The Automated Programs Dashboard is the home for monitoring, starting, pausing, and reviewing performance for any Automated Program. This page shows program status, errors, contact activity, message metrics, and your current program settings.
Quick Reference (Advanced Users) - Click to Expand
- Open a Dashboard: Automation → Automated Programs → Hover → Show dashboard
- Start or Pause: Use the Actions menu at the top right
- Fix Errors: Actions → View error summary
- Reports: Program performance, Email, SMS
- Settings: Contact Sources, Options, Time zone
- Contacts: Entries, exits, current step activity
Open the Automated Programs Dashboard
- Go to Automation → Automated Programs.
- Hover over a program and select Show dashboard:
The Dashboard is where you can start or pause the program, add contacts, and view reporting and settings.
Program Status
The top right of the Dashboard shows the current status:
Your program is running.
Your program is paused. You can edit or restart it at any time.
Your program has errors and cannot start until they are fixed.
Start a Program
New Automated Programs begin in a paused state. To start your program:
- Select Actions at the top right.
- Select Start program.
Once started, the Dashboard displays Program is running. Contacts begin entering based on the Source List or Segment rules you set.
Pause a Program
You must pause a program before making structural changes. To pause a running program:
- Select Actions next to the status indicator.
- Select Pause program.
Fix Program Errors
If the Dashboard shows Program has errors, you must resolve them before starting the program.
- Select Actions → View error summary.
- Review the errors to see which steps or message settings need attention.
- Select Fix Errors to open the Program Flow.
- Update steps, messages, or settings as needed.
- Select Save.
Restart a Paused Program
You can restart a paused program at any time using the same steps used to start a new one.
- Select Actions.
- Select Start program.
What happens when I restart a paused program?
When you restart, contacts already inside the program continue from the step where they were waiting. Act-On also checks for any new contacts added to your source list during the pause. What happens next depends on your entry method:
- Immediate entry
Any new contacts added to your Source List or Segments while the program was paused enter the program automatically after it restarts. - Manual entry
The Dashboard displays pending contacts who arrived during the pause. You choose whether to:- Allow pending contacts to enter
- Exit pending contacts from the program
- Scheduled entry
New contacts enter at the next scheduled time after the program restarts.
View Automated Program Reports
Use the Report tab to explore program performance:
- Total contacts who have entered or exited
- How many contacts are in each step
- Email performance
- SMS performance
- Program settings and entry behavior
Program Performance
Select Report → Program performance:
Use the top navigation to switch between available views.
All Contacts
Shows total entries and exits over time. The default is the last twelve months. Under Contact Entries, you can search by Name or Email to see whether a contact is still inside the program or has exited.
Contacts in Program
Shows all contacts currently in the program, along with their entry date, source list, and current step.
Email Performance
Select Report → Email performance to review message performance. Select any subject line to view its full Sent Message Report.
SMS Performance
Select Report → SMS performance to see metrics for SMS messages sent by your program.
Program Settings
The Settings tab shows key configuration details, including:
- Program name and creation date
- Time zone
- Source lists and segments
- Suppressed contacts
- Entry method (manual, immediate, scheduled)
- Enabled options such as repeat steps, re-entry, alternate ID, fatigue rules, and CRM notes