Sequences

Sequences in SalesOS are structured, time-based outreach campaigns that combine automated emails, manual tasks, calls, and social touches into a unified workflow. They allow sales teams to engage prospects consistently across multiple channels without losing the personal touch that drives replies.

What Sequences Are

A sequence is an ordered series of outreach steps executed over a defined timeline. Unlike a one-off email campaign that blasts a single message, a sequence delivers multiple touches over days or weeks -- each timed to maximize engagement and designed to build on the previous step.

Sequences vs Playbooks vs Automations

Understanding when to use each tool is important:

Use sequences when your goal is to initiate or restart a conversation with prospects. Use playbooks when you already have an active deal and need to guide a rep through a closing process. Use automations when you want to react instantly to a system event without human intervention.

Accessing Sequences

Navigate to the Sequences page from the main navigation under Communication > Sequences. The Sequences page displays all sequences in your organization along with performance metrics.

The top of the page shows four summary cards:

• Active Sequences -- The number of sequences currently running with enrolled contacts
• Total Enrolled -- The cumulative number of contacts currently active across all sequences
• Avg Reply Rate -- The average reply rate across all active sequences
• Meetings Booked -- Total meetings booked from sequence touches in the current period

Below the summary cards, you will find your sequence list with filters for status (Active, Paused, Draft, Archived) and ownership (My Sequences, Team Sequences, All).

Creating a Sequence

To create a new sequence, click the New Sequence button in the top-right corner. This opens the Sequence Builder, which consists of three sections: Settings, Steps, and Enrollment.

Sequence Settings

Before adding steps, configure the sequence-level settings:

• Name -- A descriptive name for the sequence (e.g., "Outbound Enterprise - VP Sales")
• Description -- Internal notes about the sequence's purpose and target audience
• Owner -- The rep or team who owns this sequence
• Send Window -- The days and hours during which automated emails will be sent (e.g., Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM in the recipient's timezone)
• Timezone Handling -- Whether to send based on the recipient's timezone (recommended) or the sender's timezone
• Daily Send Limit -- Maximum emails to send per day per rep to protect deliverability
• Throttle Delay -- Minimum seconds between individual email sends to appear natural

Sequence Builder

The Sequence Builder is a visual, step-by-step editor where you define the outreach cadence. Steps are displayed vertically in a timeline view, with timing delays shown between each step.

Adding Steps

Click the Add Step button between any two existing steps (or at the end) to insert a new step. You will be prompted to select the step type and configure its content.

Setting Timing

Between each step, a timing control lets you set the delay in days, hours, or minutes. For example, you might send an initial email on Day 1, follow up with a call task on Day 3, and send a second email on Day 5. Timing is always relative to the previous step's execution, not to the sequence start.

Reordering Steps

Drag and drop steps to reorder them. When you reorder, the timing delays between steps are preserved -- only the position changes.

Step Types

SalesOS sequences support five distinct step types, each serving a different purpose in the outreach cadence.

Automated Email

An automated email step sends a pre-written email to the enrolled contact at the scheduled time without requiring rep intervention. This is the most common step type.

Configuration options:

• Subject Line -- The email subject (supports personalization variables)
• Body -- Rich text email body with variable support
• From Address -- The sending email address (defaults to the enrolled rep's address)
• Reply-To -- Optional override for reply routing
• Track Opens -- Whether to insert an open-tracking pixel
• Track Clicks -- Whether to wrap links for click tracking
• Attachments -- Optional file attachments

Automated emails are sent through your connected email provider (Gmail, Outlook, or SMTP) so they appear in your normal sent folder and maintain deliverability reputation.

Manual Email

A manual email step creates a task for the rep to send a personalized email. Rather than sending automatically, SalesOS prepares a draft with the template pre-filled and notifies the rep to review, customize, and send manually.

This step type is ideal for high-value prospects where you want the rep to add deal-specific context before sending. The rep receives a notification with a one-click action to open the pre-filled draft in their email composer.

Call Task

A call task step creates a scheduled phone task for the rep. When the step becomes due, the rep receives a notification with the contact's phone number, company context, and any call script you have defined.

Configuration options:

• Call Script -- Talking points or a structured script the rep should follow
• Priority -- High, Medium, or Low priority indicator
• Duration Estimate -- Expected call length to help with scheduling
• Disposition Options -- The outcomes the rep can log (Connected, Left Voicemail, No Answer, Wrong Number)
• Voicemail Script -- A separate script for leaving a voicemail if the contact does not answer

LinkedIn Task

A LinkedIn task step prompts the rep to take a specific action on LinkedIn. Because LinkedIn automation is restricted by platform policies, these steps are always manual tasks with suggested copy.

Configuration options:

• Action Type -- Connection Request, InMail, Profile View, Comment on Post, or Engage with Content
• Suggested Message -- Pre-written copy the rep can paste into LinkedIn (supports personalization variables)
• Instructions -- Additional context on what to personalize or look for on the prospect's profile

Custom Task

A custom task step is a generic action that does not fit the other categories. Use it for research tasks, internal handoffs, data entry, or any other action you want to include in the sequence cadence.

Configuration options:

• Task Title -- A clear description of what the rep should do
• Instructions -- Detailed instructions or a checklist
• Priority -- High, Medium, or Low
• Due Duration -- How long the rep has to complete the task before it is marked overdue

Enrollment

Enrollment is the process of adding contacts to a sequence. SalesOS supports three enrollment methods.

Manual Enrollment

From any contact, lead, or account record, click Enroll in Sequence from the actions menu. Select the sequence, confirm the sending rep, and the contact enters the sequence at Step 1.

You can also enroll contacts directly from the Sequences page by opening a sequence and clicking Add Contacts.

Bulk Enrollment

From a list view, filter view, or saved segment, select multiple contacts and choose Enroll in Sequence from the bulk actions toolbar. SalesOS will show a preview of how many contacts will be enrolled and flag any that are already in an active sequence (to prevent overlap).

Bulk enrollment options:

• Skip Already Enrolled -- Automatically skip contacts who are in any active sequence
• Skip Recently Contacted -- Skip contacts who received an email from your org in the last N days
• Stagger Start -- Spread enrollments over several days to avoid sending spikes

Trigger-Based Enrollment

You can configure automatic enrollment rules that add contacts to a sequence when specific conditions are met. Trigger-based enrollment is configured from the sequence's Settings tab under Auto-Enrollment Rules.

Supported triggers:

• Lead Created -- Enroll new leads matching specified criteria (e.g., title contains "VP", company size > 100)
• Stage Change -- Enroll when a deal moves to a specific stage (e.g., enroll lost deals in a re-engagement sequence)
• Tag Added -- Enroll when a specific tag is applied to a contact
• List Membership -- Enroll when a contact is added to a specific list or segment
• Form Submission -- Enroll when a contact submits a specific web form
• Import -- Enroll contacts from a CSV import into a designated sequence

Each trigger supports additional filter conditions to ensure only qualified contacts are enrolled.

Personalization and Variables

Sequences support dynamic personalization variables that pull data from the enrolled contact's record. Variables are inserted using double-brace syntax within email subjects, bodies, and task instructions.

Available Variables

Fallback Values

For variables that might be empty, you can define fallback text:

Hi {{first_name | there}},

If the contact has no first name, the email will read "Hi there," instead of "Hi ," with an awkward blank.

Conditional Blocks

For more advanced personalization, use conditional blocks to show or hide content based on field values:

{{#if industry == "SaaS"}}
We work with several SaaS companies like yours...
{{/if}}

A/B Testing Steps

SalesOS sequences support A/B testing at the step level, allowing you to test different subject lines, email copy, or step timing to optimize performance.

Setting Up an A/B Test

On any automated email step, click the A/B Test toggle. This splits the step into two (or more) variants:

• Variant A -- The original version
• Variant B -- An alternative version you want to test

Configure the split percentage (e.g., 50/50 or 70/30) and the metric you are optimizing for (open rate, reply rate, or click rate).

How It Works

When an enrolled contact reaches an A/B test step, SalesOS randomly assigns them to a variant based on your split percentage. Each variant's performance is tracked independently.

Declaring a Winner

After sufficient data has been collected (configurable as a minimum number of sends or a confidence threshold), SalesOS can automatically promote the winning variant and route all future enrollees to it. Alternatively, you can manually review results and pick the winner.

What You Can Test

• Subject lines -- Test different hooks, lengths, or personalization approaches
• Email body copy -- Test different value propositions, CTAs, or formats
• Send timing -- Test whether a 2-day or 3-day delay between steps performs better
• Step type -- Test whether a call task or a second email generates more engagement at a specific point in the sequence

Sequence Analytics

Every sequence has a dedicated Analytics tab showing performance metrics across all enrolled contacts.

Key Metrics

• Enrolled -- Total contacts who entered the sequence
• Active -- Contacts currently progressing through steps
• Completed -- Contacts who reached the final step
• Replied -- Contacts who replied to any email in the sequence
• Bounced -- Emails that failed to deliver
• Opted Out -- Contacts who unsubscribed

Funnel View

The funnel view shows drop-off at each step. You can see exactly where contacts are replying, bouncing, or being removed -- helping you identify which steps are working and which need improvement.

Step-Level Metrics

For each individual step, SalesOS tracks:

• Sent -- Number of emails sent (for automated email steps)
• Opened -- Number of unique opens
• Open Rate -- Percentage of sent emails that were opened
• Clicked -- Number of unique clicks (if links are present)
• Click Rate -- Percentage of opened emails where a link was clicked
• Replied -- Number of replies received
• Reply Rate -- Percentage of sent emails that received a reply
• Completed -- Number of task completions (for manual steps)

Performance Over Time

A time-series chart shows daily or weekly enrollment and reply trends, helping you spot degradation in sequence performance over time and prompting refresh of stale copy.

Pause, Resume, and Exit Conditions

Pausing a Sequence

You can pause an entire sequence or pause individual enrollees:

• Pause Sequence -- Stops all activity for all enrolled contacts. No emails are sent and no tasks are created until you resume. Useful during holidays or company events.
• Pause Enrollee -- Stops activity for a single contact without affecting others. Useful when a prospect asks to be contacted later.

Resuming

When you resume a paused sequence or enrollee, SalesOS recalculates step timing from the resume date. Contacts pick up where they left off rather than skipping steps.

Exit Conditions

Exit conditions automatically remove contacts from the sequence when certain events occur. Configure exit conditions from the sequence Settings tab.

Built-in exit conditions:

• Reply Received -- Remove the contact when they reply to any sequence email (enabled by default)
• Meeting Booked -- Remove when a meeting is scheduled with the contact
• Email Bounce -- Remove when an email hard-bounces
• Opt-Out -- Remove when the contact unsubscribes
• Deal Created -- Remove when a deal is created and associated with the contact
• Stage Change -- Remove when an associated deal reaches a specific stage
• Manual Removal -- A rep manually removes the contact from the sequence
• Another Sequence -- Remove if the contact is enrolled in a different, higher-priority sequence

Handling Conflicts

When a contact qualifies for multiple sequences simultaneously, SalesOS uses priority rules to prevent over-communication. You can set sequence priority (1 being highest) and configure whether contacts can be in multiple sequences concurrently or if enrollment in a higher-priority sequence should exit them from lower-priority ones.

Deliverability and Compliance

Email Deliverability

SalesOS includes safeguards to protect your sending reputation:

• Daily send limits per rep and per sequence prevent volume spikes
• Throttle delays between sends mimic human sending patterns
• Bounce monitoring automatically pauses sequences with high bounce rates
• Domain warm-up mode gradually increases send volume for new domains

Compliance

• Every automated email includes an unsubscribe link (configurable placement)
• Opt-outs are honored globally across all sequences immediately
• Suppression lists prevent sending to contacts who have previously opted out
• Audit logs record all enrollment and send activity for compliance reporting

Best Practices

• Keep sequences to 5-8 steps. Sequences with more than 8 steps rarely see meaningful engagement after Step 6. Focus your best content in the first 4 touches and use the final steps for break-up or soft close messages.

• Mix channels across steps. Sequences that combine email, phone, and LinkedIn touches see 2-3x higher reply rates than email-only sequences. Place a call task after your second email to catch prospects who opened but did not reply.

• Space steps 2-3 business days apart. Sending daily emails feels aggressive and increases unsubscribe rates. A cadence of every 2-3 business days gives prospects time to read and respond naturally.

• Personalize the first and last steps heavily. The opening email sets the tone -- use research-backed personalization (not just the first name). The final "break-up" email should feel genuine and give a clear reason to re-engage.

• A/B test subject lines first. Subject lines have the highest impact on open rates. Test two variants on every sequence and promote winners after 100+ sends.

• Set reply-based exit conditions. Always remove contacts who reply. Sending additional sequence emails after a reply makes your outreach feel robotic and damages trust.

• Review analytics weekly. Check step-level reply rates every week. If a step's reply rate drops below 2%, rewrite the copy or adjust the timing.

• Segment your enrollment. Avoid enrolling your entire database in one sequence. Create targeted sequences for different personas, industries, or deal stages -- personalized sequences outperform generic ones significantly.

• Respect timezone windows. Always send during the recipient's business hours. Emails sent between 8-10 AM local time consistently show the highest open rates.

• Archive stale sequences. If a sequence has not been updated in 90 days, review its performance and either refresh the copy or archive it. Outdated sequences with stale references hurt your credibility.