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Automations: Creating and Managing

4:38 Video (5 MB) HD Video (8 MB) Audio (2 MB)

Adding an Automation

Select Automations from your Simplero Dashboard
In the Automation tab, click the + Create new automation button in the upper right corner
Give your new automation a name and click the OK button
Select the + Add a step button for your automation
Complete all appropriate fields and click the Save changes button
Repeat steps 4-5 until all steps for your automation have been added.

Conditions on an Automation

Select Automations from your Simplero Dashboard
In the Automation tab, select the automation name you want to add conditionals to
Select the Settings button at the top right corner
Scroll down the Condition section where you will have 3 options...
- Always run means that every time a contact enters the automation they will be allowed to go through it assuming of course that you have the settings set to allow him/her to enter it more than once.
- Only run when a contact has a tag means that if a contact is entered into an automation but does not have the selected qualifying tag linked to his/her name then they will not go through the automation.
- On run when the contact does not have this tag is going to be the same thing only the opposite, s/he will only be allowed to go through the automation in the absence of a tag. An example of when you might use one of the last two automations is when the automation is being used for a sales funnel or when trying to exclude people from an automation.

Automation Wait steps

You have several options for Wait steps in an automation. Wait_steps_for_automation

A date specific time (if the date is in the past, the automation will perform the action on new contacts in that step)
A general wait time such as a number of days or minutes.
A contact field that has a date/time value such as a customers Birthday - To use this option you will need to be using the birthday or custom date field which can be set up in your form fields, and then added to opt-ins and order forms.
A course start date - This option is only available when it is connected to a product, and a start date has been added on the Selling tab within the product.
Subscription period ends. This option is used when an automation is in conjunction with a subscription purchase.

Important: Changing an automation wait step affects those already waiting in that step.

For example John enters the wait step 7: wait 1 day. If you change step 7 to wait 1 week, John would now wait 1 week in that step, not 1 day.

Excluding people from an Automation

Is one of your opt-ins linked to a sales funnel automation for a specific product? If so it is likely you don't want people who have already purchased that product to go through that sales funnel. It's a bit redundant since they already bought it and it could possibly frustrate them. So how do we remedy this? Below you will find the steps for how to exclude someone from entering an automation.

Select Products from your Simplero Dashboard
In the Products tab, select the product are selling through the sales funnel
Select the Content tab of that product
Scroll to the Triggers section and you will add a trigger that adds a tag to the contact upon purchasing
Locate or create your sales funnel automation
Go to the Settings of your Automation
Scroll down to the Condition section and select the condition "Only run when the contact does not have this tag" and select the tag you added in step 4

Want to exclude multiple groups of people?

Are you using your automation as a sales funnel where you are selling more than one product? If so it is likely that you want to exclude people from any of the products being sold so that they aren't being resold a product they already have bought. The conditional option above only allows you to exclude people based on a single Tag. So you could add that same tag to anyone in any of the products being sold. However, If you have used different tags for the different products then you will need to do a bit of extra work. Below are the steps you would need to follow for each of the tags you want to exclude from an automation not covered via the conditionals in settings.

Select Products from your Simplero Dashboard
In the Products tab, select the product are selling through the sales funnel
Select the Content tab of that product
Scroll to the Triggers section and you will add a trigger that adds a tag to the contact upon purchasing
For example, I have 2 products I am going to sell in my sales Funnel, Product A, Product B. Product A will be tagged A, Product B will be tagged B
Create your sales funnel automation with all your wait steps and sales emails as you would for someone who has never purchased anything from you.
Go to Tags
1. Select Lists & Contacts from your Simplero Dashboard
2. Select the Tags tab
3. Locate and select Tag A, the once you've added in step 4
4. Add a Trigger to Tag A that says when {When Tag is removed, Stop Automation, select the sales funnel automation from the above step 5}
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for Tag B
Open up the sales funnel automation you created in step 5
Add an action step to remove the Tag A and move it to just before you sell Product A
Repeat step 8 for Tag B

Now when a participant goes through the automation If they have purchased one of those two products they will be removed from the automation and never go through any of the steps that occur after their tag has been removed.

Editing an Automation

From time to time you may want to update an automation. Maybe you want to add a step, remove a step, make a change to an email that is being sent or rearrange the steps of your automation. This is not a problem, follow the steps below to edit the automation. But please NOTE...when you edit an automation the change will only affect the people who have not yet reached the step where the change is made.

What does this mean?

If you are editing a wait step - People currently in that wait step will be affected. They receive the new wait rule.
If you are adding a step - Only people who are in the steps prior to it will receive the additional step.
If you add a step to the end of the broadcast - People who have finished the automation will not be affected.
If you make a change to the broadcast - Only people who have not yet received the broadcast will see the new version.

Select Automation from your Simplero Dashboard
In the Automations tab, locate and select your automation
Locate and select the step you want to edit
Select the Pencil icon in the far right side within the step box and make the edits

Note: If you make changes on the fly to an automation that's already running, note that the change will only affect the people who have not yet reached the step where you made the change.

However, if someone is waiting in a wait step, they will be affected by the change.

Rearrange Steps of an Automation

Select Automation from your Simplero Dashboard
In the Automations tab, locate and select your automation
Select and hold the Double dotted lines to the left of the automation step and drag it to the desired location within the automation

Removing a Step in an Automation

Select Automation from your Simplero Dashboard
In the Automations tab, locate and select your automation
Locate and select the step you want to remove
Select the Trashcan icon in the far right side within the step box
Click OK to confirm your removal of the step

Adding a Step in an Automation

Select Automation from your Simplero Dashboard
In the Automations tab, locate and select your automation
Select the + Add a step button below your current steps
Complete all appropriate fields and click the Save changes button
You can also click the (Plus) + icon to Add step after this step
Select and hold the Double dotted lines to the left of the automation step and drag it to where you want it in the sequence

Duplicating a Step in an Automation

Select Automation from your Simplero Dashboard
In the Automations tab, locate and select your automation
Locate and select the step you want to duplicate
Select the Paper icon in the far right side within the step box
You will now see a duplicate step within your automation
Select the Pencil icon in the far right to update the name of your automation
Click the Save changes button

Notes on an Automation Step

You can add a note to any automation step. These are internal notes for your reference. This is a great way to help you remember down the line why you set up a condition on a step, or maybe you run a seasonal course and need to remember to update certain action steps each round.

Editing an email that is part of an automation

Select Automation from your Simplero Dashboard
Select the Email library tab
Locate and select the email you want to edit
Click the Edit link and make changes
Click the Save changes button

Duplicating an Automation

Select Automation from your Simplero Dashboard
In the Automations tab, locate and select your automation
Select the Duplicate button on the top right-hand corner
You will now be redirected into the copy of new automation
Select the Settings button on the upper right-hand corner
Update the name of your automation
Click the Save changes button
Update or add steps as needed to the automation

Deleting an Automation

Select Automation from your Simplero Dashboard
In the Automations tab, locate and select your automation
Select the Delete automation button at the top right-hand corner
Click OK to confirm your deletion
The automation will now be removed from your simplero. Any emails that were created within will still exist in your email library.

Last updated 5 Apr 2020.

Previous Lesson All the Ways You Can Automate Things in Simplero Next Lesson Starting an Automation

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