# Outbound switches and limits

Control whether workflows can text, email and call, how many go out a day, and when a contact's reply stops a workflow.

Updated Oct 28, 2026. Source: https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/user-guides/workflows/outbound-switches-and-limits

## What this does

Small Business Chatbot workflows can text, email and call only through the channels you switch on. **Outbound automation** is off on a new account, and so is every channel. Each channel has a daily limit counted over the last 24 hours.

Each workflow also has its own settings: whether a contact's reply stops it, whether a contact can go through it twice, and its time zone.

## Switch sending on

1. **Open CRM settings**

   In the app, open **CRM › Contacts** and click the **Settings** tab.

2. **Switch on Outbound automation**

   Click the switch beside **Outbound automation**. It turns all three channels on. A note appears: "Workflows can now message your contacts through the channels switched on below."

   ![The Outbound automation card with texts, emails and voice calls switched on and their daily limits of 100, 250 and 25](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/static/images/docs/user-guides/outbound-switches-and-limits-outbound-card-2026-10-28.webp)
   *CRM › Contacts › Settings, October 2026*

3. **Choose the channels**

   Switch off any of **Text messages**, **Emails** or **Voice calls** you don't want workflows to use. Switching one channel back on turns **Outbound automation** on again.

4. **Set the daily limits**

   Under each channel, type a number in **Daily limit**.

5. **Save**

   Click **Save settings** at the bottom. The bar reads "Settings saved." Nothing changes until you save.

> **Careful:** Switching **Outbound automation** on lets every published workflow send through the channels that are on. To stop all sending at once, switch it off and click **Save settings**. Sends then fail at their step until it's on again.

## Settings in CRM › Contacts › Settings

### Outbound automation

The master switch. While it's off, "no workflow can send any outbound message." Off by default.

### Text messages, Emails, Voice calls

One switch per channel. A **Send Text**, **Send Email** or **AI voice call** step sends only when its channel is on. All three are off by default. **HTTP Request** steps run whatever these switches say. To stop them, switch their workflow back to **Draft**.

### Daily limit

The most that channel can send across all your workflows in any 24 hours. Defaults: 100 texts per day, 250 emails per day, 25 calls per day. Any number from 1 to 10,000. A send past the limit fails at its step.

## Settings in each workflow

In the app, open **Workflows** and pick the workflow. These sit in the left column of the **Editor**. Click **Save workflow** after changing any of them.

![The workflow settings Stop workflows when contact replies and Only enrol each contact once, both enabled](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/static/images/docs/user-guides/outbound-switches-and-limits-workflow-settings-2026-10-28.webp)
*Workflows › Editor, October 2026*

### Stop workflows when contact replies

Off by default. When **Enabled** is ticked, a text or email reply from a contact stops their runs in every workflow where this is on. **Text replies** covers texts to your business number. **Email replies** covers replies to a workflow's email. Both are ticked by default.

### Only enrol each contact once

Off by default. When **Enabled** is ticked, a contact goes through this workflow only once. A later start shows under [Executions](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/user-guides/workflows/run-history) as **Blocked due to re-enrol**. Replays always run.

### Execution timeout (seconds)

How long a run may last. "Set to 0 to disable workflow execution timeout." The default is 0. If you set it, make it longer than the workflow's longest wait.

### Workflow timezone

The time zone for **Cron** schedules and for allowed hours on waits. A new workflow takes your browser's time zone. **Use browser timezone** appears when the two differ.

## Allowed days and hours on a wait

A [Wait](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/workflows/steps/wait) step can hold its end time to working hours. Open the step and find **Allowed days and hours** under **Advanced settings**. Tick **Restrict to allowed days/hours**, then pick the days and the **Start time** and **End time**. A wait that would end outside them ends at the next allowed time instead. It's off by default. When ticked, it starts at Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00, in the workflow timezone.

![A Wait step restricted to Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00, in the workflow timezone](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/static/images/docs/user-guides/outbound-switches-and-limits-wait-window-2026-10-28.webp)
*Workflows › Editor, October 2026*

## Opt-outs

Every send checks the contact's **Communication preferences** in **CRM › Contacts** first: **Do not contact (all channels)**, **Do not text**, **Do not email** and **Do not call**. A contact who texts STOP gets **Do not text**. A send to an opted-out contact fails at its step. See [Opt-outs and STOP](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/user-guides/texting/opt-outs-and-stop).

## If something goes wrong

| What you see | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| A step fails and **Last error** says outbound delivery is disabled | **Outbound automation** or that channel is off | Switch it on and click **Save settings**. |
| A step fails and **Last error** names the rolling 24-hour limit | The channel hit its **Daily limit** | Raise the limit, or wait for older sends to fall out of the 24 hours. |
| A step fails and **Last error** says the destination has opted out | The contact opted out of that channel | Nothing. The opt-out is working. |
| A reply didn't stop the workflow | The run had no contact phone or email to match. Its trigger carried an empty `trigger.contact` | Switch on **Save contacts** for that channel under **Passive CRM sync**, or add a **Find Contact** step early in the workflow. |
| A busy workflow stops starting new runs | It already has 100 runs in progress, the most one workflow holds | Shorten its waits so runs finish sooner. |