Anatomy of a workflow
Trigger, filters, steps and behaviour.
Every plan is three things, and the builder is literally laid out with those three headings: «When this happens…», «Only if…» and «…this timeline runs».
The trigger
There are more than twenty. The ones that get used most: «Lead created», «Stage changed», «Lead went quiet», «Intake submitted», «Document signed», «Upcoming appointment», «Client no-show», «Birthday (annual)» and «Manual apply», which is the plan you apply by hand when you decide to.
The filters
«Only if…» narrows who it applies to: the stage, the lead type, whether they are VIP, the source, the city. The operators are «equals», «is not», «contains», «is greater than», «is less than», «has a value» and «is empty». With no filters, it always fires.
And here is a detail that saves weeks: while you write the filter, the screen counts how many of the leads you have today would match it. If it says none, check it BEFORE turning the plan on — not after a month of wondering why nothing happens.
The steps and their timing
- Nine kinds: «Email», «SMS», «WhatsApp», «Task», «Internal notification», «Move stage», «Start another plan», «Stop another plan» and «Outbound webhook».
- Each step is scheduled relative to the previous one, in minutes, hours or days.
- A step can carry conditions of its own: «Run this step only if…».
- Texts accept fields that get replaced with real data, and the screen shows you how it will look before you save.
The behaviour, which is what prevents disasters
- «Pause when the contact replies»: a reply by WhatsApp, SMS or email, or a call over two and a half minutes, pauses the plan and alerts you. It is the most important checkbox on this screen.
- «Complete on stage change»: if the lead moves forward, the plan is considered fulfilled and stops on its own.
- «Allow re-enrollment»: for the plans that genuinely should repeat, like date-based ones.
Without the first one, your automation sends day five's third email to someone who replied on day one. That is exactly the difference between follow-up and harassment.