Effective workflow management is key to successful marketing automation. The Workflow Settings tab plays a vital role in fine-tuning your automation processes, allowing you to tailor various settings for optimal communication, contact management, and error handling. Below is a guide on how to navigate the Workflow Settings tab and configure it to meet your business needs.
Key Features and Benefits
Communication Control: Schedule specific times and days for sending messages and select appropriate time zones to ensure your communications reach the right audience at the best time.
Personalized Messaging: Customize sender details to enhance your customer relationships and ensure a cohesive brand identity.
Contact Management: Manage contacts' re-entry and stop workflows based on their responses to avoid message overload and provide a more personal experience.
Efficient Conversation Management: Automatically mark messages as read, keeping your conversation history organized and easy to track.
Error Monitoring: Receive automated notifications for workflow errors and access a dedicated "Needs Review" tab to keep everything running smoothly.
Step-by-Step: Configuring Workflow Settings
Accessing the Workflow Settings Tab
Navigate to Automation > Workflows in the dashboard.
When editing a workflow, click on the Settings tab in the Workflow Builder interface.
Configuring Communication Settings
Time Window: Select 'Any Time' or 'Specific Time' to schedule messages. Use 'Specific Time' to target peak engagement hours by specifying the exact days and times.
Time Zone: Choose 'Account Timezone' to maintain consistent communication within your location, or 'Contact Timezone' for global outreach tailored to individual recipients.
Sender Details: Set a default sender name and email address. These can be customized for individual workflow actions if needed.
Note: Sender details here will override the sender information set in individual email actions within the workflow.
Managing Contact Settings
Allow Re-Entry: Choose whether to let contacts re-enter the workflow. Ideal for recurring campaigns or periodic communications.
Stop on Response: Automatically stop the workflow for a contact once they respond to a message. This ensures a streamlined and relevant interaction.
Allow Multiple Opportunities: Enable this to manage multiple active opportunities for the same contact. Each opportunity will have its own workflow execution.
Example Use Case:
If a real estate agent is handling two different properties for a client, the agent can have separate workflows for each property. With this setting enabled, each property will trigger its own workflow, ensuring smooth management of multiple opportunities.
Optimizing Conversation Management
Mark as Read: Automatically mark all outgoing automated messages as read. This helps keep your conversation history clutter-free and organized.
Utilizing Execution Logs
The Execution Logs tab is essential for tracking the actions within your workflows. It provides detailed logs on all workflow executions, helping you monitor the progress and history of every contact.
View Action History: See the execution history for all leads or focus on individual contacts.
Filter by Date, Action, or Status: Narrow down the logs to specific periods or actions to quickly find what you need.
Refresh & Update: Ensure you're always looking at the most current data by refreshing the log view.
Workflow Error Notifications
Workflow errors can disrupt your automation processes, but the Error Notification feature ensures you're immediately alerted when something goes wrong.
Steps to Enable Error Notifications:
Access the Workflow Settings Tab
Navigate to Automation > Workflow Settings.
Enable Error Notifications
Toggle on error notifications and assign a recipient to handle them.
Important Notes:
Only one email is sent per 24-hour period if new errors are detected.
The email includes a “Review It” button that directs the recipient to the Needs Review tab, where they can address errors.
Pro Tips for Optimizing Workflow Settings
Time Windows: Target peak engagement hours for your audience to maximize effectiveness.
Sender Details: Keep your sender name and email updated to ensure brand consistency across all communications.
Assign Error Handling: Assign a team member or virtual assistant to manage error notifications and address issues promptly, ensuring minimal disruption.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Can I customize settings for different workflows?
Yes, each workflow can have its own settings, allowing you to tailor your approach based on specific goals.
Q2: What happens if I select the wrong settings?
You can always go back and update settings. Changes will apply to new contacts entering the workflow.
Q3: How do I choose the best time window for sending messages?
Consider when your audience is most likely to be active. Testing different time frames can help identify the optimal window.
Q4: What happens if an error occurs in my workflow?
You’ll receive an email notification, and the error will appear in the Needs Review tab where you can resolve the issue.
Q5: Can I stop a contact from re-entering the workflow after completing it?
Yes, you can disable the Allow Re-Entry option to prevent contacts from being added back into the workflow after they've completed it.
Q6: Can I assign error notifications to someone else?
Yes, you can specify a different team member to receive error notifications in the Workflow Settings tab.
