How To Create a Sequence

Purpose:

The purpose of this article is to provide direction to Outreach users in creating and editing sequences in the Outreach. 

Sequences are a series of touch points built to drive deeper engagement with a Prospect. Sequences are a guide to ensure the right sales activities are conducted and communications sent to build the sales pipeline and close deals.

Intended Audience: 

• Outreach Users

Notes: 

• Sequence creation is managed by User Governance Profiles. If you are unable to create a sequence, contact your Outreach Admin as applicable. 
• Sequences can be constructed of several individual steps to match a sales process. Outreach recommends a minimum of five steps to create a successful sequence. 
• Outreach strongly warns against editing sequences once Prospects have begun moving through them as it can lead to inconsistent behavior and is outside of our best practices. If you need to make changes to your sequence, Outreach advises cloning the sequence and locking the old sequence. 

How To Create a Sequence: 

1. Access the Outreach Platform. 
2. Click the Sequence icon (paper plane) in the navigation sidebar. 
3. On the Sequences landing page, click the +Sequence button.
   
4. Click the applicable option as outlined in the table below: 

   Sequence Option	Description
   New	Creates a new sequence from scratch. Click New. Proceed to Step 5.
   Blueprint	Creates a new sequence using common cadences and interactions as a starting point. Click Blueprint. Search and click the applicable sequence to build from. Add and update the sequence steps as applicable. For more information regarding sequence steps, refer to the applicable article. Proceed to Step 8.
   Clone	Cloning a sequence creates a copy of an existing sequence, enabling users the ability to make minor edits that won't have an impact on the original sequence. Click Clone. Search and click the applicable sequence to clone. Proceed to Step 5. Note: Alternatively, users can click the more options icon to the right of an existing sequence and select Clone from the dropdown to quickly add a clone sequence.
5. Input the name in the Sequence Name field.
6. Select the applicable sequence type from the sequence type dropdown as described in the table below:

   Sequence Type	Description
   Steps by day interval	Best used for recurring campaigns (drip campaigns). Steps are separated by time intervals which can range from immediate to months in the future. Sequence steps process based on how the sequences is configured. Users can use the Prospects timezone if set, the sequence schedule, or the user schedule. For more information regarding timezones, meetings, or sequence schedules, refer to the applicable articles. Note: If an email cannot send due to sending or scheduling limits, or throttles, the email will automatically be moved forward to the next available sending time slot.
   Steps by exact date/time	Best used when a one-time event is being scheduled as a webinar, conference, or trade show. Once the date and time have been passed, any Prospect added to the sequence will automatically be marked as Failed.
7. Select the applicable sharing option from the Sharing dropdown as described in the table below:

   Sharing Option	Description
   Private to Owner	Only the owner can view and use the sequence.
   Others can only see it	Users can see the sequence, but only the owner can use and configure the sequence.
   Others can see it and use it	The sequence can be used by all users.
8. Click Create.
9. On the Sequence Settings landing page, click Add Step.
   Note: If updating or editing an existing, cloned, or blueprint sequence, click the applicable step to edit.
10. Select the applicable type of sequence from the Step Type dropdown menu and configure the sequence as outlined in the table below:

    Step Type	Description
    Auto Email	Emails automatically send out to Prospects based on the defined time interval.
    Manual Email	Used for sending customized emails. A manual task will appear in the Tasks tab notifying the user to send an email to the applicable Prospect. The Task is marked completed when the email is sent and the Prospect will move to the next step in the sequence as applicable.
    Phone Call	A Call Task will appear in the Tasks tab notifying the user to contact the applicable Prospect. When the call is logged, Outreach will mark the Task as completed and the Prospect will move to the next step in the sequence as applicable.
    Generic Task	Used to create helpful reminders to complete an action outside of Outreach such as connecting with a Prospect on LinkedIn. The Task must be manually marked as complete before the Prospect can move on to the next step in the sequence if applicable.
    LinkedIn	Task for LinkedIn-specific activities such as sending a connection request to a Prospect, reviewing a Prospect’s profile, or sending the Prospect a message via InMail.

    Note: For more information regarding the configuration of different steps, refer to the applicable articles.
11. Click Save.
12. Repeat steps 9-11 to add more steps as applicable.
13. Click to enable the sequence in the upper left corner.
    
    The sequence is ready to use.

Additional Resources: 

How To Add Prospects to a Sequence

How To Sequence Prospects from the Salesforce List View

Sequence Schedule Overview

Building Sequences for Inbound Leads

Building a Standard Outbound Sequence

Prospect Timezones