Follow-up sequences

A sequence is a series of steps NextCRM works through for a lead: for example a first email, a reminder two business days later and a call task for the owner if the lead still has not answered. As soon as the lead replies, the sequence stops on its own.

Open Campaigns in the sidebar and switch to the Sequences tab (open Sequences). Workspace Admins, Sales Managers and Marketing build sequences; every team member who works with leads can add leads to them.

Build a sequence

1. Click New sequence (or Start from a template for a ready-made 3-step follow-up).
2. Enter a Name, for example "New lead follow-up".
3. Build the steps in the Flow. It starts with Start · Lead enrolled and ends with End · Sequence ends, which shows the active stop rules as chips (for example Stop when the lead replies). Click Add step at the end of the flow, or the + between two steps to insert a step at that position, and choose the step type:
   • Email - subject and message, sent from the sender's connected email account, otherwise from the workspace mailer.
   • SMS - text message through your Twilio settings.
   • WhatsApp - free-text message through your WhatsApp connection (see the limits below).
   • Task - a task for the sender, for example "Call the lead".
   • Wait - hours, days or business days (Monday to Friday).
   • Condition - "if the lead has replied" or "if the lead has changed stage": continue, end the sequence, or jump to a later step.
4. Use the variable buttons to insert {{first_name}}, {{last_name}}, {{full_name}}, {{company}}, {{booking_link}} or {{sales_rep}}. Unknown variables are refused when you save.
5. Change the order with the arrow buttons and click Save.

Note: There is no "if opened" condition: NextCRM emails contain no tracking pixel, so opens cannot be measured honestly.

Sending rules

On the right side under Sending rules you decide when and how messages go out:

• Send from / Send until / Send on - the send window. Messages are only sent inside it, in the lead's time zone; outside it they wait for the next opening (quiet hours). Tasks are not affected.
• Time zone if the lead's is unknown - the lead's time zone comes from a custom field named "timezone" or from the country of the address.
• Messages per day - a daily limit for this sequence. Each mailbox (200 emails per day) and the whole workspace (1,000 messages per day) have their own limits as well. Messages over a limit wait for the next day.
• Sent by - the lead owner (or, if the lead has no owner, the person who added the lead) or always the person who added the lead.
• Stop when the lead replies and Stop when the deal is won or lost - on by default.

A sequence always stops when the lead unsubscribes (unsubscribe link, STOP reply or a manual opt-out) or is moved to the Trash. Leads never get a message on a channel they unsubscribed from - such steps are skipped and noted on the timeline.

Preview and test

• In the Preview panel, pick a real lead or use the sample lead and click Show preview. It shows every step with the texts filled in and the planned time in the lead's time zone.
• Send test to me sends the first email step to your own address (subject starts with "[Test]"). The lead never gets it.

Add leads to a sequence

• One lead: open the lead, scroll to Follow-up sequences and click Add to sequence.
• Several leads: select them on the board or in the list and click Add to sequence in the selection bar (up to 200 leads at once). Every role that can edit leads can do this (not Finances).
• Automatically: an automation can start a sequence (Automations).
• With Lora: for example "Add Acme to the new lead follow-up sequence". Lora prepares the change as a card and only carries it out after you click Approve.

Leads in the Trash, won or lost leads and leads that are already in the sequence are skipped; the message tells you how many.

See where each lead is

The lead's Follow-up sequences box shows each sequence with its status, the current step and when the next step is due. You can Pause, Resume or Stop it there. Every step appears on the lead's timeline, for example "Sequence New lead follow-up · 2" for the second email, and "Sequence ... stopped: reply received".

On the Sequences page each sequence shows how many leads are enrolled, active, completed, replied, stopped and failed, and each step shows how often it was sent, skipped or failed.

How replies are detected

A reply is any message from the lead that arrives after the lead was added:

• emails synced from a connected Google or Microsoft 365 mailbox (Connect Google Workspace),
• SMS replies to your Twilio number,
• WhatsApp and social messages of a conversation linked to the lead (WhatsApp also by matching phone number).

Tip: Connect your mailbox - without it, NextCRM cannot see email replies and the sequence continues until its last step.

WhatsApp and SMS limits

• WhatsApp: Meta only allows free-text messages within 24 hours after the lead's last WhatsApp message to your number. NextCRM does not send approved template messages yet, so outside that window the WhatsApp step is skipped (and noted on the timeline). Use WhatsApp steps right after the lead wrote to you, or prefer email or SMS.
• SMS: "Reply STOP to opt out." is added to every message. STOP replies unsubscribe the lead from SMS and stop the sequence.
• SMS needs the SMS feature of your plan; WhatsApp needs the Social Inbox feature.

Pause, archive and maintenance

• Pause a sequence to hold all its leads where they are; Resume continues.
• Archive stops all leads in the sequence; the history stays on their timelines.
• During platform maintenance nothing is sent. Afterwards the sequences continue automatically (messages still wait for each lead's send window). Every step runs at most once - a lead never gets the same step twice.