# The Basics ### 1. Customers Your customers are stored in CrowdPower in the [customers](https://app.crowdpower.io/customers) section. Each customer is assigned a unique ID on the platform, but in most cases, you'll be sending in YOUR unique ID for each customer. This makes updating customer records a breeze. When you send customer data to CrowdPower, that customer will be retrieved by your unique identifier for them, or an email address if the `user_id` is not provided. If a customer can't be found, a new one is created. ### 2. Segments [Segments](https://app.crowdpower.io/segments) are a way of automatically grouping your customers by a set of rules. You can use segments to send messages to specific groups of people. ### 3. Events [Events](https://app.crowdpower.io/events) are key actions your customers take, like when they sign up or purchase a plan. Events can be generic or specific to your product. When you create an event for a customer, the event is added to your project, and then added to the event timeline on the customer's profile. ### 4. Traits [Traits](https://app.crowdpower.io/traits) are attributes assigned to a customer. These attributes can be anything, like the name of a plan the customer is currently on. When you create a trait for a customer, the trait is added to your project, and then added to the customer's profile. ### 5. Tags [Tags](https://app.crowdpower.io/tags) are used to identify and group customers. You can tag customers and then use these tags to target messages to specific people. ### 6. Automations [Automations](https://app.crowdpower.io/automations) are used to automatically send messages to customers (or perform one more actions) when a trigger is fired. A trigger could be fired when a customer performs an event, enters a segment, or visits a page. Once this happens, the automation begins for the customer, and it runs through a series of actions until the automation ends. The most common automation is an onboarding campaign — where a customer signs up (trigger) and a series of emails are sent (actions). ### 7. Broadcasts [Broadcasts](https://app.crowdpower.io/broadcasts) are used to email announcements to your customers. They are meant to be used sparingly when you release new features or have something important to say. When a customer unsubscribes from a broadcast, they are unsubscribing from all of them. ### 8. Templates [Templates](https://app.crowdpower.io/templates) are pre-designed ready-to-use emails that can be used in your automations and broadcasts. The default template is the starting point for every new email you create. ### 9. Integrations We have a number of native [integrations](https://app.crowdpower.io/settings/integrations) that work with CrowdPower, as well as an app on [Zapier](https://zapier.com/apps/crowdpower). Integrations can add new events, segments, traits, and automation actions to your project. The most common use cases are automation actions, like SMS. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.crowdpower.io/getting-started/the-basics.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.