The Evaluate Email Contact and Evaluate SMS Contact blocks are essential tools for automations that need to make decisions based on contact data. Both blocks serve the same purpose: evaluating whether a contact meets specific criteria to determine the path they will take in your automation. Contacts who meet the criteria proceed down the "Yes" path, while those who do not will proceed down the "No" path. Here's a closer look at how these blocks function and the options they offer.

Setting Up Evaluation Criteria

At its core, the Evaluate block lets you define detailed criteria for sorting your contacts. The process of setting up criteria is similar to creating a Segment: you can use simple or complex logic to match your automation's needs. Whether broad or specific, you have complete flexibility in defining the rules that contacts must meet to follow the "Yes" route.

Re-Evaluate Feature

A very useful feature of the Evaluate block is the Re-evaluate option. This enables the system to hold contacts in the Evaluate step and repeatedly check their data over time until they meet the criteria or a specified period ends.

• How to Enable Re-evaluate:

  • Check the box labeled “Re-evaluate for a specified timeframe or until conditions are met.”
  • Choose between two settings:
    • Indefinitely: The contact remains in the evaluation step until they meet the criteria, no matter how long it takes. This means that contacts will never proceed down the "No" path. 
    • Specific Period: Define a timeframe (e.g., 7 days). Contacts that have still not met the criteria at the end of the timeframe will proceed down the "No" path.

• What Happens During Re-evaluation:

  • When a contact's data updates to meet the criteria, they are immediately moved down the "Yes" path. This lets your automations be reactive to your contact's data changes, allowing you to react immediately to an action they've taken.
  • If the specified timeframe ends without the contact meeting the criteria, they proceed down the "No" path. 

Additional Options for Entry Evaluations

If the Evaluate block is used as the entry step in an automation, additional functionality becomes available to streamline how contacts are pulled into the workflow:

1. Trigger Evaluation Based on Field Updates:

   • Specify whether the automation should evaluate contacts when:
     • A field listed in the Evaluate criteria is updated (default).
     • Any field in the contact's profile is updated (optional but less precise).
   • Using the default setting prevents unnecessary re-evaluations caused by unrelated updates, keeping your automation more efficient.

2. Evaluate Existing Contacts at Automation Start:

   • Decide whether contacts who already meet the criteria should be included in the automation when it begins.
   • Two options are available:
     • Current Match: Only pull in contacts who meet the criteria at the moment the automation starts. This is the most common use case and fits most automation needs.
     • Historical Match (Advanced): Include contacts whose data updated to match the criteria within the timeframe specified, even if their data has since changed and no longer meets the criteria. The maximum lookback for this option is 30 days. 
       

Use Cases

Evaluate Email Contact and Evaluate SMS Contact blocks allow you to implement dynamic, responsive workflows by assessing contact data at key points. Here are some examples:

• Identifying contacts who qualify for special offers based on purchase history.
• Delaying further messaging until a contact’s profile meets a readiness threshold (e.g., attending a webinar).
• Managing re-entry into automations to avoid pulling in contacts unnecessarily.

The Evaluate blocks are invaluable tools for creating data-driven automations, helping you ensure that every contact follows the right path at the right time. By combining flexible criteria, re-evaluation capabilities, and advanced entry options, these blocks give you the precision and adaptability needed to manage even the most complex workflows effectively.