One flow I built used Yet Another Mail Merge (YAMM) connected to Google Sheets for a targeted outreach campaign. I started by pulling and cleaning the contact list in Google Sheets, organizing it by things like school, role, and prior engagement. From there, I built a simple but intentional flow: an initial outreach email, followed by 1–2 timed follow-ups for anyone who hadn’t opened or responded. YAMM made it easy to personalize each message at scale using merge tags, so each email still felt tailored. The trigger was essentially time- and behavior-based. The first email went out to the full list, then I used YAMM’s tracking (opens and replies) to segment who received follow-ups. For example, people who opened but didn’t respond got a slightly different nudge than those who never opened. What I liked about this setup is that it was lightweight but effective. It didn’t require a full CRM build, but I still had enough control to personalize outreach, track engagement, and adjust messaging in real time based on what was working.

I’ve mostly worked with tools like Mailchimp alongside Salesforce (and systems like LGL), and I’ve found that I gravitate toward platforms that make it easy to be both targeted and organized. For me, the biggest thing is segmentation. I want to be able to quickly pull the right audience, whether that’s by engagement level, program involvement, or location, and know the message will actually land. Good automation is a close second. Once a system is set up well, it should run smoothly in the background, especially for things like onboarding or follow-ups. I also really value strong integrations. When email tools connect cleanly to a CRM, everything just works better. The data is more reliable, tracking is easier, and you can be much more intentional with how you’re communicating over time.

I would use AI to ensure that people feel heard during the customer journey. As a customer, I find it makes all the difference when I feel heard, whether by an automated system or a person.