CareTracks in SteepleMate automate a series of actions in response to specific ministry events, such as a new guest connecting, or members missing multiple events. These automations include sending texts/emails, assigning follow-ups, and moving participants to other CareTracks.

Note: CareTracks only trigger between 8:00 AM – 10:00 PM local time to avoid off-hours communication.

Step 1: Access CareTracks

1. From the left navigation menu, click on Care Center.
   
2. Select CareTracks from the dropdown.
   

Step 2: Create a New CareTrack

1. On the CareTracks screen, click the New button.
   
   Here's a birds eye view of some CareTracks we have created.
   
   
2. Fill out the Track Details:
   • Name: Give your CareTrack a descriptive name.
   • Description: (Optional) Explain the purpose of the CareTrack.
     
   • Trigger: Choose when this track should start (e.g., New Guest).
     
   • New Guest: Track will trigger when the guest connect card is filled out. 
     
   • New Group Member: Track will trigger when someone is added to a group, whether manually or triggered by some other automation or CareTrack.
3. Click Save.

After saving, two new sections appear: Steps and Participants.

1. Click the Steps tab, then click New to create a step. 
   
2. Fill out the Step Info:
   
1. Order: This determines the sequence of the step within the CareTrack. Step 1 will happen first, then Step 2, and so on. If you’re just starting, leave this as “1.”
2. Name: Give this step a short name that describes what it does. Example: “Send Welcome Text” or “Wait 3 Days.” This helps you identify the step later.
3. Action: Choose what the system should do in this step. The options are:
1. Send Message: Send a text message or email to the participant or someone else.
2. Assign Task: Assign a task to someone on your team to follow up.
3. Start New Track: Automatically move the participant into another CareTrack.
4. Wait: Add a delay before the next step starts (e.g., wait 3 days before the next message).
   

Using Message Tokens

Throughout CareTracks, you can personalize communications by inserting Tokens—shortcodes that automatically pull real data from your records.

For example:

• #FirstName# becomes “Jason”
• #ChurchName# becomes “Hope City Church”

You’ll see a Message Tokens dropdown anywhere you compose a message or write task instructions. Click to view available tokens and insert them into your text. Tip: Tokens work in emails, texts, and task descriptions.

Setting Up the “Send Message” Action

After selecting Send Message from the Action dropdown, additional fields will appear. Here’s how to complete them:

1. Message Type: Choose whether to send a Text Message or an Email.
   
2. Recipient Type: Select who will receive the message:
   
1. Subject Person – The person who triggered the CareTrack (e.g., the guest).
   
2. Person – A specific individual in your system (useful for internal alerts).
   
3. Group – A team or ministry group in SteepleMate.
   
3. Subject & Message Body
   
4. If you selected Email, enter a subject.
   
5. Use the body field to write your message.
   
6. You can insert Tokens (personalized placeholders) like #FirstName# or #ChurchName# to automatically include details.
   
4. Click Save to lock in the step.
   

Example Message: “Hi #FirstName#, we’re so glad you visited #ChurchName#! Let us know if you have any questions.”

---

---

Setting Up the “Start New Track” Action

Choose Start New Track when you want to automatically transition someone from one CareTrack into another. This is perfect for guiding someone through different phases of engagement, such as moving a guest from a “Guest Follow-up Series” into a “Prospective Members” track.

1. Secondary Track: Select the next CareTrack to automatically start for the person once this step is completed. Example: Move them from a Guest Follow-up Series into a Prospective Members track.
2. Stop Current Track:
   
1. If this is checked, the current CareTrack will stop when this step executes, and the person will move entirely into the new track.
   
3. If left unchecked, both the current and the new CareTrack will continue simultaneously.
   

Use this action when someone has completed one journey and is ready for the next — such as finishing new guest follow-ups and starting membership development.

---

Setting Up the “Wait” Action

Choose Wait when you want to pause the CareTrack before moving to the next step. This is useful for creating time gaps between follow-up actions—like sending a message two days after the first one.

1. Wait Duration: Choose how long the system should pause before moving to the next step. You can set the number of days or hours. Example: Wait 2 days after the welcome message before assigning a task to a team member.

Tip: Use the Wait step to build natural rhythms between outreach efforts and give space for responses before triggering additional steps.

---

Step 4: Add or Manage Participants (Optional)

After you create a CareTrack, you can manually add people to it from the Participants tab. This is useful if someone didn’t meet the trigger conditions (like filling out the guest card) but still needs to be entered.

To add someone manually:

1. Click the Participants tab.
2. Click Add Participant.
3. Search and select the person from your system.
4. Click Trigger Track to manually start the CareTrack actions for them.

Tip: This is helpful when a team member meets a guest in person and wants to manually start a follow-up process.

---

 Final Tips & Next Steps

• Start simple. You don’t need a dozen steps—just a timely message or task can make a big impact.

• Test your tracks. Try triggering them yourself to see how they work before launching live.

• Adjust as needed. You can always go back and edit steps, change the order, or update messages based on real feedback.

• Stay personal. Automation should enhance—not replace—relational ministry. Pair CareTracks with human follow-up.