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Workflow Settings Overview

Explore the Workflow Settings panel in Stack's marketing automation tool. Discover how each setting works, how to configure them effectively, and when to use them to enhance message timing, contact experience, and automation logic. Whether you're managing a global audience or fine-tuning lead responses, these settings help automate smarter.

Table of Contents​

  1. What are Workflow Settings?
  2. Key Benefits of Using Workflow Settings
  3. Overview of the Workflow Settings Panel
  4. Best Practices for Configuring Workflow Settings
  5. Frequently Asked Questions

What are Workflow Settings?​

Workflow Settings in Stack allow you to control how automation behaves beyond the workflow steps. These settings enable you to fine-tune message timing, manage contact re-entry, and handle responses efficiently. They provide control over delivery accuracy, help avoid message clutter, and improve automation logic to suit various business models.

Key Benefits of Using Workflow Settings​

  • Timed Delivery for Better Engagement: Use Time Window and Timezone settings to send messages when contacts are most likely to engage.
  • Smarter Automation Logic: Utilize Stop on Response and Re-entry controls to prevent repetitive or irrelevant communication.
  • Clean and Organized Conversations: Automatically mark messages as read to keep your Conversations tab focused and manageable.
  • Consistent Sender Identity: Set default Sender Email and Name to ensure brand consistency and improve deliverability.
  • Personalization at Scale: Apply timezone-based logic to adapt messaging for both local and global audiences.

Overview of the Workflow Settings Panel​

Understanding the Workflow Settings panel helps you build smarter automations, improve message timing, and better manage contact behavior throughout your workflows.

Accessing Workflow Settings​

To access Workflow Settings, open any workflow and click the Settings tab at the top.

Contact Settings​

The Contact Settings section manages how individual contacts interact with a workflow, specifically their entry, re-entry, and exit based on engagement.

  • Allow Re-Entry: This option lets a contact re-enter the workflow after completing or being removed from it. It's useful for recurring campaigns like annual renewal reminders or re-engagement sequences.

  • Allow Multiple Opportunities: Enable this to allow a contact with multiple opportunities to enter the workflow more than once, treating each opportunity as a separate instance. This is especially helpful in sales workflows where the same lead may pursue multiple products or services.

  • Stop on Response: This ends the workflow for a contact as soon as they respond to any message sent from the workflow. It's ideal for conversational or sales-focused automations to prevent overwhelming contacts with additional follow-ups after they've responded.

Communication Settings​

The Communication Settings section optimizes message delivery timing, supports personalized outreach, and ensures consistency in sender identity across emails and SMS.

  • Timezone: Choose how time-based actions like Wait steps and Time Windows are executed:

    • Account Timezone: Actions follow your account’s default timezone.
    • Contact Timezone: Actions are executed according to the contact’s timezone, useful for global audiences.

  • Time Window (Specific Time): Restrict workflow actions to a specific time range. Actions outside this range are delayed until the next available window, ensuring communications are sent when recipients are most likely to engage.

  • Sender Details (From Name and From Email): Set default sender details for all email actions within the workflow to ensure branding consistency. These defaults can be overridden in individual email steps if needed.

  • From Number: Select a default number for all SMS messages in the workflow, ensuring consistent sender identity across messages.

  • Mark as Read (Conversations): Automatically mark messages sent from the workflow as “read” to keep your inbox organized, especially in high-volume workflows.

Best Practices for Configuring Workflow Settings​

  • Use Contact Timezone for campaigns with global users to send messages at relevant times.
  • Enable Allow Re-Entry for recurring workflows like renewals or onboarding updates.
  • Use Stop on Response for sales and support flows to pause automations once the user replies.
  • Always verify your Sender Email to improve email inbox placement and avoid delivery issues.
  • Avoid Specific Time for urgent workflows where timing flexibility is important.

Frequently Asked Questions​

Q: Can Workflow Settings override specific actions in the workflow?
No. Workflow Settings apply at the workflow level, but some steps (like email) can override defaults.

Q: What happens to existing contacts if I change the Timezone or Time Window?
Changes only apply to new contacts entering the workflow. Existing contacts retain prior settings.

Q: Can a contact re-enter multiple times with Allow Re-Entry enabled?
Yes, if they’re no longer active in the workflow and the trigger condition is met again.

Q: Does Stop on Response work if the contact replies to a previous unrelated message?
No, the contact must reply to a message sent specifically from the workflow.

Q: How can I test Workflow Settings before going live?
Use test contacts in various timezones and monitor their path through Enrollment History and Execution Logs.