Building Workflows #

Learn how to design effective workflows with advanced patterns, branching logic, and real-world examples.

Workflow Architecture #

Single Path Workflows #

Linear execution from trigger to action:

TRIGGER → CONDITION → ACTION → ACTION → ACTION

Best for simple automations with predictable outcomes.

Branching Workflows #

Different paths based on conditions:

                    ┌→ [High Priority Path]
TRIGGER → CONDITION ├→ [Normal Priority Path]
                    └→ [Low Priority Path]

Best for routing and classification.

Multi-Action Workflows #

Multiple actions in sequence or parallel:

              ┌→ [Assign to Team]
TRIGGER → ─── ├→ [Send Notification] (parallel)
              └→ [Add Label]
                    ↓
              [Send Reply] (sequential)

Building Blocks #

Creating a Workflow #

Navigate to AutoFlow
Click "New Workflow"
Name your workflow descriptively
Add trigger, conditions, and actions

Workflow Settings #

Setting	Description
Name	Descriptive workflow name
Description	Purpose and logic explanation
Status	Active or Inactive
Run mode	Sequential or Parallel
Stop on error	Continue or stop on failure

Adding Steps #

Click + Add Step
Choose step type:
- Trigger (first step only)
- Condition
- Action
- Branch
- Delay

Branching Logic #

If/Else Branches #

Create conditional paths:

IF: Priority = "Urgent"
  THEN: [Urgent workflow]
ELSE IF: Priority = "High"
  THEN: [High priority workflow]
ELSE:
  THEN: [Default workflow]

Switch/Case #

Multiple conditions on same field:

SWITCH: ticket.category
  CASE "Billing": → [Billing team actions]
  CASE "Technical": → [Technical team actions]
  CASE "Sales": → [Sales team actions]
  DEFAULT: → [General support actions]

Parallel Branches #

Run multiple paths simultaneously:

PARALLEL:
  Branch 1: [Send email notification]
  Branch 2: [Post to Slack]
  Branch 3: [Update CRM]
  ↓
CONTINUE after all complete

Delay & Timing #

Fixed Delays #

Wait a specific duration:

Action: Wait
Duration: 30 minutes

Business Hours Delays #

Wait during business hours only:

Action: Wait
Duration: 4 business hours
Business Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-6pm

Wait Until #

Wait for a condition:

Action: Wait Until
Condition: customer_replied = true
Timeout: 48 hours
On Timeout: [Send follow-up]

Scheduled Execution #

Run at specific times:

Action: Schedule
Run At: next Monday 9:00 AM
Action: [Send weekly summary]

Error Handling #

Retry Logic #

Retry failed actions:

Action: Send Webhook
URL: https://api.example.com/notify
Retry:
  Attempts: 3
  Delay: 5 minutes
  On Failure: [Log error and continue]

Fallback Actions #

Alternative when action fails:

Action: Assign to User
User: sarah@company.com
Fallback:
  If Unavailable: Assign to support-team
  If Error: Add to unassigned queue

Error Notifications #

Alert on workflow failures:

On Error:
  Notify: admin@company.com
  Include: Error message, Workflow name, Trigger data

Workflow Patterns #

Auto-Assignment Pattern #

Route tickets to the right team:

Name: Smart Ticket Router
 
Trigger: Ticket Created
 
Conditions:
  Branch "Billing":
    If: subject contains "billing" OR subject contains "invoice"
    Actions:
      - Assign to Billing Team
      - Add label "billing"
 
  Branch "Technical":
    If: subject contains "bug" OR subject contains "error"
    Actions:
      - Assign to Engineering Team
      - Add label "technical"
      - Set priority "High"
 
  Branch "Default":
    Actions:
      - Assign Round-Robin to Support Team

SLA Management Pattern #

Escalate before breach:

Name: SLA Escalation Workflow
 
Trigger: SLA at 75%
 
Actions:
  - Send notification to assignee:
      "⚠️ Ticket {{ticket.id}} approaching SLA breach"
  - Add label "sla-warning"
 
---
 
Trigger: SLA at 90%
 
Actions:
  - Escalate to team lead
  - Send urgent notification
  - Add label "sla-critical"
 
---
 
Trigger: SLA Breached
 
Actions:
  - Notify manager
  - Reassign if no response
  - Create escalation ticket

Follow-Up Pattern #

Automated customer follow-ups:

Name: Customer Follow-Up
 
Trigger: Ticket status changed to "Pending"
 
Actions:
  - Wait 24 hours (business)
 
  - Check: Has customer replied?
    - Yes: End workflow
    - No: Continue
 
  - Send follow-up email:
      "Hi {{customer.name}},
       We're checking in on your ticket.
       Do you have any updates for us?"
 
  - Wait 48 hours (business)
 
  - Check: Has customer replied?
    - Yes: End workflow
    - No: Continue
 
  - Send final follow-up:
      "We'll close this ticket if we don't hear back."
 
  - Wait 24 hours (business)
 
  - Check: Has customer replied?
    - Yes: End workflow
    - No: Close ticket with auto-close reason

VIP Detection Pattern #

Identify and prioritize VIP customers:

Name: VIP Detection
 
Trigger: Ticket Created
 
Conditions:
  If ANY:
    - customer.plan = "Enterprise"
    - customer.lifetime_value > 10000
    - customer.email domain in [vip-list]
 
Actions:
  - Set priority "Urgent"
  - Add label "VIP"
  - Assign to Senior Support
  - Send notification to #vip-support
  - Add internal note: "VIP customer - priority handling required"

After-Hours Pattern #

Handle messages outside business hours:

Name: After Hours Handler
 
Trigger: Ticket Created
 
Conditions:
  If: Outside business hours (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm)
 
Actions:
  - Send auto-reply:
      "Thanks for reaching out! We received your message
       but our team is currently offline.
 
       Business hours: Monday-Friday, 9am-6pm EST
 
       We'll respond first thing next business day."
 
  - Add label "after-hours"
  - Add internal note: "Received outside business hours"

Feedback Collection Pattern #

Request feedback after resolution:

Name: Satisfaction Survey
 
Trigger: Ticket Resolved
 
Conditions:
  If: Has customer interaction
  AND: Not sent survey in last 30 days
 
Actions:
  - Wait 2 hours
 
  - Send satisfaction survey:
      "How was your support experience?
       ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
 
       We'd love your feedback!"
 
  - Wait 7 days
 
  - Check: Survey completed?
    - No: Send reminder

Testing Workflows #

Test Mode #

Enable test mode to verify without executing:

Open workflow
Enable Test Mode
Trigger runs but actions only log
Review logs
Disable test mode when ready

Manual Testing #

Test with sample data:

Click Test Workflow
Enter or select sample ticket
Click Run Test
View step-by-step execution
Verify each action

Test Scenarios #

Create test cases:

Scenario	Expected Result
Urgent billing ticket	Assign to Billing + High priority
Normal technical ticket	Assign to Engineering
VIP customer ticket	VIP label + Senior Support
After-hours ticket	Auto-reply + Label

Monitoring & Debugging #

Workflow Logs #

View execution history:

Workflow: Smart Ticket Router
Run ID: wf_12345
Status: Completed
Duration: 2.3 seconds

Steps:
✓ Trigger: Ticket #5678 created
✓ Condition: Subject contains "billing" = true
✓ Action: Assigned to Billing Team
✓ Action: Added label "billing"

Error Logs #

Debug failed workflows:

Workflow: SLA Escalation
Run ID: wf_12346
Status: Failed
Error: User not found: sarah@company.com

Steps:
✓ Trigger: SLA at 75%
✗ Action: Assign to sarah@company.com
  Error: User does not exist

Retry: Scheduled in 5 minutes

Performance Metrics #

Monitor workflow health:

Metric	Description
Runs	Total executions
Success Rate	% completed successfully
Avg Duration	Average run time
Errors	Failed executions

Best Practices #

Naming Conventions #

Good:
- "Auto-assign Billing Tickets"
- "SLA Warning at 75%"
- "VIP Customer Detection"

Avoid:
- "Workflow 1"
- "New workflow"
- "Test"

Documentation #

Add descriptions to workflows:

Name: Smart Ticket Router
Description: |
  Automatically assigns incoming tickets based on subject keywords.
 
  Routing rules:
  - "billing" or "invoice" → Billing Team
  - "bug" or "error" → Engineering
  - Default → Support Team round-robin
 
  Owner: support-ops@company.com
  Last updated: 2026-01-15

Performance Tips #

Specific triggers - Don't run on everything
Early conditions - Filter fast, act later
Minimal actions - Only what's needed
Avoid loops - Check for circular triggers

Common Mistakes #

Mistake	Solution
Infinite loops	Add "created by automation" condition
Too broad triggers	Add specific conditions
Missing error handling	Add fallbacks
No documentation	Add descriptions
Not testing	Always test first

Next Steps #

Triggers & Actions - Full reference
AutoFlow Overview - Return to overview

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