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Jessica_Biblis
Jessica_Biblis
Level 3
October 25, 2016
Solved

Duration wait step

  • October 25, 2016
  • 2 replies
  • 3151 views

What happens when you use duration in a wait step without specifying the time?

For example: Wait 4 hours, wait must end Mon-Friday. Send email.

If someone enters the wait step on Saturday at 9 a.m., when will they receive the email? Right at 12:00 am Monday? Or would it be Monday 4 hours after they entered the wait, at 1 p.m. Monday?

Best answer by Devraj_Grewal

Jessica,

The wait step will wait 4 hours and then wait until the very next "Mon-Fri", which would be at 12a on Monday. But what you can do is choose a time for "Must End On" so the email flow step executes at that time of the day on Monday.

Step #1:

Wait 4 hours

Type: Duration

Duration: 4 hours

Must End On: Mon-Fri 1:00PM

Step #2: Send Email (email will be sent Mon at 1:00PM)

If a lead runs through on Monday at 11AM, they will wait 4 hours (Mon 3PM) and then have to wait until the next Mon-Fri at 1PM, which will be Tues at 1PM.

You can learn a bit more here: Wait - Marketo Docs - Product Docs

2 replies

Devraj_Grewal
Devraj_GrewalAccepted solution
Level 10
October 25, 2016

Jessica,

The wait step will wait 4 hours and then wait until the very next "Mon-Fri", which would be at 12a on Monday. But what you can do is choose a time for "Must End On" so the email flow step executes at that time of the day on Monday.

Step #1:

Wait 4 hours

Type: Duration

Duration: 4 hours

Must End On: Mon-Fri 1:00PM

Step #2: Send Email (email will be sent Mon at 1:00PM)

If a lead runs through on Monday at 11AM, they will wait 4 hours (Mon 3PM) and then have to wait until the next Mon-Fri at 1PM, which will be Tues at 1PM.

You can learn a bit more here: Wait - Marketo Docs - Product Docs

Jessica_Biblis
Jessica_BiblisAuthor
Level 3
October 25, 2016

Thanks, Devraj. I know that I can set a specific time, but I wasn't sure what would happen if I left option that blank. I appreciate your response.

    P
    PavelPlachky
    Level 1
    October 17, 2025

    I know this is an old post, but for the benefit of the community I’d like to correct an inaccuracy in the accepted answer by @devraj_grewal.

    If a wait step has a day restriction but no specific time set, it does not default to 12:00 AM. Instead, it resumes at the same time on the next permitted day.

    I’ve tested this behavior, and it makes sense: if someone wants the wait to end at midnight, they can explicitly set 12:00 AM as the time. But in many cases, the desired outcome is to resume the flow at the same hour on the next business day — and that’s exactly what leaving the time blank does.

    Here is a test I did:


    The campaign was run at 2:55 on Thursday and the alert was sent at 3:55 on Friday, confirming the described behavior.

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