How do smart lists in Dispatch automatically stay up to date without manual refreshing?

Dispatch smart lists are dynamic: they re-evaluate your criteria every time you send a campaign, so you always mail to the most current segment without manual refresh or re-export.

Example: Active Clients smart list

You create a smart list called "Active Clients" with the rule: "Project status = Active OR Project status = In Progress." Every day, as your team updates project statuses in the CRM, the smart list automatically includes the new active projects and removes the completed ones. When you send an email campaign tomorrow, Dispatch checks the live criteria and mails to everyone currently meeting those conditions, not a static snapshot from yesterday.

How it works

Smart lists store the criteria (filters), not the names. When you create a campaign and select the smart list, Dispatch evaluates that criteria against your current contact database at send time. This also protects privacy: if someone unsubscribes between campaign creation and send, they're still suppressed, even if they technically match your smart list criteria.

Smart lists vs static lists

If you want a snapshot (say, "Top 50 customers as of July 2026"), use a static list instead. Static lists are fixed at upload time. Use smart lists for ongoing segments like Active Clients, Recent Leads, or Customers in New York that change daily.

Most teams use a mix: smart lists for regular campaigns and static lists for one-off blasts to a fixed audience.