How to Use Delay to Schedule Tasks at the Right Time
Outplay's sequences allow you to automate sales and outreach tasks, but sometimes it's crucial to time those tasks just right. That's where the Delay feature comes in handy. By setting a delay (in hours and minutes) for a task to be due or executed, you can make sure that your outreach lands at the perfect moment for maximum impact.
For example, you want to send a follow-up email to a prospect after a call. In this case, it would be best to wait, for a few hours or even a day, before sending the email to give the prospect some time to consider. Using the Delay feature, you can schedule the email to be sent after a specific amount of time after the call task is logged and completed. The email will be automatically sent after the selected delay period, freeing up time for other tasks.
In this article, we'll go over how the Delay feature works, how to set it up, and address other questions you may have.
How Delay Works
Here are two important points to understand Delay better:
- When a delay is set for the first step in a sequence, the delay is calculated based on the date and time when a prospect is added to the sequence.
- When you set a delay for any sequence step except the first, the delay is calculated based on the date and time when the previous sequence step is completed.
Set up a sequence step with delay
Here’s how you can set up a sequence step with delay:
- While creating/ editing a step in a sequence, select the Sequence Step Type you want to create. For example, it can be an Email, Call, LinkedIn, Twitter, Generic, SMS, or WhatsApp step.
- Complete all the essential fields for the sequence step. Click the Add Delay/ Specific Time button.
- In the Set Delay or Specific Date Time field, select the Add Delay option.
- Enter the number of Hours and Minutes by which the step has to be delayed.
- Click Next/ Add.
You have created a sequence step with delay successfully.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How is delay calculated when a delay is set for the first sequence step?
When you set a delay for the first sequence step, the delay is calculated based on the time when a prospect is added to the sequence. This means that the time when the prospect is enrolled in the sequence is considered as the starting point for the delay calculation. For example, if a prospect is added to the sequence on 10th Feb at 12:30 PM, and the delay is set as 4 hours and 15 minutes, then the step will be due on 10th Feb at 4:45 PM.
- How is delay calculated when a delay is set for any other sequence step other than the first?
When you set a delay for any sequence step except the first, the delay is calculated based on the time when the previous sequence step is completed. For example, if a prospect is enrolled in a sequence on 10th Feb at 12:30 PM and the first step is an email scheduled to be sent immediately, and the second step is a call with a delay of 2 hours, the call task will be due on 10th Feb at 2:30 PM.
- What happens to manual tasks that are scheduled with a delay?
When you create a manual sequence step with a delay, the task will be due after the specified delay. The delay is calculated from the time when the prospect is enrolled in the sequence or from the last task completed for the prospect.
- Can I add a delay to the first step of any other day than the first day of the sequence?
No, you cannot add a delay to the first step of any other day than the first day of the sequence or for the very first step of the sequence. This is because the delay feature calculates the estimated time for the step based on the date and time of the last completed step.
- How can I set a specific time for a task to be due on the day the prospect is added to the sequence?
To set a specific time for a task to be due on the day the prospect is added to the sequence, keep the Run this step on Day field with the value "1", and click the Add delay/Specific Time button. Next, choose the Specific Time option from the drop-down menu, and enter the desired time for the task to be due. This will ensure that the task is due at the specified time after the prospect is added to the sequence.
- Can I set a delay for the first sequence step of Day 2 of a sequence?
No, you cannot set a delay for the first sequence step of any day other than Day 1. This is because the delay feature uses the date and time of the last completed step to calculate the estimated time for the current step. As there is no last completed step available for the day, a delay cannot be set.