Schedule follow-up sequences with the Wait node in Omnifox

A single message rarely closes a sale or resolves a question. Follow-ups do, but doing them by hand gets forgotten. With the Wait node in Omnifox you can schedule a message sequence that runs itself over time: you send, wait days, check whether the customer replied, and based on that retry or stop. It's the backbone of any nurturing cadence or reminder flow.

The two timing nodes

Omnifox gives you two ways to work with time inside a workflow:

• Wait time (delay): pauses the flow for a configurable amount (minutes, hours, days), then continues to the next node. This is what turns an instant flow into a staggered sequence.
• Schedule message: queues a send for a future moment without blocking the rest of the flow. Handy when you want a message to go out at a specific time.

For a classic cadence you'll use Wait time between each step.

The full flow, node by node

Say you want a three-touch sequence after first contact:

1. Trigger of your choice: Message received (first only) to start when the customer writes, or Deal created if it springs from a deal. Tag added (e.g. a "new-lead" tag) also works.
2. Send message for the first touch: intro plus a hook question. Personalize with {{$contact.first_name}}.
3. Wait time: a delay of, say, 2 days.
4. If condition: did the contact reply? You can evaluate the conversation status or use a Find previous conversation node. If they replied, exit the sequence (end, or Transfer to an agent). If not, continue to the second touch.
5. Send WhatsApp template: on WhatsApp, once more than 24 hours have passed since the customer's last message, the service window closes and you can only reopen with an approved template. That's why the second touch is usually Send WhatsApp template, not Send message.
6. Wait time: another delay of 3 days.
7. If condition again: if still no reply, a final closing Send WhatsApp template and an Add tag "no-reply" for reporting; if they replied at any point, that branch pulls them out of the cadence.

The short version: Trigger -> Send message -> Wait (2 d) -> Replied? (no) -> Send template -> Wait (3 d) -> Replied? (no) -> Send template + Add tag.

The WhatsApp 24-hour rule

This is the number-one mistake when building sequences. WhatsApp only allows free-form messages within a 24-hour window from the customer's last message. Any touch that lands outside that window must go through Send WhatsApp template (a Meta-approved template). If you use Send message outside the window, the send fails. Rule of thumb: an immediate first touch can be Send message; touches after a Wait of hours or days are almost always a template.

Cut the sequence when the customer replies

A cadence that keeps firing after the customer already answered is annoying and burns the relationship. That's why each Wait time is followed by an If condition asking whether there was a reply. A more elegant alternative is the Wait until an event happens node: instead of a fixed delay, the flow waits until "the customer replied" occurs or until a maximum limit, whichever comes first. The sequence then self-cancels.

Common mistakes

• Delays with no reply exit: always check whether they replied before the next touch.
• Free-form message outside the window: use Send WhatsApp template for deferred touches.
• Overly aggressive cadences: 2 to 4 well-spaced touches outperform 8 in a row.
• Not recording the outcome: close with Add tag or Create follow-up task so the team knows what happened.

Variants

• Appointment reminder: trigger Appointment reminder (N hours before) -> Send WhatsApp template.
• Drip onboarding: chain several Wait time + Send message to deliver tips on days 1, 3, and 7.
• Cold-deal reactivation: pair the Deal with no activity (N days) trigger with Wait time and Send WhatsApp template to recover dormant opportunities.

Wait time vs Schedule message: which to use

The two nodes look interchangeable, but they solve different problems. Wait time pauses the entire flow: nothing downstream runs until the delay elapses, which is ideal for sequential cadences where each step depends on the previous one (wait, check reply, decide). Schedule message doesn't block: it queues a future send and the flow continues immediately with the next nodes. Use it when you want to fire a message for a fixed date or time (say, a reminder for tomorrow at 9 AM) but keep doing other things now, like Add tag or Create follow-up task. Simple rule: if the next step depends on what happens during the wait, use Wait time; if you just want to queue a send and move on, use Schedule message.

Chain data between steps

In longer sequences you often need one node to use another's result. The engine exposes node outputs as variables: for example, if a Create follow-up task node produces an id, a later node can reference it with {{steps.last...}}. And remember that any unknown variable is replaced with an empty string, so even if a value is missing, the sequence won't break midway. That lets you personalize every touch with {{$contact.first_name}} or the channel name without fear of errors.

Scheduling follow-ups is one of the highest-converting, lowest-effort automations. Build your first sequence in Omnifox and let the Wait node do the work for you.