Resetting scores after inactivity with decay and timeframes

An inactivity reset needs two decisions: how long activity must stop, and what happens to the engagement score when that time passes. In HubSpot the native tool is score decay on event rules; in Dynamics 365 Customer Insights - Journeys it is a timeframe on each interaction condition. Both values come from your own scoring policy.

Keep fit information separate from recent engagement where possible. Clearing a combined score could also remove useful fit information, so define the activity, time boundary and intended downstream result before choosing a control.

Keep fit separate from recent interest

Fit covers relevant attributes; engagement records actions. Decide whether inactivity affects the engagement component, the total used for prioritisation or a separate requirement for fresh activity.

Define which action restarts the clock. A new enquiry may matter more than a low-value interaction. HubSpot decay is based on a timestamp, measuring how long ago the scored event occurred, so each new qualifying event starts with full points while older ones keep losing value.

Choose a time-based mechanism

A rolling window counts qualifying events while they remain within an approved period. In HubSpot, an event rule's time frame can use the operators In the last, Before, After or In between, filtered by days, weeks, months or years. When an event leaves the window, its points stop counting.

Event decay gradually reduces an older event's contribution. Use it when older activity should count less over time rather than trigger a single reset after a fixed period of silence. HubSpot decay intervals can be set to every 1, 3, 6 or 12 months, with each month equal to 30 days, and each event decays independently.

A worked example from HubSpot: a rule gives 10 points for a form submission with 50% decay every month. One month later the event contributes 5 points; a further 30 days later it contributes nothing. Decay also applies to historical data, so a CTA click older than a 100% decay period earns no points when the rule is turned on.

An explicit inactivity state suits a hard operational decision, such as removing a record from a current review list. HubSpot does not support decay for segment membership criteria; for segments, it advises date or time-based filters in the segment criteria instead. Define how a new valid action restores eligibility, and confirm that downstream processes read the state.

To apply a time-based rule, record the last qualifying activity and start or restart the inactivity clock when that activity occurs. At the chosen boundary, exclude older engagement points, apply the chosen reduction or set the engagement component to its chosen base; a new qualifying action starts the clock again.

Prefer changing engagement points while preserving fit. Decay and timeframes act on event rules only, so a fit score built from property values is left as it is. Do not overwrite a calculated combined score by hand without confirming how it is maintained.

In HubSpot, go to More > Marketing > Lead Scoring (or Marketing > Lead Scoring) and edit the contact engagement score. In each event rule, add a timeframe if points should count only within a window, or turn on score decay for the event group and choose the percentage and interval. Then review and turn on the score.

In Dynamics 365 Customer Insights - Journeys, enable the Lead Management feature switch under Settings > Overview > Feature switches, then go to Lead management > Scoring models. For an interaction condition, select Edit to set the volume and a timeframe, such as in the last 28 days. Points can also be negative, which lets a model subtract points for a defined interaction.

Steps to Implement Inactivity Reset in HubSpot

Address earlier qualification

Dynamics 365 Customer Insights - Journeys lets qualification criteria trigger post-qualification actions. When a lead meets the criteria, those actions can update its Status Reason to Marketing Qualified or its Sales-Ready attribute to Yes; they do not specify a reversal when its score later falls.

Pair the inactivity rule with a separate downstream decision. If the lead should no longer be Marketing Qualified, define a Status Reason update to your approved non-qualified value; if it should no longer be Sales-Ready, define when to change Sales-Ready from Yes to No. A score decrease alone does not make either change.

A score decrease does not itself retract an assignment or message already made. In HubSpot, a workflow can be created from a score threshold, with the enrolment trigger set to the score's threshold label, so check existing score properties and workflows before changing a time-based rule.

Test the state just before and at the inactivity boundary, with no new activity, a new qualifying event and a late-arriving event. Check that the engagement score changes as intended, fit remains unchanged, renewed activity restores eligibility under the rule, and downstream status follows the separate decision. Keep the model version and effective date with the decision.