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Understanding the Automation Numbers

  • July 2, 2025
  • 1 reply
  • 153 views
A

I just ran my first automation and I’m wondering if I set it up wrong because the numbers aren’t lining up.

Email #1 sent to 3,903 | Wait 1 day | Match conditions = Open email #1 in the last 2 days | If Yes send Email #2

993 contacts opened email #1 and matched the conditions above, but only 500 contacts were sent email #2. That’s a difference of 493 contacts with no unsubscribes or bounces.

Why didn’t the other 493 contacts that opened email #1 get email #2? Is it because my condition (last 2 days) needs to be longer?

Additionally, 2,601 contacts went into the queue as a “no” status, and when I compare the queue contacts to the open contacts there’s a difference of 309 contacts. Where did they go?

This is just one example, but I have differences like this across the whole automation. If anyone can shed some light as to why this is I would be very grateful.

Thanks!

1 reply

alannahurley
  • alannahurley
  • Community Manager
  • July 2, 2025

For the 493 missing contacts between opens and Email #2:

The most common reasons for this gap are:

  1. Timing of the condition check - Your “opened in the last 2 days” condition is checked at the exact moment each contact hits that step. If someone opened the email on day 1 but didn’t reach the condition check until day 3, they’d fail the condition.
  2. Contact suppression - ActiveCampaign has built-in protections that might prevent sending if contacts have:
  • Recently received too many emails
  • Been marked as less engaged
  • Hit daily sending limits
  1. Data processing delays - There can be slight delays between when opens are tracked and when they’re available for condition matching.

For the 309 contact difference in your “no” queue:

This is likely contacts who:

  • Unsubscribed or were suppressed between the initial send and the condition check
  • Had delivery issues (soft bounces, etc.)
  • Were removed from lists or had their status change

My recommendations:

  1. Extend your time window - Try “opened in the last 3-4 days” to account for processing time
  2. Add a wait step - Consider adding a few hours wait before your condition check
  3. Check your contact records - Look at a few specific contacts who should have gotten Email #2 but didn’t - their activity timeline will show exactly what happened

I hope this helps you get to the bottom of whats going on!

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