Configuration
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Duration | A positive integer specifying the length of the pause. Must be greater than zero. |
| Unit | The time unit for the duration: Minutes, Hours, Days, or Weeks. |
Behavior
- The timer starts the moment a contact enters the node.
- The delay is relative — it is measured from the time the contact enters the node, not from a calendar date or time of day.
- After the configured duration elapses, the contact immediately proceeds to the next node.
- If the workflow is paused, the timer stops counting down. It resumes from where it left off when the workflow is reactivated.
Time Delay does not account for days of the week or time of day. A 1-day delay that starts at 11:00 PM on Friday will complete at 11:00 PM on Saturday, not on Monday morning. If you need calendar-aware timing, use Wait For instead.
Comparison with other delay nodes
| Node | Waits for | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Wait Until Condition Met | A condition to become true | Indefinite — until condition is met |
| Wait For | A specific day and time | Until the next matching day/time window |
| Time Delay | A fixed amount of time to pass | Exact duration (minutes, hours, days, weeks) |
Use cases
- Follow-up after form submission — add a 15-minute delay before sending a follow-up email after a form fill
- Staggered onboarding emails — insert 2-hour delays between a welcome email and a product tour email
- Daily drip sequences — place 1-day delays between steps in a multi-day onboarding series
- Re-engagement cooldown — use a 1-week delay before re-engaging leads who didn’t respond to an initial outreach