Automations can help you to stay in touch with your clients and make sure they come back for more sessions. Create automations that are triggered for different things, such as when clients attend their first session, when they check in to sessions, or if they haven't booked a session in a while.
Step 1 | Create a new automation
Create custom automations from the Automations tab in your site's dashboard. Make sure to choose a name that's clear and easy for your staff and collaborators on your site to understand.
To create a new automation:
- Go to your Automations Dashboard.
- Click + New Automation.
- Click + Start from Scratch.
Note: To use a suggested automation, search and select from the options under Popular. You can edit the trigger and actions of a suggested automation.
- Click the title at the top to give your automation a name.
Step 2 | Choose a trigger for the automation
The trigger is a specific action your clients take on your site, such as checking in for a session, that activates the automation.
The triggers you see change depending on the app you're using. Make sure to choose Bookings and then select one of the available triggers.
To choose a trigger:
- Select Bookings under Choose an app and trigger.
- Click the checkbox next to the relevant trigger:
This trigger activates when a client successfully schedules a session, such as an appointment, class, or course.
- Click to select the relevant option from the Select which services trigger this automation drop-down.
- Click to select the relevant option from the Limit frequency to drop-down: Don't limit (trigger every time), Once per contact, or Once per contact every 24hrs.
This trigger activates when a client cancels a previously scheduled session.
- Click to select the relevant option from the Select which services trigger this automation drop-down.
- Click to select the relevant option from the Limit frequency to drop-down: Don't limit (trigger every time), Once per contact, or Once per contact every 24hrs.
Client checked in X times
This trigger activates when a client has checked in for sessions a specified number of times.
- Click to select the relevant option from the Number of sessions the client has attended drop-down.
- Click to select the relevant option from the Limit frequency to drop-down: Don't limit (trigger every time), Once per contact, or Once per contact every 24hrs.
This trigger activates each time a client checks in for a session.
- Click to select the relevant option from the Select which services trigger this automation drop-down.
- Click to select the relevant option from the Limit frequency to drop-down: Don't limit (trigger every time), Once per contact, or Once per contact every 24hrs.
Client was last checked-in a while ago
This trigger activates when a certain period has passed since a client's last check-in, indicating they haven't attended a session recently. First, select the relevant option from the Limit frequency to drop-down. Then set a delay or specific timing following the steps in the section below.
Note: If your customer checks in again before the delay trigger expires, it resets the trigger countdown.
This trigger activates at the scheduled start time of a session.
- Click to select the relevant option from the Select which services trigger this automation drop-down.
- Click to select the relevant option from the Limit frequency to drop-down: Don't limit (trigger every time), Once per contact, or Once per contact every 24hrs.
This trigger activates at the scheduled end time of a session.
- Click to select the relevant option from the Select which services trigger this automation drop-down.
- Click to select the relevant option from the Limit frequency to drop-down: Don't limit (trigger every time), Once per contact, or Once per contact every 24hrs.
Appointment or class updated
This trigger activates when details of an appointment or class are modified, such as changes in time, date, or other pertinent information.
- Click to select the relevant option from the Select which services trigger this automation drop-down.
- Click to select the relevant option from the Limit frequency to drop-down: Don't limit (trigger every time), Once per contact, or Once per contact every 24hrs.
This trigger activates when details of a course are modified, such as changes in schedule, content, or other relevant information.
- Click to select the relevant option from the Select which services trigger this automation drop-down.
- Click to select the relevant option from the Limit frequency to drop-down: Don't limit (trigger every time), Once per contact, or Once per contact every 24hrs.
Appointment request approved
This trigger activates when a pending appointment request from a client is approved.
- Click to select the relevant option from the Select which services trigger this automation drop-down.
- Click to select the relevant option from the Limit frequency to drop-down: Don't limit (trigger every time), Once per contact, or Once per contact every 24hrs.
Appointment request declined
This trigger activates when a pending appointment request from a client is declined.
- Click to select the relevant option from the Select which services trigger this automation drop-down.
- Click to select the relevant option from the Limit frequency to drop-down: Don't limit (trigger every time), Once per contact, or Once per contact every 24hrs.
Client marked as "no-show"
This trigger activates when a client is marked as a "no-show" for a scheduled session, indicating they did not attend.
- Click to select the relevant option from the Select which services trigger this automation drop-down.
- Click to select the relevant option from the Limit frequency to drop-down: Don't limit (trigger every time), Once per contact, or Once per contact every 24hrs.
This trigger activates when a client submits a request to schedule an appointment, pending approval.
- Click to select the relevant option from the Select which services trigger this automation drop-down.
- Click to select the relevant option from the Limit frequency to drop-down: Don't limit (trigger every time), Once per contact, or Once per contact every 24hrs.
Step 3 | (Optional) Add a delay/timing
Choose when you want the automation to happen after your client takes the relevant action on your site. You may want to perform the action immediately after the trigger occurs, or set a delay or specific timing to send it after a certain amount of time has passed.
Make sure to add the relevant delay, so that the automation doesn't happen too quickly or too late.
To add a delay:
- Click + Add Delay.
- Click the up and down arrows to set the number and click the drop-down to choose between days, hours and minutes.
Step 4 | (Optional) Add a condition
After choosing a trigger, you can also add a condition. Conditions are a great way to set and manage more complex automation flows.
To add a condition:
- Click + Add Condition.
- Click the Select criteria drop-down and choose the criteria you want to use to decide whether this automation continues each time it's triggered.
- Click the drop-down that appears next to your criteria drop-down to select your operator (e.g. "is", "is not").
- Click the drop-down or text box that appears next to your operator drop-down to complete your condition. The logical statement you've created will determine whether the automation continues. For example: "Booking creation date is before 01/01/2024". This is useful if you are running an end-of-year promotion and want to send an email reminding your clients about discounts.
- (Optional) Click + Add Criteria to add any further criteria.
Step 5 | Choose an action
After choosing the trigger, decide what action you want your site to take in response to that trigger. For example, if your trigger was 'Client checks in', you might want to send that visitor an automatic thank you email.
To choose an action:
- Click your chosen action in the Action section.
Note: The actions available will differ based on your trigger choice.
- Set up the action using the available options. Click the relevant action below to learn how:
- Click Edit in the Sender details section to edit your sender details:
- From name: This is the name that appears in the recipient's inbox.
- Reply-to email: This is the address that replies are sent to.
- Scroll down to the Create an email section and choose what you want to do:
- Click Edit to update the default template generated by this automation.
- Click the More Actions drop-down and select Switch template to use an email template from a different automation or email marketing campaign.
Tips:
- Learn more about customizing automated emails, including editing sender details, designing email templates and using dynamic values to give your emails a personal touch.
- Make sure to create email automations that don't overlap with other emails. Many apps already send emails to your contacts for specific events (e.g. making purchases in Wix Stores).
- Enter the chat message you'd like to send in the Message field.
- Click the Send this message only when I'm online to chat toggle to specify when these messages are sent:
- Enabled: This chat message will only be sent when your chat status is online.
- Disabled: This chat message will be sent whether your chat status is online or offline.
Notes:
- You must have installed Wix Chat to set up this action.
- By default, chat messages are sent immediately after trigger. It is not possible to change the timing.
Add a task for yourself or your team members and set a due date for it.
- Enter your task in the Add a task for you or your team field.
- Click the Assign to you or your team drop-down to choose to have the task sent to you or a member of your team, or left unassigned.
- Click the Set a due date toggle to choose whether to set a due date:
- Enabled: Select a value in the Number of days to complete task field.
- Disabled: Your task will not have a due date.
A workflow is a list that displays all of the steps of a project in columns so you can easily keep track of every phase. Create or move a card in a workflow automatically with Automations.
Learn more about workflows.
- Click the In This Workflow drop-down to select the workflow you'd like to move a card in.
- Click the To This Step drop-down to select the step you'd like to move the card to.
Send an email to contacts to invite them to join your group.
This feature is useful for communicating significant site events to your team. You can send notifications to multiple addresses.
- Enter details to set up your emails:
- Send notifications to: Enter the address the notification email will be sent to. For multiple recipients, separate each address with a comma.
- Email subject: Enter the email's subject line.
- Message: Enter the email's content.
- Click the Include details of trigger in the email toggle to include trigger details such as the data collected or items purchased.
Note: Some trigger details cannot be included in these emails, e.g. time picker, upload fields (e.g. document, audio), signature, address (including those with Google API keys).
Badges allow you to label your contacts so they can be easily differentiated (for example, a badge could mark a certain milestone being met).
Learn more about badges.
Click x next to the badge(s) you don't want to assign, until you can only see the badge(s) you do want this automation to assign.
Note: Click + Add Badge to create your first badge if you don't see any listed.
- Select whether to send a unique coupon each time in the Set Coupon section.
- Click the Select or create a coupon template drop-down to choose the coupon you'd like to use or create a new one.
Send a push notification that appears on a customer's device screen ("pushed" by their mobile app). Enter the notification's title and message, and choose whether it takes customers to your app's home screen or a specific product or service.
Notes:
- This action is only available with a Mobile App Premium plan and when your app is live in stores.
- We are currently in the process of releasing this functionality, so this action is not available for all triggers yet. If you select a trigger and see the Send a push notification action, it is available for that trigger.
- Enter the Email subject.
- Enter the Message you want to include in the email.
- (Optional) Click Add Dynamic Value to personalize the email. Learn more about dynamic values.
- Enter a description of this way of earning points in the Tell customers how they can earn points field.
Note: This description should reflect the trigger you've chosen for this automation (for example, if your trigger is a visitor submitting a form, this will be the way they earn points). - Enter the number of points awarded in the Customer earns field.
Click + Add Label to select the label(s) you'd like to add.
3. (Optional) Click + Add an Action to include more than one action in the automation following the steps above.
Step 6 | Activate the 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.
