How to use time settings in condition properties?

Some elements need you to specify When to assume the condition wasn’t met. They are:

• Link clicked
• Message opened
• Custom field changed
• Tag assigned
• Score added
• Visited URL

These conditions need to know how long they need to wait for your contacts to, for example, click a link or open a message. Everyone who meets the condition in the time frame you specified is affected by the action linked to the “if yes” (green) connector. The condition triggers the action connected to the “if no” (red) connector for the remaining contacts when the time is up.

Note: Time settings in the Abandoned cart condition work differently. For more details on when to assume a customer abandoned his or her cart, go to How do I set properties for the abandoned cart condition?.

To set the wait time, go to condition Properties. Once you’re there, you can decide whether and how long you’d like the condition to wait.

There are two options you can choose between: Never and After some time. If you select After some time, you need to configure the wait time. There is no timeframe for Never.

What time settings do I use with “After some time”?

People tend to open messages and click links within the first 24 hours. That’s why the wait time for those conditions is set to 1 day by default. Of course, you can always adjust the settings to fit your needs.

For example, you’d like to send a welcome email to contacts who opened your referral invitation. You’d like the remaining group to receive a reminder message.

In this scenario, you’d like the element to assume the condition hasn’t been met after 1 day.

For the next 24 hours, everyone who opens your invitation receives your referral message. After 24 hours have passed, everyone who hasn’t opened your original message gets the reminder.

When do I select “Never”?

When you select Never, time settings are no longer available.

Since you tell the condition to never assume that condition hasn’t been met, there’s no point in giving it a set point after which it should start sending people down the “if no” path.

When you select Never, the element keeps waiting for your contacts to meet the condition. If you link an action element to the “if no” connector, the condition can never trigger it. It’s best if you don’t link anything to the red connector if you select Never.