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Using Recurring Action Groups

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Forest Myers
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Recurring action groups let you schedule an action group to a lead that will execute on a recurring basis.

This means that you can create an action group that, on a given date, will schedule and send birthday emails, subscription reminders, and other recurring events.

This article will detail how to create and use recurring action groups.



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Custom Date and DateTime Fields in Recurring Action Groups

Recurring action groups will require a custom Date or DateTime field in order to function. Date and Date/Time fields are fields that are usable as a reference point for certain action groups and workflows utilizing a custom field. This is due to how the field references a specific date or both a date and time. These fields are useful, as they are meant to dynamically schedule and send reminder emails.

Refer to Creating DateTime Fields for more information on creating custom Date and DateTime fields.


Creating Recurring Action Groups 

Action groups are a collection of standalone events that can be referenced within a visual workflow or can be manually scheduled to a list or lead. Recurring action groups are slightly different from standard action groups, as they act based on the frequency of the recurring action group, the date and time when action will happen, and how many times the action will continue. 

To create recurring action groups, do the following:

  1. Click Automation > Action Groups in SharpSpring's left toolbar.
  2. Click New Action Group.

    Click Automation then action groups from the navigation and then clicking the New action group button.
    Click to enlarge.
  3. Select Recurring.
  4. Click Get Started.

    Choose the recurring option then get started button..

  5. Enter a name for the action group in the Action Group Name field.
  6. Optionally, select the desired folder from the Add this action group to a folder field.
  7. Optionally, click the Make repeatable and Make this action group available in the Contact Manager checkboxes.
  8. Click Save.

    Enter a name for the action group then select if you would like it in a folder and if it should be repeatable or if it should be available in the contact manager before clicking save.
    Click to enlarge.
  9. Select the desired field type from the Field Type drop-down menu:
    • Account - Appears only on accounts.
    • Lead - Appears only on contacts.
    • Opportunity - Appears only on opportunities.
  10. Select the desired custom Date/Time field from the Field Name drop-down menu.
    Important: If the custom field is a Date field, you will need to enter a specific time for when the associated actions will be executed.
  11. Select either of the following time options under Use the time:
    Important: When selecting a time option, be aware that the paired date is populated through automation, a form fill, or manually by a user. This means that the actions within the recurring action group are all relative to the value a lead has for the selected date.
    • From "Custom Field" - Pulls time information from the custom field.
    • Custom Time - Selects the desired time from a drop-down menu.
  12. Modify how often to repeat the action group in the Set a schedule which recurs every field and select the desired measurement of time from the Set a schedule drop-down menu:
    • Week - The action will repeat weekly.
    • Month - The action will repeat monthly.
    • Year - The action will repeat yearly.
  13. Select the desired ending parameter from the Ends drop-down menu:
    • Never - The action group will never end unless manually terminated.
    • After - The action group will end after a set number of recurrences.
    • On - The action group will end on a designated date.
  14. Click Save.

    Choose the field that starts the recurrence
    Click to enlarge.

Refer to Action Groups Overview for more information on setting actions once the core recurring action group has been created and additional action group features.


Editing Recurring Action Groups

You can edit previously created recurring action groups at any time.

To edit a recurring action group, do the following:

  1. Click Automation > Action Groups in SharpSpring's left toolbar.

    Action groups from left navigation
  2. Click the Type > Recurring.
  3. Set the Activity toggle to either Active or Inactive.
  4. Open the folder the action group is in and click the name of the desired  calendar.png  recurring action group.
    Note: You can also locate an existing recurring action group by entering the name of the desired recurring action group in the search bar.


    Locate recurring action group
    Click to enlarge.
  5. Click  12pencil.png   Edit in the Custom Field action group.

    Edit the custom field
    Click to enlarge.
  6. Edit the custom field as necessary.
  7. Click Save.

    Make changes and save
    Click to enlarge.

Be aware that when a recurring action group is rescheduled to activate on a new date, all currently scheduled events will remain as scheduled and all new events will be scheduled according to the new date.

In addition, if the recurring action group is edited and has no value for a lead that is scheduled, then the lead will continue to be scheduled to the recurring action group without actions being scheduled.


Manually Updating Custom Field Data

Date and Date/Time fields will need their time data paired with respective dates to correctly function when set to a recurring action group. This is done on a contact-by-contact basis.

To update custom Date or Date/Time field data for contacts, do the following:

  1. Click Contacts in SharpSpring's left toolbar.

    Contacts tab

  2. Click the name of the desired contact.

    Contact in the account
    Click to enlarge.
  3. Click the Custom Fields tab.
  4. Locate the desired custom Date or Date/Time field and select the desired date and time from the calendar menu.
  5. Click Save.

    DateTime in the custom field tab
    Click to enlarge.


Viewing Lead Memberships

You can view whether or not contacts are members of a recurring action group.

To view contact memberships, do the following:

  1. Click Contacts in SharpSpring's left toolbar.

    Contacts in the left navigation

  2. Click the name of the desired contact.

    Contact in the Contact Manager
    Click to enlarge.
  3. Click the Memberships tab.
  4. Click Action Groups.
  5. Locate the relevant  calendar.png  recurring action group entries.

    Actiong groups page in the Memeberships tab showing the action groups
    Click to enlarge.

A contact who has been scheduled to a recurring action group will have a label next to the respective entry.

Ongoing recurrences will display the following label:
Recurred X Times / Next: <Date> / End: <End Setting>

Completed recurrences display the following label:
Recurred X Times / Status: Completed on <Date and Time>

For these labels, the Next date is when the action group will be rescheduled. The End date is when the action group recurrences are scheduled to end.

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