Conditional Logic, Delayed Delivery & Smart Email Routing Guide

Standard form submit triggers send identical email notifications for every single response immediately upon submission. FormMail Hub Multi-Condition Routing Logic & Delayed Delivery Engine transforms this workflow by evaluating multiple form response fields simultaneously, introducing customizable delivery delays (seconds, minutes, hours, or days), supporting timezone-aware scheduled date/time execution, triggering targeted custom templates, and routing emails to specific recipients or internal teams.

Test conditional workflows using our official Live Demo Form or install the add-on via the Google Workspace Marketplace Listing.

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1. Prerequisites: Custom SMTP Requirement & UI Lock State

Before configuring conditional logic rules, delayed delivery, or custom email templates, the Admin MUST complete Custom SMTP setup:

• Custom SMTP Requirement & UI Lock State: Admins MUST configure and test custom SMTP settings before unlocking Templates, Rules, Campaigns, or Analytics. Until custom SMTP is active, these feature tabs remain strictly locked in the UI.
• Built-in System SMTP Scope: Built-in System SMTP is STRICTLY restricted to sending system alerts (submission notifications, daily activity reports, and SMTP connection error alerts) to the Form Admin and selected Team Members. System SMTP CANNOT be used for custom templates, rule-based notifications, or respondent auto-responders.

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2. Core Architecture & Multi-Condition Logic

Rules evaluate form response fields upon submission via the independent cloud platform engine before outgoing emails are scheduled and constructed:

1. Multi-Condition Evaluation: Rules support evaluating multiple form response fields simultaneously to trigger targeted custom templates and route emails to specific recipients or internal teams.
2. Logic Combination Modes:
   • ALL Conditions Must Be Met (AND): Every condition in the rule group must evaluate to true.
   • ANY Condition May Be Met (OR): The rule triggers if at least one condition evaluates to true.
3. Flexible Timed Delivery Modes:
   • Relative Delay Interval: Emails can be scheduled for immediate dispatch (0) or deferred by a specified delay time across configurable units (Seconds, Minutes, Hours, or Days).
   • Absolute Scheduled Mode: Emails can be scheduled for an absolute calendar date and time. The cloud engine dynamically converts local datetime strings using your Form’s configured timezone into precise UTC timestamps for delayed execution. If a scheduled execution timestamp has already elapsed at the time of submission, the rule safely skips execution.
4. Mandatory Recipient Validation: To prevent abandoned or orphaned delivery jobs, every rule requires selecting at least one team member recipient or specifying a valid customer email field.

Condition Operator Reference

Operator	Description	Common Use Case
Equals	Exact string or selection match (case-insensitive).	Dropdown selections like Department = “Billing”.
Not Equals	Triggers when the answer does not match the value.	Exclude specific tiers or categories from generic templates.
Contains	Matches if the key phrase appears anywhere in the answer.	Free-text field containing keywords like “urgent”.
Does Not Contain	Matches if the phrase is absent from the response.	Filtering out specific domain suffixes.
Starts With / Ends With	Prefix or suffix matching.	Phone numbers or domain formats.
Is Greater Than	Numerical comparison.	Budgets > 10000.
Is Less Than	Numerical comparison.	Lower pricing tiers.
Is Empty / Is Not Empty	Checks for presence or absence of an answer.	Optional response fields.

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3. Step-by-Step Setup Guide

Follow these steps to create a conditional email routing rule with timed delivery in FormMail Hub:

[ Form Submission Received ]
             |
             v
[ Evaluate Multi-Condition Rules (AND / OR) ]
             |
     +-------+-------+
     |               |
     v (Match)       v (No Match)
[ Check Delivery Timing Mode ]    [ Skip Rule ]
     |
     +---> Immediate (Delay = 0) ---------> [ Instant Delivery via Custom SMTP ]
     |
     +---> Relative Delay (Sec/Min/Hr/Day) > [ Queue in Cloud Engine ] --> [ Deferred Dispatch ]
     |
     +---> Absolute Scheduled (Date/Time) -> [ Timezone Conversion ]
                                                  |
                                                  +---> Already Elapsed? -> [ Safe Skip (Expired) ]
                                                  |
                                                  +---> Future Target?  -> [ Queue Until Scheduled Time ]

Step 1: Open Rule Configuration

1. Ensure Custom SMTP is configured and tested under Settings > SMTP Config to unlock feature tabs.
2. Launch Google Forms™ or Google Sheets™ and open your connected form/sheet.
3. Open the FormMail Hub add-on sidebar.
4. Navigate to Email Rules > Conditional Rules.
5. Click + Add Conditional Rule.

Step 2: Define Multi-Condition Triggers

1. Rule Name: Enter a descriptive title (e.g., Technical Support Escalation or Post-Event Follow-up Survey).
2. Select the Target Form Field from the drop-down menu (e.g., Service Required).
3. Choose your Operator (e.g., Equals).
4. Enter the Target Value (e.g., Technical Support).
5. (Optional) Click + Add Condition to evaluate multiple form response fields simultaneously using AND / OR logic.

Step 3: Configure Recipients & Mandatory Validation

Every rule requires at least one designated recipient:

1. Customer Email Field: Specify a dynamic form field tag (e.g., {Email Address}) to route auto-responders directly to the submitter.
2. Team Member Recipients: Check one or more Team Members from your roster to receive internal operational alerts.
3. Mandatory Validation Rule: If neither a customer email field nor a team member is selected, the system will prevent saving the rule (Cannot save rule! Please select at least one team member or specify a customer email field.).

Step 4: Configure Delivery Delay or Scheduled Date/Time (Optional)

FormMail Hub allows you to schedule auto-responders or internal alerts using flexible timing options:

1. Locate the Delay Delivery / Schedule section in the rule configuration panel.
2. Timing Mode Options:
   • Relative Delay Mode:
     • Delay Time: Enter a numerical value (default is 0 for immediate sending).
     • Time Unit: Select Seconds, Minutes, Hours, or Days (e.g., send follow-up survey 2 Days after form completion).
   • Scheduled Absolute Date/Time Mode:
     • Select a target calendar date and time.
     • The cloud backend platform automatically converts your selected datetime using your Form’s configured timezone.
     • Safe Expiration Rule: If a respondent submits the form after the configured scheduled date/time has already passed, the system safely skips execution to avoid sending outdated notices.

Step 5: Configure Custom Sender Information & Template

1. Sender Information: Specify custom Sender Name, Sender Email, and Reply-To address to reflect the department or escalation team.
2. Email Template: Select the pre-designed custom email template.
3. Sender Identity / Custom SMTP: Choose the verified custom SMTP transport responsible for dispatching this notification.
4. Click Save Rule and ensure the rule is toggled Active.

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4. Diagnostics & Rule Debugging

Symptom / Issue	Likely Cause	Solution
Feature tabs locked in UI	Custom SMTP not configured or tested.	Admins MUST configure and test custom SMTP under Settings > SMTP Config to unlock Rules, Templates, Campaigns, and Analytics.
“Cannot save rule!” error	No recipient specified.	Select at least one team member or specify a customer email field ({Email}).
Rule does not trigger	Value mismatch or trailing spaces.	Ensure target values match form choices exactly, or use the Contains operator.
Delayed email not received immediately	Delay Delivery time is configured.	Check if a relative delay (minutes, hours, days) or scheduled date/time was set on the rule. The cloud engine holds the job in queue until the delay expires.
Scheduled email was skipped	Scheduled date/time has already elapsed.	If a submission occurs after the scheduled timestamp, the system safely skips dispatch to prevent sending expired content.
System SMTP cannot send rule email	Attempting to use System SMTP for rule notifications.	System SMTP is strictly restricted to system alerts (submission alerts, daily reports, SMTP error alerts) to Admin and Team Members. Use verified Custom SMTP for rules.

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5. Official Resources & Assistance

• Interactive Sandbox: Test live submissions on our Live Demo Form.
• Add-on Installation: Google Workspace Marketplace Listing.
• Technical Support: Contact our team directly via Support & Contact.
• Legal & Compliance: Review our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

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