When you're running cold outreach or sales campaigns, timing and targeting are everything.
However, manually managing prospects between sequences based on their actions, such as when someone replies positively or opens an email multiple times, is time-consuming.
You likely had to:
Export and import prospects across sequences
Manually mark prospects as "Finished" in one sequence before starting another
Risk mistakes during bulk actions
Lose precious time and momentum nurturing prospects
All of this made scaling outreach tedious and prone to human error.
To make your life easier, Saleshandy is here with Subsequences — a powerful way to automate next steps for your prospects without manual work.
Subsequence allows you to create a set of emails or multichannel steps within your existing sequence, triggered automatically based on prospect engagement, such as replies, opens, clicks, tags, and more.
With Subsequence:
No more manual exports, imports, or reassignments.
No delays or errors in follow-up.
Personalized nurturing happens automatically.
What is a Subsequence?
A Subsequence is an automated workflow inside your main sequence.
It’s a chain of emails and tasks that start only when certain conditions are met for a prospect.
✅ It can be created inside your sequence.
✅ It automatically moves a prospect into the defined flow when the trigger conditions are met.
✅ By default, it utilizes all your original sequence settings, including sender email, tracking, unsubscribe links, and more.
Think of it like a smart branch that activates based on your prospect’s behavior, without you needing to lift a finger.
⚙️ How to Create Subsequence in Saleshandy
1. Create a New Sequence:
You can begin by setting up your primary sequence, which includes the initial steps of your outreach campaign.
2. Add Steps to the Sequence:
Now you can add steps to your sequence, such as initial emails or other outreach actions.
3. Unlock the Subsequence Feature:
Once you've added steps to your sequence, the Subsequence button becomes active.
4. Configure Subsequence Settings:
Click on subsequence button and create your subsequence.
Click the Subsequence button to define trigger conditions using multiple criteria connected with 'AND' operators.
You can set single or combine conditions for a targeted outreach.
You can add triggers like:
Replied
Open Counts
Specific Outcome assigned
Steps Completed
Prospect Tag
Clicked URL
Last Step Completed
When you set trigger conditions and activate your subsequence, all new and existing prospects that match those conditions will enter the subsequence. It’s not limited to prospects added after the subsequence was created.
Once the conditions are set now add a delay to determine how long after the trigger conditions are met the subsequence steps should start.
Once the delay is set, schedule the subsequence to run on specific days and times. By default, it inherits the parent sequence's schedule.
5. Create Subsequence Steps:
After configuring settings, add steps to your subsequence.
If you've enabled multichannel outreach, you can include various types of steps; otherwise, you'll be limited to email steps.
6. Ensure Consistency with Parent Sequence:
The subsequence will use the same email account as the parent sequence.
All settings, such as tracking and scheduling, will align with the parent sequence.
7. Once a subsequence is activated, you’ll be able to see it listed under the Subsequences tab.
You can manage each subsequence by clicking the three-dot menu — options include Edit, Duplicate, and Delete.
To stay organized, you can apply Subsequence filters in both the Prospects tab and the Unified Inbox.
In the Prospects tab of your sequence, you can view which subsequence and step a prospect is currently in.
In the Unified Inbox, replies from prospects in any subsequence are tagged with the subsequence name.
If you want to view replies for a specific subsequence, just open Filters in the Unified Inbox and apply the Subsequence filter.
Key Considerations🚨
Full Rule Match - Prospects enter the subsequence immediately after they
meet all the defined conditions.
Delay Before Action - The delay sets how long after entry the first step will be
triggered.
Condition Re-check - Each step rechecks the conditions; if no longer met, the
prospect is marked finished.
Entry to Other Subsequence- A prospect can enter a new subsequence once their status in the current one is Completed, Finished, or Inactive.
Subsequence Takes Over - Prospects will not receive any more steps from the parent sequence after entering a subsequence.
Link Tracking: If link tracking is not enabled in sequence settings, you won't be able to set the link tracking trigger condition.
Prospect in Sequence: The prospect will move into subsequence as soon as the conditions are met without any system delays to ensure targeted outreach.
Email accounts: The subsequence will always be in the same thread and from the same email account as the parent sequence.
Once a prospect has entered any subsequence, he can't return to the parent sequence.
A prospect can move from one subsequence to another, provided his status is finished or completed in the current subsequence.
Trigger One Subsequence Per Prospect - If a prospect qualifies for more than one subsequence's condition at the same time, only the newest one runs and the rest are skipped. If this toggle is turned off, the prospect goes through them one by one. Set this in Sequence Settings, or as a default for new sequences in Admin Settings.
💡 Use Cases for Subsequence
1. Send smarter follow-ups based on prospect behavior
If someone has opened your email a few times but hasn’t replied, you can set up a subsequence to follow up automatically — no manual tracking needed.
2. Personalize messages for specific groups
If you have a segment of prospects with the same tag or similar interests? You can trigger a subsequence that speaks directly to them, one that is more relevant and more effective.
3. Reconnect with cold or inactive leads
Subsequences make it easy to re-engage prospects who showed interest earlier but dropped off. You can bring them back into the loop without having to start from scratch. Use negative operators like is not, is not any, no, less than to reach out to such users.
4. Mix channels to boost replies (if multichannel is on)
If you’re using multichannel outreach, you can combine emails with LinkedIn messages or other steps in a subsequence to keep your outreach warm and consistent.
📝 Best Practices
Define Clear Triggers:
You can use specific conditions to make sure that only the most relevant prospects enter your subsequences.
Monitor Performance:
Regularly review the effectiveness of your subsequences and adjust triggers and content as needed.
Maintain Consistency:
Maintain consistency in your messaging across sequences and subsequences to effectively reinforce your brand identity.
Test and Optimize:
Experiment with different triggers, delays, and content to find the most effective combinations.
By leveraging Saleshandy's Subsequence feature, you can streamline your outreach process, ensure timely follow-ups, and enhance your engagement with prospects—all while reducing manual workload.
FAQ
1. Do I need to create a new sequence for every subsequence?
No, you don't need a new sequence. You can have multiple subsequences under one sequence with different trigger conditions.
2. What happens if the prospect's status changes during the delay time?
Every time before a subsequence step is sent, the conditions are matched again to ensure the prospect's status or stage does not change. If there is a change, the step will not be sent to the prospect even after the delay.
3. Will the subsequence use the same email account as my main sequence?
Yes, by default, the subsequence will be sent from the same email account used in the parent sequence. You cannot change the email account separately for a subsequence.
4. Can I use LinkedIn or tasks steps inside a subsequence?
Yes, if you have multichannel enabled. If your account supports multichannel outreach, you can add LinkedIn tasks and more in your subsequence. Otherwise, you'll be limited to email steps.
5. What happens if a prospect meets multiple trigger conditions at once?
The prospect will move into the subsequence when all your selected conditions (connected by "AND") are met. If even one condition is not satisfied, the subsequence will not trigger.
6. What happens if a prospect matches the conditions of more than one subsequence in the same sequence at the same time?
This depends on the "Trigger One Subsequence Per Prospect" setting, found in Sequence Settings → Subsequence (and configurable as a default for new sequences from Admin Settings). Turned on, only the newest matching subsequence runs, and the rest are skipped. Turned off, the prospect goes through each matching subsequence one at a time, moving to the next once the current one is complete. You can also proactively avoid this altogether by using exclusion operators, like "Last Step Completed is not," to design subsequences that don't overlap in the first place.
7. Can I manually move a prospect into a subsequence?
No, subsequences only trigger automatically based on the engagement actions you define. There's no manual push option. (Flagged in the PRD as contradicting an earlier requirement — needs confirmation, not changed here.)
8. What happens if a prospect replies after entering a subsequence?
The reply will be tracked in the parent sequence as usual in the unified inbox with a subsequence tag. You can set conditions in your subsequence to handle scenarios like this (e.g., stopping steps after a reply).
9. Can I edit the subsequence after it starts running?
Yes, you can edit the steps, triggers, or schedules of your subsequence at any time. Just remember that changes will affect any prospect who has yet to complete the subsequence.
10. What is a Full Rule Match in Subsequence?
A Full Rule Match occurs when a prospect meets all the predefined conditions. Once this happens, they immediately enter the subsequence.
11. When is the First Step of a Subsequence Triggered?
The Delay Before Action determines how long the first action (e.g., email, Tasks) is triggered after entering the subsequence.
12. Are Conditions Re-evaluated After Each Step?
Yes, each step in the subsequence re-checks the defined conditions. If the conditions are no longer met, the prospect's status is marked as Finished, and they will not proceed further.
13. Can a prospect move to another subsequence?
Yes. Once their status in the current subsequence is Completed, Finished, or Inactive, they become eligible to enter a different matching subsequence.
14. What Happens to the Parent Sequence When a Subsequence is Triggered?
Once a prospect enters a subsequence, they will not receive further steps from the parent sequence. The subsequence takes over entirely.
15. Are tracking settings required for any trigger conditions?
Yes. The Open Counts condition requires Open Tracking to be enabled in sequence settings, and the Clicked URL condition requires Link Tracking to be enabled. If either is off, that condition won't be available to select.
16. When Does a Prospect Move Into a Subsequence?
As soon as all the trigger conditions are met, there's no delay in entering the subsequence itself. The delay you configure (Delay Before Action) only affects when the first step is sent after that entry.
17. Will the Subsequence Emails Come from the Same Thread and Account?
Yes, emails from the subsequence will be sent in the same thread and from the same email account as the parent sequence.
18. Can a Prospect Return to the Parent Sequence After Entering a Subsequence?
No, once a prospect has entered any subsequence, they cannot return to the parent sequence.
19. In what plans is subsequence available?
The Subsequence feature is available for all users on Pro plans and above!