--- title: "Understanding flow steps" slug: "understanding-flow-steps" updated: 2026-01-19T15:59:01Z published: 2026-01-19T15:59:01Z --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.gong.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Understanding flow steps # > **Who can use this**: Tech admin, Business admin > > **Available on**: Gong Engage > > **Ideal for**: Sales rep, Sales manager When setting up a flow, each step type serves a specific purpose, from email communication to call scheduling and LinkedIn engagement. Understanding the different step types in Gong Engage flows helps you create the exact structure and timing you want for your business needs. ## **Manual email** Manual email steps require the flow owner to review and send an email themselves, providing flexibility while ensuring a personalized approach. ### **Features** - **Use a template**: Save time by adding an existing email template - **Personalization with variables**: Add variables to dynamically populate recipient-specific details (e.g., first name, company). - **Email signature**: Your standard Engage email signature is automatically included. ### **AI-generated email drafts** Save time by generating your email draft with AI. Click **Generate an email** and select the type of email you want to use for that step. - **Nudge email**: Gently reminds the recipient to respond - **Follow-up email**: Generates a personalized message based on previous email exchanges Each time someone reaches the email step, Gong provides an AI-generated draft, which the flow owner can edit before sending. ### **Reply vs. new thread** For email steps **after the first step**, you can choose whether to send the email: - As a **reply** to the previous email step (helpful for keeping conversations organized) - As a **new thread** (useful for changing the subject line and starting fresh) ### **Recipient fields (To, CC, BCC)** When setting up an email step, you can predefine recipients: - **Set specific recipients** in the **To, CC, and BCC** fields. - Use the variable **"My manager"** to automatically include the rep’s manager ### **Scheduling** - **Delay from flow start**: If the email is the first step, setting "4 business days" means it’s due 4 business days after adding the recipient to the flow - **Delay from previous step**: If not the first step, setting "4 business days" means it’s due 4 business days after the previous step. **Note**: Manual emails are only due on business days. ## **Auto email** Auto email steps allow Gong Engage to send emails automatically to reduce manual effort. ### **Features** - Auto emails are sent **without rep intervention**, unless there’s a reason to review, such as missing variables, lost email thread, or disconnected email account. This means they won’t appear on the flow owner’s to-do list unless there’s an error, in which case the step will become a manual email step - Email signatures are included, just like in manual emails ### **Scheduling** - **For the first email step**: - **Send as soon as possible**: Gong will attempt to send the email immediately on a business day - **Send on any day (including weekends)**: If enabled, the email will be sent immediately, even on weekends - If an email is delayed due to sending limits or spam throttling, Gong will send it as soon as possible. - **For later steps in the flow**: - Delay the email by a set number of **business days** from either the flow start or the previous step - Emails will be sent at the recipient’s **local time** (or the sender’s time if recipient time is unavailable). ### **Reply vs. new thread** Like manual emails, auto email steps can be sent as **a reply** to the previous email or **a new thread**. ### **Sender and recipient** - The **sender** of an auto email is the rep who added the person to the flow - If a rule automatically adds people to a flow, the sender will be defined by the rule - If a contact has multiple email addresses, Gong sends the email to the **first listed address**. ### **Recipient fields (To, CC, BCC)** - Set up **To, CC, and BCC** fields in advance. - Use **"My manager"** to automatically CC the rep's manager. ## **Call** Call steps enable you to connect with prospects directly through the Gong dialer and other integrated dialers. To use the dialer, your admin must enable it for your team and set business numbers that are available either to individual reps (assigned numbers) or to your entire team. ### **Features** - **Call recording**: Calls are recorded, giving you the same analytics and insights as all recorded calls in Gong - **Call scripts**: Use templates to make things easy when it comes time to call someone ## **LinkedIn Steps** To use LinkedIn flow steps, your admin must integrate LinkedIn Sales Navigator and Gong, and you must have a LinkedIn Sales Navigator Advanced Plus license. There are two LinkedIn step types: ### **LinkedIn connect** - Prompts reps to send a **connection request** to the prospect - Cannot be logged to CRM. ### **LinkedIn message** - Prompts reps to send a **direct LinkedIn message** to the prospect - Can be logged to CRM if the **Log this conversation to CRM** option is enabled. ## **Task** Task steps serve as reminders for non-email, non-call, and non-LinkedIn activities. ### **Examples** - Sending a gift - Preparing for a meeting - Researching a company - Any other offline or manual action ### **Scheduling** Like other steps, you can set a delay in **business days** to control when a task is due. A team member who manages and configures the Gong platform and handles CRM integrations, user provisioning, permissions, and system settings. [Find my Tech admin](/v1/docs/find-your-technical-or-business-admin). A team member who manages the business entities in Gong, such as deal and forecast boards. [Find my Business admin](/v1/docs/find-your-technical-or-business-admin). Gong’s AI-driven sales engagement solution that helps sales teams prioritize, personalize, and automate outreach activities to accelerate their pipelines. Access to features depends on your [company’s plan and your assigned seat](/v1/docs/plans-and-seats). A quota-carrying sales representative who manages client relationships. Reps can be Account executives (AEs) or Sales Development Representatives (SDRs). A team member who manages a team of sales reps.