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Stopping, Pausing, Resuming an Automation

Pausing or Removing a single contact from an automation

Sometimes its necessary to temporarily pause an automation or stop/remove a contact from automation altogether. Here's what you need to do: 

  1. Select Automation from your Simplero Dashboard
  2. In the Automations tab, locate and select your automation
  3. Locate the Step where the contact is in and click on the contacts

    Contact_in_automation
  4. You will see the list of contacts and their place in the automation

    Flows_view_of_contacts_in_automation
  5. Click on the Pause or Stop icon to the far right side of the contact name

    Pause_n_Stop_automation_for_contact
  6. The contact will now be paused or removed completely from the automation depending on which you choose


To reactive a pause for a contact continue on...

  1. To resume a Paused for a contact repeat steps 1-4 above
  2. Click on the Play icon to the far right side of the contact name to Resume the automation

    Play_button_to_resume_paused_contact

 
Stopping an Automation via an Action step

You can now Stop an automation via a stop step. This step, like other action steps, can be based on conditions. Just add a new step, choose the "Stop" option, and click the Save changes button.

stop automation.png

Stopping an automation removes the contact from the automation altogether. 


Contacts Pausing, Removing, Resuming Themselves

Another option is to have a contact pause, resume, or resume themselves from an automation. This can be done through links in a broadcast.

For example, in the bottom of the emails for the automation, you could include a line that says Not interested in this topic but still wants to hear from me on other products and services, stops these emails here and then you would hyperlink the "Here" to stop automation URL. 

Where do you find the Stop/Pause/Resume URLs?

  1. Select Automation from your Simplero Dashboard
  2. In the Automations tab, locate and select your automation
  3. In the right sidebar towards the bottom, you will see a section titled Automation links

    Start_Stop_Automation_links
  4. Select the Clipboard button next to the one you want to use and paste it in a broadcast

    Clipboard_button_for_1-click_automation

Note: These links only work when used in a Simplero broadcast as they are coded to read the contacts email address and if they were outside of Simplero they are unable to pull the necessary information. 


Pausing, Removing, or Stopping for a Large Group all at once

If you know you want to pause, resume, or stop a group of people that are in an automation you can do so in one swoop rather than individually. 

  1. Create a Segment of the people you want to perform the action to
  2. Select the Perform action... button at the top of the segment

    Perform_action_in_segment_for_automation
  3. Select the action to Stop Automation, choose the automation you want to activate and click Got it! to save

    Perform_action_to_Stop_automation

Simplero will now perform that action in the background. 


Pausing, Removing, or Stopping for a Specific Product/List

If you are using an automation as a sales funnel you will likely want to stop the automation when people purchase that product. Or if a specific product is purchased or contact is added to a list you may want to temporarily suspend an automation while they are participating in that product or that lists autoresponders. Both cases can be done automatically in Simplero. 

To temporarily pause an automation:

  1. Locate the Product or List that the contact will be participating in place of the automation
  2. Add a trigger under content within the List/Product.
  3. The trigger will be an Action trigger that once Participant is Activated, Pause an automation and select the automation you want to Pause

    Participant_Activated_Pause_Automation_Trigger
  4. Click the Save changes button
  5. Then create a 2 step automation called Resume Automation for automation name
    • Add step 1 which is a Wait step for however long you want them to be paused for
    • Add step 2 that will be an action step to Resume the paused automation
  6. Now add the second trigger:
    • Locate the Product or List that the contact will be participating in place of the automation
    • Add a second trigger under content within the List/Product where you were in step 2
    • This second trigger will be an Action trigger that once Participant is Activated, Start an automation and select the second automation you created

      Participant_Activated_Start_Automation
  7. Click the Save changes button


To stop/remove them from an automation after a purchase or joining a list

  1. Locate the Product or List that the contact will be participating in place of the automation
  2. Add a trigger under content within the List/Product.
  3. The trigger will be an Action trigger that once Participant is Activated, Stop an automation and select the automation you want to Stop

    Participant_Activated_Stop_Automation_Trigger
  4. Click the Save changes button

Note: If you use the 1-Click link to allow a customer to pause the automation themselves you will want to also provide them with a link to resume the automation themselves and let them know to save that email with the link for future access.

You could do this a few ways:

  1. You could include that link in the same email where they pause their automation.
  2. You can add a trigger to the link in the broadcast that starts a minimum of a 2 step automation.
    • Step 1: Wait X amount of time
    • Step 2: Send an email with the resume link
  3. If you do this you may want to add a third step that moves them back to the Start of the automation so that it keeps reminding them. If you do that remember to add a trigger to Stop the automation to the Resume link (refer to the instructions above).

Start an Automation at a Specific Step 

One workaround for restarting an automation at a specific step is the following - 
  1. Add a new step 1 - Skip to step X
  2. Restart the automation for the group
  3. Delete step 1 after group as gone through it
That group would now be in Step X of the automation. 
Last updated 29 Aug 2019.
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