On top of automatic email stages and manual InMail stages, you can now create 3 more types of manual stages in a sequence to capture outreach types such as calling, texting, and connecting (requesting to connect) on LinkedIn as part of your sourcing workflow.
Note: If you can’t find this functionality in Gem, contact your Gem CSM.
What’s the difference between an automatic stage and a manual stage?
Automatic stages (Email) are outreach types that Gem is able to automate for your outreach campaign. We currently support automated Email only, but are in the process of integrating with more services to allow you to reach prospects through other types of automated outreach.
Manual stages (InMail, Phone Call, Text Message, LinkedIn Request) are outreach types that Gem helps you create reminders for as part of your sourcing workflow. When you create a manual stage as part of a sequence, you will receive a reminder at your scheduled time to take the corresponding action – this action will also appear as a to-do in your “To do” tab. Lastly, using manual stages will help you gain better insight into your sourcing activity, as each stage will be automatically logged as part of your Outreach Stats.
How do I create a manual stage?
To create a manual stage in your sequence, select any option under the “Manual” section of the stages dropdown, then set the time at which you would like this stage to go out. Optionally, you may include a note for yourself. This field can hold your notes on what to say to the candidate, or to remind yourself of any context that will help you complete this task (e.g. “remember to mention her work anniversary”).
Any of your stages can be a manual stage. If the first stage of your sequence is a manual stage, you will need to complete the stage or manually skip it in order for the subsequent stages to go out.
How do I take action on a manual to-do?
When it’s time for the manual outreach, Gem will remind you via email. You will also see a notification next to your “To Do” tab indicating that there are incomplete tasks awaiting action. In To Do under “Outreach,” you will see a list of to-dos ordered by urgency and the sequence they belong to. Relevant information, such as the type of to-do, your notes, links to the candidate’s LinkedIn, as well as their contact information will appear on the to-do item to help you complete your outreach. After you complete the to-do, click on “Mark as complete” and the manual to-do will be cleared from your list.
Note: Clicking “Start” to start an entire section of to-dos will help you streamline your workflow, as you’ll be automatically forwarded to the next candidate’s profile after completing a to-do.
What happens after I complete a manual to-do?
If there is an automatic stage following your completed manual stage, you will be reminded to check for replies when the automatic stage is due to go out in To-do Check for Reply.
If you have another manual stage following your completed manual stage, you will see a warning in the new manual to-do and be reminded to check for any new replies from the candidate. If there is a reply already, you can dismiss the to-do and pause the sequence by clicking “Already replied”.
How do I get rid of manual to-dos that I don’t want to complete?
You can skip a to-do by clicking on “Skip this stage” for a single to-do, or by clicking on “Skip this stage for X remaining candidates” in the section header menu to skip all incomplete to-dos for that sequence.
What if I don’t take action on a manual to-do?
Typically, stages that follow a manual stage in your sequence will not go out until you complete the manual to-do. To prevent subsequent stages from getting delayed, take action on your incomplete manual stage in the “To do” tab and mark it as complete, or skip it by clicking “Skip this stage” in the menu.
Can I specify another outreach type for my sequence?
Apart from Email, LinkedIn, Phone Call, Text, and LinkedIn Request, we currently do not support defining custom stage types for yourself or your team. If this is something you’re interested in, please let your Gem CSM know!