Removing Users from Journeys

Removing users from journeys is just as important as adding them. After all, you don't want to keep sending messages to users after the content is no longer relevant to them! Here's everything you need to know about removing users from your journeys.

# In this article

# Options for removing users from journeys

There are several ways users can be removed from journeys.

# Unconnected tiles

Any tile that isn't connected to another tile in a journey is an exit point. Keep this in mind as you build a journey. You can intentionally leave a tile unconnected if you want users to exit the journey after they finish that tile. But remember not to leave a tile unconnected if you want users to continue beyond that step in the journey!

If you want users who reach the end of a path in one of your journeys to be added to another sequence, add a Send to journey tile to the end of the path.

# Filter tiles

You can use filter tiles to remove users at different stages of the journey. For example, if you want to remove any users who don't match the conditions of an Attribute split tile, leave the Everyone else branch unconnected. Users who don't match any of the criteria you've set up will be sent down this path and be removed from the journey.

Alternatively, you can uncheck the Add an "Everyone else" branch when you're setting up the Attribute Split tile. Users who don't match any of the criteria you've set up will be removed from the journey.

# Exit rules

Exit rules automatically remove users from a journey after they’ve completed a desired action or one of their user attributes changes.

For example, let's say you want users to be removed from the journey as soon as they unsubscribe from one of your lists. You could set up an exit rule that checks the user profile for an unsubscribe event and removes the user from the journey as soon as one is found.

Exit rules are different from filter tiles because they apply to the entire journey, not just a specific step. So no matter where the user is in the journey, as soon as they meet your exit rule criteria, they'll stop receiving messages that are no longer relevant to them. This gives you greater flexibility and lets you accomplish your goals using fewer tiles!

You can set up as many exit rules in a journey as you like.

Users only need to match the criteria for one of your exit rules in order to be removed from a journey. So if you’ve set up three exit rules in the journey, when a user meets the criteria for Rule 1 (or Rule 2 or Rule 3), they’ll be removed from the journey.

Users who match the criteria for one of your exit rules will be removed from the journey when they finish the tile they're on. (The only exception to this is if a user is in a Delay tile when they match your exit rule criteria — they may be removed from the journey before they complete the delay.)

Exit rules check for an event or a change in a user attribute while users are in a journey. If a user has a particular attribute when they enter the journey, and that attribute doesn’t change, they won’t be removed from the journey.

If you want to exclude users from a journey if they already have a certain attribute on their user profile (and may have been removed from the journey previously via exit rules), consider setting up entry rules in the Start tile to filter them out.

# Failed webhook calls

If a webhook call fails for one of your users, the user will exit the journey. Keep this in mind as you set up any Call webhook and User profile tiles you've added to your journey.

See Journey Webhooks to learn more.

# Deleting tiles

When you delete tiles from a live journey, any users who are in those tiles at the time you publish your changes will be removed from the journey.

# Turning a journey off

When you turn a journey off, users who are in the journey will be removed after they complete the step they're on. However, if the journey is turned back on while a user is still in a Time Delay tile, the user is not removed from the journey when they reach the end of their delay — they proceed to the next tile.

If you don't want to remove any users from the journey, but you want to prevent new users from entering it, disconnect the Start tile.

# Removing users at a specific point in the journey

If you want to remove users at a specific point in the journey, use a filter tile.

Let's say you want to remove users who aren't engaging with a promo sequence. You could add a Yes/No Split tile that checks for an open or click after a message tile. If you want to remove users who haven't opened or clicked the message, leave the "No" branch unconnected.

# Removing users as soon as an action occurs

If you want to remove users when a certain event occurs — no matter where they are in the journey — use an exit rule. (For example, if you want users to be removed from a promo sequence as soon as they make a purchase.)

To add exit rules to a journey, click Exit rules in the lower left of Studio.

As you're setting up your exit rules, think about whether you want users to be removed from the journey when they meet a single condition or a group of conditions:

• If you want to remove users only when they have met multiple criteria, add a single exit rule with multiple conditions. Use the + Condition button to add each additional condition to the exit rule.

• If you want to remove users who match at least one of many separate
  conditions (or groups of conditions), add multiple exit rules to the journey. Use the + Add rule button to add each additional rule.

# Questions?

For help troubleshooting one of your journeys, see Journeys: Frequently Asked Questions or reach out to Iterable Support. (See Working with Iterable Support.)