Set Event Start Date action

The “Set Event Start Date” action in Stack is a powerful tool for scheduling tasks and reminders within your workflows, ensuring seamless event management. Whether you’re organizing webinars, conferences, or personalized notifications, this feature helps keep everything on track.

Covered in this Article

• What is the Set Event Start Date Step in Workflows?
• Benefits of this Feature
• Practical Usage Cases
• How to Use the Event Start Date Action
• FAQs

What is the Set Event Start Date Step in Workflows?

The “Set Event Start Date/Time” action allows you to define a specific date and time as a reference point for subsequent steps in your workflow. This is particularly useful for scheduling tasks, reminders, or actions that need to occur before or after a particular event. Once set, you can use “Wait” steps in your workflow to pause execution until a specified time relative to this event date, enabling effective time management.

Benefits of this Feature

• Automated Scheduling: Automatically schedule tasks, reminders, or emails to occur at specific times relative to an event, reducing manual work.
• Timely Reminders: Send reminders to attendees days or hours before an event, boosting engagement and attendance.
• Follow-up Actions: Schedule follow-up tasks or communications after an event, like surveys or thank-you emails.
• Flexibility: Use with any date-related field, triggering tasks based on individual customer dates, such as renewals or birthdays.
• Recurring Events: Manage recurring events like weekly webinars by setting up automatic reminders.
• Time-specific Actions: Precisely schedule actions like social media posts or sales announcements.

Practical Usage Cases

• Webinar Management: Specify the webinar date and time, then add “Wait for Event/Appointment Time” steps to send reminder emails leading up to and following the event.
• Subscription Renewals: Pair with a custom date field for renewal dates to send timely reminders.
• Conference Planning: Automate communications like registration reminders and event schedules.
• Birthday Promotions: Use with a custom field for birthdays to send greetings and discounts.
• Product Launches: Establish the launch date to schedule teaser emails and announcements.
• Training Sessions: Mark session start times and schedule reminders and follow-ups.
• Product Trials: Set trial expiration dates to send purchase reminders.
• Sales or Promotions: Schedule teaser emails and last-chance reminders around sales events.
• Annual Checkups or Maintenance: Remind customers of upcoming appointments and follow up afterward.
• Project Deadlines: Mark deadlines and send reminders or tasks to the team.

How to Use the Event Start Date Action

Step 1: Add the Event Start Date/Time Action to Your Workflow

1. Navigate to the Workflow you want to modify.
2. Add the “Set Event Start Date/Time” action.

Step 2: Customize the Event Start Date/Time

• Choose from options like Custom Field, Specific Date/Time, or Specific Day.
• For Custom Fields, use pre-created Custom Date Field values.
• Accepted formats include:
  • MM-DD-YYYY HH:MM (e.g., 12-21-2021 08:30)
  • DD-MMM-YYYY HH:MM (e.g., 21-OCT-2021 08:30)
• Enter the necessary information and save the action.

Step 3: Add a Wait for Event/Appointment Time Action

1. Add a “Wait for Event/Appointment Time” action.
2. Set the action to wait a specified time before or after the event start date/time.
3. Configure how to handle instances where the wait time is past due:
   • Move to the next step.
   • Move to a specific step.
   • Skip outbound communication actions until the next wait or event start date.

These actions can be repeated within the workflow to create sequences leading to or following the Event Start Date.

FAQs

Q1: Can I use the “Set Event Start Date/Time” action for recurring events?
A1: Yes, set the date/time for the first instance and loop back for subsequent instances.

Q2: Can I set multiple Event Start Dates/Times in the same workflow?
A2: Yes, you can add multiple actions for different events or appointments.

Q3: What happens if a contact enters the workflow after the Event Start Date/Time has passed?
A3: The contact will skip the wait action based on your settings, like moving to the next step.

Q4: Can I use the “Set Event Start Date/Time” action without a corresponding “Wait for Event/Appointment Time” action?
A4: While possible, it’s not very useful without subsequent wait actions to reference the date/time.

Q5: If my workflow settings respect Contact time zones, how does that affect the “Set Event Start Date/Time” action?
A5: The action adjusts based on each contact’s time zone, defaulting to your account’s time zone if none is available.

For more visual guidance, explore these community video tutorials:

• Video 1
• Video 2
• Video 3

Overview

The Event Start Date action in Stack workflows lets you set a specific date and time to trigger wait events or other future actions. This feature helps you ensure that follow-up actions occur precisely when you want them to, based on a specific time or day.

Action Name

Event Start Date

Action Description

The Event Start Date action is designed to set a specific date, time, or a custom field value as the reference point for subsequent workflow actions, especially for wait events. This is particularly useful for automating follow-ups, reminders, or other scheduled tasks, ensuring that actions are paused or triggered based on the set event time.

Action Details

Options for Configuration

• Specific Day: Set a recurring day, like a specific day of the month or week.
• Specific Date/Time: Choose an exact date and time, such as September 14, 2024, at 10:30 AM.
• Custom Field: Use a date from a custom field, such as one capturing “Event Registration Date”.

How to Configure

1. Action Name: Enter a descriptive name for this action, e.g., “Event Start Time for Webinar”.
2. Type: Choose from the following:
   • Specific Day: For recurring days.
   • Specific Date/Time: For an exact date and time.
   • Custom Field: To pull the date from a custom field.
3. Select Custom Field: (Visible only if Custom Field type is selected) Choose the custom field containing the date.
4. Select Date: (Visible only if Specific Date/Time type is selected) Pick a date and time using the calendar picker.
5. Current Day of Month/Week: (Visible only if Specific Day type is selected) Choose whether the event starts based on the current day of the month or week.

Field Details

Field Name	Description	Mandatory
Action Name	The label or title for the action in your workflow.	Yes
Type	Choose between Specific Day, Specific Date/Time, or Custom Field.	Yes
Select Custom Field	Appears if Custom Field type is selected. It picks a custom date field.	No
Select Date	Appears if Specific Date/Time type is selected. Select the date from a calendar picker.	No
Current Day of Month/Week	Appears if Specific Day type is selected, allowing day or week-based triggers.	Yes

Example Use Cases

• Type: Specific Date/Time
  Use Case: Trigger a follow-up email one week after an event scheduled on a particular date.
  Example Setup: Select September 14, 2024, as the event start. The workflow uses this as the reference for subsequent timed actions.

• Type: Custom Field
  Use Case: Set a follow-up action based on a custom date field like “Event Registration Date”.
  Example Setup: The workflow pulls the date from the custom field to trigger actions like reminder emails based on that date.

• Type: Specific Day
  Use Case: Automate actions for recurring events or tasks based on the current day of the week or month.
  Example Setup: Select “Current Day of Month” to set recurring reminders every first of the month.

Additional Notes

• Date Format: Ensure the date and time are in the correct format (e.g., MM-DD-YYYY HH) to prevent errors in workflow timing.
• Use Cases: Ideal for automating reminders, follow-ups, or any action dependent on a specific date.
• Triggering: Combine this action with wait events to hold contacts until a specific date or time before moving to the next action.