Understanding Sequence Completion and Opt-Outs

When a sequence participant is marked as "completed" after only the first step and they have not replied, this typically indicates they have opted out of the sequence.

How Recipients Can Opt Out

Recipients can opt out of sequences by clicking the opt-out link that is automatically appended to all sequence emails. Once they opt out, they will no longer receive any further steps in the sequence.

Manual Opt-Out Methods Not Covered by Automatic Systems

Reply-Based Opt-Out Requests

Recipients may reply to sequence emails requesting removal (e.g., "Please remove me" or "Do not contact"). Unify automatically classifies these as "Opt out" replies, but they require manual handling to unenroll the recipient and add them to an exclusion list to prevent future outreach.

Manual Opt-Out by Administrators

1. Navigate to the contact's profile in Unify

2. Click the "Opt-Out" button at the top right

Reversing an Accidental Opt-Out

If you accidentally opt out a contact, the opt-out can be reversed only if you have the contact's explicit permission to resume outreach. To reverse an opt-out:

1. Clear the opt-out flag in the contact's Unify person record or your CRM system

2. If you cannot clear the opt-out flag yourself, contact Unify support to clear the opt-out record

3. After the opt-out flag is cleared, re‑enroll the contact into the desired sequence

Important: Opt-outs are intended to be permanent. Only reverse an opt-out if you have documented permission from the contact to resume outreach.

This will add the contact to the opt-out list and prevent them from receiving future sequence emails

Opt-Out vs. Unenrollment: Key Distinction

If you only want to remove someone from a specific sequence without blocking them from future sequences, unenroll them from that sequence instead of opting them out. Opting out prevents all future sequence enrollment, while unenrollment only removes them from the current sequence.

How to Unenroll Contacts

To unenroll a single contact:

1. Open the contact's profile in Unify

2. Click the "Unenroll" button to cancel all remaining sequence steps for that contact

To unenroll multiple contacts from a sequence:

1. Navigate to Sequences → Enrollments

2. Filter and select the contacts you want to unenroll

3. Click "Unenroll" to remove them from the sequence

Note: Bulk unenrollment runs in batches and completes shortly after you trigger it.

Early Sequence Completion

A sequence can be marked as complete prior to the first message being sent for for two main reasons:

• The recipient clicked the opt-out link

• The recipient was excluded based on sequence rules or filters. Exclusions can be configured in Settings > Exclusions and may include criteria such as open opportunities/deals being created.

  Note that exclusion settings can differ between the audience level and the sequence level - an exclusion may be toggled off at the audience level but still be toggled on at the sequence level, which will prevent enrollment when contacts reach the sequence node.

  When an exclusion has the "remove from active sequences" setting enabled, contacts meeting the exclusion criteria will be removed from sequences mid-sequence. If this setting is not enabled, existing sequence participants will continue receiving emails, but new contacts meeting the criteria cannot enter sequences. Some exclusions apply company‑wide, removing all contacts from a company when any contact meets the exclusion criteria.

Identifying Exclusion Reasons

1. Check the Exclusion tab on the contact's record: Go to Contacts, search for the person by email, click their record, and review the Exclusion tab.

2. Open the Play → go to Metrics → click the Sequence node (or the "Not Enrolled" count) to view the list of contacts and their exclusion reasons

3. Check Execution Logs in the Play Builder for the prospect's enrollment attempt and specific blocking criteria

4. Review organization‑level exclusions in Settings → Organization → Exclusions

5. For sequence‑specific exclusions, check the individual sequence settings

Interactive Exclusion Troubleshooting and Multi-Level Settings

Understanding Multi-Level Exclusion Controls

• Organization-level: Settings → Organization → Exclusions, where the “Exclude from Sequences” toggle blocks contacts globally across all sequences

• Ruleset-level: Within individual sequence rulesets, where exclusions can be toggled on/off for specific sequences independently of organization-level settings

Checking Ruleset-Level Exclusions

1. Navigate to the specific sequence you're trying to enroll the contact in

2. Go to the sequence's Settings tab

3. Review which ruleset the sequence belongs to and which exclusions are enabled for that ruleset

4. Ensure exclusions are toggled on at both the organization level and within the sequence itself for them to take effect

Contacts may remain excluded even after adjusting settings at one level if the other level’s settings still apply.

Interactive Exclusion Testing

Toggle exclusions in the Play view to see real‑time impact: Navigate to the Play, then toggle specific exclusions on/off to immediately see which contacts are affected by each exclusion rule. This interactive approach helps identify which exclusion(s) are causing enrollment drop‑offs without having to check individual contact records.

Enhanced Exclusion Identification Steps

1. Organization-level exclusions: Review Settings → Organization → Exclusions and verify if the “Exclude from Sequences” toggle is enabled for relevant exclusions

2. Sequence-specific exclusions: Check the ruleset settings that the sequence belongs to, where exclusions can be toggled on/off independently of organization-level settings

3. Interactive testing: Use the Play view toggle method to see real‑time exclusion impact across your contact list

Troubleshooting Opportunity-Based Exclusions

If you have multiple CRM systems integrated (e.g., both Salesforce and HubSpot), opportunities from all connected systems are evaluated against exclusion criteria.

When troubleshooting opportunity-based exclusions, search your CRM for all company records sharing the same domain. Multiple records with the same domain may each have separate opportunities, and any open opportunity on any of these records can trigger the exclusion. You can view all active opportunities associated with a company by scrolling down on the account record in your CRM.

Allowing Specific Contacts Through Exclusion Rules

1. Navigate to the exclusion rule that is blocking the contact

2. Edit the exclusion rule to add a filter condition

3. Add “Email is not” and enter the specific contact's email address

4. Save the exclusion rule

5. Wait 15‑30 minutes for the change to propagate, then attempt enrollment again

Contacts may appear as “queued” in a sequence even when they match exclusion criteria. This is expected behavior—exclusions are checked at send time, not at queue time. Contacts that are queued but match your exclusion criteria will be automatically skipped when the sequence runs, and you do not need to take any action to prevent them from receiving emails.

CRM Integration for Sequence Opt-Outs

When recipients opt out of sequences, understanding how opt-outs integrate with your CRM system is crucial for maintaining accurate contact records and preventing re‑enrollment through other channels.

CRM Field Mapping Configuration

• Unify supports mapping to either the "Do Not Email" field or the "Email Opt Out" field in Salesforce:

  • Email Opt Out is a standard Salesforce field on Leads and Contacts, typically used as a global "do not email this person" flag for all email communication

  • Do Not Email is often a custom or marketing-specific field (e.g., from Marketing Cloud/Pardot) used to control specific types of emails or campaigns rather than blocking all emails completely

  • Map to whichever field your team treats as the master/global email suppression flag

  If you have CRM field mappings configured with read & write permissions for your chosen opt-out field, the opt-out status will be written back to your CRM system.

• If you have “Do Not Email” field mapping set to read‑only, Unify will respect opt‑out status from your CRM but won’t write back when someone opts out within Unify.

• To enable bidirectional sync, configure the field mapping as “read & write” in your CRM integration settings; in Salesforce, opt‑out status is synced to the “Email Opt Out” field.

Diagnosing Opt-Out Status Sources

If you notice contacts marked as opted out and need to determine whether the status originated in your CRM or in Unify:

1. Check your CRM field mapping configuration: Navigate to your CRM integration settings and verify whether the “Do Not Email” field (or “Email Opt Out” in Salesforce) is set to read‑only or read & write permissions.

2. Spot‑check affected contacts in your CRM: Review a sample of contacts showing opt‑out status in Unify and check if the corresponding field is already set to true in your CRM system. If the field is true in your CRM, the opt‑out status originated there.

3. Review recent Unify activity: If the CRM field is not set to true, check for recent sequence opt‑out link clicks or admin‑initiated opt‑outs in Unify that may have created the status.

Note: With read‑only mapping, opt‑out status increases will originate in your CRM since Unify cannot write back. With read & write mapping, opt‑outs can originate from either system and will sync bidirectionally.