# Follow up when a request is still open

A new request gets an immediate notification, then disappears into a busy inbox. Instead of sending another email no matter what, let the workflow wait, reload the entry, and only follow up if the request is still open.

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	<div class="fc-recipe-meta__group">
		<dt class="fc-recipe-meta__label">Good for</dt>
		<dd class="fc-recipe-meta__value">Support, sales, and operations teams</dd>
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		<dt class="fc-recipe-meta__label">Level</dt>
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			<span class="fc-recipe-meta__level" data-level="starter">
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				Starter
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## What you'll build

```mermaid
flowchart LR
    A[Form Submitted] --> B[Delay for 2 days]
    B --> C{Request status is Open?}
    C -->|Yes| D[Send Email to the team]
    C -->|No| E[Finish quietly]
```

![Workflow with a two-day delay, an open-status check, and a team reminder](/documentation/flowcrafter/screenshots/use-case-follow-up-open-request-workflow.png)

## Before you build

- Add an administrative **Request Status** dropdown with `Open`, `In progress`, and `Resolved` choices. Set `Open` as its default.
- Decide who owns reminders and how long the first response should take.
- Confirm WordPress can send mail reliably.

## Build it step by step

1. Open your request form and add a **Request Status** drop down to the form. Add `Open`, `In progress`, and `Resolved` as options. Set its visibility to *Administrative*.
2. Navigate to **Workflows** in the form toolbar. Click **New Workflow**, then **Add Trigger**, and choose [Form Submitted](/documentation/flowcrafter/nodes/triggers/form-submitted/).
3. Add a [Delay](/documentation/flowcrafter/nodes/flow/delay/) node and set it to wait for `2` days. For a quick test, use two minutes and change it back after you see the run resume.
4. Add a [Condition (entry)](/documentation/flowcrafter/nodes/logic/condition-entry/) node and build one rule: **Request Status is Open**. When this node runs after the delay, it reloads the entry from Gravity Forms, so the rule sees changes staff made while the workflow was waiting.

   
   ![Condition settings checking whether Request status is Open](/documentation/flowcrafter/screenshots/use-case-follow-up-open-request-settings.png)

5. On the **Yes** path, add a [Send Email](/documentation/flowcrafter/nodes/actions/send-email/) node with an email to your team. Leave **No** empty.

## Data passed between nodes

| From | Data used later | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Form Submitted | Entry identity and submitter fields | Delay context and reminder message |
| Delay | The same run and entry identity | Condition (entry) after two days |
| Gravity Forms | Fresh Request Status loaded when the condition runs | Yes or No branch |

## Edge cases

- Changing the status during the delay is safe: Condition (entry) reloads the current entry instead of using the submission snapshot.
- Permanently deleting the original entry through Gravity Forms cancels its active runs, so later reminders do not run. Moving it to Trash does not cancel them.
- An empty or unexpected status takes the No path with the rule shown. Add a second validation branch if missing status should alert staff.

## Test and activate safely

New workflows start **Inactive**. Change the delay to two minutes, point the email at a test inbox, and temporarily activate the workflow for a controlled live test. Resolve one request during the wait and confirm no reminder is sent; repeat with a request left Open and confirm the reminder. Deactivate it, restore the two-day delay and production recipient, then activate for production and review the first resumed run.

## What Flowcrafter adds

Gravity Forms can send the first notification as soon as the form is submitted. Flowcrafter handles the part that depends on what happens later: wait, re-check the entry, and skip the reminder if the work is already done.

That same shape works for unsigned agreements, unanswered applications, and any other “remind me only if this is still pending” process.

## Related resources

- [Delay node](/documentation/flowcrafter/nodes/flow/delay/) — pause without keeping a browser request open
- [Condition (entry) node](/documentation/flowcrafter/nodes/logic/condition-entry/) — reload the entry and decide from its current values
- [Pausing & Waiting](/documentation/flowcrafter/building/pausing-workflows/) — how delayed runs resume