Create a new sequence
Log in to your TextUs account.
Click the Automation tab, then click Sequences in the left sidebar.
Click Create New, then select the New option to create a new sequence.
On the New sequence details menu, enter the following new sequence details:
Sequence name: Enter a name for the sequence.
Sequence type: Select one of the following delivery options:
Steps by ongoing days and time: Delay the delivery of your sequence messages using a specific number of days, hours, or minutes.
Steps by scheduled date and time: Schedule the delivery of your sequence messages on specific times and dates.
If contact replies to sequence message: Select one of the following next step options:
Mark finished: When the contact replies to the message, your sequence marks the conversation as finished and will not proceed to the next step.
Continue to next step: When the contact replies to the message, your sequence proceeds to the next step.
Click Create to save your sequence.
Add steps to your sequence
Each step in your sequence sends a single SMS text message that you can customize by adding attachments, emoji, or other personalized information. After you have created the message content, you can configure when the message will be sent by using the Message Delay settings.
To add a step to your workflow, complete the following steps:
Click the Automation tab, then click Sequences in the left sidebar.
Click the + Step button.
Enter a message for the step and use the formatting toolbar to add any customization you’d like.
Use the Message Delay settings to schedule when your message will be delivered.
Depending on the settings you defined in the Create a New Sequence section above, your message can be scheduled based on the time elapsed since the last message was sent, or by setting a specific time and date.
For example, you can set the first step of your sequence to send a message 1 day after the contact is enrolled in the sequence.
Click Save to update the step.
Repeat steps 1 - 4 to add additional steps to your sequence.
Set a delivery window for your sequence (ongoing sequences only)
On the Sequences > Settings tab, the Delivery Window options allow you to set a specific time period for sending your ongoing sequence steps. This will ensure your messages reach your contacts at the best possible time, such as during business hours, and avoid sending messages too early or too late in the day.
Note: You can only set a delivery window for the ‘Steps by ongoing days and time’ sequence type. Delivery windows are configured individually for each sequence and are not copied if the sequence is duplicated.
There are two different Delivery Window settings:
Send messages on any day and time (default): Enrolled contacts can receive a sequence step message at any time of the day, according to the Message Delay settings.
Send messages only during these days and times: Enrolled contacts can only receive a sequence step message within the configured delivery window. If the message delay for the sequence step causes the message to be sent outside the delivery window, that message will not be sent until the delivery window resumes. You can set the exact day and time range of the delivery window using the dropdown menus.
For example, a sequence has a delivery window of Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM, and step 1 of the sequence has a 15 minute message delay. If a contact is enrolled in the sequence at 4:50 PM on Tuesday, the message for step 1 will not be sent until 9:00 AM the following Wednesday morning.
Activate your sequence
Now that you have created your sequence, you will need to activate your sequence before you can begin adding contacts. To set your sequence to Active, complete the following steps:
On the Automation page, click Sequences in the left sidebar.
Use the toggle switch next to the sequence name to toggle your sequence to Active (blue) or Inactive (gray).
Now that you have created and activated your sequence, you can start enrolling contacts in your sequence workflow. For more information, see Enroll Contacts in Your Sequence.
Duplicate an existing sequence
In situations where you have successfully created a sequence and you are satisfied with the results, or you want to improve upon an existing sequence, you can create a duplicate of a sequence by completing the following steps:
On the Automation page, click Sequences in the left sidebar, then click Create New.
Click Duplicate, select the existing sequence from the list, and click Confirm.
To update the sequence, select the duplicated sequence on the Sequences page and modify the steps in the workflow.
Note: You can also duplicate a sequence by clicking the vertical ellipsis next to the sequence and selecting Duplicate sequence.