Getting started
When I assign an automation, what do Start Fresh, Skip Past Steps, and Add to Vault Silently mean?
When I assign an automation, what do Start Fresh, Skip Past Steps, and Add to Vault Silently mean?
When you assign an automation to a client, you choose how past steps are handled:
Start Fresh: begins from Day 1 when the client is activated. Use this for a brand new client.
Skip Past Steps: if the client is already active, any step scheduled before today is marked as skipped and the client receives the rest from here. Use this when a client should not get steps that are already behind them.
Add to Vault Silently: if the client is already active, past content is added to their Vault with no notifications. Use this when you want the earlier material available without pinging them.
Can I start a client from a specific day, or skip only certain steps?
Can I start a client from a specific day, or skip only certain steps?
No, it is not possible to pick a day or a step. In other words, you cannot set the trigger day yourself. What you can control is how already-past steps are handled when you assign the automation: Skip Past Steps marks everything scheduled before today as skipped and sends the rest. The cut-off is always today relative to the client's trigger, not a step you choose.
Client status (pending, paused, reactivated)
What happens to my automations when I pause a client?
What happens to my automations when I pause a client?
Depends on your automation send setting (go to Settings --> Client default):
Sync with client status (default): Paused (or Pending/Ended) steps do not go out. When you set the client back to Active, the automation resumes.
Always send: Paused (and Pending) clients still receive scheduled steps. Ended clients never receive automation notifications.
When I reactivate a paused client, does the timeline still line up?
When I reactivate a paused client, does the timeline still line up?
Yes. When you reactivate the client, the whole automation shifts forward to the reactivation date. The client continues from the next step, and the remaining steps keep their original spacing, just moved later to make up for the pause. A client paused for two weeks simply has the rest of their sequence pushed two weeks later.
What is the difference between reactivating the client and directly restarting the automation?
What is the difference between reactivating the client and directly restarting the automation?
They will behave differently:
Activating the client after being Paused: the whole automation shifts forward to the reactivation date. Nothing is skipped, the client picks up where they left off.
Manually restart the automation after manually pausing it: any steps/triggers that were due during the pause are skipped, and the client continues from the current point in the timeline.
Why is an automation step blocked for a Pending client?
Why is an automation step blocked for a Pending client?
If your account uses sync with client status, steps that fall due while the client is still Pending are intentionally blocked. You may see copy such as Client was not active when this step was due (older UI said Client automation is paused).
Those missed steps do not auto-send when you activate the client. After activation, retry, send, or skip the blocked steps yourself.
If you want steps to go out even while the client is Pending, set the automation settings to always send instead of syncing with client status.
Can a client have more than one automation, with different triggers?
Can a client have more than one automation, with different triggers?
Yes. You can assign several automations to the same client, and each one starts on its own trigger. Example for a client who starts later: a short welcome or excitement video with the trigger Onboarding form completed, and your coaching videos with the trigger Client activation date.
If a client is still Pending after onboarding, the first automation only sends if Settings → Account → Client defaults → Automation status sync is set to Always send. This setting applies to all your automations.
Editing a live automation
I added a new step to a live automation - why didn’t existing clients get it?
I added a new step to a live automation - why didn’t existing clients get it?
Automations only send steps that are still ahead on each client’s timeline. Clients already past that day will not receive the new step. Send it as a Broadcast for current clients, and leave it in the automation for new ones.
What happens if I delete a step from an automation already assigned to clients?
What happens if I delete a step from an automation already assigned to clients?
Deleting a step stops that step from going out to clients who still have it ahead on their timeline. Messages already sent stay sent. There is no separate “queued forever” copy - if it has not been sent yet and you delete the step, it will not send.
Do edits to an automation in the library apply to clients who already have it?
Do edits to an automation in the library apply to clients who already have it?
Yes. After you save changes on the automation in your library, those changes apply to clients who already have that automation assigned. (Adding a brand-new step that falls on a day clients have already passed still will not backfill them - use Broadcast for that)
Troubleshooting
Why did my automation not trigger?
Why did my automation not trigger?
The default settings are set up the following: Automations follow the client's status, meaning👇
Active: automations are triggered and run as normal.
Pending, Paused, or Ended: automations will not trigger.
In short, a client has to be Active for the automations to run. As soon as the status changes to Pending, Paused, or Ended, the automations stop triggering. They resume once the client is set back to Active.