We’ve added an extremely powerful new step type to PowrLine’s automation sequences: The Custom Delay.
This optional step type delays a contact in the sequence by a unique period of time set for that contact when they are added to the stage. The use case for this is primarily in sales follow-up sequences when a prospect asks a PowrLine user to “please follow up with me in x number of weeks/months/etc”.
Previously, if a prospect requested a specific follow-up date, the PowrLine user would need to wait to add the contact to the follow-up sequence until the requested time had arrived. With the custom delay step, the PowrLine users can now add contacts to the follow up sequence immediately, and set unique delay periods for them, so that the follow-ups start at the perfect time.
Once aspect of this new feature that we’re very excited about, is that the custom delay step can be placed anywhere in a stage’s automation sequence. This means that automation steps can still be placed in the sequence so that they occur immediately regardless of the custom delay.
A good use case for steps to occur before the custom delay, would be a message informing the contact of when you’ll be following up with them. A variable for the custom delay period has also been added to PowrLine’s automation engine, which makes automated messages like this possible:
Hi John, Let me know if you have any further questions about the estimate. Otherwise, I'll follow up with you in a couple weeks. Thanks, AJ
The “in a couple weeks” is generated automatically by PowrLine based on the custom delay set for the contact. This custom delay is set when the contact is added to the stage using a dialog that appears when the contact is moved.
The custom delay dialog only appears when moving a contact to a stage who’s sequence has a custom delay step in it. Movement into any other stage remains the same and will not show any dialog.
