Online Programs: Creating Automations for Your Program

4 min read
Save time by creating automations for your program(s). Each automation starts with a trigger that causes an action to occur in response to the trigger. For example, when a member joins a program, send them a welcome email.
You can get as creative as you want when creating an automation to meet the needs of each program. This ranges from sending a notification when a participant misses a step or a chat message thanking a member for paying for a program.
A screenshot of the Automations dashboard.

Step 1 | Add a new automation

Each new automation you create appears in your site's dashboard. Give each one a unique name to keep your automations organized and easy to keep track of.

To add a new automation:

  1. Go to Automations in your site's dashboard.
  2. Click + New Automation or click an existing automation to edit it.
  3. Click + Start from Scratch.
  4. Click the title to give your automation a name.
A screenshot of Creating a new automation from scratch.

Step 2 | Choose a trigger

The trigger is the event that initiates an automatic response. This is something that a member or participant does involving your program. You can choose from a list of available triggers and select which program triggers the automation.

To choose a trigger:

  1. Select Online Programs in the Trigger section. 
  2. Select the relevant checkbox under Select a trigger for this app and choose a trigger for your automation.
  3. Click the Select which programs trigger this automation drop-down and select the relevant program(s):
    • Any: The trigger is active for all programs.
    • Specific Program: You can select draft and published programs. Programs without steps don't appear here.
      1. Click the Select program drop-down.
      2. Click + Select.
      3. Select the checkbox next to the relevant program. 
      4. Click OK.
  4. Click the Limit Frequency to drop-down and select how many times the same contact can trigger this automation:
    • Don't limit (trigger every time): Your action will take place every time it is triggered by a visitor.
    • Once per contact: Your action will take place only once per contact.
    • Oncer per contact every 24 hrs: Your action will take place only once per contact in any 24hr period.
A screenshot of the Trigger panel in automations of a site's dashboard.

Step 3 | (Optional) Add a delay

You can choose how much time passes after the trigger, before the action occurs. For example, if your trigger is 'Member joins a program,' you may want your action to happen right away to welcome new participants.

To add a delay to your automation:

  1. Click + Add Delay.
  2. Click the drop-down and select when to perform the action (e.g. days, hours and minutes).
    Note: If you don't add a delay, the action is performed as soon as the trigger occurs.
A screenshot of the Add Delay step.

Step 4 | (Optional) Add a condition

After choosing a trigger, add a condition to make the automation more specific. For example, if you offer multiple online programs, you can set up a condition so the automation only includes specific programs. 

To add a condition:

  1. Click + Add Condition.
  2. Click the Continue the automation if drop-down and select the criteria you want to use to decide whether this automation continues each time it's triggered.
  3. Click the drop-down that appears next to your criteria drop-down to select your operator (e.g. "is", "is not").
  4. Click the drop-down or text box that appears next to the operator drop-down to complete your condition.
    Note: The logical statement you've created will determine whether the automation continues.
  5. (Optional) Click + Add Criteria to add more conditions.
A screenshot of the Add Condition step in automations.

Step 5 | Choose an action

After choosing a trigger, decide how you want to respond to that trigger. For example, if your trigger is 'Participant completes a step', you can assign a badge to encourage them to continue to the next step.

To choose an action:

  1. Select your desired action in the Action section.
  2. Choose an action using the available options.
    Tip: For example, if your trigger is 'Participant Misses a Step,' select the 'Send a Chat Message' follow-up action to send a reminder message to those participants.
  3.  (Optional) Click + Add an Action to set up a multistep automation.
     Tip: For example, add a multistep automation that welcomes members who join your program with a chat message and then sends a follow-up email a few days later encouraging them to start the program.
A screenshot of the Add an action panel.

Step 6 | Activate your automation

Click Activate to save and activate the automation. It now appears on your automations page where you can edit, deactivate or delete according to your needs.
A screenshot of the automations page in your site's dashboard.

Did this help?

|