# Using panel rules to stop over contacting

Learn how to create panel rules in Participant Kit.

Source: https://participantkit.com/help/courses/admin/panel-rules

Use this when you want to stop your team going back to the same people too often. A cooldown rule hides someone from your panel searches for a set time after they were last contacted, or after they last took part in something.

For example, a rule of 14 days after **Last contacted** means anyone you emailed in the past fortnight doesn't come up when you search the panel for people to add to a study.

## Who can use this

Organisation admins, and anyone with the panel manager role who has access to the panel.

## Where cooldowns apply

Cooldowns hide people when you're choosing who to add to research:

- **Add from panel** and **Add to shortlist**, when you add people to a study
- broadcasts, but only the **Last contacted** rule, and you can send anyway (see [Sending a broadcast to your panel](https://participantkit.com/help/courses/admin/sending-broadcasts))

Your panel's own people table is not affected. Everyone stays visible there, whether they're inside a cooldown or not.

## 1. Open your panel's rules

Go to **Panel settings** in your panel's sidebar and scroll to **Panel rules**. The cooldowns are under **Cooldown rules**.

![The Cooldown rules section of Panel settings, with one rule reading Last contacted in the last 14 Days](https://participantkit.com/assets/images/help/rules/cooldown-rules.png)

## 2. Add a rule

Click **Add rule**, then pick which date the rule watches. You can set one rule for each of the five:

| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| Last contacted | When you last contacted them through Participant Kit |
| Last active | When they consent, complete a screener or another form, are scheduled or are incentivised |
| Last consented | When they last signed a consent form in a study |
| Last incentivised | The most recent date they were given an incentive, in any study |
| Last scheduled | The last time they were scheduled in a study |

![A second rule row added below the first, reading Select a rule](https://participantkit.com/assets/images/help/rules/add-rule.png)

## 3. Set how long the cooldown lasts

Each rule reads "in the last", then a number and a unit. The units are **Days**, **Weeks**, **Months** and **Years**.

Click **Save rules** when you're done. To take a rule away, click the bin next to it, then **Save rules**.

## What you see when a cooldown hides someone

When you add people to a study, the page tells you how many were left out, for example "2 are unavailable: 1 already in this study and 1 contacted in the past 14 days."

Broadcasts are the one place you can go ahead anyway. The confirmation warns you how many people were contacted recently and offers a tick box to include them.

## Key takeaways

💡 **Remember:** Cooldowns only hide people when you're picking who to add to research. Your panel table still shows everyone.

🧪 **Try:** Start with one rule on **Last contacted**. It's the one that stops the most over contacting.

⚠️ **Watch for:** Broadcasts respect the **Last contacted** rule only, and you can send to people inside it anyway.

⚡ **Quick tip:** Set a longer cooldown on **Last incentivised** if you want to spread paid research around your panel.