Using Delay App in OttoKit

Not every workflow should run at full speed from start to finish. Sometimes you need to wait a few minutes before sending a follow-up email. Or pause until a specific date before triggering a reminder. That is exactly what the Delay app is for.

The Delay app lets you add a timed pause to any workflow, giving you full control over when each action fires.

What Is the Delay App?

The Delay app is a built-in OttoKit action that holds the workflow at a specific point for a set amount of time or until a chosen date and time. Everything after the Delay step will only run once the wait period ends.

By default, every step in an OttoKit automation runs one after the other, instantly. But sometimes, instant isn’t what you want.

That’s where the Delay action comes in. It lets you add a time gap between steps, so your automation pauses before moving on. You can place it right after your trigger, between action steps, or even add multiple Delay steps within the same workflow.

Imagine This Scenario

You run an online store and want to follow up with every new customer after they place an order. Without a delay, the follow-up email fires the moment the order comes in, which can feel robotic and impersonal.

With a Delay step, you can hold that email for two days. When it lands in the customer’s inbox, it feels thoughtful, like you checked in at just the right time.

There are two ways to use the Delay app:

• Delay For — Waits for a fixed amount of time (for example, 30 minutes or 2 days) before continuing.
• Delay Until — Waits until a specific date and time before continuing.

How to Add the Delay App to Your Workflow

Follow the steps below to add a Delay action to any workflow.

Step 1: Open your workflow and click the + button on any edge to add a new action.

Step 2: In the Add Action panel, click Delay from the list of built-in apps.

Step 3: The Delay panel opens with three tabs: Select, Configure, and Test.

Select Tab

The Select tab lets you choose the type of delay you want to add.

• Change App — Shows “Delay”. Click this to swap to a different app if needed.
• Select Event — Click the dropdown and choose either Delay For or Delay Until, depending on your use case.

Once you select your event, click Continue to go to the Configure tab.

Configure Tab: Delay For

If you selected Delay For, the Configure tab shows two fields:

• Value (required) — Enter the number of time units to wait. For example, enter 30 to wait 30 minutes. You can also type @ to map this value from a previous step. Negative numbers are not accepted.
• Unit (required) — Choose the time unit from the dropdown. Options are: Second(s), Minute(s), Hour(s), Day(s), Week(s), and Month.

For example, to delay a workflow for 2 hours, set Value to 2 and Unit to Hour(s).

Note: The delay should not be more than one month!

Now, click on the continue button to go to the test tab

Configure Tab: Delay Until

If you selected Delay Until, the Configure tab shows one field:

Select a specific date and time — Enter a date and time in the format: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS (for example, 2025-12-31 09:00:00). 

You can also use the @ picker to map a date value from a previous step.

The workflow will pause at this step until the specified date and time is reached, then continue to the next action.

Note: Make sure the date and time you enter exactly follow the format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS. For example: 2025-12-31 09:00:00.

Now, click on the continue button to go to the test tab

Test Tab

The Test tab shows a Test Action button. Click it to verify the step is connected and configured correctly. Once the test passes, click Save to add the Delay step to your workflow.

Practical Use Cases

Follow-up emails: Send a welcome email immediately when a user signs up, then use Delay For to wait 3 days before sending a personalised follow-up.

Here’s how you might set that up: 

1. A new user signs up on your site, triggering the workflow.
2. An email action immediately sends them a welcome email.
3. A Delay For step pauses the workflow for 3 days.
4. A second email action sends a follow-up, checking in, or pointing them to next steps.

Scheduled reminders: Use Delay Until with a date from a booking confirmation to send a reminder exactly 24 hours before an appointment.

Here’s how you might set that up: 

1. A customer books an appointment, and a confirmation is created in your booking tool.
2. A Delay Until step uses the appointment date to pause the workflow until exactly 24 hours before the scheduled time.
3. An email or SMS action sends the customer a reminder with their appointment details.

Trial expiry notices: Start a workflow when a trial begins, use Delay For to wait 13 days, then send a renewal notice one day before the trial ends.

Here’s how you might set that up: 

1. A new trial is created for a user on your platform.
2. A Delay For step pauses the workflow for 13 days.
3. An email action sends the user a heads-up that their trial expires tomorrow, with a prompt to upgrade.

Time-gated offers: Wait a set number of days after a purchase before sending a discount code for the next order.

Here’s how you might set that up: 

1. A customer completes a purchase in your store.
2. A “Delay For” step pauses the workflow for a set number of days. For example, 5 days after the order.
3. An email action sends the customer a discount code to encourage their next purchase.

Onboarding drip: Space out onboarding messages by adding a “Delay For” of 1 day between each step.

Here’s how you might set that up: 

1. A new user completes signup, triggering the workflow.
2. An email action sends Day 1 onboarding content. A getting-started guide or quick tip.
3. A “Delay For” step pauses for 1 day.
4. A second email action sends Day 2 content. A feature highlight or tutorial.
5. Another “Delay For” step pauses for another day, and the pattern repeats for each subsequent message.

Tips for Success

• Use Delay For for relative waits — If you want to wait a fixed duration after a trigger fires, Delay For is the right choice.
• Use Delay Until for calendar-based waits — If you want to resume at a specific date (like a renewal date or event date), use Delay Until and map the date from your trigger data.
• Map dynamic dates with @ — If your trigger or a previous step provides a date, type @ in the date field and select it from the dropdown to use it dynamically.
• Test before publishing — Use the Test tab to confirm the Delay step is configured correctly before your workflow goes live.

Need Help?

If you have any questions about the Delay app or if you get stuck, our support team is happy to help.

Reach out at [email protected] or visit our support page 

You can also browse more guides in the OttoKit Knowledge Base.