Multichannel outreach sequences that stop when a lead replies

What a multichannel sequence is

Sales teams rarely reach a prospect on the first message or the first channel. A multichannel outreach sequence, sometimes called a cadence, plans the follow-up in advance: which channel comes next, how long to wait, and what should happen when the lead responds. In FollowThroo you build one campaign that mixes channel steps, enroll leads from your CRM, and the sequence engine works out each lead's next action.

• •Send steps: an email, a LinkedIn connection request, a LinkedIn message, or a WhatsApp message.
• •Wait steps: hold a lead for a set number of days before the next step.
• •Enrich steps: look up a 1st-degree LinkedIn connection's contact info (email and phone) before an email or WhatsApp step, on plans that include it.
• •Conditions: branch on whether the lead opened, clicked or replied.
• •Exit: finish the sequence for that lead.

A worked example: LinkedIn, email, then WhatsApp

A typical B2B sequence starts with a relationship on LinkedIn, follows up by email, and uses WhatsApp only where the contact has agreed to hear from you. Here is how one lead moves through it.

• •Day 0: LinkedIn Connect. The FollowThroo desktop app sends the invitation from your own LinkedIn session.
• •Wait 2 days after the connection is accepted, then send a LinkedIn message.
• •Wait 3 days, then send an email from your connected mailbox.
• •Wait 4 days, then send an approved WhatsApp template to an opted-in contact.
• •If the lead replies to any of these (email, LinkedIn or WhatsApp), every later step is cancelled for them and the reply is recorded on their record.

Reply detection across every channel

Before any send step runs, the sequence engine checks whether the lead has replied since they were enrolled. Email replies are matched by the connected mailbox's reply poller, LinkedIn replies are read by the desktop app for people you messaged, and WhatsApp replies arrive through the provider webhook. All three record the same verified reply, so one reply anywhere is enough to stop the follow-up. Email and LinkedIn replies open a conversation in the shared inbox; WhatsApp replies are recorded on the lead's timeline.

LinkedIn steps that check before they act

Each LinkedIn step first asks whether its outcome is already true, so a sequence does not send an invitation to someone you are already connected to, or a message to someone who has not accepted yet.

• •Already connected: the Connect step is marked satisfied, no invitation is sent and no credits are charged.
• •Invitation already pending: no second invitation is sent.
• •Message step: waits for the connection. If it is not accepted within 21 days the step is blocked and nothing is sent.
• •"Wait N days" after a Connect step counts from the actual connection, not from when the invitation was queued.
• •A CAPTCHA, a sign-out or a LinkedIn limit pauses the campaign and puts the action back in the queue. It never fails the lead, and nothing on a security check is clicked.

Pacing and platform limits

Every send passes through the same server-side checks before it leaves. Each channel has its own queue and daily limit, so a sequence with hundreds of leads does not turn into a burst.

• •Email: pacing per connected mailbox, within the provider's daily cap.
• •LinkedIn: at most 20 invitations per account per day, or a lower cap you choose, with spaced actions.
• •WhatsApp: within your provider tier, which starts at 250 unique contacts per 24 hours.

Unsubscribes and suppression

Campaign email carries a one-click unsubscribe link and header. An unsubscribe, a hard bounce, or a reply that just says "stop" puts the contact on the workspace suppression list. A suppressed lead is skipped on every channel, and the step is recorded as skipped rather than silently dropped.