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Workflow Trigger: Email Events

The Email Events Workflow Trigger in Stack is a versatile tool designed to help you automate actions based on specific email interactions. Whether an email is opened, a link is clicked, or a contact unsubscribes, this trigger ensures timely follow-ups and enhances engagement. This guide will walk you through setting up and configuring this trigger, highlight its key benefits, and provide practical use cases to optimize your email marketing efforts.

Table of Contents​

What is the Email Events Workflow Trigger?​

The Email Events Workflow Trigger activates a workflow whenever a specific email event occurs. These events include when an email is opened, a link is clicked, a customer unsubscribes, or an email bounces. By leveraging this trigger, you can automate responses based on real-time interactions, maintaining customer engagement and ensuring prompt actions when necessary.

Key Benefits​

Here's how the Email Events trigger can enhance your email marketing:

  • Timely Follow-Ups: Automate immediate responses after key interactions like clicks or opens, ensuring better customer engagement.
  • Unsubscribe and Complaint Handling: Automatically manage contacts who unsubscribe or mark emails as spam to protect your email sender score.
  • Streamlined Automation: Track important events across multiple workflows without manual intervention.
  • Enhanced Customer Experience: Create a more personalized and engaging customer journey by reacting quickly to customer actions.

Configuring the Email Events Workflow Trigger​

Follow these steps to set up the Email Events Workflow Trigger:

Name Your Trigger​

Enter a descriptive name for the trigger. This helps anyone reviewing or editing the workflow quickly understand its purpose.

Set Up Filters​

Filters are crucial for refining when the Email Events Trigger activates, ensuring that your workflows are only triggered by relevant email interactions. The two primary filters are:

Event Filter​

The Event Filter allows you to choose specific email events that will activate the trigger. You can select one or multiple events depending on your workflow requirements. Here's a breakdown of the available events:

  • Clicked: Activates when a recipient clicks any link in the email.
  • Opened: Activates when an email is opened by the recipient.
  • Bounced: Activates when an email bounces (i.e., it couldn’t be delivered).
  • Unsubscribed: Activates when a recipient unsubscribes from your email list.
  • Complained (Spam): Triggers when a recipient marks your email as spam, which is critical for maintaining your email deliverability and sender reputation.

In Workflow Filter​

The In Workflow Filter allows you to restrict the trigger to specific workflows. This ensures that the trigger only activates when the email event occurs within a designated workflow, adding another layer of precision to your automation.

Use Cases​

Use Case #1: Follow-Up on Clicked Emails​

Scenario:
A sales team wants to follow up with leads who clicked on a promotional email link for a free consultation.

Trigger Setup:
Use the Email Events trigger with the event filter set to "Clicked" and the workflow filter set to "Consultation Promo."

Outcome:
When a lead clicks on the email link, a follow-up workflow is triggered, sending an email with a booking link and notifying the sales team for further engagement.

Use Case #2: Managing Bounced Emails​

Scenario:
A marketing department wants to ensure that bounced emails are handled appropriately by removing invalid contacts.

Trigger Setup:
Use the Email Events trigger with the event filter set to "Bounced."

Outcome:
When an email bounces, the contact is automatically tagged as "Invalid," removed from active mailing lists, and added to a suppression list to prevent future email attempts.

Use Case #3: Re-Engaging Contacts After Email Opens​

Scenario:
A business wants to re-engage customers who open a promotional email but take no further action.

Trigger Setup:
Use the Email Events trigger with the event filter set to "Opened" and the workflow filter set to "Holiday Promo."

Outcome:
If a customer opens the email but doesn’t click on any links, the system waits a day and sends a follow-up email with a special discount offer to encourage engagement.

Frequently Asked Questions​

Q: How can I stop workflows for unsubscribed contacts?
Use the "Unsubscribed" event filter in the Email Events trigger to automatically remove contacts from all active workflows and add them to a suppression list.

Q: What happens if a contact marks my email as spam?
When a contact marks your email as spam, the "Complained" event can trigger an automation to remove them from all workflows and mark them as DND to prevent future emails.

Q: Can I trigger different workflows based on the same email event?
Yes, you can create multiple workflows using the same event trigger but apply different filters, such as workflow-specific filters, to target distinct groups or actions.

Q: How do I track email engagement using this trigger?
By using the "Clicked" and "Opened" event filters, you can track customer interactions and trigger workflows that log these events in your CRM, helping you analyze engagement trends.

Q: Is it possible to set reminders for unopened emails?
Currently, this trigger only works for opened, clicked, bounced, or unsubscribed events. You can create a separate workflow to send reminders if no engagement is detected after a certain period.