Automations (Triggers)

Overview

Automations (previously called Triggers) allow you to automatically perform actions based on specific conditions in conversations. Use automations to save time, ensure consistency, and respond faster to customer needs.

To access Automations:

1. Go to Settings from the sidebar
2. Click Automations

How Automations Work

Automations follow a simple IF-THEN logic:

1. Trigger Event: Something happens (e.g., new conversation created)
2. Conditions: Check if certain criteria are met (e.g., inbox is "Support")
3. Actions: Perform automated tasks (e.g., add label, assign agent)

Example:

• Trigger: Conversation is created
• Condition: Message contains "refund"
• Action: Add label "Billing" and assign to Billing Team

Creating an Automation

To create a new automation:

1. Go to Settings → Automations
2. Click "+ Create Automation" or "+ New Automation"
3. Enter an automation name (e.g., "Assign to sales team")
4. Configure the three steps:
   • Step 1: Select trigger event
   • Step 2: Set conditions
   • Step 3: Choose actions
5. Toggle Enable to ON
6. Click Create Trigger

Step 1: Select Trigger Event

Choose what event will start the automation:

Available Triggers:

When a visitor request a chat

• Triggers when a new chat is initiated by a visitor

When a label is added to a request

• Triggers when a label/tag is applied to the conversation

When a chat message is sent from the customer only

• Triggers only when customers send messages

When a chat message is sent from an agent or a bot, only

• Triggers only when agents or bots send messages

When a chat message is sent from anyone

• Triggers on any message, regardless of sender

Step 2: Set Conditions

Define specific criteria that must be met for the automation to execute. You can combine multiple conditions to create precise targeting rules.

Visitor Information

Conditions based on visitor/customer attributes:

• Message text - Match specific keywords, phrases, or patterns in the message content
• Visitor name - Filter based on the customer's name
• Visitor mail - Filter based on the customer's email address
• Visitor inbox - Filter based on which inbox/channel the conversation is in
• Visitor referrer (Client) - Filter based on the referring source or client application

Software/Computer of visitor

• Visitor browser - Filter based on the web browser being used

Chat-related Information

Conditions based on conversation properties:

• Inbox - Filter by specific inbox or communication channel
• Visitor served - Filter based on whether the visitor has been served/assigned to an agent

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Pro Tip: Start with simple conditions, then add more as needed. Too many conditions can make automations hard to maintain.

Step 3: Perform Actions

Select one or more actions that will be executed when the trigger conditions are met.

Available Actions

• Send message to visitor - Automatically send a predefined message to the customer
• Assign to inbox - Route the conversation to a specific inbox or channel
• Change request status - Update the conversation status (e.g., Open, Pending, Resolved)
• Close request - Automatically close/resolve the conversation
• Agent join request - Add an agent to the conversation
• Agent leave request - Remove an agent from the conversation

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Pro Tip: Multiple actions can be configured in sequence to create comprehensive automation workflows. Actions execute in the order they are defined.

Managing Automations

Viewing Active Automations

To view all automations:

1. Go to Settings → Automations
2. See the list of all automations with:
   • Name
   • Status (Enabled/Disabled)
   • Trigger event

Editing Automations

To edit an automation:

1. Go to Settings → Automations
2. Click on the automation you want to edit
3. Modify trigger, conditions, or actions
4. Click Save

What happens:

• Changes take effect immediately
• Future conversations use the updated automation
• Past conversations are not affected

Disabling Automations

To temporarily disable:

1. Select the automation
2. Toggle Enable to OFF
3. Click Save

Use cases:

• Testing changes without deleting
• Temporarily pausing during high-volume periods
• Seasonal automations (holiday hours, promotions)

Deleting Automations

To delete an automation:

1. Select the automation
2. Click "Delete" or trash icon
3. Confirm deletion

What happens:

• Automation stops running immediately
• Historical data remains (conversations that were affected stay as-is)
• Cannot be undone

Testing Automations

Before Going Live

Best practices for testing:

1. Create a test inbox
2. Enable the automation only for that inbox
3. Send test messages that should trigger it
4. Verify all actions execute correctly
5. Test edge cases (what if conditions aren't met?)
6. Once confirmed, expand to production inboxes

Monitoring Performance

After deployment:

• Check execution count daily
• Review conversations affected by the automation
• Gather agent feedback: Is it helping or causing issues?
• Adjust conditions if automation fires too often or not enough

Best Practices

Design:

• ✅ Start simple: One trigger, one condition, one action
• ✅ Test thoroughly before enabling in production
• ✅ Use clear, descriptive names (e.g., "Auto-label billing queries")
• ✅ Document why each automation exists

Conditions:

• ✅ Always add conditions to avoid unexpected behavior
• ✅ Be specific with keywords (avoid common words like "help")
• ✅ Consider edge cases (what if customer says "no refund needed"?)
• ✅ Combine time-based conditions with other filters

Actions:

• ✅ Avoid closing conversations automatically unless you're certain
• ✅ Keep automated messages friendly and clear
• ✅ Don't over-automate: Leave room for human judgment
• ✅ Use internal notes for audit trails

Maintenance:

• ✅ Review automations quarterly
• ✅ Remove or disable unused automations
• ✅ Update keywords as customer language evolves
• ✅ Monitor execution counts to identify problems

Limits:

• ✅ Don't create too many automations (15-20 max)
• ✅ Avoid conflicting automations (two automations doing opposite actions)
• ✅ Ensure automations don't create infinite loops

Advanced Tips

Using Canned Responses in Automations

Instead of writing messages directly in automations:

1. Create a canned response (e.g., /auto-after-hours)
2. Reference it in the automation's "Send Message" action
3. Update the canned response to change all automations at once

Troubleshooting

Automation not firing

Check:

• ✅ Automation is Enabled
• ✅ Trigger event actually occurred
• ✅ All conditions are met (check each one)
• ✅ No conflicting automation is preventing it
• ✅ Automation applies to the correct inbox/channel

Automation firing too often

Solutions:

• Add more specific conditions
• Narrow keyword matches (use exact phrases)
• Add time-based conditions to rate-limit
• Disable and review logic

Wrong action executed

Check:

• Review all actions in the automation
• Ensure actions are in the correct order
• Verify no other automation is interfering
• Check execution logs (if available)

Customer received duplicate messages

Causes:

• Multiple automations with "Send Message" action
• Automation + manual agent response at same time
• Automation triggered multiple times (bug)

Solution:

• Review all automations for overlapping send actions
• Add conditions to prevent duplicates
• Disable one of the conflicting automations