Automations 101: What they are and how they work

Automations do the repetitive follow-ups for you. Instead of remembering to email a client when their estimate is approved, nudge a client who hasn't signed a contract, or create the same onboarding tasks every time a project starts, you build the rule once and Workroom runs it for you — every time, automatically, day or night.

Every automation is built from three simple parts. If you can say it in a sentence, you can build it:

When something happens → if a condition is true (optional) → do one or more things.

• Trigger — the "when." The event that starts the automation. When an invoice is created… When a contract is signed… When a form is submitted…

• Conditions — the "only if" (optional). Filters that decide whether to continue. …only if the amount is over $5,000… …only if the project status is Active…

• Actions & steps — the "do." What Workroom carries out. Send an email, create a task, move a lead, wait three days, notify a teammate, and so on. You can chain several in a row.

A few things that are always true:

• Automations look forward, not backward. An automation only acts on events that happen after you turn it on. It will not go back and process last month's invoices.

• They run quietly in the background. You don't need to keep a tab open. Workroom checks for due work continuously, so time-based steps (like "wait 3 days") happen on their own.

• Each event runs the matching automations once. Creating one invoice won't fire the same automation five times.

• You're always in control. Every automation can be turned off, edited, tested, duplicated, or moved to the trash at any time.