Timing: delays and "wait for another event"

Timing steps are what turn a simple alert into a smart follow-up sequence.

Wait / delay

Pauses the automation for a set time — minutes, hours, or days — then continues. Use it to avoid firing the instant something happens.

Example: Contract signed → wait 1 day → send a "here's what happens next" welcome email.

Wait for another event

This is the powerful one. It pauses and watches for a second event to happen within a timeout you set. You decide what happens if it never arrives:

• Continue anyway — run the remaining steps (perfect for reminders), or

• Stop — end quietly (the follow-up happened, so no nudge needed).

The classic reminder pattern:

Contract sent → wait for Contract signed (timeout: 3 days, on timeout: continue) → send email "Just a friendly reminder to sign."

If they sign within three days, the automation stops and no reminder goes out. If they don't, the reminder sends automatically. You've just built a polite chase sequence that never bothers people who already acted.

Other great uses:

• Estimate sent → wait for Estimate approved (5 days) → nudge.

• Invoice created → wait for Invoice paid (7 days) → payment reminder.

Tip — time-based steps run on Workroom's schedule. Workroom checks for due work continuously (roughly every minute), so a "wait 3 days" step fires very close to the three-day mark — not to the exact second. This is normal and nothing to worry about.