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Contact Delay Feature to Pause and Resume Lead Communications

Pause automated communications in the Sierra Interactive CRM for individual leads and pick back up exactly where you left off.

Summary

The Contact Delay feature lets you pause automated communications for a specific lead, then resume them automatically or manually when the time is right. Use it to respect a lead's timeline without losing them from your pipeline.

Table of Contents

  1. Why This Feature Matters
  2. What a Contact Delay Does (and Doesn't) Pause
  3. Step-by-Step Instructions
  4. Where Active Delays Are Displayed
  5. Best Practices
  6. Troubleshooting Common Issues
  7. FAQs

Why This Feature Matters

  • Not every lead is ready to buy or sell right now. A lead traveling for two months or navigating a job change may ask you to check back later. Contact Delay lets you honor that request without removing them from your pipeline.
  • Pausing communications at the right moment protects the relationship. Leads who feel respected are more likely to re-engage when their timeline opens up.
  • Delays keep your automation clean: instead of manually unassigning and reassigning campaigns, you pause everything in one place and resume it just as easily.

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What a Contact Delay Does (and Doesn't) Pause

When you set a Contact Delay, you choose which automated communication types currently assigned to the lead to pause:

Two important things a Contact Delay does not do:

  • It does not notify the lead. Contact Delay is an internal workflow tool — the lead never sees that a delay is in place.
  • It does not block manual outreach. You can still email, text, or call a lead directly while their delay is active.

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Step-by-Step Instructions

Set a Contact Delay set_contact_delay

  1. From the Manage Leads page, open the lead's detail page.
  2. Select Set Contact Delay.
  3. Choose a delay length:
    • Option A: Select a default duration (30, 60, or 90 days).
    • Option B: Set a custom date range.
  4. (Optional) Choose a future start date if you want the delay to begin later rather than immediately.
  5. Under Choose to Automatically Pause Any of the Following Communication Options Currently Assigned to the Lead, select which types to pause: Saved Search E-Alerts and Market Updates, Traditional Action Plans, Fully Automated Action Plans, and/or Drip Campaigns.
  6. (Optional) Add a Note explaining why the delay was set, so teammates have context.
  7. Save the delay.

Enable Auto-Resume 

When setting the delay, check If Paused, Automatically Resume the Above Communications Options on the Selected Contact Delay Day to have the paused communications pick back up automatically when the delay ends — no manual action required.

⚠️ If you don't enable auto-resume, paused communications will stay paused until you end the delay or resume them manually. Set a task or reminder if you plan to resume by hand.

View, Edit, or Delete a Delay 

  1. Open the lead's detail page. An active delay displays next to the lead's name.
  2. From there, you can edit the delay's dates or settings, or end it early at any time.delete_contact_delay

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Where Active Delays Are Displayed 

When a Contact Delay is active, it displays in:

  • Lead Detail Page
  • Manage Leads
  • Inbox
  • Task Manager
  • Main Dashboard
  • Market Updates & E-Alerts Dashboards

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Best Practices

  • Set a delay whenever a lead explicitly asks to reconnect later — after travel, a life event, or a long buying timeline — rather than letting automation run and risking an unsubscribe.
  • Always add a Note when setting a delay so your team knows why communications are paused.
  • Use auto-resume by default. It's the easiest way to guarantee a lead doesn't sit paused indefinitely.
  • Check for scheduled sends from action plans or drip campaigns before setting a delay so you don't unintentionally pause a send you wanted to go out.
  • Use Advanced Search and Smart Filters on the Manage Leads page to keep a running view of all leads currently on delay.

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Troubleshooting Common Issues

  • A lead on delay is still receiving communications.
    Open the delay settings and confirm that the specific communication types (Saved Search E-Alerts and Market Updates, action plans, drip campaigns) were selected when the delay was created. Only the types you checked are paused.
  • A delay ended, but communications never resumed.
    Auto-resume wasn't enabled on that delay. Resume the paused communications manually, and enable auto-resume on future delays to prevent this.

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FAQs

  • Will the lead know they're on a Contact Delay?
    No. Contact Delay is an internal workflow tool only so leads receive no notification.
  • Can I still contact a lead manually during a delay?
    Yes. Manual emails, texts, and calls are unaffected by a Contact Delay.
  • Can I set more than one delay for the same lead?
    Yes. You can stack or schedule multiple delays as needed.
  • How do I find all leads currently on a Contact Delay?
    Use Advanced Search on the Manage Leads page to filter by delay status and date range.

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