How to Use the Wait Action in Sparkforge Workflows

By Sparkforge Support Team ·Last reviewed May 3, 2026

The Wait action in Sparkforge workflows pauses a contact for a fixed time, until a condition is met, or until a specific event happens. Use it to time follow-ups, hold contacts until they reply, or restrict execution to business hours.

The Wait action holds a contact in a Sparkforge workflow until a time, condition, or event is met. It is the difference between a robotic blast at 3 AM and a follow-up that lands during business hours.

What the Wait action does

The Wait action holds a contact in the workflow for:

A specified amount of time (for example, 1 day or 1 hour).
Until a condition is met (for example, the contact replies or a field changes).
During a specified time window (for example, between 9 AM and 5 PM on weekdays).

Wait action settings

Wait For	What it does	Standard	Advanced
Time Delay	Wait a fixed time period	Wait [number] [minutes / hours / days]	Resume on day, in window, or at exact time
Event/Appointment Time	Wait before or after an event or appointment	Until exact time, or before/after by months/days/hours/minutes	If already in the past: next step / specific step / skip all
Overdue	Wait before or after an invoice due date	Until exact time, or before/after by months/days/hours/minutes	If already in the past: next step / specific step / skip all
Condition	Wait until a CRM condition is true	Multiple segments and conditions with AND/OR	Optional timeout in minutes/hours/days
Contact Reply	Wait for a reply on a channel	Reply on email, SMS, etc.	Optional timeout
Trigger Link Clicked	Wait for a trigger link click	Select trigger link	Optional timeout
Email Events	Wait for email events	Opened, clicked, unsubscribed, complained, bounced	Optional timeout

When to use it

Timely follow-ups — wait long enough to feel human, not so long the lead cools.
Conditional triggers — hold a contact until they complete a form or pay.
Controlled scheduling — skip nights and weekends with resume windows.

Configuring the Wait action

Go to Automation > Workflows.
Click + Create Workflow > + Start from scratch.
Set up a trigger (for example, Contact Created).
Click the + icon to add a step and search for Wait.
Name the action descriptively (for example, Wait - 1 Day After Sign-Up).
Pick the wait type from the dropdown.
Configure the type-specific options:
- Time Delay — set duration.
- Condition — add conditions and group them into segments using AND/OR.
- Contact Reply — pick the channel.
Optional: set an Advance Window for days and times the wait can resume.
Save the workflow and run a test.

Conditions and segments

When you select Wait for Condition, you build conditions and group them into segments. Conditions inside a segment combine with AND/OR. Segments are evaluated independently — if any one segment is true, the wait ends.

Examples

Welcome email after signup

Trigger on contact created. Wait 1 day. Send a welcome email. The delay gives the customer time to look around before the email lands.

Newsletter signup follow-up

Trigger on subscribe. Wait 1 minute. Send a thank-you with the latest newsletter link. The brief delay keeps the email from feeling automated.

Abandoned cart recovery

Trigger on cart abandoned. Wait 20 minutes. Send a reminder with a small offer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between segments and conditions in a Wait action?

Conditions are individual rules. Segments are groups of conditions combined with AND/OR. Segments are evaluated independently — the wait ends as soon as any one segment evaluates true.

What happens if an event or appointment time is already in the past?

You set the behavior in advanced settings: skip to the next step, jump to a specific step, or skip all remaining steps.

What if multiple segments contain conflicting conditions?

Segments use OR logic between each other. The first segment to evaluate true ends the wait, even if other segments would say otherwise.

Can I edit a Wait action with the Workflow AI Builder?

Yes. The AI Builder supports conversational edits to wait settings, timeout branches, and wait type conversions.

Does the timeout option exit the workflow?

No. When the timeout fires, the contact moves to the next step in the workflow rather than waiting indefinitely for the condition.