Anatomy of a workflow
Every workflow has the same basic structure: one or more triggers at the top, followed by a sequence of actions, conditions, and waits flowing downward.
The three building blocks
| Block | What it does | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | Starts the workflow when an event happens | New form submission, missed call, opportunity moved to Won, contact tagged |
| Condition | Checks if a rule is true; routes to different paths | Has email? On a list? Tag matches? |
| Action | Performs an operation | Send SMS, send email, add tag, create task, wait, update field |
Where workflows live
1. Go to Automation → Workflows
2. You'll see all workflows in your account, with status (Draft / Published) and basic stats (executions in last 30 days)
3. Click any workflow to open it in the visual builder
4. Click "+ Create Workflow" to start a new one (from blank or from a template)
The visual builder
The trigger sits at the top — click it to add or edit
Below the trigger, click "+" to add the next step
Steps connect in a vertical sequence; conditions can branch to multiple paths
Drag steps to reorder; right-click to duplicate or delete
Workflow status
Draft — edits don't take effect; trigger doesn't fire
Published (On) — live; running on real customer data
Published (Off) — paused; trigger doesn't fire but in-flight executions complete
WARNING — Always test in Draft before publishing
Publishing a workflow with a typo or wrong merge field can result in hundreds of customers receiving broken messages within minutes. Always test with yourself as the contact in Draft mode before flipping to Published.
