Sequence Templates

Creating a Sequence Template #

Users with the Sequencing Security set to Add/Update or Full Permission can create a Sequence template. Templates are the starting point of any Sequence and can be copied as alternate templates.

1. Click Sequencing on the PCRecruiter main menu.
2. Click Templates to list all existing templates. Here you can:
   • Right-click on an existing template and select Copy Template,
   • or click Create New at the top right to create a new Sequence template.
3. Add details for the Sequence template:
   • Template Name: This is where you name the Sequence (e.g. ‘Biz Dev Campaign’)
   • Primary User: This is where you specify who the template is for. All Templates require a primary user before they can be activated.
   • Use Email Rate Limiter: If your Sequence will include Automatic Email Steps, click this checkbox to specify the user, alias, limit, and timeframe options. For example, you can have the email sent from a specific user’s email alias at the maximum rate of 50 messages per hour.
   • Use SMS Rate Limiter: If your Sequence will include Automatic SMS Steps, click this checkbox to specify the user, alias, limit, and timeframe. RingCentral’s current limit is 50 messages per originating number per minute. Click here for details on RingCentral’s SMS guidelines and content policies.
4. Click Create. The new template will now be listed in the Templates area. You can right-click on the template name to edit the properties above or delete the template.

Defining Branches, Steps, and Conditions #

The next Step is to plan out your Sequence. The three basic components of a Sequence are Branches, Steps, and Conditions.

• Branches: These are the highest level of your Sequence. A Sequence can have a single or multiple Branches, depending on the complexity of your workflow.
• Steps: Within each Branch, the Steps are used to define the action to happen, such as a call, automated or manual email, automated or manual SMS, LinkedIn actions, adding to or removing from a rollup, linking to a pipeline, scheduling, or custom other action.
• Conditions: Used to define the possible results of a Step and where the name will be routed to within your Sequence based on the outcome of the Step. Conditions are also used to either remove the name from the Sequence (and the associated rollup) or to end the Sequence.

Define Branches #

The easiest way to plan out your Sequence is to start with your Branches first, then work your way through the Steps, and finish with the Conditions. As noted above, a Sequence can have a single or multiple Branches.

To create Branches:

1. Open Sequencing
2. Click Templates
3. Right-click on the name of the desired Sequence
4. Select Edit Branches.
   • All Sequences have at least one Branch, and will start with Branch 1 (Main). You can leave this Branch name as-is or click on the pencil icon to edit.
   • Click the + icon below the list of existing Branches to add another Branch. You can click the Edit option to rename this Branch.
   • You can associate the Branch with a specific position by clicking the chain-link icon and selecting the position.
5. Click Save.

Add Steps #

Within each Branch, you’ll create one or more Steps. The distinction between multiple Branches and multiple Steps comes down to whether the same contact can be queued for two simultaneous actions. Within a given Branch, only one Step can be active for a contact at any given time. However, multiple Branches can each have an active Step simultaneously.

Example: Suppose your Sequence has a Step that sends an automated form letter with two links in it. One link points to your careers page and the other to your LinkedIn profile. Each of these links triggers a different Step when clicked; if the link to your careers page link is clicked, the next Step is a prompt to call and check on the recipient’s background for a job-fit review. If the LinkedIn profile link is clicked, the next Step is a prompt to look them up on LinkedIn and send a connection request.

If the recipient clicks both links, and both of the triggered Steps are in the same Branch, the next Step will be dependent on whichever link was clicked first. The second click will not trigger the other Step because a Step in that Branch has already been triggered for that contact. If you want to be able to trigger both the prompt to call the contact and the prompt to make a LinkedIn connection, then you would want to have each Step in it’s own Branch.

Once you have decided if you need one or multiple Branches, the next part of the setup process is to define the Steps for a Branch.

1. Open Sequencing
2. Click Templates
3. Right-click on the name of the desired Sequence
4. Click Add Step. A menu will pop up with the following types of Step to choose from:
   • Email (Automatic or Manual): Provides the ability to select a form letter to send out automatically or to manually compose as a task.
   • Call: Creates a Call task with the ability to pick the phone field to use for calling, instructions for the call, and a sample script. You can also select a specific user to perform this specific task.
   • SMS (Automatic or Manual)***: The Automatic option provides the ability to send an automated text message through RingCentral. A manual SMS prompts the user to complete an SMS task. A manual SMS message can be modified before sending. Click here for details on RingCentral’s SMS guidelines and content policies.
   • LinkedIn: Provides a prompt to complete a task on LinkedIn: View Profile, Interact with Post, Send A Connect Request or Send an InMail. NOTE: This type of Step is a prompt for the user to manually perform the selected action on Linkedin, as PCRecruiter cannot perform LinkedIn actions on the user’s behalf.
   • Add to Rollup: Can be used to add a Name record to an additional Rollup List. NOTE: This will NOT be the Rollup List that the Sequence is associated with.
   • Remove from Rollup: Can be used to Remove a Name Record from a Rollup List — either a list other than the one which the current Sequence is associated with, or the same Rollup List that the Sequence is associated with (equivalent to the “Remove from Sequence” Condition).
   • Link to Pipeline: Allows you to choose a Position Pipeline that the Name Records will be linked to upon entering the Task. When this task is automatically executed, the Name will appear in the Inbox of the selected Position’s Pipeline.
   • Schedule: Provides the ability to schedule a meeting that shows on the user’s PCRecruiter Schedule, or to schedule an interview for a Position.
   • Other Action: Provides the ability to create a custom Step outside of PCRecruiter’s pre-built options. This area also includes Instructions and Script fields to give further detail the task.
5. Once the Add Step is chosen and detailed, click Create.
   • Repeat the process for each Step in the Branch. You will notice that for some Steps the Conditions may automatically display, but it is best to edit the Conditions after all Steps are defined. Once a Step is in the workflow, you can right-click on the Step’s name to edit, delete, or move the Step.
6. Once all Steps are defined, click Save.

*** Requires RingCentral integration

Set Conditions #

Now that the Branch(es) and Steps are defined, you can define the Conditions that control how a contact progresses through the Sequence based on an outcome of each Step.

• Many Steps provide Conditions based on the Step name. These can be changed, deleted, or moved up/down by right-clicking on the Condition.
• Click the + icon below the Step to add a new Condition.
• Once all conditions are specified. Click Save.

All Sequences must have an endpoint Condition. Somewhere along the way, a Name must run into a “Completed Sequence” Condition or a “Remove From Sequence” Condition. In the example shown below, the Candidate will complete the Sequence if the Step 3 Call task is marked as ‘Connected.’  If the Call task is marked as ‘Left Message’ or ‘No Answer,’ the next Step will be Step 4 (making another call). There is also a Condition to remove the candidate from the Sequence.

IMPORTANT INFO REGARDING EMAIL ‘OPEN’ OR ‘REPLY’ CONDITIONS:

• Triggers based on email Reply require your incoming email account to be synced with PCRecruiter via IMAP / PCRMail. If PCRecruiter is not able to read the emails coming to your account, it will not be able to associate any replies with a Campaign or Sequence-generated email. Similarly, PCRecruiter will be unable to track email Bounce messages without access to your incoming mail.
• ‘Open’ tracking for emails, in PCRecruiter and all email marketing tools, is based on logging when a tracking image inserted into the email has been loaded. Only recipients who load the images will trigger an ‘Open’. If the recipient’s email reading software, such as Outlook, is configured not to load images by default, then their opening of the email will not be tracked. Conversely, Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection feature will pre-load the email on a proxy server before passing it on to the recipient’s iPhone / iPad / Mac email app, which means Apple’s server will trigger an ‘Open’ event if the recipient never opens the mail at all. For these reasons, email marketing professionals advise to rely on Clicks and Replies for taking action, and to use Open tracking as a general informational tool with a dose of skepticism.

Check for Problems #

Before activating a Sequence, use the Check for Problems option at the top right.  This will alert you to any issues with your Template.

Save the Template #

Once all Branches, Steps, and Conditions are defined and the Template has been checked for problems, click Save. It is important to save the Template before activating it as a Sequence.