Journey Settings

Use Journey Settings to control when users can enter a journey, which event or schedule starts that entry, and whether the same user can enter again later. After completing this page, you will be able to configure sending hours, choose between Time-Based and Action-based entry, define event conditions, and set re-entry limits that match your campaign logic.

Step 1: Choose the journey entry type

After setting the Engagement Window, choose how users should enter the journey. The two main models are Time-Based and Action-based.

• Use Time-Based when the journey should start on a schedule.

• Use Action-based when the journey should start after a user triggers an event.

The correct choice depends on whether the journey is driven by calendar timing or by user behavior.

Step 2: Time-based entry types

Use Time-Based when the journey should run at specific dates, times, or recurring intervals. This option fits campaigns that are tied to schedules rather than individual user events.

Common use cases include:

• onboarding or welcome campaigns

• holiday or promotional campaigns

• daily, weekly, or monthly recurring communications

For example, a New Year campaign, a weekend promotion, or a monthly newsletter all fit the Time-Based model.

Step 2.1: Choose how users enter an ongoing scheduled journey

For ongoing journeys, decide whether users should enter as soon as they become eligible or at a scheduled time.

Enter Users Immediately

Use Enter Users Immediately when users should join as soon as they meet the audience conditions, without waiting for a separate schedule.

For example, if the target audience is a dynamic segment such as new users or churn-risk users, each user enters as soon as they qualify for that segment.

On a Schedule

Use On a Schedule when users should enter on a schedule you define.

This is useful when the audience remains eligible over time, but the journey should begin only at selected moments, such as the last day of each month or every Wednesday.

You can then choose a Frequency Type:

• Once

• Daily

• Weekly

• Monthly

For example, a New Year campaign can start on January 1 at 00:00 in each user’s local time zone. That setup fits a one-time, calendar-driven journey.

Step 2.2: Configure the Once frequency

Use Once when the journey should run only one time.

This option fits:

• a one-time welcome communication

• a holiday campaign such as New Year’s Day

• a single-date announcement or promotion

A start date is required. An end date is optional. The schedule can follow your own time zone or the users’ time zones, depending on the configuration available in the UI.

For example, if you want to send a New Year greeting at midnight on January 1, 2025, configure the journey to start once at 00:00 on that date.

Step 2.3: Configure the Daily frequency

Use Daily when the journey should repeat every day or every few days.

The Frequency value determines the interval:

• 1 means the journey runs every day

• 2 means the journey runs every two days

• higher values extend the interval further

For example, if you want a reminder campaign to run every day during July, select Daily, set Frequency to 1, and define the July start and end dates.

Step 2.4: Configure the Weekly frequency

Use Weekly when the journey should repeat on selected days of the week.

The Frequency value determines how many weeks pass between journey runs:

• 1 means every week

• 2 means every two weeks

Then choose the specific weekday or weekdays that should trigger the journey.

For example, if you want a weekend campaign throughout July, choose Weekly, select Saturday and Sunday, and keep the frequency at 1.

Step 2.5: Configure the Monthly frequency

Use Monthly when the journey should recur on a monthly schedule.

The Frequency value controls the interval in months:

• 1 means every month

• 2 means every two months

This option fits recurring newsletters, monthly discounts, or other campaigns that should repeat on a monthly cadence.

For example, if you run a loyalty campaign once per month, select Monthly and set the frequency to 1 so the journey starts every month within the configured date range.

Step 3: Configure action-based entry types

Use Action-based when the journey should start only after a user performs a specific tracked action. In this model, the event acts as the trigger, and the user enters the journey only when both the event conditions and audience conditions are satisfied.

Step 3.1: Select the event that starts the journey

Choose the event that represents the entry trigger.

For example, if the event is Credit Application, the journey starts when a user triggers that event and meets the rest of the entry conditions.

Step 3.2: Add event property conditions when the event alone is too broad

Use Select Event Property when not every occurrence of the selected event should start the journey.

Add one or more event property rules to narrow the trigger. The journey starts only when the event occurs and the property conditions are met.

For example, if the selected event is Credit Application, you can define:

• Amount → Greater Than → 10000

With that configuration, only users who trigger Credit Application with an amount greater than 10000 enter the journey.

Step 3.3: Add journey value when you need event data later in the flow

Use Add Journey Value to capture a value from the entry event and reuse it later inside the journey.

This is useful when you want to personalize a message or make a later decision based on the original event payload.

For example, if the event contains a credit amount, you can store that amount as a Journey Value and later use it in a message such as: You have applied for a credit of 10,000.

Choose a clear value name so it is easy to identify later in personalization settings.

You can use Journey Values later in the Build step while configuring personalized notifications. Learn more in State > Send Mobile Push.

Step 3.4: Add correlation when one identifier should link the full journey

Use Add Correlation when all actions in the journey should be tied to the same identifier. The correlation attribute becomes the key that groups related events into the same journey instance.

Common examples include:

• Order ID

• User ID

• Message ID

To configure it:

1. Enable Add Correlation.

2. Enter the correlation attribute name.

3. Save the rule so future journey processing uses that identifier.

Once set, the correlation is applied across the journey. Events that share the same value are processed as part of the same linked flow.

For example, if the correlation attribute is Order ID and a user places order 12345, later events related to that order can be associated with the same journey instance instead of being treated as unrelated actions.

The correlation attribute must be selected during journey creation and cannot be changed after the journey starts.

Step 4: Define capping and re-entry behavior

After setting the entry trigger, configure the Capping Options to determine how often each user can enter the Journey. You can allow users to enter only once or multiple entries under controlled conditions.

Capping Options in Journey Settings control how often users can enter the Journey. This should not be confused with Capping step from the Journey Builder, which control how often users can proceed through specific points in the flow.

Step 4.1: Choose the user capping type

Under User Capping Type, select one of the following options:

• Only One Time

• Multiple Times

Only One Time

Select Only One Time when each user should enter the Journey only once during its lifetime.

For example, use this option for a first-time onboarding Journey that should not repeat for the same user.

When Only One Time is selected, no Lock Duration, Entry Capping, or Capping Time Period configuration is required.

Multiple Times

Select Multiple Times when users should be allowed to re-enter the Journey according to the configured Lock Duration, Entry Capping limit, and optional Capping Time Period.

This option is useful for Journeys associated with repeatable behavior, such as recurring applications, repeated purchases, or periodic reminder flows.

Step 4.2: Set lock duration for re-entry delay

Use the optional Lock Duration setting to define the minimum time users must wait before they can re-enter the Journey after a previous entry.

For example, if Lock Duration is set to three days, a user who enters the Journey today cannot re-enter until the three-day lock period ends, even if the entry trigger occurs again during that time.

If Lock Duration is not configured, eligible users can re-enter whenever the entry trigger occurs, until they reach the Entry Capping limit.

A user can re-enter only when:

• The Lock Duration has expired.

• The Entry Capping limit has not been reached.

Resetting the Entry Capping count does not remove an active lock. To allow multiple entries within the same capping period, configure a Lock Duration that supports the intended entry frequency.

Suppose you want users to enter a discount campaign Journey up to three times within one week.

To avoid overwhelming them with frequent notifications:

Set Entry Capping to 3

Lock Duration to 2 Days

Capping Time Period to 1 Week

After each entry, the user must wait at least two days before entering the Journey again. When the one-week capping period ends, the entry count resets, allowing the user to enter up to three times during the new period, configured with same Lock Duration.

Step 4.3: Set entry capping to limit total entries

Use Entry Capping to define the maximum number of times each user can enter the Journey.

The accepted range depends on whether a Capping Time Period is specified:

• When Specify a capping time period is disabled, enter a value between 2 and 50. The limit applies throughout the lifetime of the Journey.

• When Specify a capping time period is enabled, enter a value between 1 and 50. The limit applies within each configured time period.

Entry Capping value of 1 is available when a Capping Time Period is selected

An Entry Capping value of 1 is available only when a Capping Time Period is specified. To allow a user to enter only once throughout the Journey’s lifetime, select Only One Time instead.

A value of 1 can therefore be used to create recurring single-entry scenarios, such as allowing each user to enter once per week or once per month.

Step 4.4: Define the capping time period

Enable Specify a capping time period to determine when the Entry Capping count resets.

Enter a duration and select the applicable frequency, such as Day, Week, or Month.

For example, if Entry Capping is set to 3 and Capping Time Period is set to one week, each user can enter the Journey up to three times during that weekly period. Once a user reaches the limit, users cannot enter again until the next period begins. When the next period begins, the Entry Capping count resets.

Example use cases for capping options

Use case	Configuration	Expected behavior	Business value
First-time customer onboarding	Only One Time	Each customer enters the onboarding Journey only once.	Prevents returning customers from receiving the same welcome experience repeatedly.
Monthly loan installment reminders	Multiple Times · Entry Capping: 1 · Capping Time Period: 1 Month	Each customer can enter the installment reminder Journey once per monthly billing period.	Ensures customers receive support for every new payment cycle.
Daily abandoned-cart recovery	Multiple Times · Entry Capping: 1 · Capping Time Period: 1 Day	A customer can enter the abandoned-cart Journey once per day, even if the entry event occurs multiple times during that day.	Reduces repeated same-day messaging while preserving future opportunities to recover abandoned carts.
Annual birthday campaign	Multiple Times · Entry Capping: 1 · Capping Time Period: 12 Months	Each customer can enter the birthday Journey once during each 12-month period.	Allows the experience to repeat in future years.
Limited product-trial follow-up	Multiple Times · Entry Capping: 3 · Capping Time Period disabled	Each customer can enter the Journey up to three times during its lifetime.	Enables controlled follow-up opportunities without repeatedly enrolling customers in the same flow.

Step 5: Configure the engagement window

Use Engagement Window to define when journey messages are allowed to send. This helps you avoid sending communication during late-night hours, off-business hours, or any other time period that should be excluded.

Step 5.1: Turn on the window and choose the allowed schedule

Enable Engagement Window and then define:

• the allowed Start time

• the allowed End time

• the valid days from Monday to Sunday

Once enabled, the window applies to all supported send steps in the journey unless a step is explicitly configured to ignore it.

For example, if you set the window to 09:00–18:00 on weekdays, the journey can send messages only during those hours on those selected days.

Step 5.2: Decide what happens outside the window

Choose how the system handles messages that are triggered outside the configured schedule.

If Ignore messages sent outside the Engagement Window is enabled, the message is discarded. It is not queued for later delivery.

If this option is not enabled, the message is held and delivered when the next valid Engagement Window begins.

For example, if the window is 09:00–18:00 and a message is triggered at 20:30:

• with Ignore messages sent outside the Engagement Window enabled, the message is discarded

• without that option enabled, the message waits until 09:00 on the next valid day

This behavior applies across the journey unless a supported send step uses Ignore Engagement Window.

Step 5.3: Override the window for urgent send steps when needed

Use Ignore Engagement Window on a supported send step when that specific communication must be delivered immediately, even if the normal journey window is closed.

This option is available for:

• Send Mobile Push

• Send Email

• Send SMS

Learn more in Build Journey.

Step 6: Review the full entry logic before moving on

Before you continue, check that the entry configuration matches the behavior you want in production.

Use this checklist:

1. The Engagement Window matches the allowed communication hours.

2. The journey uses the correct entry model: Time-Based or Action-based.

3. Any event property filters are narrow enough to be precise, but not so strict that valid users are excluded.

4. Any Journey Value or correlation setting uses the correct source field.

5. Eligibility rules match the intended re-entry behavior.

If the entry rule is too broad, too many users may enter the journey. If it is too narrow, the journey may appear inactive because almost no users qualify.

What happens next

After you finish Journey Settings, continue with the next journey configuration step and review the audience and journey flow before launch. These settings determine not only who can enter, but also when they enter and how often they can return.