Building a Workflow
The steps a workflow can take
Every step type, what it does, and building a sequence that reads sensibly.
Last updated September 2, 2026
Steps run in order, one after another, per person. Somebody sits at a step until it completes, then moves to the next.
| Step | What it does |
|---|---|
| Send email | Sends one of your email templates. |
| Send SMS | Sends a text message, optionally with images. |
| Send print | Sends a print item using a print template. |
| Send survey | Sends one of your surveys. |
| Wait | Pauses — for a duration, or until a day and time. |
| Condition | Branches on something about the person. |
| Add to bucket / remove from bucket | Changes which groups they are in. |
| Update lifecycle stage | Moves them along the customer journey. |
| Add to call list | Puts them in front of a rep to actually ring. |
| Webhook | Tells another system something happened. |
The steps people forget about
Automations are usually thought of as sending things. The most valuable steps are often the ones that do not send at all: add to call list puts a warm lead in front of a human, and update lifecycle stage keeps your reporting honest without anybody maintaining it.
Name your steps
A step name is optional and worth writing. A workflow of eight unnamed steps is unreadable six months later, and somebody will eventually have to work out what it does before changing it.
ALWAYS START WITH A WAIT
A workflow that emails the instant somebody enquires arrives while they are still on your website, and reads as automated. An hour, or a day, makes the same message land like a person wrote it.