Journey Builder Basics
The Journey Builder is a visual tool for creating automated customer experiences.
Opening the builder
- Click Journeys in the sidebar
- Click Create Journey
- The Journey Builder opens
Building your first journey
Name your journey
Give your journey a clear, descriptive name:
- Good: "New Member Welcome Series"
- Avoid: "Journey 1"
Add a description explaining the journey's purpose.
Configure the trigger
Choose what starts the journey:
- Segment Entry - When customers join a segment
- Event Triggered - When something happens
- Manual - You'll manually enroll customers
For beginners, start with Segment Entry.
Add your first step
Click Add Step on the canvas.
Choose a step type:
- Send - Send a message
- Wait - Pause before next step
For a welcome journey, start with a Send step.
Configure the step
Click the step to configure it.
For a Send step:
- Choose channel (Email, SMS, Push)
- Select or create template
- Preview the message
Add more steps
Build out your journey by adding more steps:
- Add a Wait step (e.g., 3 days)
- Add another Send step
- Repeat as needed
Save and activate
- Click Save to save your draft
- Review all steps
- Click Activate when ready
The canvas
The canvas is where you visually build your journey.
Navigation
- Drag to pan around
- Scroll to zoom in/out
- Click steps to select and configure
Adding connections
- Steps automatically connect in sequence
- Condition steps create branches
- Split steps create parallel paths
Step types
Send Step
Sends a communication to the customer.
- Choose channel: Email, SMS, Push, WhatsApp
- Select template or create content
- Personalize with customer data
Wait Step
Pauses before the next step.
- Set duration: hours, days, or weeks
- Consider optimal timing for your audience
Condition Step
Branches based on customer data.
- Creates "Yes" and "No" paths
- Example: "Is Platinum member?"
Split Step
A/B tests different paths.
- Creates multiple variants
- Measures which performs better
Update Step
Modifies customer data.
- Update custom fields
- Change tags or attributes
Start simple with Send and Wait steps. Add Conditions and Splits once you're comfortable.
Journey settings
Re-entry rules
- Allow re-entry - Customers can go through again
- Wait period - Minimum time between entries
- Once only - Customers can only enter once ever
Timezone
Set the timezone for time-based logic.
Saving and testing
Save often
Click Save regularly. Drafts are not automatically saved.
Test before activating
- Add yourself to the trigger segment
- Watch for test messages
- Verify timing and content
Next steps
- Adding Steps - Deep dive on step types
- Triggers - Trigger configuration
- A/B Testing - Test journey variations