Automations

Automations let you create workflows that run on their own when specific events happen. Use them to save time, improve consistency, and respond to customers faster—without manual effort.

What you can automate

• Send SMS or plain-text emails when a contact is created or updated
• Apply tags, update CRM fields, or create tasks based on activity
• Notify your team or log sales activities when messages are sent/received
• Kick off follow-ups after meetings, orders, or invoices
• Trigger workflows when a conversation summary is created
• Create tasks, notes, and logged calls on opportunities
• Get a response from an AI Employee as part of a workflow

How it works

Every automation includes:

• Trigger: The event that starts your workflow (for example, When a contact is created)
• Conditions: They are an optional part of an automation rule. After a trigger occurrs, all conditions will be checked. The automation will be executed if all conditions are met.
• Actions: What happens next (for example, Send SMS, Send plain-text email, Update company)

Here's an example of a simple automation workflow. This example shows an automation that sends an email when a form is submitted for a contact.

Get started

To build your own:

1. Go to Business App > Administration > Automations
2. Select Create Automation
3. Add a Trigger: The event that starts your workflow
   • Example: "When a form is submitted for a contact", "Contact created", "Meeting booked"
   • Add Conditions if needed to filter when it runs
4. Add an Action: What happens when the trigger fires
   • Example: "Send a plain text email via Inbox", "Send SMS", "Create task"
5. Save and toggle your automation On

tip

New to automations? Start with a template and customize.

Builder and settings

Each automation has a Settings tab where you control how and when your workflow runs.

Entry settings

• Only once per contact: Run a single time for each contact
• Multiple times per contact: Run every time the trigger conditions are met
• One at a time per contact: Ensure a new run starts only after the previous one finishes

warning

If your automation updates the same record (for example, applies tags or updates fields), prefer "One at a time per contact" to avoid overlapping runs and duplicate changes.

Error handling

• Skip the step and continue: Recommended in most cases
• Stop the automation run: Use when later steps depend on earlier ones

tip

Use "Skip the step and continue" for non-critical actions like logging or tagging so the rest of the workflow can complete.

Review activity

Use the Activity tab on an automation to see what ran, when it ran, and whether it succeeded. This is helpful for verification and troubleshooting.

Additional resources

• Messaging actions
• Templates and recipes
• Zapier integration

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Can I get a response from an AI Employee inside an automation?

Yes. Add the "Get a response from an AI Employee" action to send context (for example, a conversation summary or form submission) to your AI Employee and use the response later in the workflow.

How do I trigger automations for entire lists?

Use the "Start automation for a list" action in your automation builder. Select your target list (contacts, companies, or custom objects) and choose which automation to run. The automation will execute for each record in the list.

What are getter actions in automations?

Getter actions let you retrieve related data during automation runs. For example, "Get company from contact" retrieves company information when your automation is processing a contact record. This helps you work with connected data across your CRM.

What's the difference between regular automations and list automations?

Regular automations trigger based on events (like "when a contact is created"). List automations let you manually trigger a workflow for an entire existing list of records, making them ideal for bulk operations and targeted campaigns.