Automations (flows): build one, switch it on, and when it stops

A flow sends emails and texts on its own when something happens. Start from a template, set the trigger and how often a customer can go through, test it, then Activate. Quote and booking flows stop by themselves when they no longer apply.

Where it is

Settings for this

Marketing → Content → Email templates — Each Send email step pulls its body from a template.
Marketing → Content → Brand kit — From name, reply-to, address and footer on flow emails.
Settings → Your domain — The address flow emails come from.
Integrations → Inbox, SMS & phone — The number flow texts come from; the phone system that feeds Missed call.

Building and editing your own automations is part of the Marketing add-on. The three starter automations (review request, service reminder, rego reminder) are on every plan: see Marketing: what is where.

Create a flow

Go to Marketing → Automations and press New flow.
Choose From template (recommended) or Blank flow. Templates include Service reminder, Rego expiry reminder, Quote follow-up, Quote declined follow-up, Declined work follow-up, Booking confirmation, Review request (after a job closes or after payment), New customer welcome, Win back a dormant customer, Customer birthday, Overdue invoice nudge and Missed-call text back. Apply template creates a draft you can change.
The builder opens. Drag steps from the right-hand panel onto the canvas and connect them:

Trigger: where it starts.
Send email (subject plus a template), Send SMS, Wait (minutes to weeks).
If / else (branch on a contact property), A / B split, Goal (end early when an event happens), Add tag, Remove tag, Exit.

Click the Trigger step and set Fires when, plus any options it has (days before a service is due, which booking link, and so on).
Set How often can a customer go through this?: Once ever (a welcome), Every time it happens, or Again, but not within a set number of days (reminders and follow-ups, so nobody gets the same email twice in a row).
Press Test as me, pick the contact whose details drive the branches, and enter where the test emails (and texts, if you like) should go. Start test runs it and shows each step.
Press Activate. A version is saved each time you activate; Save version keeps one by hand.

Pause stops new people entering and holds the flow. Pause before changing its structure.

What can start a flow

Workshop: Job scheduled, Job closed, Quote sent, Quote accepted, Quote declined, Work declined, Service due, Rego expiring, Stock back in.
Money: Invoice approved, Invoice paid, Invoice overdue.
Meetings: Meeting booked, attended, no-show, cancelled (from booking links).
Contacts: Contact created, Form submitted, Missed call.
Dates: Date anniversary (birthday by default), Days before a date.

Some fire the moment it happens. Others (service due, rego, overdue invoices, meetings, new contacts, dates) are found by a daily check at about 7 am AEST, so the flow starts the next morning. Someone already part-way through is never entered twice.

When a flow stops by itself

A follow-up stops, and the contact's timeline says why, when:

Quote sent flows: the quote is accepted, converted to an order, declined, expired, the customer asked for changes, or it was deleted.
Quote declined flows: the quote is later accepted or converted.
Job scheduled flows (booking confirmations and reminders): the job is cancelled, or the vehicle is already in (in progress, ready, delivered or closed).
Invoice overdue flows: the customer has no overdue invoices left.
A Goal step's event happens, or someone removes the contact from the flow.

Who it skips

A step is skipped, not failed, when the contact has no email or mobile, hasn't consented to that channel, is suppressed or opted out, or (without the add-on) the 500-a-month email allowance is used. Press People in the builder to see everyone in the flow, the step they're on and what happened to each message.

You can also see a contact's flows, and remove them from one, in the Marketing section of their contact page.

If something's not right

Nobody is entering: is it Active? Is the trigger right? A date-based trigger only enrols at the next morning's check. "Once ever" means a customer who went through before won't again.
Activate is greyed out: the flow has no steps yet.
An email went out with a blank in it: a tag couldn't be filled for that contact (for example no first name).
Send push steps aren't delivered yet.