Setting Up Email Chains in Bitrix24 CRM Marketing
An email chain is a sequential series of email messages with defined intervals sent to a specific contact after a particular event. Unlike mass mailings to a segment, a chain works individually: each recipient goes through it at their own pace, starting from the triggering event.
Where it's configured
Section: CRM → CRM Marketing → Email Chains.
Email chains in Bitrix24 CRM marketing are part of the broader automation toolkit along with email funnels. The platform's terminology difference is minor: email chains are the same automation workflows triggered by CRM events.
Typical chain scenarios
Welcome series for a new customer:
- Day 0: "Welcome, we're glad to see you".
- Day 2: "How to use your personal account".
- Day 5: "Special offer for new customers".
- Day 10: "Any questions? Our manager is ready to help".
Reactivating inactive customers:
- Segment: contacts with no active deals for 90+ days.
- Email 1: "We haven't talked in a while, here's what's new".
- After 7 days Email 2: "Special discount just for you".
- After 14 days Email 3: "Last offer, then we pause".
After closed deal:
- Day 0 (closure date): email requesting feedback.
- Day 30: email about related products.
- Day 60: reminder about consumables or maintenance.
Setting up a chain step
Each chain step is an email with parameters:
Sending conditions:
- Unconditionally (to everyone at this step).
- If previous email was opened.
- If previous email was not opened.
- If deal is not in "Lost" status.
Delay before sending:
- X days after previous step.
- X days after triggering event.
- At specific time (so emails arrive in morning, not at night).
Stop conditions:
- Customer replied to manager.
- Deal status changed (customer bought — nurture chain stops).
- Customer unsubscribed.
Frequency management
Important not to overwhelm customer with emails from different chains simultaneously. In Bitrix24 CRM marketing, you can configure global frequency limit (if supported by plan): no more than N emails to one contact per X days from all chains.
If no limit — control manually: monitor that contact isn't in multiple active chains at once.
Segmentation within chain
At chain steps, you can check contact fields and branch the scenario:
- Contact region → different offers for Moscow and regions.
- Customer type (individual / business) → different content.
- Last deal amount → different privilege levels.
This makes the chain more precise: customer gets relevant content, not same email for everyone.
Analytics
For each chain step displayed:
- Emails sent.
- Delivered (without bounce).
- Opened (open rate).
- Clicked (CTR).
- Conversions (if goal is configured).
Low open rate on second email — sign that first email didn't create anticipation. Low CTR with good open rate — issue with content or call to action.
Setup of 4-6 email chain with conditions — 1 working day including template creation.