# Time of Day Step

The **Time of Day** step holds a lead at a specific point in the workflow until a configured clock time is reached in your account's timezone. Once that time arrives, the lead automatically advances to the next step.

Use this step to schedule workflow actions for specific hours — for example, restricting outgoing calls to business hours, or ensuring emails go out at a predictable time each day.

## Configuration

Set the **time** (HH:MM, 24-hour clock) you want leads to advance at. The step's configuration panel shows your account's IANA timezone for reference.

* If the target time **has not yet passed today** when a lead reaches this step, the lead waits for it.
* If the target time **has already passed today**, the lead waits until that time the following day.

{% hint style="info" %}
The Time of Day step uses your account's timezone. If no timezone has been configured, Spara defaults to `America/New_York`.
{% endhint %}

### Behavior during unpublish/republish

If a workflow is unpublished while a lead is waiting at a Time of Day step, the lead's timer pauses. When the workflow is republished, evaluation resumes from where it left off.

## Common Patterns

**Restrict outgoing calls to business hours**

Place a Time of Day step before a [Call Phone Step](/agents/workflows/call-phone.md) and set the time to the start of your calling window (e.g., `12:00` for noon). Leads who arrive outside that window wait automatically before the call fires.

**Send emails at a consistent hour**

Pair a Time of Day step with a [Send Email Step](/agents/workflows/send-email.md) to ensure outreach goes out at the same time each day, regardless of when a lead entered the workflow.

## FAQ

### Can I build a calling window (e.g., only call between noon and 5pm)?

The Time of Day step controls when a lead *enters* a downstream step, not a range. To restrict calls to a window, use a [Condition Step](/agents/workflows/condition.md) that checks the lead's timezone or current time alongside a second Time of Day step capping the end of your window.

### What happens if a lead reaches this step after the target time?

The lead waits until the same time the next day. Leads always advance at the next occurrence of the target time — never retroactively.

### Does this step respect each lead's local timezone?

Not currently — the Time of Day step uses your account-level timezone, not the individual lead's timezone. Per-lead timezone scheduling is planned for a future release.


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