A step-by-step guide on how to build out your automated workflows by adding steps, such as sending texts or emails, applying tags, and setting the timing for each action.
✨ When You Need This Guide
This guide is for you when you are ready to build the sequence of actions for your campaign. Use this if:
You have created a new campaign and are ready to add actions to it.
You need to add a new message or task to an existing campaign.
You want to know how to schedule when each step in your campaign will happen (e.g., before or after an appointment).
You want to add a step that automatically applies a tag to a patient.
What This Covers (And What It Doesn't)
✅ This article explains how to add and configure the steps inside a campaign you have already created.
❌ It does not cover how to create the initial campaign itself or what the different campaign types mean. For that, please see our guide: A Guide to Campaign Types.
You'll Need:
An existing Campaign to add steps to.
✅ How to Add and Configure a Campaign Step
Navigate to Your Campaigns. Go to CAMPAIGNS > Show Campaigns.
Select Your Campaign. Find the campaign you want to build out and click Edit on the right side of its row.
Add a New Step. From the Edit Campaign page, click the blue +Add Step button. A configuration window will appear.
Name the Step. In the Name field, give the step a clear, identifiable name (e.g., "Day 1 - Welcome Text" or "Apply 'New Patient' Tag").
Choose the Action. Use the Action dropdown menu to select what you want this step to do. Once a campaign starts, it can perform a variety of actions:
Send SMS / Send Email: Sends a specific message template to the patient.
Apply a Tag: Adds a tag to the contact's profile (e.g., 2025 New Patient).
Remove a Tag: Removes a tag from the contact's profile.
Request Insurance: Prompts the system to request insurance information from the contact.
Call to Action: Creates an internal task for your staff on the Mission Control page (e.g., "Call this patient to follow up").
Select the Content (If Applicable). If you chose to send a message, a new dropdown will appear. Select the specific message template you want to send or the tag. If you chose to Call to Action, the Step name will be the Task that appears in Mission Control.
Set the Timing. This is where you specify when the step should happen. You'll configure three parts:
Amount: Enter a number (e.g., 3).
Unit: Select the unit of time from the dropdown (e.g., Days).
Execution: Choose when to trigger the step
Before Appointment/Event: Triggers before the scheduled appointment time or event.
After Appointment: Triggers after the scheduled appointment time or event.
Into Campaign: Triggers based on when the patient was enrolled in the campaign.
Example: The step will execute 3 Days Before Appointment.
Save the Step. Click Add Campaign Step (or Save Campaign Step) to save.
Repeat this process until you have added all the desired steps to build your complete workflow.
💡 Common Questions
What You Might Notice | Why It's Happening | What to Do |
I've built my campaign, but how can I test it before it goes live to all patients? | It's a best practice to test complex workflows before launching them to your entire patient base to ensure timing and content are correct. | Create a "Test" appointment type in your PMS/EHR and set your campaign to only trigger for that specific appointment type. Then, schedule a test appointment for yourself or a staff member. This will enroll you in the campaign and allow you to receive all the steps just as a patient would. For other ways to test campaign see our Guide on Testing Campaigns. |
What's the difference between "Into Campaign," "Before Appointment," and "After Appointment"? | These options change the "anchor point" for the step's timing. | Into Campaign starts the clock the moment the patient is enrolled. Before/After Appointment starts the clock relative to the patient's actual appointment time. Use Into Campaign for event or tag-based campaigns, and Before/After for appointment-based campaigns. |
My campaign has multiple steps. Do they happen in order? | Yes, but their timing depends on what you set for each step. They don't automatically happen one after the other based on the order in the list. | Each step's timing is independent. For example, you can have Step 1 send 3 days before an appointment, and Step 2 send 1 day before the same appointment. The system will execute them based on their individual timing rules, not the order they appear on the page. |
🎉 You'll Know It's Working When:
You can see your list of steps, with their names and timing, saved correctly within your campaign.
When a patient triggers the campaign, they correctly receive the messages and have tags applied according to the schedule you built.
💬 Need Help? We're Here!
If you have other questions about adding steps to your campaigns, our support team is ready to help. Contact us at 800-563-0469 or support@getaloha.com.