> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.hoopai.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# AI smart send time

> Use AI-powered send time optimization to deliver emails when each contact is most likely to engage.

AI Smart Send Time analyzes each contact's historical engagement patterns and delivers your campaign at the optimal time for each individual recipient. Instead of sending to your entire list at once, the platform staggers delivery so every contact receives the email during their personal peak engagement window.

***

## How it works

1. The AI analyzes past open and click activity for each contact
2. It identifies the time of day and day of week when each contact is most likely to engage
3. When you schedule with Smart Send Time enabled, the platform delivers emails across a window (typically 24 hours)
4. Contacts without enough engagement history receive the email at the campaign's default send time

***

## Enabling smart send time

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create or edit a campaign">
    In **Marketing > Emails > Campaigns**, create a new campaign or open a draft.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Go to the schedule step">
    After composing your email, proceed to the **Send or Schedule** step.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enable smart send time">
    Toggle on **Smart Send Time** (or **AI Optimized Send Time**).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set a fallback time">
    Choose a default send time for contacts who lack sufficient engagement data.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Schedule the campaign">
    Click **Schedule**. Delivery begins at the start of the optimization window.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## What the AI considers

* **Open times** — when the contact has historically opened emails
* **Click times** — when the contact has clicked links
* **Time zone** — the contact's detected or assigned time zone
* **Day-of-week patterns** — weekday vs. weekend engagement differences
* **Recency weighting** — recent engagement carries more weight

<Note>
  Smart Send Time requires sufficient historical data. Contacts who have received fewer than 3 emails will use the fallback send time.
</Note>

***

## Best practices

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Use for campaigns where timing matters">
    Smart Send Time works best for promotional campaigns, newsletters, and re-engagement emails.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Not ideal for time-sensitive announcements">
    If your message is about an event starting in 2 hours, use a fixed send time instead. Smart Send Time spreads delivery across up to 24 hours.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Compare against fixed sends">
    A/B test: send one campaign with Smart Send Time and another at a fixed time. Compare open and click rates.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Keep contact time zones accurate">
    The AI uses time zone data from the contact record. Missing or incorrect time zones reduce optimization accuracy.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Limitations

* Requires at least 3 previous email interactions per contact for accurate optimization
* Delivery is spread across a window (typically 24 hours), not instant
* Available for broadcast campaigns only — not for workflow email actions
* The AI model improves over time as more engagement data is collected

***

## Smart send time vs. manual scheduling

| Feature         | Smart send time                        | Manual scheduling            |
| --------------- | -------------------------------------- | ---------------------------- |
| Delivery window | Spread across 24 hours per contact     | All at once at a fixed time  |
| Personalization | Per-contact optimization               | Same time for everyone       |
| Best for        | Newsletters, promotions, re-engagement | Time-sensitive announcements |
| Data required   | Historical engagement data             | None                         |