Timing

The Timing tab controls when follow-ups are allowed to send. It does not affect the welcome message — only follow-ups honor the schedule. You configure three things: the timezone used to interpret everything, a grace period for immediate replies, and the weekly operating schedule for follow-ups.

Getting here

In NZ Leads, go to Sources → select a source → Messaging Settings → Timing tab.

Options

Timezone

• Label: “Timezone” (autocomplete selector)
• Default: (set at the business level; locations typically inherit)
• What it is: the IANA timezone used to interpret everything on this tab — schedule hours, timestamps, grace period boundaries.
• Use this when: set this to wherever the business operates, not where any individual team member lives. All schedule hours are read in this timezone.

Grace Period (minutes)

• Label: “Grace Period (minutes)” (number input)
• Range: 0–1440 minutes (0 to 24 hours)
• Default: 30
• What it does: lets follow-ups go out within X minutes of the lead’s initial message, even if that time falls outside the operating schedule. The intent is: always reply promptly to a fresh inquiry — even if it’s off-hours — but once the grace window closes, respect the schedule.
• When set to 0: no grace — follow-ups are never sent outside the operating schedule, full stop.
• When set high (e.g., 120): follow-ups can continue landing outside scheduled hours for up to that many minutes after the lead first messaged.
• Use this when: 30–60 minutes works for most businesses. Go higher (60–120) if your customers routinely message late evening and you want to catch them before they move on. Keep at 0 if you strictly don’t message outside hours.

Follow-up Operating Schedule

• Label: day-by-day weekly picker
• Default: “Any day” 00:00–24:00 (follow-ups allowed at any time, any day)
• What it is: a week-at-a-glance picker (Monday–Sunday, plus an “Any day” shortcut) where you set time periods during which follow-ups are allowed to send. A follow-up scheduled outside these windows is held until the next allowed period.
• Per-day options:
  • Off — no follow-ups on that day (e.g., Sundays).
  • Full 24 hours — send any time that day (e.g., 24/7 weekdays).
  • Custom hours — one or more time periods, like 08:00–18:00.
• Multiple time periods per day: supported — set a morning block and an afternoon block if you have a lunch break or split shift.
• Use this when: match it to when someone is genuinely available to handle replies. Schedules that promise coverage you can’t deliver hurt your conversion more than they help.

How it behaves

• Welcome messages are not gated by this schedule. The welcome sends as soon as it’s ready (subject to the Welcome Message Delay on the Conversation Setup tab). Only follow-ups respect the schedule.
• A scheduled follow-up outside allowed hours is held, not skipped. It moves to the next allowed window.
• Grace period overrides the schedule — but only for the window starting at the lead’s initial message.
• Timezone applies to everything on this tab. If a follow-up is set for “09:00” and your timezone is America/Los_Angeles, that’s 9 AM Pacific regardless of where your team or leads are located.

Examples

A service business open Mon–Fri 8 AM – 6 PM, Saturday 9 AM – 2 PM, closed Sunday:

• Timezone: your local timezone.
• Grace period: 60 minutes (lets late-evening inquiries get one quick follow-up).
• Schedule:
  • Monday–Friday: 08:00–18:00
  • Saturday: 09:00–14:00
  • Sunday: Off

24/7 emergency service:

• Timezone: your local timezone.
• Grace period: 120 minutes (doesn’t matter much when always-on anyway).
• Schedule: Any day, 00:00–24:00.

Professional services, weekdays only:

• Timezone: your local timezone.
• Grace period: 30 minutes.
• Schedule:
  • Monday–Friday: 09:00–17:00
  • Saturday & Sunday: Off.

Troubleshooting

• Follow-ups are going out after hours: check the grace period. A long grace can legitimately push messages into evening. Lower it if that’s not what you want.
• Follow-ups never send on a particular day: that day is likely set to Off. Check the per-day settings.
• Wrong hour: double-check the timezone. Schedule hours are interpreted in the timezone set on this tab, not the reader’s timezone.
• Lead messaged at noon, first follow-up didn’t send until the next morning: the scheduled delay probably pushed it outside allowed hours. Shorten the first follow-up’s delay, or widen the schedule.

Questions? Email support@nzleads.com.