Automation Branching
Overview
Branching is a feature of that allows you to take different automated actions on various list criteria, without having to build multiple automations.
Automation branching works like a funnel. You start with your main list of contacts, and from there they are filtered through the funnel and into the branches you create to segment the members of that main list into designated mini lists.
When to Use Branching
Automation branching is useful if you want to filter your list based on criteria that is met when a contact enters the branch step. Branching will not work to filter contacts into branches when a certain action occurs. In other words, branching works well when a value is already fixed, but not when there is a timed qualifier such as, "When X event happens, then process through this branch”.
Scenario When Branching Would Be Effective
Tailoring an email to contacts based on the Category listed in their ATS profile.
As these contacts already exist in your database and already have a Category listed, you can set the branch step to say "If the contacts in the main list match Category 1, send them through Branch 1. If they match Category 2, send them through Branch 2, and so on."
Scenario Where Branching Would Not Be Effective
Sending a survey in an automation to a main list of contacts, then filtering those contacts into branches as a second step based on their responses to the survey.
Branching will not work in this scenario because the contacts have not yet responded to the survey at the time they reach the branch step. will immediately attempt to filter the branches based on the criteria you set, and since no one will have taken the survey yet, all contacts will end up in the default branch.
How to Set Up Branching
In this example we'll be setting up branching to filter candidates by their Category, but the same steps will apply for any criteria you filter on.
- Begin building your automation as normal. For help building an automation, see Creating an Automation and Configuring Settings.
- Create your main list of contacts to funnel into branches. In this scenario, since we'll be branching candidates into three categories, we will add candidates that have any category and a Status of "New Lead".
- Once you've saved your list and added it to the enrollment step of your automation, select the Add Branch step.
- Give your branch a name and select the criteria that will segment contacts from your main list into this branch. In this example, our first branch is for candidates that have a Category of Accounting:
- You can continue to add as many branches and sub-branches as you need by selecting Add Branch.
- When you add a new branch, the previous branch logic will be saved. Simply delete the previous logic and replace with your desired logic.
- When you add a new branch, the previous branch logic will be saved. Simply delete the previous logic and replace with your desired logic.
- Once you’ve added all of your branches, select Done. You will be left with something that looks like the below screenshot. The next step is to add the automation steps you want to take for each branch.
If a candidate, contact, or lead matches more than one branch, they will continue through the automation branch that they match first from left to right. In this example, a candidate with both the "Accounting" and "Supply Chain" Categories on their profile will go through the Accounting branch, as it is left of the Supply Chain branch.
Advanced Stats
As with other automation steps, you can access the Advanced Stats on a branch by hovering over the step, then selecting Options > Show Advanced Stats. Here you’ll be able to see how many contacts/candidates/leads have been filtered into each branch.
Default Branch
As well as the branches you add, also places a default branch. This is to ensure that if candidates, contacts, or leads match the main list, but don't fit the criteria for any of the branches, they will go into the default branch.
For example, in the scenario we set up above, there may be a candidate with a Status of "New Lead" but a different Category to the ones specified in your branches. You can choose to have a specific action happen for these candidates (see below), or nothing at all.
If you don't want anything to happen to the candidates, contacts, or leads that land in the default branch, simply add a 1-hour wait step and an end automation step. This will allow you to see who ended up in the default branch, as well as seeing who could have been removed if your ATS is updated within that hour.
FAQ
Why is a "Wait One Day" step automatically added to my automation when I add a branch step?
Branching can make automations more complex. If you turn on an automation without a wait step, it will immediately begin to process the contacts into their branches without any way to reverse this once it happens. You don't have to keep the wait step at one day, but we highly recommend using a wait step of at least one hour before a branch step to be on the safe side.
Can I add a branch step inside of an already existing branch step?
Yes, this is possible!
Why are some of my candidates going through just one branch versus the others they match?
This could be due to the list logic you have set up. If you have candidates that match more than one branch, they will go through the leftmost branch that they match.
If a candidate is added to the default branch for not answering a survey, and then answers the survey while still in the wait step for the default branch, will they be moved over to the correct branch?
No. Once they pass the branch step, they won’t be reevaluated and moved to another branch. The one exception is if it’s a date-based automation and the date changes. Then it’s possible they could go backwards to a previous wait step.
How do I know when to use branching instead of building two separate automations?
Branching is very complex and it's very easy to get confused between the two. Here is an extremely helpful video from our "Build With Billy" YouTube series going over this very question!