Automations

Automations react to customer or engagement activity and run a sequence of actions and controls. Start with one trigger and one useful email before building a large journey.

Before you start

Prepare:

• a published email for each send step
• the list, segment, form, field, or connected source used by the trigger
• clear entry and re-entry rules
• a test contact that can safely enter the workflow
• the success condition and the person who owns the workflow

Review frequency caps, quiet hours, suppressions, and email-marketing access before activation.

1. Create the workflow

1. Open Automations.
2. Create a new automation and give it an operational name.
3. Add exactly one trigger.
4. Add actions and controls in the intended order.
5. Save and review the draft before activation.

Use a name that describes the audience and purpose, such as Trial onboarding — no first project, instead of Welcome flow v2.

2. Choose the trigger

Available trigger families can include:

• contact created or added to a list
• form submitted or abandoned
• contact entered or exited a segment
• email opened or link clicked
• CRM contact created or updated
• lead score reached a threshold
• known website visitor returned or viewed a high-intent page
• commerce product, checkout, order, refund, or abandoned-cart activity
• manual enrollment

Only choose a trigger when its source is connected and you can explain exactly who qualifies.

3. Add actions and controls

Common actions:

• send a published email
• add the contact to a list
• remove the contact from a list
• update a contact field

Common controls:

• wait for a defined duration
• branch on a condition

Keep the first version small. A trigger, one email, one delay, and one decision often proves the data and delivery path better than a ten-step workflow.

4. Validate before activation

CopyLoop checks the workflow graph and referenced resources. Review:

• there is one valid trigger
• every node is reachable
• the graph does not contain an invalid cycle
• referenced lists and segments still exist
• field updates use valid values
• each email action points to a ready, published email
• sender and domain settings are valid

Also check the business logic:

• Can a person re-enter? If so, how often?
• What stops irrelevant follow-up after the customer completes the goal?
• Could two automations send conflicting messages?
• What happens when the contact is suppressed or unsubscribed?

5. Test and activate

Use a test contact and the real trigger path when possible:

1. Activate the workflow.
2. Produce the trigger event for the test contact.
3. Confirm the enrollment appears.
4. Verify each completed action and delay.
5. Confirm the email uses the intended sender and content.
6. Deactivate or revise the workflow if the result differs from the plan.

Do not use a production-wide list to discover whether the trigger works.

Monitor the workflow

Use the automation detail and Analytics to review:

• total and recent enrollments
• active, completed, failed, paused, or cancelled enrollment state
• email sends, delivery, opens, clicks, bounces, complaints, and unsubscribes
• contacts that were eligible but did not start, when source reporting is available

Deactivating a workflow stops new operation and may pause or cancel active runtime work according to the displayed control. Read the confirmation carefully before changing a live workflow.

For source-based automation, see Install the website Connector and Forms.