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Wait steps pause the journey for a specified duration before proceeding. Use them to space out messages appropriately.

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Configuring Wait Steps

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Duration

Set how long to wait: 
Wait: 24 hours
Wait: 3 days
Wait: 1 week

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Available Units

UnitUse Case
MinutesTesting, urgent follow-ups
HoursSame-day follow-up
DaysStandard spacing
WeeksLonger nurture sequences

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How Waits Work

When a contact reaches a wait step:
  1. System calculates next_step_at = current time + duration
  2. Contact pauses at the wait step
  3. Background job checks for contacts past their next_step_at
  4. Matching contacts proceed to the next step
Waits are processed periodically. A “wait 1 hour” may have a few minutes of variance.

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Best Practices

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Spacing Recommendations

Journey TypeTypical Spacing
Welcome series1-3 days between messages
Onboarding2-5 days
Re-engagement3-7 days
Educational1-2 weeks

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Avoid Over-Messaging

Too many messages too quickly leads to opt-outs: 
❌ Don't
Send → Wait 1 hour → Send → Wait 1 hour → Send

✅ Do
Send → Wait 24 hours → Send → Wait 3 days → Send

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Consider Subscriber Fatigue

After 5-7 messages, engagement typically drops. Either:
  • End the journey
  • Increase wait times significantly
  • Transition to regular campaigns

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Time-of-Day Considerations

Waits don’t account for time of day. A message sent at 3 AM may not be ideal. Current behavior: Wait 24 hours from whenever the previous step happened. Tip: If timing is critical, use longer waits that naturally spread across times.

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Wait + Campaign Interaction

Contacts in journeys may also receive scheduled campaigns. Use frequency capping to prevent overlap: 
Campaign: Skip if sent within 12 hours
Journey: Uses natural wait spacing
This prevents a journey message right before/after a campaign.

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Editing Wait Duration

You can change wait duration on active journeys:
ScenarioEffect
Increase waitContacts currently waiting may wait longer
Decrease waitContacts may proceed sooner
Contacts past waitNot affected, already moved on

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Examples

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Short Welcome (Aggressive)

Send → Wait 6 hours → Send → Wait 1 day → Send → Exit
3 messages in ~30 hours. Best for time-sensitive offers.

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Standard Welcome

Send → Wait 1 day → Send → Wait 3 days → Send → Wait 1 week → Send → Exit
4 messages over ~11 days. Balanced approach.

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Slow Nurture

Send → Wait 1 week → Send → Wait 2 weeks → Send → Wait 1 month → Send → Exit
4 messages over ~7 weeks. Gentle, long-term relationship building.

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Monitoring Wait Steps

In the journey dashboard, see:
  • Contacts currently in each wait step
  • Average time in wait
  • Contacts that exited during wait (unsubscribed)

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Troubleshooting

Check:
  • Is the job server running?
  • Is next_step_at in the past?
  • Are there database issues?
Wait processing runs periodically (every few minutes). Small variances are normal.
Currently not supported natively. Use longer waits or external scheduling.

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Next Steps

Journey Examples

Common patterns

Building Journeys

Full setup guide