Segment entry and exit-based automation is a flexible and useful feature that allows you to create targeted and personalized workflows for your subscribers.
By using segments in your automations, you can reach out to customers who are newly added, re-added, or have recently dropped out of a segment. This helps you stay connected with your audience and provide tailored content and offers that meet their needs and interests.
Before You Begin
Automated workflows can be used on all the Omnisend plans. You can find more information on Omnisend pricing.
All user roles, except for the Analyst, can access automation workflow settings.
Automation Setup
To set up automation based on the customer entry or exit of a particular segment, you will need to:
create a segment with the rules you prefer;
setup automation with the entry/exit-based trigger.
You may set up this type of automation by going to Automations → Create Workflow → pick Create from Scratch option or change the trigger for any preset automation.
Automation Trigger Settings
You can trigger the automation for customers based on the fact that they enter or exit the segment of your choice. Here are a few essential facts about this trigger.
This automation, per default, won't be triggered for the customers that were added to the workflow before you enabled it. But you can allow customers who are in the segment already to trigger this flow if you select the Trigger workflow for contacts in the segment checkbox. If selected, this workflow will trigger for all contacts in the segment at the moment you enable the automation.
Trigger Workflow for Contacts in the Segment
With this feature, you can trigger a workflow for all contacts who currently meet the segment filters, ensuring that every eligible contact receives the full automation series and not just those who enter the segment after the workflow starts. Here's how it works:
Step 1. Select a segment-based trigger
Choose Segment as your trigger filter.
Define the segment criteria (e.g., "Segment is [Selected Segment]").
Step 2. Check the box to "trigger workflow for contacts in the segment"
Checking this box ensures that the workflow starts for all existing contacts in the segment.
If left unchecked, only future segment entries will trigger the workflow.
Step 3. Enable the workflow and review the confirmation message
When enabling the workflow, you’ll see a message confirming how many existing contacts will be added: "This workflow will now trigger for up to X contacts and anyone who matches the trigger rules in the future."
Once enabled, all existing contacts in the segment will immediately enter the workflow.
All future contacts meeting the segment criteria will also trigger the automation.
Troubleshooting & Limitations
Only available in draft mode for new workflows:
It's possible to enable this feature only before starting the new workflow.
Once the workflow is enabled, this feature is disabled to prevent multiple triggers per a single contact.
Note: Even if you disable an existing flow, you won’t be able to select this checkbox in draft mode. This option is only available for new flows that haven’t been enabled yet. To work around this, duplicate the existing flow, enable the checkbox in the new draft version, and then start the workflow.
If left unchecked:
If the checkbox is not selected, the workflow will behave per default, triggering only for future segment entries.
Exit Conditions
It is totally up to you whether you want to add the exit conditions to the automation flow, but we want to emphasize that you can use both customer enters and exits sequence rules there.
Adding an exit condition, "contact exits the segment," is recommended when you want to prevent customers from going through the workflow if they are no longer in the segment.
In this case, the exit condition is necessary because only with this exit condition will the customer who is no longer in the segment immediately exit the automation while going through the sequence.
You can find more information on the Exit conditions set up in the corresponding article.
Frequency
By changing the Frequency setting, you may choose whether to trigger the sequence when the customer is re-added or removed from the segment. If you leave Frequency disabled, the same contact can retrigger the workflow multiple times; otherwise, it will skip the contacts who have already been in the automation.
Let's simplify and say we have a segment based on the customer's city. One of our customers is from London. We then create a segment with the rule that the city is set to be London. This customer qualifies with the rule—he enters the segment, and the automation gets triggered.
After some time, the customer updates the city to New York (exits the segment) and, after some time, changes it back to London (re-enters the segment). This is where your Frequency settings click in and define whether the automation should be sent repeatedly.
Important: To ensure the workflow is triggered for contacts re-added to the segment, turn off the Frequency settings.
These settings determine when customers who have previously triggered the automation can trigger it again. If you re-add contacts to the segment, we recommend checking the Frequency settings, as they might prevent those contacts from entering the flow again.
Editing Segment Used In Automation
When you update a segment that is linked to an active workflow, it can have significant effects on how the workflow behaves. Here's everything you need to know.
1. Impact of Segment Updates on Workflow Triggers
Changes in Segment. Updating existing segment rules can cause customers to re-enter or exit the same segment. If the segment is tied to a workflow with a trigger "contact enters/exits the segment," the contact may re-trigger the workflow.
Risk of Duplicate Messages. Contacts who re-enter/exit a segment may receive messages they've already received in the past.
2. Avoiding Duplicate Messages
To prevent duplicate messages when editing segments:
Enable the Frequency Setting in the workflow associated with the segment. This ensures that a contact can only trigger the workflow within a specified time frame or just once.
Open the workflow associated with the segment.
Click on the Trigger Block.
Scroll down to the Frequency Setting section.
Enable the toggle and select one of the following options:
Anytime in the Past: Ensures the contact will not trigger the workflow again.
In the Last X Hours, Days, or Weeks: Prevents re-triggering within your specified time frame.
3. Recommendations for Editing Segments
Review Associated Workflows. Before making changes to a segment, check which workflows are triggered by the segment.
Enable Frequency Settings. Apply the Frequency Setting to any workflows where you want to prevent re-triggering.
Manual Import & Automation Trigger
Automation workflows with segment-based entry or exit triggers can be affected when customers are manually imported or updated. If the imported or updated customers match the criteria for the segment linked to the workflow, they will automatically enter the workflow and may receive messages they’ve already gotten in the past.
Consider this when importing customers who match a segment linked to an automation workflow:
If Frequency is Disabled: All imported contacts matching the segment criteria will trigger the workflow, regardless of whether they’ve triggered it before. This could result in duplicate messages being sent to existing contacts (if you re-upload the same customer list with new information, etc).
If Frequency is Enabled: Only new contacts who have not triggered the workflow before (or within the set time frame) will enter the workflow. This ensures that existing contacts won’t re-trigger the workflow unnecessarily.
Enable the Frequency Setting in the workflow to prevent re-triggering while still allowing new customers to enter the automation.
The same applies to automatically imported contacts (from your store) and contacts added after filling out a form. Those are considered organically added to a segment, and automation for them is sent automatically.
Have any questions? Please email us at [email protected].