Workflows support two types of wait steps: Add Delay and Wait Until Window. Both pause execution before moving to the next action, but they work differently depending on whether you need a relative pause or a time-of-day window.
Add Delay
Pauses the workflow for a fixed duration from the moment the step runs.
Supported units:
- Seconds
- Minutes
- Hours
- Days
- Months
Best for: relative pauses where the exact clock time doesn’t matter.
Example: “Wait 30 minutes after the trigger fires, then send a follow-up message.”
Wait Until Window
Pauses the workflow until the next occurrence of a specific time-of-day window — for example, 9 am to 5 pm. You choose the timezone, and optionally use the contact’s local timezone instead.
Best for: steps that should only run during predictable hours, regardless of when the trigger fires.
Example: “Always send the morning check-in message between 8 am and 10 am, in the contact’s local timezone.”
If the workflow reaches this step inside the window, it proceeds immediately. If it arrives outside the window, it waits until the window opens again.
Choosing the right step
| Add Delay | Wait Until Window |
|---|
| Use when | You want to wait a fixed amount of time | You want to run at a consistent time of day |
| Clock-time aware | No | Yes |
| Timezone support | No | Yes, including contact’s local timezone |
| Example | Wait 2 hours after check-in | Send between 9 am and 11 am |
Rule of thumb: use Add Delay for “wait X time from now,” and Wait Until Window for “wait until a specific time of day.”
