How To: Use the Follow-Up System (12-Week Follow-Up) Part 1

What This Solves

Guests slip through the cracks when follow-up relies on memory or scattered notes. The 12-Week Follow-Up system fixes that by automatically engaging first-time guests with texts, emails, reminders, and prompts for you or your team. It creates a clear process from a guest’s first visit to their next step.

What You’ll Learn

Where the follow-up system lives in the software
How guests enter the 12-Week Follow-Up automatically
How to manually add someone when needed
How reminders, texts, and emails work together
How and when to send the personalized selfie video
How to track each guest’s progress

Quick Steps

1) Start in the Connections Pipeline

Open the Connections Pipeline from the left menu.

When someone plans a visit and fills out a Connect Card, they automatically move into First-Time Visits. This signals that they have entered the 12-Week Follow-Up automation.

If someone attended but did not fill out a Connect Card, you can:

Drag them into First-Time Visits, or
Add the Follow Up tag manually

Either option adds them to the follow-up sequence.

2) Open the Follow-Up Automation

Go to Automations.

Open the Post-Visit Connect Card workflow.

Your version number may vary.

Look for the workflow labeled 12-Week Follow Up and marked Published.

3) Understand How the Process Works

Inside the workflow, you will see:

A trigger (Connect Card submission or Follow Up tag)
A welcome text
Scheduled messages and reminders
Monday morning internal tasks
Weekly email and text touchpoints

Steps marked Internal are for you or your team.

Steps without that label go to the guest.

4) Review and Edit Messaging

Click any text or email step.

Read through the message and confirm it sounds like your church.

Make small edits if needed, then click Save Action.

5) Send the Personalized Selfie Video

Each Monday morning, you will receive an internal reminder to record a short selfie video for guests who visited the previous day.

Keep it 30 to 60 seconds.

Say their name
Reference something from Sunday
Encourage them
Invite them back

Open Conversations, find the guest, and send the video directly in the message thread.

This one step significantly increases return visits.

6) Track Guest Progress

Inside the workflow, click Execution Log.

You will see every guest in the system, where they are in the follow-up, and what is coming next.

This gives you full visibility without relying on memory.

Notes

Avoid changing the structure of the automation unless you understand how each step interacts. Small message edits are fine.
The follow-up system supports ministry. It does not replace it.
Guests are automatically removed from certain steps if they plan another visit or move into the Welcome Event pipeline.
Lack of response is normal. The system continues to gently engage guests over the full 12 weeks.