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Hi! ManyChat newbie setting up my first flow here. I apologize if this is a dumb question, but I’ve been trying to find the answer on Google with no luck.

I’m trying to set up a very simple funnel where a contact receives an initial message containing an open-ended question (without a button or Quick Reply — the goal is to start an organic dialogue). 

I’d like to send a follow-up message 24 hours later to those who didn’t respond to the first message. From what I understand, I need to use tags and conditions to do this. I created a tag for “responds to message” and then set a condition that will send the follow-up message if the tag isn’t “responds to message.” 

What I can’t figure out is if this tag will be applied to a contact automatically if they respond to a message, or if I’ll have to tag them manually?

I’ve found articles that indicate tags can be applied automatically using the “Actions” feature, but when setting up the tag itself, I can’t figure out how to tell the system what action should trigger the application of that tag. I can only find how to create/name the tag.

Is the system smart enough to know what I mean when I name a tag “responds to message,” for example, or will everyone need to be tagged manually? I can definitely see use cases where we’ll want to stop the automation once an organic conversation has started, and it would be nice to be able to do this automatically.

Thanks so much!

 

Hi, ​@kristenshoates!

 

First of all, welcome to the world of automations! 🙌

And this is far from a dumb question! (there are no such things around here) 😉

 

There is a way to achieve what you wish, but I want to explain what's happening right now that does the contrary of what you expect:

  • Once you connect something to the "next step”, it will be triggered right away (except smart delays).
  • In your flow, the contact will be tagged right after he receives the message… doesn't matter if he responds or not.
  • It will wait 23h and check if he hasn't the tag… it will always be false and no follow-up will be delivered.

Now… what you need to do is using the Data Collection block and set it up like this:

  • Insert your message in the Data Collection block.
  • Reply type will be Text
  • Set the expiration date to the delay you want (keep it under 24h. After that, the message window closes and it's impossible to send anything without a new interaction from the contact).
  • At "If contact has not responded” you set your follow-up message/flow.

This alone will do what you're looking for. 

 

AND… this block comes with an exception… if you connect something to the “Next step” it will only continue if the contact sends something… totally different from the other blocks.

So, if you're willing to send something after the contact sends you an answer, you could do it like this:

 

Or… if you want to way some time to send something after the answer:

 

 

I hope I was able to explain this in a simple way. And hope it helps you!
🙌

Ahh, thank you so much! This is so helpful! I knew you could set conditions under “Next Step” but didn’t realize I could do it all within that initial message step. That’s exactly what I needed, so thank you. 

 

Also, you just gave me an ‘aha’ moment on the tags. I think I was expecting preset tags that were connected to certain triggers or user behaviors in order for them to be automatically applied, and that’s where I was getting stuck.

 

Now I see that the “Action” feature is how I automate the application of the tag, and if I want tags to be based on user behavior or data, I have to make them take that action or share that information using buttons or a similar feature, which I can then attach an Action/tag to. 💡 

 

I do wish ManyChat had a feature where the funnel could be automatically stopped once someone responds organically to a message, but these tips will help me build automations that leave for room for organic conversation. I’m super impressed with everything it can do so far and am having fun learning…thank you very much for the support and help!

 

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