Managing Automations

Once an Automation is set up and running, it can continue working in the background with minimal ongoing management. Automations help save time by automatically guiding contacts through the same process without requiring manual action each time.

However, there may be times when you need to make updates, check how contacts are progressing, or end an Automation that is no longer needed. This article explains how to edit, monitor, and manage your Automations to keep them running smoothly and up to date.

Adding Contacts to an Automation Manually

While Automations are typically activated by Triggers, such as a contact entering a particular Group or a change made via an Integration, you can also manually add contacts to an Automation.

Enter the contact's email address to bypass the initial trigger. After adding a contact, it can take a few seconds for them to appear in the automation, but once in the Automation they will follow all of the steps.

Removing a Contact from an Automation Manually

If you would like to manually remove a Contact from an Automation, for example, if you've been in touch with them personally and the Automation is no longer relevant, you can do that from within the Automation. To remove a contact:

1. Click on a step in the Automation that the contact has been through, the Step Performance window will open.
2. Click View under the Processed contacts.
3. Find the email address of the contact you want to remove and click x to remove the contact.

Editing an Automation

Once an Automation has started, it cannot be edited. You can review settings for each step by clicking on the Step in the Automation and then click 'Step Settings'. If you need to make changes to your Automation, click Pause Automation. With the Automation paused, you can make the required changes. You will need to click Start Automation when you're ready for the Automation to go live again.

Monitoring an Automation

After starting an Automation, you’ll see real-time stats for each step, including how many contacts are currently waiting, in progress, completed, or skipped. This gives you a clear view of how contacts are moving through the automation and helps you quickly spot delays or unexpected drop-offs.

Click any step to open detailed performance insights. Depending on the step type, you can view metrics such as:

• Number of contacts who entered or completed the step
• Delivery or engagement results for messages
• Contacts currently queued in wait steps
• Errors or failed actions that may need attention

Monitoring your automation helps you confirm everything is running as expected, identify bottlenecks early, and optimize performance over time.

Ending an Automation

Automations do not need to be manually ended. Once a contact has completed all steps in the automation, the automation will automatically end for that contact.

If an automation is no longer relevant, for example, the workflow changes or the content becomes outdated, you should pause the integration. This prevents new contacts from entering the automation and receiving communications that are no longer accurate or useful.

If you need contacts to exit an automation before reaching the final step, use a Goal step. Goals can automatically end or redirect a contact’s journey based on conditions such as:

• Reaching a specific step
• A custom field changing to a certain value
• Entering another automation

Goal steps can be added anywhere within an automation, not just at the end, making them useful for creating more dynamic and responsive workflows.