Automation Troubleshooting

Understanding How Automations Start

Automations in Levitate can trigger based on various conditions, including dates, tags, contact creation, and integration events. However, the timing and method of triggering depends on the automation type and your account settings.

How Date-Based Automations Trigger

Date Field Automations

When you set up an automation based on a date field (birthday, anniversary, policy renewal, etc.):

Automatic vs. Manual Triggering:

• Date-based automations typically check for qualifying contacts on a daily schedule
• If you add or update a date today, the automation won't immediately start
• The system runs qualification checks overnight or at scheduled intervals
• Contacts with dates within the automation's window will enter the automation flow

Example:

• Automation: "Send birthday email 7 days before birthday."
• You add a contact with a birthday on December 15
• On December 8, the automation will automatically queue this contact
• Email sends on schedule without manual intervention

Why Dates Don't Trigger Immediately:

1. Performance optimization - checking all contacts in real-time would slow the system
2. Batch processing ensures reliable delivery across all accounts
3. Prevents duplicate sends if multiple updates happen to the same contact

What Happens When You Update a Date

• Update is saved immediately to the contact record
• Next daily qualification check will evaluate the new date
• If the date falls within the automation's window, contact enters the flow
• No manual action required after updating the date

Tag-Based Automation Triggers

How Tag Triggers Work

Tag-based automations in Levitate are set to Manual Start by default for most account configurations:

• Adding a tag to a contact does NOT automatically start the automation
• You need to manually start the automation from the automation management screen
• This is intentional to give you control over when automations begin

Why Tag Automations Require Manual Start

Intentional Design:

• Tags are often added in bulk during imports or cleanup
• Automatic triggering could cause mass unexpected sends
• Manual start gives you the opportunity to review contacts before sending
• Allows time to verify tag assignments are correct

Exception: Automatic Tag Triggers

Some Levitate accounts have automatic tag triggering enabled for specific workflows:

• Integration-based tag additions (e.g., from CRM systems)
• Specific account configurations set up by your Success Specialist
• Special use cases where immediate automation is required

If you need automatic tag triggering, contact your Success Specialist or Levitate Support.

Integration-Based Triggers

Integration events (like new donations, form submissions, or CRM updates) work differently from tag and date-based automations:

• These triggers are event-driven, meaning they fire immediately when the event occurs
• No daily processing delay
• Contacts enter the automation flow as soon as the integration event is detected

Contact Creation Triggers

When a new contact is created in Levitate:

• Contact creation automations can fire automatically
• The system evaluates new contacts against active contact creation automations
• Timing depends on how the contact was added (manual entry vs. import vs. integration)

Automation Not Starting: Checklist

If your automation isn't starting as expected, work through these steps:

Step 1: Verify Automation Status

• Go to Automations in your Levitate account
• Check if the automation is set to Active
• Inactive automations won't process any contacts

Step 2: Check Trigger Type

• Identify what type of trigger your automation uses
• Date-based: Wait for daily processing (up to 24 hours)
• Tag-based: May require manual start
• Integration: Should trigger automatically on events

Step 3: Verify Contact Eligibility

• Confirm the contact has the correct tag or date information
• Check that the contact isn't already in the automation
• Verify the contact meets all criteria for the automation

Step 4: Review Automation Settings

• Check start conditions and filters
• Verify date ranges and offset settings
• Confirm there are no conflicting conditions

Step 5: Check for Business Hours Settings

• Some automations respect business hours settings
• Emails may be queued until business hours begin
• Check account-level business hours configuration

Timing Issues: When to Expect Automation Execution

Date-Based Automations

• Processing happens daily, typically overnight
• New contacts with qualifying dates: Up to 24 hours to start
• Date updates: Up to 24 hours to reflect

Tag-Based Automations

• After manual start: Automation begins processing
• Send timing respects your account's business hours settings
• Large contact lists may take time to process all sends

Integration Automations

• Near real-time after integration event
• Small delay for processing and validation
• Typically within minutes of the triggering event

Common Automation Problems and Solutions

Problem: Contacts Not Entering Automation

Possible causes and solutions:

• Automation is inactive: Activate the automation
• Tag not properly assigned: Verify tag assignment and spelling
• Date not within window: Check automation date range settings
• Contact already completed automation: Check contact's automation history
• Waiting for daily processing: Allow up to 24 hours for date-based triggers
• Manual start required: Manually start tag-based automation

Problem: Automation Sends at Wrong Time

• Review business hours settings
• Check time zone settings for your account
• Verify the automation's send time configuration
• Consider that processing happens overnight for date-based automations

Problem: Automation Sends Duplicate Messages

• Check if contact is in multiple active automations
• Review automation restart settings
• Verify there's only one active version of the automation
• Check if manual starts were accidentally performed multiple times

Problem: Automation Stops Unexpectedly

• Contact was removed from the required tag
• Automation was paused or deactivated
• Contact reached the end of the automation flow
• An error occurred in a specific automation step

Manual Automation Management

When to Use Manual Start

• Tag-based automations that require oversight
• When you want to review contacts before sending
• Testing automation flows with specific contacts
• One-time campaigns wrapped in automation format

How to Manually Start an Automation

1. Go to Automations in your Levitate account
2. Find the automation you want to start
3. Click on the automation to open management options
4. Select the contacts or tag group to include
5. Click Start or Run to begin the automation

Automation Alternatives For Immediate Needs

If you need immediate action rather than waiting for automation processing:

Direct Campaigns

• Send campaigns directly to tag groups
• Immediate delivery without automation delays
• Good for time-sensitive communications

Manual Campaign Sends:

• For immediate communication needs
• Use campaign instead of automation
• Full control over timing and recipients

Publish Errors

"Source step ID is required when using email or text engagement cases"

This error appears when you try to publish an automation that contains an engagement case step — a conditional branch that waits to see how a contact interacts with an email or text message (for example, "opened email" or "clicked link") — but that step has not been linked to the email or text step it should watch.

Every engagement case step must know which email or text step in the automation it is monitoring. If that connection is missing, the automation cannot be published.

How to fix it:

1. Open the automation and locate the step mentioned in the error (e.g., "Step #2").
2. Select that engagement case step to open its settings.
3. Look for the Source Step (or Watch Step) field and choose the email or text step that the engagement cases should monitor.
4. Save the step and try publishing again.

Note: If the source step field is already set but you are still seeing this error, verify that the email or text step it references still exists in the automation and has not been deleted or replaced.

"Conditional Behavior cannot be published. All steps must have the scheduled as anchored"

This error appears when you try to publish a date-anchored automation — such as a Birthday, Renewal, Turning XX, or Financial Review automation — that contains a Conditional Behavior branch, but one or more steps inside that branch have their timing set as a floating offset from the automation start rather than relative to the anchor date.

Date-anchored automations require every step (including steps inside Conditional Behavior branches) to be scheduled relative to the anchor event — for example, "30 days before birthday" — rather than "X days after automation starts." When a step inside a branch uses the wrong schedule type, the automation cannot be published.

How to fix it:

1. Open the automation and expand the Conditional Behavior branch that is failing.
2. Click each step inside the branch to open its settings.
3. Locate the step's timing / schedule field. If it is set to a number of days after the automation starts (rather than before or after the anchor date), change it to a date anchored to the triggering event — for example, "30 days before renewal date."
4. Repeat for every step in every conditional branch within the automation.
5. Save each step, then try publishing again.

Note: This requirement applies to all steps inside Conditional Behavior branches in date-anchored automations (Birthday, Renewal, Turning XX, Financial Review, and custom date-based automations). Steps in these automations cannot use a floating "days after automation starts" schedule.

Troubleshooting Stuck “In Progress” Automations

If your automation is showing an In Progress status but doesn't seem to be moving forward, there are a few common causes — most of which you can diagnose and fix on your own.

Common causes

• Daily send limit reached. Levitate allows up to 350 emails or texts per day per user. If your automation has hit this limit, it will automatically resume at midnight ET — no action needed.
• Missing contact data. If a contact is missing a required field (like an email address or phone number), the system will skip that step for them. Check the affected contact records and fill in any missing information.
• Email or phone connection lost. If your account has been disconnected, the automation can't send. Go to Settings → Getting Connected to reconnect your email, or Settings → Texting for your phone number.
• Automation was paused. Check your automation list for a Paused status and resume it from Automation Reporting if needed.
• Step scheduled for a future date. If steps have wait periods or future-scheduled dates built in, the automation may simply be waiting. Check the automation timeline to confirm.

Step-by-step diagnostics

1. Check overall status. Go to Reports → Automation Report, select your automation, and review how many contacts are completed vs. pending and when the last activity occurred.
2. Review step progress. Click into the automation details to see which step it's currently on and whether any steps show error or cancelled indicators.

   

3. Verify prerequisites. Confirm your email/phone is connected, you haven't hit your daily quota, and the affected contacts have the required fields filled in.
4. Check contact details. Verify that sample contacts aren't unsubscribed, marked as Do Not Disturb, or otherwise inaccessible to the contact owner.
5. Review the schedule. Confirm whether any steps are intentionally delayed by wait periods or scheduled send times.

Note: If after 48 hours you still can't identify the cause, error messages are appearing, or a large number of contacts are affected, reach out to Levitate Support with the automation name, number of affected contacts, last successful send timestamp, and any error messages you've seen.

When to Contact Support

• You need automatic tag-based triggering enabled
• Date automations aren't processing after 48 hours
• You're unsure if your account has special trigger configurations
• Integration-based triggers aren't working as expected
• You need help setting up optimal trigger conditions

FAQs

Q: Can I make tag automations start automatically?

A: For most accounts, tag automations require manual start. Some accounts with specific integrations may have automatic tag triggering enabled. Contact support to discuss your use case.

Q: How long after adding a date should the automation start?

A: Date-based automations process on a daily schedule. Allow 24 hours after adding or updating a date field for the automation to queue qualifying contacts.

Q: If I remove a tag, does the automation stop?

A: If a contact is already in a tag-based automation, removing the tag typically doesn't stop the automation. Check your automation's specific settings for continuation rules.

Q: Can I make dates trigger immediately instead of waiting for daily processing?

A: The daily processing schedule is a system design that ensures performance and proper sequencing. Immediate triggering isn't available for date-based automations.

Q: Why do integration-triggered automations work automatically but not tag-triggered ones?

A: Integration events (new donation, form submission) are discrete, intentional actions. Tags are often used for organization and cleanup, so manual start prevents accidental sends.

Q: What if a contact qualifies for multiple automations?

A: A contact can be in multiple automations simultaneously. Each automation runs independently based on its own trigger conditions.

Q: Can I schedule when date-based automations process contacts?

A: The processing schedule is automatic and system-wide. You can't customize when the qualification check runs for your specific automations.

Q: Do dates in the past trigger automations?

A: It depends on the automation's date range settings. If you set "7 days before birthday" and add a birthday that's tomorrow, it won't qualify because it's not 7 days away.

Q: Why didn't my manually triggered automation my business hours and send all emails immediately without any space inbetween?

A: If it's a manual automation to 5 or less, it'll bypass the seconds between sends and the hourly send limit for their configuration in admin!