Edit and manage an Automation Path

Make changes to the name or steps in a draft or active path, activate a path, or prevent emails and SMS messages from sending

Business is always changing! Once an automation is set up and you learn more about your contacts' and customers' habits, making edits and deactivating outdated automations gives you full control over their experience. You can continue to modify these prebuilt templates as many times as needed, and stop them from sending when it's time for a new automation.

1. In the menu on the left-hand side, click Automations.
   
   
   
   
2. To help narrow your search:

• Select an automation status from the Status drop-down menu.
• Select an option from the Last modified drop-down menu.
• Select an automation based on its template type from the Goal drop-down menu.
• Click the Clear all button to remove the selected filters.
  
  
  
  

3. From the Automations dashboard, you can:

• Edit an automation
• Activate a draft automation
• Rename an automation
• Disable the trigger for an active automation
• End an active automation
• Delete a draft or ended automation

Edit an automation

Important: Removing steps from a path that was already activated causes some contacts to drop out of the path altogether if they're on the deleted step when you reactivate your path.

Before an automation is activated, you can edit it as often as you need, and active automations can be edited at any time and then reactivated. When you edit an active automation, the contacts who already started your path continue to move along from the point where you begin to edit it. New contacts can also still join your path when they trigger it while you're making edits. Please keep in mind that deleting steps cause contacts to fall off of of the path, so procede with caution. Once you reactivate your path, your contacts won't know that there have been changes. New contacts that trigger the path follow the path including all of your edits. Contacts who were already on the path don't see any of the changes to steps that they have already passed, but do follow the updated path going forward.

4. Next to the automation you want to change, click the button with the three dots and select the "Edit" option from the drop-down menu.
   Note: If you are editing an active automation, you must then click the Edit automation path button to confirm the action.
   
   
   
   
5. This brings you into the Automation Path Builder so you can continue building out your automation and creating your email and SMS content:

• Add, edit, or remove a time delay rule
• Add, edit, or remove a conditional split rule
• Add, edit, or remove an email
• Add, edit, or remove an SMS message
• Update contact details or custom fields for your contacts
• Add or remove tags from your contacts
• Add or remove contacts from a list
• Add the first purchase date to your ecommerce contacts
  
  
  
  

Activate a draft automation

An automation in "draft" status can be activated at any time. Before you activate your automation, it's always a good idea to make sure that all of the path rules have the right settings and that the path actions have the right content.

4. Next to the automation draft you want to activate, click the Activate button.
   
   
   
   
5. In the overlay for your automation, click the Activate button.
   Note: If you want to make sure that your path is fully built, click the Edit button to open the path builder. After reviwing, click the Activate button in the upper right-hand corner of the path builder.
   
   
   
   

Rename an automation

An active or draft automation can be renamed at any time. The automation's name is internal, so your contacts never see it. Each name must be unique and can be up to 80 characters long.

4. Next to the draft or active automation you want to change, click the button with the three dots and select the "Rename" option from the drop-down menu.
   
   
   
   
5. Enter the new name for your path into the Campaign name field.
6. Click the Save button.
   
   
   
   

Disable the trigger for an active automation

Disabling the trigger for your automation lets the contacts who are already on the path finish it, but it prevents new contacts from joining the path.

4. Next to the active automation you want to review, click the button with the three dots and select the "Disable trigger" option from the drop-down menu.
   
   
   
   
5. Click Disable the trigger to confirm the action.
   
   
   
   

End an active automation

Ending a path prevents new contacts from triggering the automation and stops sending email and SMS communications to the contacts already following your path.

4. Next to the active automation you want to end, click the button with the three dots and select the "End" option from the drop-down menu.
   
   
   
   
5. Click the End button to confirm the action. This can't be undone.
   
   
   
   

Delete a draft or ended automation

Automations in the draft status or that have ended can be deleted anytime, however a deletion isn't permanent and your automation can be restored.

4. Next to the draft or ended path you want to delete, click the button with the three dots and select the "Delete" option from the drop-down menu.
   
   
   
   

To restore a path, select the "Deleted" option from the status drop-down menu at the top of the Automation Paths section, then click the Restore button next to your automation.

Questions?