What are Sequences?
Sequences are a powerful feature in Aloware that resemble Email Drip campaigns and are designed to initiate and nurture business and customer relationships. Aloware Sequences consist of automated tasks that are triggered at specific intervals, either about each other or at the start of the campaign.
Why Use Aloware Sequences?
Aloware Sequences designed to:
Send timely messages to the right audience automatically.
Enroll leads with appropriate tags automatically.
Establish triggers and actions for seamless business operations.
It supports two (2) actions:
Creating workflow (Steps)
Triggers and Intake
Getting Started
Before we dive in, note that only administrators can create sequences in Aloware Admin.
Aloware Sequences Page
The Aloware Sequences Page is your control center for creating and managing sequences. Here's what you'll find:
Sequence - This section provides an overview of all the sequences you have created. It lists the sequences by their names, displaying the sequence name, sequence ID, and date stamp. This allows you to easily identify and select the sequence you want to work with.
Steps - The Steps column indicates the number of steps created for each respective sequence, giving you a quick reference of the complexity and flow of your sequences.
Process On - In this column, you can choose whether the sequence should be processed every day or limited to business days only. This flexibility allows you to tailor the sequence's timing to align with your business requirements.
Line Used - The Line Used column displays the assigned line for each sequence, making it easy to identify which communication channel is being utilized.
Contacts - The Contacts column shows the total number of contacts currently enrolled in each sequence. It provides a snapshot of the audience size and reach of your sequences.
Remaining Tasks - This column displays the total number of remaining tasks within a sequence. It helps you keep track of the progress and completion status of your sequence tasks.
Status - The Status column indicates the current activity status of the sequence. It shows whether the sequence is active and running or marked as invalid, providing valuable insights into the sequence's operational status.
Three-dot menu - This menu provides additional options for managing your sequences, including:
Settings - Access the settings specific to the selected sequence, allowing you to modify configurations and preferences.
Steps - View and edit the individual steps within the selected sequence, enabling you to customize and refine the workflow.
Triggers - Configure triggers that initiate specific actions within the sequence based on predefined conditions.
Contacts - Manage and view the contacts enrolled in the sequence, making it easy to track and update your audience.
History - Access the history log for the sequence, providing a record of past activities and interactions.
Create Copy - Create a duplicate copy of the selected sequence, helping you quickly replicate successful workflows or make variations.
Delete - Remove the selected sequence permanently from your Aloware account if no longer needed.
By leveraging the features and information available on the Sequences Page, you can effectively manage and optimize your sequences, enhancing your communication strategies and nurturing customer relationships.
Setting Up a Sequence
Setting up a Sequence in Aloware is a crucial step in streamlining your communication and workflow. This guide walks you through the essential steps to create and configure a new Sequence, helping you automate messages, engage with contacts, and manage leads effectively.
Step 1: Creating a New Sequence
In the Sequences+ Tab, click the +New Sequence button.
Set the configurations in the New Sequence page wizard:
Name - Choose a descriptive sequence name for your team's clarity.
Description - This sequence provides a brief yet essential overview and context for the sequence's purpose and content.
Process On -Decide if the sequence will run daily or only on business days (Mon-Fri, excluding holidays).
Run on National Holidays
Optionally, enable this feature to have the sequence operate on specific holidays:
January 1: New Year's Day
3rd Monday in January: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
3rd Monday in February: President's Day or Washington's Day
Last Monday in May: Memorial Day
June 19: Juneteenth (Signed into law on June 17, 2021)
July 4: Independence Day (Observed on Friday or Monday if July 4 falls on a Saturday or Sunday)
1st Monday in September: Labor Day
4th Thursday in November: Thanksgiving Day
December 24: Christmas Eve
December 25: Christmas Day
December 31: New Year's Eve
Day Schedule - Customize the sequence to match your contact's time zone and set "open" and "close" hours. Messages will be deferred to the next business day if it's outside business hours.
Specify Time - You can specify the specific time you want leads to be enrolled in the sequence. If you want to allow leads to be enrolled at any time, simply leave the "Do not enroll leads that come in outside the time range" option unchecked. This gives you the flexibility to control when leads are added to the sequence based on your preferences.
Prevent Enrollment If Contact is Communicating (or has Already Communicated) with an Agent - If this option is enabled, contacts who choose to text or call your lines right after submitting a form or engaging in any other way will not be included in this sequence.
Outbound Line - Assign the appropriate communication line.
Throttle - Determine the number of leads to process per minute to optimize efficiency.
Remove leads if they respond - Leads will be automatically removed from the sequence if they respond to a message or answer a call.
Remove lead if user manually calls an enrolled lead - Automatically remove the lead from the sequence if an agent or user manually calls the lead.
Remove lead if they opt-out- Automatically remove lead upon enrollment time if they have chosen opt-out.
Click the 'Save & Continue' button.
Step 2: Adding Steps Flow
In Aloware, Sequence Steps show a series of automated tasks that happen one after the other.
When you make a new Sequence, click the "Add Steps" button in the "Steps" tab.
Types of Sequence Steps - You can choose different types of steps to add:
Automated Dialing
Progressive Dialer - It calls the contact, makes sure they answer, and then calls agents in a group. You can use a message to tell the contact what to do, like press 1 to talk, press 2 to end the call or press 9 to stop getting calls.
Preview Dialer - It calls a group of agents first, and then connects one of them to the contact. Aloware will repeat the message to agents until they press any key to connect.
You can send a message to the contact like, "Hey [AgentName], we're about to call [FirstName] [LastName] from [State]."Power Dialer - Puts the contact in a user's Power Dialer.
Automated SMS Messaging
Send SMS Message - Send an automatic text message to the enrolled contact.
Send Picture/ MMS Message - Sends an automatic picture MMS message to the enrolled contact.
Send SMS to Ring Group - Sends an SMS text message to a ring group with the enrolled contact's information.
The automated messaging systems have included an opt-out phrase in every automated message.
Automated Contacts
Add Tag to Contact
Adds a tag to the enrolled contact.
Remove Tag from Contact
Removes a tag from the enrolled contact.
Change Contact Disposition Status
Changes the disposition status of the enrolled contact.
Mark Contact as DNC
Mark the enrolled contact as DNC (Do Not Contact).
Change Contact's Owner
This changes the owner of the contact. When a new contact is assigned, the new owner will receive an SMS notification.
If more than 20 contacts are assigned at the end of the sequence, users will quickly receive an SMS saying, "You have been assigned to a group of contacts," to keep them informed.
Send Webhook
Sends a webhook with the enrolled contact's information as a payload.
Automated Email - Aloware can work with Mailgun and SendGrid to send emails in two ways:
Send Email to Contact - Send an email to the contact.
Send Email to Ring Group - Sends an email to a group with the contact's info.
Automated Line and Voicemail
Send Ringless Voicemail - Sends a voicemail to the contact in the US and Canada (only for verified accounts).
Round-robin Change Contact Owner - Changes the person responsible for the contact in a fair way.
Add Line to Contact - Adds a phone line to the contact.
Change Lead Source - Updates the contact's lead source.
Remove from Power Dialer - When a contact gets enrolled in a sequence with this step, the contact will be removed from the Power Dialer list even while the Power Dialer is in progress.
Users can choose to remove contacts from the Power Dialer lists of all users.
Steps Settings
Delay - Set the delay between the previous step and this current step in minutes, hours or days.
No Delay - Select this to avoid any pause following the previous step.
Default Delay - Specify a delay duration in minutes, hours, or days.
Time of Day - Set a delay in days and specify the time for this step's execution.
Text Message - Increase delivery success by personalizing messages. Use shortcodes such as [FirstName] or [TrackingNumber].
Add opt-out phrase for this message - To comply with messaging regulations, adding the opt-out phrase in the message is enforced on the account level. If you wish to describe this feature, please contact us for assistance.
Message in Dialers - Design your message according to the following instructions: "To connect immediately, press 1. To schedule a callback at a more convenient time, press 2. If you wish to be removed from our contact list, please press 9."
Repeat message and require sent to press any key to connect to contact - With 'Repeat Message' enabled, add a prompt like 'Press any key to connect' at the message's end, guiding agents on connection steps.
Step 3: Setting Intake & Triggers
The Intake and Triggers feature is responsible for determining which contacts should be included or excluded from the Sequence. This feature plays a crucial role in managing the enrollment and disqualification of contacts in the Sequence, ensuring that the right contacts are included and the sequence operates effectively.
Lead Intake By Email - Aloware automatically enrolls any contacts sent to this special email address.
In the Intake & Triggers tab, click the "Install Email Service" button.
A unique email address is set to send a new email to contacts.
Aloware converts formatted lead data from emails into new Aloware Contacts using an advanced algorithm. This ensures efficient and seamless integration of new contacts into the system for further processing and engagement.
Triggers - Triggers are an integral part of the sequence flow. They are activated when contacts enrolled in the sequence exhibit a specific behavior or action, ensuring that contacts who still meet the criteria can progress through the sequence seamlessly.
Navigate to the Intake & Triggers tab and click on the Add Trigger button.
Select the appropriate Trigger Types:
Add Contact Disposition Trigger - When a contact's status changes (e.g. connected, bad timing), you can select to either enroll or disenroll them from this sequence.
Add Call Disposition Trigger - When a call receives a status (e.g. connected, busy), you can choose to either enroll or disenroll the contact from this sequence.
Add Contact Trigger - New contacts will automatically join this sequence upon their creation.
Add Call Trigger - If you make an outbound call and its duration (talk time, wait time, overall duration) is equal to or greater than X seconds, the contact will be removed from this sequence.
Add Contact DNC Trigger - When a contact is added to or removed from the Do Not Contact (DNC) list, they will be included in this sequence.
Add Appointment Trigger - Whenever an appointment is scheduled, displayed, or canceled, the contact will be added to this sequence.
Add Contact Tagged Trigger - This trigger activates when specific labels are added to a contact.
Add Contact Tag Removed Trigger - This trigger activates when tags are removed from a contact.
Once set, click the Save Triggers button.
Step 4: Enroll Contacts
To finalize the setup of your Sequence, you will need to add or enroll contacts into the sequence.
Simply click on the "Enroll Contacts" button to start adding contacts. You can select contacts from the existing lines or tags under the Contact Group, or even enroll a new single contact.
Sequence History Activity Report
The Sequence History Activity Report is a powerful tool that brings together all the events in your sequences into a single, easy-to-access location. This feature is incredibly useful for pinpointing and resolving any issues that may arise within your sequences.
To access the Sequence History Activity Report, follow these simple steps within your Aloware Admin account:
Navigate to the Sequences menu.
Select the specific sequence you wish to review from the sequence list.
Click on the History tab.
Key Functions
The Sequence Activity History dashboard provides a comprehensive overview of the sequence's events, showcasing:
Contact - The enrolled contact within the sequence.
Actions - The outcomes resulting from the triggers.
Event - The specific event that occurred during the action.
Time - The timestamp of the event.
Aloware provides various search options to help you track and locate information quickly and effectively.
Search Field - Quickly locate contacts and phone numbers using this search field.
Event Type - View trigger and action events within the sequence, including contact enrollment, disenrollment, property updates, communication with contacts, and information creation.
Timeframe - Filter events by various timeframes, such as the last 7 days, today, yesterday, last 30 days, this month, last month, or all-time.
Total Log Count - Keep track of the total count of sequence logs for comprehensive monitoring.