How to Properly Set Up Time Zones (for users and leads)
You always want to know that your leads are getting the right communication at the right time. 2 AM rarely goes over very well. Multiple time zone options for both users and leads can impact the campaigns' timing. This article covers everything you need to know to set up your agency and other users for success.
How Do Time Zones Work?
The software uses time zones in a variety of ways. The calendar is used to determine appointment times and set available hours (9-5 EST is different than 9-5 PST). It is also used in Campaigns if you utilize a wait step, a delay within a step, a window setting in Campaign Settings, or a window setting within a specific campaign step. Below are the different areas where time zone settings come into play.
Part 1 - Account Time Zone
If you are the account owner, you must ensure that the time zone in the business settings is consistent with your actual time zone. This can be accessed in Settings. Save the time zone and hit ‘Update Address’.
Part 2 - Lead Time Zone
No Time Zone for Leads in Campaigns: As a general rule, while leads have their own time under General Info within the contact information, campaigns will still run based on the location's time zone. Therefore, assessing your delays, windows, and waits within your campaigns is important to ensure that you don’t have folks receiving communication when you don’t want them to receive communication. The reality is that campaigns disregard contact time zones, so you should ensure the communication times always fall in a safe window based on the possibility of multiple lead time zones. For example, Noon CST is safe for all US leads, whereas 9am EST would not be safe for PST or Hawaii.
Appointments (The Exception): However, there is one exception to this rule. When a lead or customer books an appointment through the appointment widget, they can have the option to book an appointment in their time zone. (Side-note: Reminder campaigns are always relative to the appointment time, so time zones are unimportant. For example, one hour before an appointment will be the same whether the appointment is at 12pm EST or 9am PST.)
Disable Contact Time Zone: If you are working with leads and customers in the same time zone and therefore, there is no need for leads to have a time zone option, you can go to Settings → Company and check the Disable Contact time zone box. This will eliminate any choice that the lead has regarding the time zone when they are booking an appointment.