Workflow Automation Overview

Workflow Automation lets you run recurring, multi-step communication processes on autopilot. Instead of manually sending emails at the right time, chasing down information from contacts, and remembering to follow up — the workflow engine handles all of it according to a schedule you configure once.

How workflows work

Each workflow is built around a cycle — a repeating time window during which a fixed sequence of steps executes automatically. The engine runs throughout the day and advances any steps whose trigger date has arrived.

Steps fall into four types:

• Collect — sends a secure, tokenized form link to a contact and waits for them to submit information. No login required.
• Escalate — alerts the admin when collect steps are still unresolved past a deadline
• Send — composes and dispatches an email to your full distribution list
• Notify — sends a one-way informational email to one or more contacts

Run statuses

Each cycle of a workflow is called a run. A run moves through these statuses automatically:

• Pending — run created, no steps have fired yet
• Collecting — collect emails sent, waiting for responses
• Escalated — one or more collect steps passed their deadline without a response
• Scheduled — all collect steps resolved, send steps are queued
• Sent — all steps complete
• Cancelled — run was manually cancelled

Manual override

At any point during a run, the admin can enter information manually for any pending or waiting collect step directly from the run detail page. Once submitted, the step is marked as entered and the workflow continues as normal.

Admin notifications

The admin receives automated digest emails at key points in each cycle — when coordinator requests go out, before reminders fire, and after reminders are sent. Each digest summarizes what has happened and what is coming next, so you always know where a run stands without having to log in.

Creating a workflow

Go to Workflows in the main menu and click New Workflow. Select a workflow type, complete the guided setup wizard, and activate. The engine handles all future cycles automatically.