Most common issues with automations

Automations in MailBlue are powerful, but sometimes issues may arise, such as contacts not being added, emails not being sent, or incorrect paths being followed in an 'if/else' step. Fortunately, these problems can often be resolved easily.

In this article, you'll find the most common issues along with practical solutions to keep your automations running smoothly.

💡 Tip: In general, we strongly advise against making changes to an active automation. This can lead to unexpected errors. Therefore, always set the automation to 'Inactive' before you start working on it!

Table of contents

• A contact is not added to your automation or added too often
• An email is not sent to your contact
• A contact followed the wrong path in an 'if/else' step

A contact is not added to your automation or added too often

Sometimes a contact is not added to your automation, even though you expect them to be. Or they may be added multiple times. These are the most common causes and solutions:

• Check triggers: Ensure that the triggers are set correctly.
• Check creation date: Verify when the automation was created. If it was created after the trigger conditions were met, the contact will not respond to the trigger.
• Triggers are not retroactive: Automations only activate when a contact meets the conditions after activation. Add the contact manually if needed.
• Set automation to 'active': Ensure the automation is set to 'active.' Contacts can only be added if the automation is active.
• Check the URL for 'visited webpage' triggers: Ensure the URL and domain in the trigger match the actual webpage.
• Use the 'subscribes to list' trigger: If you are not using a MailBlue form, use this trigger instead.

An email is not sent to your contact

Sometimes emails are not sent to a contact, even if everything appears to be set up correctly. This can have several causes:

• Contacts unsubscribed: Only contacts subscribed to a list are considered 'active' and can receive emails. Learn more in What does the status of a contact mean?
• Email in spam folder: Check if the email landed in the spam folder instead of the inbox.
• 'Send email' action added later: If the action was added after the contact went through the automation, they will not receive the email.
• Check the automation path: Review the automation path of a specific contact to determine why the email was not sent.

A contact followed the wrong path in an 'if/else' step

A common issue is that a contact does not follow the correct path in an 'if/else' step. Here are some points to check:

• Double-check conditions: Verify that the conditions in the 'if/else' step match the contact's actual situation. For example, ensure that tags or custom fields are properly configured before the contact reaches this step.
• Add a wait action: Include a wait action before the 'if/else' step to give the system time to update the contact's data or tags. For example: Wait 5 minutes or Wait until custom field is updated.
• Check list subscriptions: If the step checks for list subscriptions, ensure the contact is on the correct list. This can be verified in the contact's details.
• Inspect the automation history: Use the contact's activity log to see how they progressed through the steps and where the path might have gone wrong.

Testing your automation

To ensure your automation works correctly, we recommend adding a test contact first. This allows you to identify and resolve any issues before adding real contacts.

1. Go to 'Contacts.'
2. Click 'Add Contact.'
3. Fill in the form with the test contact's details.
4. Click 'Add.'
   
   
   
5. Add the test contact to the automation.
6. Follow the steps in the automation with the test contact. You can skip waiting steps if necessary.

Learn more: How do I test my automation?