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

# Set up your first campaign

> Call a two contact test list with your outbound agent, so you can see a campaign run end to end before you point one at a real list.

This quickstart runs a **deliberately tiny campaign**. Two contacts, one phone call
each, during business hours. The point is not the result. The point is to see every
piece of the machine before you trust it with a real list.

<Note>
  You need an outbound agent first. If you do not have one, start with
  **[Create your first outbound agent](/product/quickstart/first-outbound-agent)**.
</Note>

***

## Before you start

Two things block campaign creation. Get them out of the way now, or you will hit a
wall halfway through.

<Steps>
  <Step title="A phone number">
    A campaign has to place calls from somewhere. Buy one under
    **[Numbers](/product/features/numbers)** if you have not already.
  </Step>

  <Step title="A campaign schedule">
    A schedule decides which days and hours the campaign is allowed to contact
    people. A default one exists, Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 7:00pm Pacific Time.
    You can use it as is. See **[Campaign schedules](/product/features/campaign-schedules)**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## 1. Prepare a two contact CSV

Make a file called `first-campaign-test.csv` with two rows.

```csv theme={null}
to_number,first_name
+15551230001,Alice
+15551230002,Bob
```

`to_number` is the number the campaign will call. `first_name` becomes available to
your agent, so it can greet people by name.

<Warning>
  Use phones you actually own. This campaign will really dial them.
</Warning>

***

## 2. Create the campaign

Go to **Campaigns** and click **New Campaign**. Give it a name such as
`Test - first outbound campaign` and click **Create**.

You land on the campaign with five tabs across the top: **Overview**,
**Communication**, **Contacts**, **Activity** and **Settings**. This is not a wizard.
You can move between tabs in any order, and nothing goes live until you press
**Start**.

<Note>
  The campaign is saved as **Draft** and stays there until you start it. Work through
  the tabs in the order below and click **Save** as you go.
</Note>

***

## 3. Set the schedule and the caller number

Open **Settings**. Two things matter here.

Under **Schedule**, pick your campaign schedule. The days, hours and timezone appear
underneath so you can check them at a glance.

Under **Outbound Settings**, set **Calls will come from** to the number you want as
the caller ID. This one is required. Leave it empty and the campaign will not start.

Further down, **Exit Criteria** lists the three conditions that pull a contact out of
the campaign automatically. They are fixed and you cannot change them:

* The contact answers a call from this campaign.
* The contact asks to stop receiving communication on any channel.
* The contact's number is unreachable.

<Tip>
  That first one matters more than it looks. A contact who answers is done, and will
  not be called again by this campaign. That is usually what you want, and it is
  worth knowing before you wonder where your follow up went.
</Tip>

***

## 4. Build the outreach flow

Open **Communication**.

Add a step and set its type to **Phone call**, then choose your outbound agent. For
this quickstart, stop there. One step, one call per contact.

You can optionally override the agent's opening line or voicemail message for this
campaign only, without touching the agent itself.

<Tip>
  Resist adding a follow up step on your first run. One step is the fastest way to
  find out whether the basics work.
</Tip>

***

## 5. Import your contacts

Open **Contacts** and choose **Upload a CSV**.

Select `first-campaign-test.csv`. You then map your columns onto the campaign's
fields. **To number** is the one that must be mapped. Drag your `to_number` column
onto it, and map `first_name` as well so your agent can use it.

**Skip contacts with duplicate phone numbers** is on by default. Leave it on.

After importing you should see two rows in the contacts table, with their source and
the date they were added.

***

## 6. Start it

Back on **Overview**, check the counts read what you expect: two total contacts, your
one step, your number.

**Start** and **Schedule Start** stay greyed out until the campaign has everything it
needs. If **Start** will not light up, something is missing, usually the number or
the contacts.

Click **Start**. The badge moves from **Draft** to **Running**.

<Warning>
  The campaign list shows a different word than the campaign page for the same state.
  A running campaign reads **Running** on its own page and **Active** in the list. A
  stopped one reads **Stopped** on the page and **Inactive** in the list. Same
  campaign, two vocabularies.
</Warning>

***

## 7. Watch it run

**Overview** carries the headline counts: total contacts, scheduled, exited, errored,
plus **Step metrics** broken down per step.

**Activity** shows what the campaign did and when.

For the calls themselves, go to **[Calls](/product/features/call)**, where you can
filter by campaign, open any call, read the transcript and see its outcome.

<Note>
  Campaign statistics can lag by up to four hours. If your counts look stale right
  after a call, they probably are. The Calls page is live.
</Note>

You can stop the campaign at any time from the campaign page.

***

## Before you run this for real

The test campaign above is harmless. Volume is not. Three things to do before you
point a campaign at a real list.

**Register your business.** We use this to provision your outbound setup with our
telephony partners so your numbers are configured for deliverability.
[Register here](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScUFbvH6BGrPhVvGCwcbuRBMrxfmvPImH9e0SwMM6nhJycdkA/viewform),
and include the numbers you plan to use.

**Do not overload one number.** Roughly 100 calls per day per number is the
guideline. Past that, add numbers and spread the traffic.

**Ask us.** If you want a second pair of eyes on dialing strategy or deliverability,
[book time with the team](https://calendar.app.google/bTZ34YmEB1wvjNSw5).

***

## Where to go next

* Every campaign option in detail: **[Campaigns](/product/features/campaigns)**
* Days, hours and timezones: **[Campaign schedules](/product/features/campaign-schedules)**
* Tune the agent doing the talking: **[Agents](/product/features/agent)**
* Read what happened: **[Calls](/product/features/call)**