How to use Workflow Automations?

Workflow Automations let you set up rules that act on tickets automatically, so your team doesn't have to handle every ticket by hand. An automation can assign agents, add or remove tags, resolve tickets, trigger a handoff, and now send a message to the customer.

Every automation follows three steps:

• WHEN: the trigger event and channel
• IF: optional conditions that must match
• THEN: the actions to run

1. How to access Workflow Automations

Go to Chats → Setup → Workflow Automations.

You'll see a list of all your automations and whether each one is Active or Inactive.

2. The automation list

This is where you see, manage and order all your automations.

• All Automations counter: shows how many automations you have and how many are active.
• + New: creates a new automation.
• Each row shows the automation's number and name, an Active/Inactive toggle, and three icons: Edit (pencil), Duplicate and Delete (trash).
• Help: opens this article.

The automation list, with the Edit, Duplicate and Delete icons on each row

Managing automations from the list

• Activate or deactivate: use the toggle on the row. Grey means Inactive and the automation won't run. Blue means Active. You can switch it at any time without deleting it.
• Edit: click the pencil icon to change the name, trigger, channel, conditions or actions.
• Duplicate: click the Duplicate icon (between Edit and Delete) to make a copy. See Duplicating an automation below.
• Delete: click the trash icon to delete the automation permanently. This can't be undone.
• Reorder: automations run in the order they appear. Hover over a row, then drag the six-dot handle on the left to move it. The numbers update automatically.

Duplicating an automation

Use Duplicate when you need a similar automation, for example the same rule for another channel, or a variation with different conditions. You don't have to build it again from scratch.

1. On the automation you want to copy, click the Duplicate icon.
2. A copy is created and opens straight away in edit mode.
3. Change whatever you need, such as the name, channel, conditions or actions.
4. Save it.

• The copy has exactly the same setup as the original. Only the name changes, so you can tell them apart.
• The original automation stays as it is.

3. The automation editor

Click + New or the pencil icon to open the editor. It has a name field and three numbered sections: WHEN, IF and THEN.

Automation Name (required)

Give it a clear name so your team knows what it does, for example "Auto-assign refund queries" or "WA – Acknowledge new tickets".

Step 1 – WHEN: choose the trigger

Both fields are required.

Trigger Event

• Ticket Created: runs when a new ticket is created. Use it for anything that should happen at the start of a conversation.
• Message Received: runs when a customer sends a new message. Use it to react to ongoing conversations.

Channel

• WhatsApp, Instagram DM, Email or Facebook DM.
• Each automation works on one channel. To use the same logic on several channels, create one automation per channel. Duplicate makes this quick.

Step 2 – IF: add conditions (optional)

Conditions narrow down which tickets the automation acts on. With no conditions, it runs for every ticket that matches the trigger and channel.

• Matches AND: all conditions must be true.
• Matches OR: at least one condition must be true.
• Fields: Message Body (all channels), and Email Subject and Sender Email (Email only).
• Operator: Contains. The field must include the text you enter, for example "refund" or "track order".
• Click Add First Condition (or + Add Condition) to add a condition. Click the trash icon on a row to remove it.

Step 3 – THEN: choose the actions

Pick one or more actions to run when the trigger and conditions match.

Adding more than one action

• Click + Add Another Action. Actions run in the order they're listed, for example Add Tags, then Send Message, then Assign to Agent.
• To remove an action, click the trash icon at the top-right of its card.

Saving or cancelling

• Create Automation (or Save Changes when editing) saves it. New automations are saved as Inactive. Turn them on from the list when you're ready.
• Cancel leaves without saving. If you have unsaved changes, you'll be asked to confirm.

4. Send Message action

Send Message lets an automation reply to the customer automatically, with no agent involved. Because it sits inside an automation, you decide exactly when it goes out using the trigger, channel and conditions.

When to use it

• Instant acknowledgement: confirm right away that you've received the customer's message, and say when they'll hear back.
• Topic-specific replies: send a different reply depending on what the customer wrote, for example refunds, cancellations or order tracking. A single Email Auto Reply can't do this.
• Setting expectations before routing: tell the customer what happens next, then tag the ticket and assign it to the right agent in the same automation.
• Self-help pointers: share a link to your returns page or FAQ for common questions, so customers can help themselves while they wait.
• Keeping stakeholders in the loop (Email): CC or BCC a team lead or another department on certain emails, for example anything mentioning "legal" or "bulk order".

Which channels it works on

Send Message on Email

• The message goes as a reply on the ticket's email thread, from your support address, with the thread's subject. There's no separate subject field.
• CC and BCC (optional): add one or more addresses, separated by commas. Use them to keep a team lead or another department in the loop.
• Message (required): write the reply in the editor. You can use headings, bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, text colour, highlight, numbered and bulleted lists, alignment and links.
• Replaces Email Auto Reply for that ticket: if a Send Message automation applies to an email ticket, only the automation's message is sent. Your Email Auto Reply goes out only when no Send Message automation applies.

Send Message on an Email automation, with CC, BCC and the message editor

Send Message on WhatsApp

• The automation sends a regular WhatsApp message, the same kind an agent sends from the chat panel. It is not a template.
• Message (required): up to 4,096 characters. You can use WhatsApp formatting: *bold*, _italic_ and ~strikethrough~, plus emojis.
• It is only sent if the customer has messaged you in the last 24 hours (WhatsApp's customer service window). Outside that window, the message isn't sent. See the FAQs below.
• Agent assignment message: if you've also set an agent assignment message in your ticket settings, the customer gets both messages when a ticket is handed over to an agent. Use one or the other.
• Billing: charged at the Service category rate, the same as other service messages.

Send Message on a WhatsApp automation

How to add a Send Message action

1. In the editor, set the Channel to Email or WhatsApp.
2. Under THEN, click Add First Action (or + Add Another Action).
3. In Action Type, choose Send Message.
4. Write your message. For Email, add CC or BCC addresses if you need them.
5. Click Create Automation, then turn it on from the list.

5. Step-by-step: create an automation

1. Go to Chats → Setup → Workflow Automations.
2. Click + New. To start from an existing automation instead, click its Duplicate icon.
3. Enter an Automation Name.
4. Under WHEN, choose a Trigger Event and a Channel.
5. Under IF, add conditions if you need them and choose Matches AND or Matches OR.
6. Under THEN, add one or more actions and fill in their details.
7. Click Create Automation. It appears in the list as Inactive.
8. Turn on the toggle on its row to activate it.

6. Example automations

7. Tips and best practices

• Name automations clearly: include what it does and the channel, for example "WA – Acknowledge refund queries".
• Test before you rely on it: new automations start as Inactive. Turn one on, test it, and keep it on once it works as expected.
• Order matters: automations run top to bottom. Drag rows to set priority when two could match the same ticket.
• Use specific conditions: "track order" catches fewer wrong tickets than "order".
• Use Duplicate for each channel: build the automation once, then duplicate it and change the channel.
• Keep automated messages short and clear: say what happens next and when, so customers don't need to follow up.
• Avoid double messages on WhatsApp: if you send a message on handover with a Send Message automation, turn off the agent assignment message in your ticket settings, or the customer will get both.
• Use Message Received for replies on existing tickets: Ticket Created only runs for new tickets. To send a message when a customer replies on an existing or reopened ticket, use the Message Received trigger.
• Use Auto Resolve carefully: only when you're sure the ticket doesn't need a person.

8. FAQs

General

Duplicate

Send Message