Communication steps are the core actions in your sequence—the actual messages you send to contacts across Email, LinkedIn, and WhatsApp.

While conditions decide whether to send, communication steps determine what to send, when to send it, who sends it, and how to personalize it.

This article shows you how to configure each communication step type, from composing messages to managing senders and timing.

What are communication steps?

A communication step is an action that sends a message to a contact through a specific channel.

Dalil supports four communication step types:

• Send Email – Compose and schedule email messages

• LinkedIn Message – Send direct messages to LinkedIn connections

• LinkedIn Connection Request – Send connection requests with optional notes

• WhatsApp Message – Send text messages via WhatsApp

Each step type has different configuration options based on channel requirements and limitations.

Why communication steps matter

Communication steps are where your sequence makes contact. They're the moments prospects hear from you.

Well-configured communication steps:

• Increase deliverability – Proper sender configuration prevents emails from landing in spam

• Improve engagement – Personalized messages get better open/click rates than generic templates

• Respect channel norms – LinkedIn messages follow LinkedIn's guidelines; WhatsApp respects character limits

• Scale intelligently – Rate limits prevent your account from being flagged or restricted

• Save time – Templates and personalization reduce manual composition work

Core configuration concepts

Before diving into each step type, understand these shared concepts.

Message Timing

Every communication step has timing options that determine when the message sends relative to the previous step.

Immediately

The message sends right away after the previous step completes.

Use when:

• Starting the sequence (first step after Sequence Start)

• Creating urgency (rapid-fire multi-channel touches)

• Following up directly after a triggered action

Example:

Sequence Start → Immediately Send Email

Wait X Minutes/Hours/Days

The message delays by a specified duration before sending.

This is the most common timing approach. It gives contacts time between touches and respects their attention span.

Use when:

• Creating breathing room between messages

• Testing different message cadences

• Staggering multi-channel outreach

Example:

Send Email → Wait 2 days → Send LinkedIn Message

Wait durations can be:

• Minutes (5, 10, 15, 30 minutes) – For urgent follow-ups or same-day escalation

• Hours (1, 4, 8, 12, 24 hours) – For time-sensitive offers or urgent channels like WhatsApp

• Days (1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 30 days) – For typical nurture sequences

Business Days Only

When you select "days," you can optionally restrict sends to business days (Monday–Friday), skipping weekends.

This respects contact availability and improves engagement rates.

Example:

Wait 2 business days → Send Email

Scheduled Send Windows

In your Sequence Settings, you can configure global send hours (default 9 AM – 6 PM) and send days (default Monday–Friday).

Individual steps respect these settings. Even if a message is ready to send at 11 PM, it queues until the next business day at 9 AM.

This ensures you're not disturbing contacts outside their working hours.

Sender Configuration

Sender is the person's name and account that appears as the message sender.

Email Senders

For email steps, you configure which of your team members' email accounts can send messages.

When you add a Send Email step:

1. Click the Sender section

2. Select one or multiple team members from the dropdown

3. Each selected sender will be able to send messages in this step

Why multiple senders?

Multiple senders enable load distribution and personalization:

• Load balancing – If 100 contacts enroll, messages are distributed equally among selected senders

• Personalization – Each contact can have an Owner assigned in your CRM; that Owner's account sends their messages

• Fallback – If an Owner is deleted or unavailable, another sender from the list can still send

Sender Priority Logic:

1. Does the contact have an Owner assigned in the CRM?

   • Yes – That Owner sends the message (if they're in the senders list)

   • No – Randomly select one of the senders equally

2. If the Owner is not in the senders list, Dalil randomly selects from available senders

Example:

You create a sequence with senders: Alice, Bob, Carol

• Contact A has Owner = Alice → Alice sends

• Contact B has Owner = Bob → Bob sends

• Contact C has no Owner → Random: Alice, Bob, or Carol sends (equal probability)

This ensures every contact gets outreach while maintaining personalization when possible.

LinkedIn Senders

LinkedIn steps work similarly but have specific requirements:

• LinkedIn Message step – Sender must be the account owner or have direct message permissions with the recipient

• LinkedIn Connection Request step – Sender is the LinkedIn account making the request

• View LinkedIn Profile step – Sender's account visits the target profile

• LinkedIn Interaction steps (Like/Comment, coming soon) – Sender's account performs the action

Only users who have connected their LinkedIn account to Dalil can be senders.

WhatsApp Senders

WhatsApp senders work exactly like LinkedIn senders. Each Pro plan user can connect one WhatsApp number to their Dalil account.

When you add a WhatsApp Message step:

1. Click the Sender section

2. Select one or multiple team members who have WhatsApp numbers connected to Dalil

3. Each selected sender's WhatsApp number will be available to send messages

Sender Priority Logic:

1. Does the contact have an Owner assigned in the CRM?

   • Yes – That Owner's WhatsApp number sends the message (if they're in the senders list)

   • No – Randomly select one of the senders equally

2. If the Owner is not in the senders list, Dalil randomly selects from available senders

Example:

You create a sequence with senders: Alice, Bob, Carol (all with WhatsApp numbers connected)

• Contact A has Owner = Alice → Alice's WhatsApp sends

• Contact B has Owner = Bob → Bob's WhatsApp sends

• Contact C has no Owner → Random: Alice's, Bob's, or Carol's WhatsApp sends (equal probability)

You must select at least one sender with a connected WhatsApp number. Only Pro plan users with WhatsApp integration are available as senders.

Personalization

Personalization means inserting contact-specific information into your message to make it feel personally addressed.

Dalil supports merge tags (also called variables) that pull data from the contact's CRM record.

Common merge tags:

• {{first_name}} – Contact's first name

• {{last_name}} – Contact's last name

• {{company_name}} – Contact's company

• {{title}} – Contact's job title

• {{owner}} – Assigned owner's name

• {{custom_field}} – Any custom field in your CRM

When the message sends, tags are replaced with actual data.

Example email:

Subject: {{first_name}}, check out this for {{company_name}}

Hi {{first_name}},

I noticed {{company_name}} is in {{industry}}. This solution helped similar companies reduce costs by 30%.

Would you be open to a brief conversation?

Best, {{owner}}

When sent to John Smith at Acme Corp:

Subject: John, check out this for Acme Corp

Hi John,

I noticed Acme Corp is in Manufacturing. This solution helped similar companies reduce costs by 30%.

Would you be open to a brief conversation?

Best, Alice

Personalization dramatically improves engagement. Messages that use the contact's name and company have 3-5x higher open rates than generic messages.

Send email step

Email is the foundational communication channel in most sequences.

Configuring Send Email

Step 1: Add send email step

In the sequence editor:

1. Click + at the point where you want to add the email

2. From the menu, select Send Email (under the Email section)

3. A configuration panel appears

Step 2: Select email template or compose

You have two options:

Option A: Use a Template

Click Select Template and choose from pre-built email templates in your Dalil library.

Templates speed up sequence creation and ensure consistency. Use them for common messages like first touch, follow-up, or breakup emails.

Option B: Compose Custom Email

Click Compose Email to write a new message.

A rich text editor appears with:

• Subject line input

• Email body with formatting (bold, italic, links, lists)

• Merge tag button to insert personalization tags

• Preview option to see how it renders

Step 3: Compose your email

Subject Line

Write a compelling subject that:

• Includes the contact's first name (if appropriate)

• Avoids spam triggers (ALL CAPS, excessive punctuation, "Click here!!")

• Creates curiosity without being manipulative

• Is 40-60 characters for mobile preview

Example good subjects:

• Quick thought for {{first_name}}

• {{first_name}} — 30% faster at {{company_name}}?

• Your thoughts on this approach?

Email Body

Write conversational, benefit-focused content:

• Start with a personalized hook (reference their company, recent news, mutual connection)

• Keep paragraphs short (2-3 sentences max)

• Include one clear call-to-action (CTA)

• Use personalization tags ({{first_name}}, {{company_name}})

• Close professionally

Avoid:

• Generic openers ("Hope this email finds you well")

• Wall-of-text paragraphs

• Multiple competing CTAs

• Aggressive sales language

Step 4: Configure timing

Select when this email sends:

• Immediately – Right after the previous step

• Wait X minutes/hours/days – Delay before sending

• Business days only – Skip weekends (if using days)

Example:

Sequence Start → Immediately Send Email

Or:

Previous Step → Wait 3 days → Send Email

Step 5: Select senders

Click Senders and choose which team members can send this email.

All selected team members will be eligible to send. Actual sender is determined by:

1. Contact's Owner (if assigned and in the list)

2. Random distribution among selected senders (if no Owner)

You must select at least one sender.

Step 6: Configure rate limits (Optional)

In your Sequence Settings, you can set global email rate limits (default: 50 emails per 24 hours).

Individual steps inherit this limit. If you want a specific step to have different limits, contact your Dalil admin to customize.

Rate limits prevent your sending reputation from being damaged.

Step 7: Preview & publish

Before publishing the sequence:

1. Click Preview tab

2. Select "Preview Email" to see how it renders

3. Check subject line, body, and merge tags populate correctly

4. Verify sender name appears correctly

Once satisfied, click Publish to activate the sequence.

LinkedIn message step

LinkedIn is powerful for B2B outreach, especially for decision-makers and executives.

Prerequisites

To send LinkedIn messages:

• Recipients must be existing LinkedIn connections

• Your sender account must have an active LinkedIn connection integrated with Dalil

• The connection must allow message sending

Configuring LinkedIn message

Step 1: Add LinkedIn message step

In the sequence editor:

1. Click + at the point where you want to add the message

2. From the menu, select LinkedIn Message (under the LinkedIn section)

3. A configuration panel appears

Step 2: Compose your message

LinkedIn has character limits and no rich text formatting, so messages are plain text.

Best practices:

• Keep it short (300-500 characters recommended)

• No URLs (LinkedIn strips them or adds warnings)

• Use line breaks for readability

• Open with a hook or personalization

• End with a question or soft CTA

• Reference mutual connections or shared interests if possible

Example LinkedIn message:

Hi {{first_name}},

I noticed we're both connected with {{mutual_connection}}, and that {{company_name}} is expanding in {{region}}.

We helped similar B2B SaaS companies reduce sales cycle by 40%.

Open to a quick conversation?

Best, {{owner}}

Why it works:

• Personalized opener (mutual connection)

• Specific value prop (40% reduction)

• Clear soft CTA (quick conversation)

• Closing signature (builds trust)

Step 3: Configure timing

Select when this message sends:

• Immediately – After previous step

• Wait X minutes/hours/days – With optional business days only

LinkedIn is typically used after email or as part of a multi-touch cadence, so use delays to avoid spamming.

Example:

Send Email → Wait 2 days → Send LinkedIn Message

Step 4: Select senders

Click Senders and choose which team members can send LinkedIn messages.

Only users with connected LinkedIn accounts are available.

Step 5: Configure LinkedIn rate limits

In Sequence Settings, you can set LinkedIn rate limits:

• Connection requests: 20 per 24 hours (default)

• Messages: 30 per 24 hours (default)

• Profile visits: 30 per 24 hours (default)

These limits are set by Dalil to prevent LinkedIn's anti-spam detection from flagging your account.

Step 6: Preview & send

Click Preview to see how your message appears.

Verify merge tags populate correctly and message is concise.

LinkedIn connection request step

Before you can message someone on LinkedIn, you typically need to connect first.

Configuring LinkedIn connection request

Step 1: Add connection request step

In the sequence editor:

1. Click + at the point where you want to add the connection request

2. From the menu, select LinkedIn Connection (under the LinkedIn section)

3. A configuration panel appears

Step 2: Compose connection note (Optional)

LinkedIn allows a personalized note when sending connection requests (max 300 characters).

With note:

Hi {{first_name}}, I think we should connect! I'm impressed by {{company_name}}'s recent growth. Let's chat soon.

Without note:

If you leave the note blank, LinkedIn sends a generic "I'd like to add you to my professional network" message.

Notes dramatically increase acceptance rates (40-50% vs. 15-20% without).

Best note practices:

• Reference something specific about them or their company

• Mention mutual connection if applicable

• Keep it concise (2-3 sentences)

• Personalize with merge tags

• Avoid generic "let's connect" language

Step 3: Configure timing

Select when the connection request sends.

Typically first in a sequence, so use Immediately or a short delay.

Example:

Sequence Start → Immediately Send LinkedIn Connection Request

Step 4: Select senders

Choose which team members' LinkedIn accounts send the connection request.

Step 5: Configure LinkedIn rate limits

Connection requests count toward your LinkedIn rate limit (20 per 24 hours default).

Dalil manages these automatically to prevent account restrictions.

WhatsApp message step

WhatsApp is the highest-engagement channel (95%+ open rates within minutes) but requires phone numbers and careful rate limiting.

Prerequisites

• Contact must have a phone number in their CRM record

• Phone number must be in international format (e.g., +1234567890)

• Contact must have WhatsApp installed on that number (Dalil doesn't verify this automatically)

Configuring WhatsApp message

Step 1: Add WhatsApp message step

In the sequence editor:

1. Click + at the point where you want to add the message

2. From the menu, select WhatsApp Message (under the WhatsApp section)

3. A configuration panel appears

Step 2: Compose your message

WhatsApp messages are plain text with a 1600 character limit.

Use this space for direct, conversational messages.

Best practices:

• Lead with value or curiosity

• Keep it personal and brief

• Use line breaks for readability

• Include one clear CTA

• Use emojis sparingly (they can feel unprofessional)

• Avoid links if possible (they break formatting)

Example WhatsApp message:

Hi {{first_name}},

Quick thought — we just helped {{company_name}}'s team close deals 40% faster using our platform.

Curious if that's a pain point for you?

{{owner}}

Why it works:

• Personal greeting

• Specific result (40% faster)

• Curiosity CTA (pain point question)

• Signature (builds trust)

Step 3: Configure timing

Select when the WhatsApp message sends.

WhatsApp is typically high-urgency, so use it later in the sequence after email/LinkedIn attempts.

Example:

Send Email → Wait 2 days → Send LinkedIn Message → Wait 1 day → Send WhatsApp Message

Important: Be careful with timing. Sending WhatsApp immediately after email can feel spammy.

Step 4: Select Which WhatsApp number sends

Unlike Email and LinkedIn, you typically don't choose individual team members for WhatsApp. Instead, configure which WhatsApp account or number sends messages.

This is managed in your Sequence Settings WhatsApp configuration.

Step 5: Configure WhatsApp rate limits

In Sequence Settings, WhatsApp rate limit is set to 20 messages per 24 hours to prevent account restrictions.

Dalil enforces this automatically. If a contact is enrolled but the rate limit would be exceeded, the message queues for the next 24-hour window.

Step 6: Phone number validation

Before sending WhatsApp messages, verify:

• Contact has phone number in CRM

• Phone number is in international format (+country_code)

• Phone number is valid (Dalil checks format automatically)

If number is invalid, the message fails for that contact. You'll see this in the Executions tab.

LinkedIn profile visit step

This is a non-message LinkedIn action that visits a contact's profile, increasing your visibility.

Configuring profile visit

Step 1: Add profile visit step

In the sequence editor:

1. Click + where you want to add the action

2. From the menu, select View LinkedIn Profile (under the LinkedIn section)

Step 2: Select timing

Choose when to visit their profile:

• Before messaging – Build curiosity before your message lands

• After messaging – Remind them of your profile after messaging

Step 3: Select sender

Choose which team member's LinkedIn account visits the profile.

This adds social proof and can increase message response rates.

Best practices for communication steps

As you configure steps, follow these guidelines.

Personalization

Always use merge tags to personalize messages:

• First touch should always include {{first_name}}

• B2B messages should mention {{company_name}}

• Assign owners so {{owner}} signatures feel personal

Personalized sequences get 3-5x better engagement than generic ones.

Multi-channel layering

Don't rely on a single channel. Layer channels strategically:

Email → Wait 2 days → LinkedIn Message → Wait 1 day → WhatsApp

This reaches people where they prefer to communicate.

Respect timing

Don't send everything immediately. Space touches:

• First touch: Immediately or same day

• Second touch: 2-3 days later

• Third touch: 5-7 days later

This respects their attention and increases response rates.

Monitor rate limits

Check your Sequence Settings rate limits and adjust if needed:

• Email: 50/24h (reasonable for most teams)

• LinkedIn messages: 30/24h (respect LinkedIn's guidelines)

• LinkedIn connections: 20/24h (prevents account flags)

• WhatsApp: 20/24h (prevents carrier restrictions)

If you're hitting limits regularly, consider running multiple sequences or splitting your audience.

Test before publishing

Always preview all email and message steps before publishing:

1. Click Preview tab

2. Select the step to preview

3. Verify merge tags populate correctly

4. Check formatting and tone

5. Look for typos and broken links

Small errors in thousands of sends create big problems.

Why this matters

Communication steps are where your sequence makes impact. A well-configured email step with personalization will outperform a generic blast message by 5x or more.

By understanding sender logic, timing, personalization, and rate limits, you can build sequences that:

• Respect email deliverability standards (improving inbox placement)

• Personalize at scale (improving engagement)

• Respect contact preferences and channel norms (improving brand reputation)

• Operate within platform guidelines (preventing account restrictions)

Communication steps are the visible, tangible part of your automation. Invest time getting them right.

Key outcome

Communication steps are the actions that send your messages through Email, LinkedIn, and WhatsApp.

Each step type requires configuration of message content, timing, sender selection, and rate limits.

By mastering step configuration—from email templates to LinkedIn personalization to WhatsApp timing—you'll build sequences that engage contacts where they are, respect their time, and drive higher response rates.