization Management

Your NorthStar CCM Account enables you access to Product Keys, NorthStar CCM Apps and Downloads of current or phased-out products.

When you sign in to your NorthStar CCM Account, you can see and manage your organizational info, settings and preferences to make your NorthStar CCM experience work better for you.

Documents

Document generation is one of several components of NorthStar CCM’s modular document automation software, which begins with template design. The apps within this category allow business users to design and deploy engaging and interactive documents without costly IT involvement. This frees IT from coding documents and forms, thereby reducing costs and development time. Meanwhile, a single, central repository maintains company assets (such as logos and branding) to ensure a consistent experience for the customer.

Once templates are complete, NorthStar CCM’s document generation apps dynamically aggregate and transform data from one or more sources to begin the process—either on demand or in pre-scheduled batch runs.

Communications

NorthStar CCM Communications enables companies to manage the entire flow of communicating with customers at scale.

Create personalized letters, invoices, statements, brochures, emails and any other type of business communication interactively, in batch or on-demand. Deliver omnichannel via print, email, SMS and more, according to customer preferences.

With NorthStar CCM Communications, organizations can ensure consistency, reduce operating costs and improve customer experience for long-term, profitable engagement.

For more information about the functionalities available in this section, access the Communications App Guide.

Tasks

Tasks were created to help you split your work with other team members, allowing you to improve the way you plan and track the life-cycle of an NorthStar CCM project. Using tasks, you can stay constantly connected with your team's work, have a good view and clear idea of the project's onset, enhancing your organization to a successful management and completion of your document production.

For more information about the functionalities available in this section, access the Tasks App Guide.

Experience

NorthStar CCM Apps are a suite of microservices built from the industry-leading platform for Customer Communications and Customer Experience Automation, and are designed to enable industry’s digital transformation projects.

Tailored for specific process (think Billing, Insurance Claims, or Patient Onboarding), Apps can be deployed one at a time to address the most urgent pain points first, or in conjunction with each other to create a cohesive customer journey. Apps from this category are easily configured to support any organization’s unique workflow.

Journeys

Journeys reveal the experiences that your customers go through when interacting with your company and brand. The NorthStar CCM app creates a narrative starting from the journey purpose and automatically enrolls a customer to a journey based on a persona or a list. In this way, different customer stages are allowed to be defined inside a journey. Using a journey map to track the entire customer experience, in real-time, will help you pro-actively monitor your customers and manage them appropriately.

For more information about the functionalities available in this section, access the Journeys App Guide.

People

NorthStar CCM People enables organizations to get more visibility in customer actions, generate more high-quality people and engage more efficiently.

With People, organizations can generate better quality customers, get more insight and close more business.

The People app allows companies to manage information about the persons involved in the organization.

For more information about the functionalities available in this section, access the People App Guide.

Promotions

NorthStar CCM Promotions enables organizations to use transactional documents such as invoices and statements to generate leads and increase revenue in ways that were not possible before.

Generate leads and capitalize on up-sell and cross-sell opportunities, track views and clicks and closely monitor engagement rate.

With NorthStar CCM Promotions, organizations can sell more effectively and engage with their customers in new and exciting ways.

For more information about the functionalities available in this section, access the Promotions App Guide.

Developer Resources

Workspaces

NorthStar CCM Workspaces enables access to files, jobs and other building blocks of your workflow in an organization.

Using Workspaces, you easily can store files, jobs and even documents produced by other NorthStar CCM apps (e.g. a contract, a letter, a claim, etc.). The app allows you to better organize your assets into meaningful categories, e.g. per department. You can also assign different permissions to workspaces so that certain users or groups will only see the workspaces you allow them to see.

With NorthStar CCM Workspaces, organizations can keep all their activity assets, such as jobs, schedules, triggers and documents in one place.

For more information about the functionalities available in this section, access the Workspaces App Guide.