Automation & Workflows

Save time by automating repetitive tasks. Set up simple "if this happens, then do that" rules that work for you automatically.

What Can You Automate?

Automation helps you:

• Respond automatically when things happen (like when an invoice is created or a client is updated)
• Only run rules when certain conditions are met
• Do multiple things at once (send an email, create a task, update a status, or notify another app)
• Build workflows visually by connecting actions together
• Spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time on what matters

How Automation Works

The Three Parts

Every automation rule has three simple parts:

1. What triggers it - The event that starts everything (like "Invoice Created")
2. When it runs (optional) - Conditions that must be true for the rule to run
3. What it does - The actions that happen automatically (like "Send Email")

A Simple Example

Here's how a real automation might work:

When: An invoice becomes overdue
Only if: The invoice is for more than $1000
Then do: Send an email to the client and create a task for the account manager

Creating Your First Automation

Using the Visual Builder

The visual builder lets you see your automation as a flow chart:

1. Go to Automation in the sidebar
2. Click Create Automation Rule
3. Click the Visual Builder tab
4. Set up what triggers it:
   • Pick an event from the dropdown (like "Invoice Created")
5. Add conditions if you want (optional):
   • Click Add Condition
   • Set it up:
     • Field: What to check (like invoice.total)
     • Operator: How to compare (equals, greater than, contains, etc.)
     • Value: What to compare it to
6. Add what should happen:
   • Click Add Action
   • Choose what to do:
     • Send Email - Automatically send an email
     • Create Task - Make a task for someone on your team
     • Update Status - Change an invoice or client status
     • Call Webhook - Notify another app
7. Connect everything by dragging lines between the boxes
8. Click Save Automation

Using the Form Builder

If you prefer filling out a form instead of using the visual builder:

1. Go to Automation
2. Click Create Automation Rule
3. Click the Form Builder tab
4. Fill everything out:
   • Name - Give your rule a name you'll remember
   • Trigger Event - Pick what starts the automation
   • Conditions - Add any conditions you want
   • Actions - Add what should happen
5. Click Save

Available Trigger Events

Invoice Events

• invoice.created - New invoice created
• invoice.sent - Invoice sent to client
• invoice.paid - Invoice marked as paid
• invoice.overdue - Invoice becomes overdue
• invoice.status_updated - Invoice status changed

Client Events

• client.created - New client added
• client.updated - Client information updated

Quote Events

• quote.created - New quote created
• quote.accepted - Quote accepted by client
• quote.rejected - Quote rejected by client

Setting Up Conditions

Conditions let you control when your automation runs. All conditions must be true for the automation to happen.

How to Reference Data

Use dots to access information:

• invoice.total - How much the invoice is for
• invoice.status - Whether it's paid, overdue, etc.
• client.email - The client's email address
• invoice.client.company_name - The client's company name

Comparison Options

• equals - Exactly matches
• not_equals - Doesn't match
• greater_than - Is more than (for numbers)
• less_than - Is less than (for numbers)
• contains - Includes this text (for text)

Real Examples

• invoice.total greater_than 1000 - Only run for invoices over $1000
• invoice.status equals overdue - Only run for overdue invoices
• client.email contains @example.com - Only run for clients from a specific company

What Your Automation Can Do

Send an Email

Automatically send emails when something happens.

What you need to set:

• To: Who gets the email (like client.email)
• Subject: What the email subject says (you can use variables like )
• Template: A pre-made email template (optional)
• Variables: Extra information to include

Variables you can use:

• {{invoice_number}} - The invoice number
• {{invoice_total}} - How much the invoice is for
• {{client.company_name}} - The client's company name
• {{due_date}} - When the invoice is due

Example:

• To: client.email
• Subject: Invoice {{invoice_number}} is now overdue
• Body: Use a template or write your own

Create a Task

Automatically create tasks for your team.

What you need to set:

• Title: What the task is called (you can use variables)
• Description: More details about the task
• Assignee: Who should do it (their email or a field path)
• Due Date: How many days from when this happens
• Priority: Low, Medium, or High

Example:

• Title: Follow up on overdue invoice {{invoice_number}}
• Assignee: sales@company.com
• Due Date: 1 (due tomorrow)

Update a Status

Automatically change the status of invoices or clients.

What you need to set:

• Entity Type: Is it an invoice or a client?
• Status: What should the new status be?
• Condition: When should this happen? (optional)

Example:

• Entity Type: invoice
• Status: overdue
• Condition: The due date has passed

Call a Webhook

Notify other apps when something happens.

What you need to set:

• URL: Where to send the notification
• Method: GET, POST, PUT, or DELETE
• Headers: Extra information to send (optional)
• Body: What data to send (you can use variables)

Example:

• URL: https://api.example.com/webhook
• Method: POST
• Body: {"invoice_id": "{{invoice.id}}", "status": "{{invoice.status}}"}

Managing Your Automations

Seeing All Your Rules

1. Go to Automation
2. You'll see a list of all your rules showing:
   • What each rule is called
   • What triggers it
   • Whether it's running or paused
   • How many times it's run
   • When it last ran

Pausing a Rule

1. Find the rule you want to pause
2. Click the Pause button
3. It'll stop running until you turn it back on

Turning a Rule Back On

1. Find the paused rule
2. Click the Resume button
3. It'll start running again

Changing a Rule

1. Find the rule you want to change
2. Click the Edit button
3. Choose Visual Builder or Form Builder
4. Make your changes
5. Click Save

Deleting a Rule

1. Find the rule you want to delete
2. Click the Delete button
3. Confirm that you want to delete it

Important: Once you delete a rule, you can't get it back. Make sure you really want to delete it!

Common Automation Examples

Overdue Invoice Reminder

Trigger: invoice.overdue
Condition: invoice.total greater_than 500
Actions:

1. Send Email to client.email with subject "Invoice {{invoice_number}} is overdue"
2. Create Task for account manager

New Client Welcome

Trigger: client.created
Actions:

1. Send Email to client.email with welcome message
2. Create Task for sales team to schedule onboarding call

High-Value Invoice Alert

Trigger: invoice.created
Condition: invoice.total greater_than 10000
Actions:

1. Send Email to manager@company.com with invoice details
2. Create Task for account manager with high priority

Quote Acceptance Follow-up

Trigger: quote.accepted
Actions:

1. Send Email to client.email confirming acceptance
2. Create Task for project manager to start work

Tips for Success

• Start simple - Begin with rules that do just one thing
• Test first - Try your rules with test data before you rely on them
• Use conditions - Make sure rules only run when they should
• Keep an eye on them - Check how often your rules run and when they last ran
• Name them clearly - Give your rules names that make sense to you
• Write notes - For complicated rules, add notes explaining what they do
• Review regularly - Every once in a while, look at your rules and see if they still make sense

Troubleshooting

My Rule Isn't Running

1. Make sure the rule status is "Active"
2. Check that the thing that triggers it is actually happening
3. See if your conditions might be too strict
4. Look at the system logs to see if there are any errors

Actions Aren't Working

1. Double-check that you set everything up correctly
2. Make sure email addresses are valid
3. Check that webhook URLs are working
4. Look at the action logs to see what went wrong

It's Running Too Often

1. Add conditions to limit when it runs
2. Check if you accidentally created duplicate rules
3. Make sure the trigger event isn't happening more often than you expect

Next Steps

• Recurring Invoices - Automate invoice generation
• Webhooks - Integrate with external services
• Zapier & Make - Connect to automation platforms