Short answers about when to use drip campaigns, which events should trigger them, how email and SMS should work together, and how to measure whether follow-up is helping.
A follow-up sequence is a planned set of email or SMS messages sent over time after a defined event, such as a new client, completed appointment, sent estimate, overdue invoice, or reactivation segment. It helps staff follow up consistently without writing every message from scratch.
Start with one visible leak: quote follow-up, post-appointment follow-up, overdue invoice reminders, no-show recovery, new-client acknowledgement, or client reactivation. Avoid launching every sequence at once because each one needs its own message, owner, and stop rule.
A good trigger is specific enough to explain why the client should hear from the business. Examples include appointment completed, client created, estimate sent, invoice overdue, deal created, or a manually selected client segment. Broad triggers create irrelevant messaging.
Use SMS for short, time-sensitive nudges and email for longer context, instructions, quotes, invoices, or policy details. The channel should match urgency and client expectation. Marketing outreach should stay separate from operational appointment or billing messages.
A sequence should stop when its goal is reached, the client replies, staff cancel it, the client opts out, or the planned cadence ends. Clear stop rules prevent a client from being chased after they already booked, accepted, paid, declined, or asked for help.
Track active runs, messages sent, replies, bookings, estimate acceptance, invoice payments, opt-outs, cancellations, and sequence outcomes. The goal is not more messages; it is fewer forgotten follow-ups and clearer conversion or recovery results.