Why Use Date Timers in Your Automation Sequences

Date Timers in the automation builder let you control exactly when a marketing email, text, or task fires at a specific date, time, or within a date and time range. Instead of sending every message the moment a contact enters a sequence, Date Timers let you align your automation to real business moments: a promotional offer that goes out on Black Friday, a follow-up email sent the morning after a webinar, or a reminder that lands in a client's inbox the week before their appointment. If you want your automation to work around your calendar and not just your contacts' behavior, Date Timers are the tool for the job. This article covers how to add a Date Timer to a sequence, configure your date and time settings, and understand what happens when a contact enters a sequence after a timer's date has already passed.

How to Add a Date Timer to Your Sequence

1. In the automation builder, click the plus icon on the canvas where you want the Date Timer to appear, or drag the Date Timer block from the action menu and drop it onto the canvas. Then, use the search bar or scroll to select Date Timer from the Then options.
   
2. In the Date Timer settings panel, use On to run the automation on a specific date. Select Between to select a date range. Repeat this for both the date and the time of day. 
   
3. Pro-Tip! You can override the default time zone with the time zone of the contact record so that your emails send at the most appropriate time for their time zone.

4. From here, you are ready to save and publish your changes.

FAQ

What happens when a customer enters the sequence and the timer's selected date has passed?

The contact will jump past all processes in your sequence until it finds a live, current timer to land on. If there are no current date timers and no other timers set up in the campaign's funnel, the contact will eventually fall out of the campaign since it does not meet the date and times requirements that were set up in the campaign.

Can I use multiple timers in the same automation?

Only one type of timer can be used per "Start" button. Meaning, no Start > Email > Delay Timer > Task > Date Timer. The Date Time would need to be on it's own "Start" button.