A straight sequence sends the same steps to every client, whatever they do in between. A canvas can split instead, sending one client down a different path than another based on whether they answered, or what's true about their file.
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12:47The Four Things an Automation Can Wait For
A wait block on the canvas can only key off one of four things happening: the client replied, a task was completed, they submitted a portal form, or they uploaded a document. Those four are the whole list; anything else about the file is read through a check instead, covered below.
Wait For an Answer, or Chase Until You Get One
A wait for block pauses the automation for up to a set number of days, watching for one of the four to happen, whichever comes first. A repeat set to chase does the same thing on a loop, resending a reminder every few days until the client answers or the loop runs out. Either way, the moment the outcome lands, the wait ends there rather than running out its full timeout.
Split on a Check Instead
A branch block splits on a check instead of a wait: whether the deal's stage, the mortgage amount, the property, or a client field matches what you set, matching all of several checks or any one of them. Use a check when you want to route on something already true about the file rather than pause for something to happen.
What a Check Can Read After a Wait
A check placed after a wait can still read the details of the event that started the run: the stage it moved into, the tag that was added, whatever the trigger itself carried, since those values are pinned at the moment the run began and don't change underneath it. What a check can't do is read a step that hasn't run yet; it only sees outcomes from steps that have already completed by the time the check runs. Put a check before a step whose result you need, not after.
Reading the Two Arms on the Board
A wait or split step divides its column into two labeled paths side by side, and the column widens to hold them: one for the path a reply or a matching check takes, one for a timeout or a non-match. Each path has its own + for adding steps to it. Each arm holds its own steps, so you can see at a glance, without opening either one, which path sends a nudge and which path sends a thank-you.
What to Do Next
- Chain Follow-Ups to build the sequence a branch's arm runs once it's chosen.
- Narrow who an automation reaches so a branch is only ever deciding between clients it should reach at all.
- Test an automation before it goes live to walk a test deal down both arms before a client does.