Automations
Flows that reply, route and tag on their own — triggers, nodes, drafts and publishing.
An automation is a flow that runs on its own when something happens — a first message arrives, or a customer says a particular word.
Automations are built on a canvas: a trigger at the top, then nodes connected by lines. Each node does one thing and hands the conversation to the next.
Triggers
A flow has exactly one trigger, and it decides when the flow runs.
New conversation — the first time a customer messages you. Use it for a welcome message, or to collect what you need before a human picks up.
Keyword — the customer's message contains or equals a word you choose. Use it for price, hours, STOP, catalogue.
Nodes
| Node | What it does |
|---|---|
| Message | Sends free text |
| Template | Sends an approved template — works even when the 24-hour window is closed |
| Buttons | Sends a message with tappable reply buttons |
| List | Sends a menu the customer picks from |
| AI reply | Hands this turn to the AI Agent, which answers from your business information |
| Condition | Branches on what the customer said — equals, contains |
| Delay | Waits before continuing |
| Wait for reply | Pauses the flow until the customer answers |
| Tag | Adds a tag to the contact |
| Assign | Assigns the conversation to a team member |
| Handoff | Stops the automation and hands over to a human |
| End | Finishes the flow |
Assign and Handoff need an active team member. A flow pointing at someone who has left will not publish.
Draft and published
An automation keeps two versions: the draft you are editing and the published one that is actually running.
Editing never affects live conversations. Changes take effect when you publish, and each publish increments the version.
This is deliberate — a flow serving customers right now should not change under them because somebody dragged a node.
Statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Never published. Not running |
| Active | Published and running |
| Paused | Published but not running. Resumes on unpause |
Pause is the safe way to stop a flow that is misbehaving. Nothing is lost, and conversations part-way through stop where they are.
Free text and the 24-hour window
The same rule as everywhere else: a Message node sends free text, which only works inside the 24-hour window.
Since automations usually trigger on a customer's own message, the window is almost always open. But a flow with a long Delay can wake up after it has closed — in that case use a Template node, which works at any time.
Designing one that works
Start small. A welcome message and a handoff is a complete, useful automation. Build the twenty-node version after you have seen the two-node one run.
Always leave a way to a human. A flow a customer cannot escape is worse than no flow. Put a Handoff on the path where nothing matched.
Use buttons instead of asking people to type. Taps are unambiguous; typed answers need a Condition node for every spelling.
Name nodes for what they do. Six months from now "Message 4" tells you nothing.
Watching them
Each automation records how many times it ran, how many succeeded, when it last ran, and the last error if one occurred.
A run count climbing with a success count that is not is the signal to open it — usually a Template node whose template was paused, or an Assign node pointing at someone who left.
Automations and the AI Agent
They work together. An AI reply node hands one turn to the agent and then continues the flow, which lets you keep control of the structure — collect the order number with a Wait for reply, then let the agent answer the question about it.
See AI Agent.