The Start node is the first node on your canvas and the first one requiring your attention. It defines how contacts enter your program and includes three key components: Enrolment scheduling, Enrolment rule, and Enrolment limits.
Each part can be configured to control who enters your program, when they do, and how often. Whether you're using segments, date fields, or external triggers, the start condition helps you build more effective automation flows.
Select the Start node to define your enrolment criteria. A panel slides in from the right.
Start criteria options
You set the criteria for a contact to join your program within the start node. The start node has three areas to configure:
Enrolment scheduling
Set when the program checks for contacts who meet your rules and enrols them.Enrolment rule
Define what triggers enrolment: a contact date field or a segment.Enrolment limits
Control how many times, or how often, a contact can be enrolled.
A contact may enrol in the same program multiple times over the years, but they're not re-enrolled if they're already in the program and haven't yet reached an end node.
Enrolment scheduling
Select SET SCHEDULE to open the Enrolment scheduling panel.
This panel has five options:
No scheduled enrolments
The program doesn't automatically search for contacts to enrol. Instead, contacts enter through external triggers such as:API calls.
Integrations.
Join actions, for example, being added to a list.
Completing a Survey, Page, or Form.
Contacts can enroll multiple times, depending on how often they meet the external trigger conditions.
Use this option when you want enrolment driven by user actions or system events, rather than a set schedule.
Daily
Set the time of day for enrolment to run.
Weekly
Choose one or more days of the week and a time. For example, selecting Monday and Friday means enrolment runs on both days each week.
Monthly
Set a specific day and time each month. Choose from the 1st through to the 31st or last day of the month, or select the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or last occurrence of a specific day of the week.
On a set date
Choose a one-off date and time for enrolment. Useful when you don't need recurring runs.
To set a time, select the time field or the clock icon to open the time picker.
To select a specific date with the On a set date option, select the Date field to make the date picker appear. Select the Enrol at field to choose the enrolment time.
Once you're happy with your selection, select APPLY. Your setting is confirmed under Enrolment scheduling in the Start panel. To edit it, select the confirmed setting and the Enrolment scheduling panel reopens.
Enrolment rule
When a contact in your account meets the rule you set here, they're enrolled in the program. You have a choice of triggering enrolment from either a contact data field or from a segment.
Trigger enrolment from a contact date field
[Select Trigger from a contact date field to enrol contacts based on a date, such as a contract start date or birthday.
You can enrol contacts on a specific date, or on the anniversary of a date, which adds them to the program once a year.
Tip
You may be tempted to use an anniversary rule for a contract expiry. Instead, use the standard non-anniversary rule and store the contract expiry date in a contact data field. If the contact renews, update that field so they qualify again when the new expiry date arrives.
Select the start rule type
Choose whether to enrol a contact:
[N] days before or after a contact date field
or
[N] days before or after the anniversary of a contact date field.
The date fields available are any custom date type data fields that you have added to your account.
You can also trigger enrolment from the Created date, the date the contact was added to your account; the Last mailed date, the last date a contact was sent an email campaign; and Last opened date, the last date a contact opened one of your emails. This is ideal for a re-engagement program.
Birthday program example
Say you want to enrol contacts a week before their birthday to send them a timely campaign.
Set a start rule for 7 days before the anniversary of their date of birth. It's a personal touch that encourages loyalty and reminds lapsed contacts that you're there when they're ready to return.
Trigger enrolment from a segment
Select Trigger from segment to enrol contacts who have, for example, opened or clicked a campaign, made a certain number of purchases, or reached a lifecycle milestone. Use the segmentation tool's rule types to build a simple or complex segment.
Select GENERATE SEGMENT to test your rules. This shows how many contacts currently qualify, and you can select the count to view them.
Keep in mind that this is a scheduled enrolment trigger, not a standard segment. Each time the program runs, daily, weekly, or on a set date, it checks for qualifying contacts and enrols them. A contact who qualifies today may also qualify tomorrow, and every day after that. Use enrolment limits to control how often this happens.
Enrolment limits
Select SET LIMIT to open the Enrolment limits panel.
This panel has three options:
Enrol contacts in program only the first time they meet the start criteria
Contacts can only run through the program once.
Re-enrol contacts on the program every day they meet the start criteria
Contacts can re-enter each time they meet the rule, as long as they're not currently active in the program.
Re-enrol contacts on the program if they meet the start criteria, but not if they have been enrolled in the last [N] days
Like the option above, but with a minimum gap between enrolments. Set up to 366 days. For example, use 31 days to cap enrolment at once a month.
The enrolment limits function allows you to create programs that, for example, enrol a contact every time it's their birthday, or only the first time it's their birthday.
Once you're happy with your selection, select APPLY. Your setting is confirmed under Enrolment limits in the Startpanel. To edit it, select the confirmed setting and the panel reopens.
Example
The only the first time they meet the start criteria option is usually the right choice when enrolment is triggered by a segment.
For example, if your program runs daily and your segment targets contacts with three or more purchases, setting enrolment to every day they meet the criteria means a contact is enrolled every single day. Their purchase history won't decrease. That's almost certainly not what you want.
Apply your changes
Once you're happy with all your start criteria, select APPLY on the Start panel.
To edit the start criteria at any point, select the Start node to reopen the panel.
Enrol contacts using the API
Contacts can be enrolled in a program using our API if this is enabled on your account. This can be done using programs/enrolments in our API.
Contacts enrolled via the API receive the first campaign within 15 minutes, rather than waiting for the program's next scheduled run.
Re-enrol contacts after program exit
Once a contact reaches an End node in a program, they are considered exited. Whether they can re-enter depends on the enrolment limits you’ve set:
If set to Enrol contacts in program only the first time they meet the start criteria, they don't re-enter even if they meet the criteria again.
If set to Re-enrol contacts on the program every day they meet the start criteria, they can re-enter as long as they’re not currently enrolled.
If set to Re-enrol contacts on the program if they meet the start criteria, but not if they have been enrolled in the last [N] days, they can re-enter after the specified time has passed.
To re-enrol exited contacts:
Ensure your enrolment limits allow re-entry.
Re-add them to the triggering segment or update the relevant contact data field.
If using the API, manually re-enrol them, as long as they're not currently active in the program.