Learn how to use the delay node to add a delay to your programs.
Overview
You may want your program to have a delay in it at some point, in between performing one action and moving on to the next.
For example, let's say that you'd like to wait a certain period of time until you follow up a previously sent campaign with another automatic campaign: this can be done by adding a Delay node to your program.
Add a delay to a program
In the example, we run through here, a delay of seven days is going to be added between campaign sends.
To do this, drag and drop a delay node from the side panel onto the canvas, making sure it attaches to the previous node. Click on the delay node to set the length of the delay. A panel will slide in from the right side of the screen.
Select the number of days you'd like to set for the delay by either using the incrementing buttons or by entering it into the field. Click Apply when you're happy.
The Delay node will populate accordingly on the canvas.
Optional controls: other delay types and settings
By default, a contact is held in a delay node for a set number of days (a multiple of 24 hours).
By clicking on More options at the top of the side panel, you'll expand the delay types to reveal the following options:
- Wait until a set time of day.
- Wait until a set day or days of the week.
- Wait until a set day of the month, which can be selected as the 1st through to the 31st or 'last' day of the month, or as the first, second, third, fourth or last Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday of the month.
- Wait until a set date.
- Wait until a calculated date, which can be set as a certain number of days before or after a custom date field or the anniversary of a custom date field. For example, wait until 90 days before BOOKINGDATE or wait until 7 days before the anniversary of DATEOFBIRTH.
- Wait until a set time of day
- In this scenario, a contact will be held in the delay until the clock next reaches that time. So a contact joining a delay step of Wait until 11:00 at 10:00 will be held until an hour later that day. A contact joining a delay step of Wait until 09:00 at 10:00 will be held until 09:00 the following morning.
- Wait a set number of days, and until a specific time on that day
- In this scenario, a contact will be held until the given number of days has been reached, and will then be moved on from the delay step at the specified time. So a contact joining a delay step of Wait until 2 days later at 10:00 at 08:00 will be held for 50 hours (just over two days). A contact joining a delay step of Wait until 2 days later at 10:00 at 12:00 will be held for 46 hours (just under two days).
A helpful example explaining what would happen to a contact joining the delay step at the current time is always displayed below the controls.