Using time/date Delay Steps within Automations

If you are hosting a live event or webinar or have a specific offer "opening" or "launching" on a set date and time - you may want to use Automations to send emails out using Delay steps set to "Delay Until Exact Time". 

This would allow you to send out an email to everyone who signs up immediately - and then subsequent emails sent X hours in advance and/or X minutes in advance of your event. 

For example: If you have an "event" happening on a specific day at 6pm:  

-You could set one delay step for 12pm (6 hours before your "event"), then send an email.  

-Then set up another Delay step for 5pm (1 hour before your "event"), then send an email.  

-And finally - set up another Delay step for 5:45pm (15 minutes before your "event"), then send a final email. 

You can set up Delay steps using "Delay Until Exact Time" in your Automation - just note that the time/date set will be in YOUR timezone.  

WHAT IF SOMEONE ENTERS YOUR AUTOMATION AFTER YOUR DELAY STEP'S TIME/DATE?

If someone enters the Automation flow AFTER one of the delay step's time/date - they would start by  "waiting" in that delay step. However they would not be "stuck" there. 

The system is set to delay them for a standard 3 hour timeframe* (after entering the delay step) if the time/date set within that delay has already passed. After 3 hours they would move onto the next step - which most likely is an email. So the email would be sent out 3 hours later. Then they would move onto the next step in the sequence. If this is another delay step - they would either wait in that delay step until the time/date specified - OR an additional 3 hours if the time/date has already passed at that point.

Note that the time/date of any delays you set are in YOUR timezone - and the visitors entering the sequence may have passed or not passed that time/date based on their own timezones.

For example - let's say you have a sequence where you have an immediate email that gets sent upon entering the flow (Email 1), and then the first Delay Step is set to 12noon on a particular day (Email 2 goes out next) and the second Delay Step is set to 6pm on the same day (Email 3 goes out next) . 

This example sequence would look something like this:

-Trigger to enter flow

-Email 1 (sent immediately)

-Delay Step 1 - set for 12noon your timezone

-Email 2

-Delay Step 2 -set for 6pm your timezone

-Email 3

SCENARIOS:

If person A enters the sequence anytime BEFORE Delay Step 1 (set at 12 noon in our example) then they will get emails 1, 2 and 3 all on time.

If person B enters the sequence AFTER Delay Step 1 but BEFORE Delay Step 2 - let's say at 1pm: 

Email 1 is sent immediately. Then they will "wait" in Delay Step 1 for 3 hours. Their Email 2 will be sent after 3 hours at 4pm. Then they will move onto the next step in the sequence which is Delay Step 2. Since the time/date in this delay step HAS NOT YET passed (remember, this one is set to 6pm and they moved to the next step at 4pm) - then Email 3 will be sent out as indicated at 6pm.

If person C enters the sequence AFTER Delay Step 1 but BEFORE Delay Step 2 - let's say 4pm this time: 

Email 1 is sent immediately. Then they will "wait" in Delay Step 1 for 3 hours. Their email 2 will be sent out after 3 hours at 7pm. Then they will move onto the next step in the sequence which is Delay Step 2. Since the time/date in this delay step HAS passed at this point (remember, this one is set to 6pm and they did not move to the next step until 7pm) - then they will wait another 3 hours in Delay Step 2 and Email 3 will be sent out at 10pm.

If person D enters the sequence AFTER the first AND second delay step - let's say 8pm this time: 

Email 1 is sent immediately. Then they will "wait" in Delay Step 1 for 3 hours. Their email 2 will be sent out after 3 hours at 11pm. Then they will move onto the next step in the sequence which is Delay Step 2. Since the time/date in this delay step HAS passed at this point (remember, this one is set to 6pm and they did not move to the next step until 11pm) - then they will wait another 3 hours in Delay Step 2 and Email 3 will be sent out at 2am.

As you'll note - this MAY result in some Subscribers receiving emails AFTER your timed event has happened.  

This is why we recommend turning off your Automation, editing your Automation or moving people to a new Automation once your event has already taken place.  You can do this via steps within the Automation itself in advance - OR manually once the event has taken place. 

*NOTE: We have this 3-hour delay so that if someone enters the sequence "late" - they don't have all emails in a sequence sending all at once - as this could trigger SPAM filters.