Require task completion before progressing a Sequence

[sjudson]

Scott from the product team here. 

In Sequences today, task completion is NOT required before progressing onto the next step in a sequence.  For a sequence with multiple email steps, call tasks, and social touchpoints, this means that if a task step is not completed, future emails and tasks will still get sent or created. 

We've heard from our users that there should be an option to require that a task be completed before sending the next email in a sequence, or before creating another net new task. 

To solve this, we're evaluating support for this feature in Sequences:

If you're interested in talking with us more, or getting early access, upvote this post and we'll let you know as soon as it's available. 

[sjudson]

Hi Community! 

We've released a number of updates to sequences on March 3rd, including a new default that requires task completion before a sequence will progress. This is available now for all Sales Professional, Sales Enterprise, Service Professional, and Service Enterprise seats.

You can read more about the changes in the link to the release below:

[Now Live] Advanced Sequences

Best,

Glen

[sjudson]

This feature is soon moving to a public beta. We plan to have it completely rolled out to all Sales Professional and Sales Enterprise customers by March 3rd. 

Going forward, folks can request access directly from their customer succes rep at HubSpot! Once this is out, all tasks will require task copletion before progressing a sequence. You will still have an option to forgo completion as a requirement on each and every task step, but we have decided to change the default behavior once this goes live.

Here's an updated view for how this will look in sequences:

[sjudson]

Hi all! Sorry just now catching up after some time out. Everyone who has signed up will be receiving access to the beta today.

We are going to start opening up this beta in February. Signups will be more accessible to folks by speaking directly to their POC at HubSpot, and we'll begin providing the feature in a more systematic way. We have decided to make some tweaks to the design, and behavior. Soon, all tasks for sequences users in Sales Professional and Enterprise will have the ability to pause a sequence until the task is completed. This will be the default behavior for tasks. Checking the box (seen below) will be a way to determine specific tasks that are not required for completion. All of your current sequences will have this box checked as soon as we launch the feature, as we don't want to change the behavior of sequences you've already built! 

[sjudson]

I'll be sending out an email confirmation in the next day to all those that signed up for the beta! We hope to have this in beta within the next 2 weeks!

[sjudson]

I believe the comment with the link is now on a previous (4) page in the thread comments. Here's the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe5prpMcY_8LrHzhx3wET1BKKm9QyBQs8r28K0rHiHopkLCDA/viewform

[sjudson]

The form link should be working now! Thanks for catching so quickly 

[sjudson]

Hi Sequences Community!

We are now collecting beta sign-ups for this feature. Please fill out this form to be part of this beta.

 - We are currently only taking Sales and Services Professional and Enterprise customers for this closed beta.

Note:

• Several dozen of you that have reached out directly and are already included, but filling out the form will be helpful for our team
• I have included a survey question to this form that again will also be very helpful for our team as we continue development
• This work is still in development, I will update here once the beta is live

Thanks everyone!

- Glen

[sjudson]

This work is currently in development. 

@OfferZenBrett  - we hope to have a closed beta ready for this in the coming weeks. I'll update the post here and create a very short sign-up form (email and HUB ID) to give early access to anyone that would like to be a tester for this feature. 

[sjudson]

Hi Community!

We are priotizing this work in the coming weeks and plan to have some prototypes ready for feedback. If anyone would like to participate in our usability testing, or provide extra thoughts and context to how this problem impacts your process, it would be great to hear from you!

Please message me directly and I will reach out when we are ready to schedule calls!

[loganlyles1]

Would LOVE this!  Raising my hand as a beta tester available for this!

[bst5920]

Yes, we need this feature. As everyone here has already described. We have automated emails that don't make much sense without the completed call task that comes before.  We would be happy to get early access and help debug any problems. This would be a great improvement to the sequence feature.

[Jdoyle]

This feature would be huge and would allow Hubspot's clients greater autonomy and flexibility when using the platform. Please create the ability to govern these sequences more closely by allowing your customers the option to inhibit tasks from completing, if the preceding tasks have not been addressed/completed within the seqeunce. 

[danoreilly]

This is pretty much a required feature for this type of tool.  What if a team member is sick and misses the task to call the contact. Then the email goes out saying he/she is following up on the call that now never happend? We need to this to create the right approach for our sales team as they are reaching out.

[Cmiller]

To be honest, I thought this was part of the platform. Kinda comical that it is not. 

Can we get an update on if this will be completed and how soon?

[eduardobanda]

I see this has been requested since 2017! With the new updates to the sales side of Hubspot I hope this will be added very soon. We're currently using another sequencing/automation tool, but given that we use Hubspot as our CRM it would be MUCH easier to drop our other tool and just use Hubspot. There are a few things I don't like about this sequencing tool, but this one is by far the worst part. It just seems like something that should be a no brainer.

Please let us know when we should expect an update - as others mentioned, I would be happy to be a beta tester!

[bfarr]

@sjudson This is Blaine. I've worked with you on another feature that is great now! I'm stoked that you're building this out. Can I get early access? We're looking into other tools right now to figure this out. Any updates on timing?

[tiffrankscience]

I would absolutely love to have early access to this. Is it available yet? 

I thought that's how sequences worked (like they do in Outreach). Really, really, really need this feature because I ran into this problem yesterday. My calls got behind and all of them weren't completed yesterday, so I moved my call task due date to today, yet this morning, the next step emails were already sent out - sales nightmare if you ask me!

HubSpot team - if it's available can I please have access?

[SamanthaH]

Hi @sjudson 

If you need any Alpha/Beta testers for this, please reach out. We are desperate for this feature and may well leave Hubspot for a lack of it. 

Without it, sequences are pretty much useless for my sales team. 

[mandeep]

THE COMMUNITY NEEDS THIS ASAP!

This is a feature that's crucial to scaling and automating our business development initiatives. The fact that this (shockingly) isn't already available is forcing my company to look into alt software platforms and switch altogether.

Is there a timeframe by when this would be in beta/full launch?

[cbasaing]

My team really needs this feature! It's hard to use the sequencing feature otherwise and we're now looking for a 3rd party sequencing tool that messes with my call flow. Help please!

[hilton]

Yes we need . this please Hubspot!!

[bfarr]

@cbasaing  Can you let me know if you find something? We're in the same position. I had a nice chat with Glen (product at Hubspot) and it's coming up, but we're feeling the pinch as well.

[glencornell]

Hi Community!

We are priotizing this work in the coming weeks and plan to have some prototypes ready for feedback. If anyone would like to participate in our usability testing, or provide extra thoughts and context to how this problem impacts your process, it would be great to hear from you!

Please message me directly and I will reach out when we are ready to schedule calls!

[johann7777]

I have been needing this badly for the last 2 years. Excited they are working on it. Can't imagine it being that hard of a fix.

[OfferZenBrett]

@sjudson 

We recemtly moved to Hubspot and I'm trying to replicate the sequences we use Outreach.io in Hubspot sequences - so that we can stop using Outreach.io and only use Hubspot. 

But I'm being blocked because of how hubspot sequences don't require for the task to be completed before moving on the the next step. 

How do I opt in for early access for this? 

[glencornell]

This work is currently in development. 

@OfferZenBrett  - we hope to have a closed beta ready for this in the coming weeks. I'll update the post here and create a very short sign-up form (email and HUB ID) to give early access to anyone that would like to be a tester for this feature. 

[OfferZenBrett]

@glencornell Awesome! 

Really keen to be on that beta testing list!!! 

[glencornell]

Hi Sequences Community!

We are now collecting beta sign-ups for this feature. Please fill out this form to be part of this beta.

 - We are currently only taking Sales and Services Professional and Enterprise customers for this closed beta.

Note:

• Several dozen of you that have reached out directly and are already included, but filling out the form will be helpful for our team
• I have included a survey question to this form that again will also be very helpful for our team as we continue development
• This work is still in development, I will update here once the beta is live

Thanks everyone!

- Glen