# Automation Flows The **Automation Flow** allows you to create automatic sequences of actions within the platform, organizing communication with the customer in an intelligent, scalable, and standardized way. It can be used to send automatic messages, route to departments, apply tags, update custom fields, integrate with channels like WhatsApp and Instagram, among other actions. {% embed url="" %} *** ### 📌 What is an Automation Flow? It is a visual structure (in block format) where you define: * **Triggers** (when the flow starts) * **Conditions** (decision rules) * **Actions** (what the system should execute) * **Logical and control blocks** Works like a “decision map”, allowing you to create personalized journeys for your contacts. *** ### 🚀 What is it for? You can use the Automation Flow to: * Initial automatic service * Automatic distribution by department * Application of strategic tags * Updating custom fields * Sending messages outside business hours * Lead qualification * CRM integration * Contact nurturing * Lead volume control *** ### ⚙️ How to access You can access it in two ways: **Menu >> Relate >> Automation Flow** or Type **Automation Flow** in the field **Find services**. *** ### ▶️ Ways to start a Flow There are **several ways to start an Automation Flow**, such as: * Segment * Manually * Via automation (SAC, CRM, Chatbot, Extra Webhook Actions and Form) 📎 *To learn all the available ways, access the specific article here:* {% content-ref url="/pages/efc2e1c9f9ae10f20710fe3777025b158d44c3ce" %} [Automation Flow - Ways to Trigger](/en/topics/relate/automation-flows/tutorial-videos/automation-flow-ways-to-trigger.md) {% endcontent-ref %} *** ### 🔄 Where can the Flow execute? The Automation Flow can act directly in the following modules: * **Contact** * **Tasks** * **Opportunities** * **Services** To correctly define where the flow will be executed, we use the **Automatic Selector**, which determines the context of the automation. 📎 *Learn more about how to configure the Automatic Selector in this article:* {% content-ref url="/pages/1edbad80a69ccb55e7e4bd2f2dd00df65b1941c4" %} [Automatic Selectors](/en/topics/relate/automation-flows/automatic-selectors.md) {% endcontent-ref %} *** ### 🧩 Structure of a Flow #### 1️⃣ Entry Trigger Defines when the flow will start. *** #### 2️⃣ Conditions (If / Then) Allow creating branches in the flow. Example: * If message contains “quote” * If channel is WhatsApp * If contact already has a certain tag * If custom field has a certain value 🔀 **Conditionals with AND and OR** Within the Automation Flow, you can combine multiple conditions using the logical operators **AND** and **OR**. Understanding the difference between them is essential to create correct rules. 🔹 Conditional with **AND** The condition will be true **only if ALL rules are met at the same time**. That is, everything needs to be true for the flow to proceed. 📌 Example: If: * Channel is WhatsApp **AND** * Message contains the word “quote” 👉 The flow will only continue if both conditions happen together. If only one of them is true, the flow will not follow that path. 🔹 Conditional with **OR** The condition will be true if **at least one of the rules is met**. In other words, it is enough for one condition to be true for the flow to proceed. 📌 Example: If: * Message contains “quote” **OR** * Message contains “price” 👉 The flow will continue if the customer writes any of these words. 🎯 **Practical comparison** | Situation | Result with **AND** | Result with **OR** | | ----------------------- | ------------------- | ------------------ | | Two true conditions | Executes | Executes | | Only one true condition | ❌ Does not execute | ✅ Executes | | None true | ❌ Does not execute | ❌ Does not execute | 🧠 **When to use each?** Use **AND** when: * You need more specific rules * You want to avoid improper executions * You are qualifying leads with multiple criteria Use **OR** when: * You want to expand possibilities * You work with word variations * You are creating more flexible filters 🛠️ **Combined example** You can also mix rules. Example: * Channel = WhatsApp * AND * Message contains “quote” * OR * Message contains “proposal” In this case:\ The channel needs to be WhatsApp **AND**, within that, it can contain “quote” or “proposal”. This allows you to create smarter and more strategic flows. *** #### 3️⃣ Actions These are the tasks executed automatically: * Send message * Send template (when necessary within WhatsApp's 24-hour window) * Apply or remove tag * Change department * Update custom field * Close service * Assign responsible *** ### 🧠 Special Flow Blocks In addition to standard actions, the Automation Flow has strategic blocks that increase control and intelligence of the journey: *** #### 🔹 Field Value Allows checking or using the value of a custom field as a condition in the flow. Example: * If the field **Customer Type** is “Active”, follow to priority service. * If the field **Interest** is “Premium Plan”, route to the specific commercial team. *** #### 🔹 Alternator Used to distribute services alternately among users or teams. Example: * Automatically alternate between sellers A, B and C. * Distribute leads in a balanced way (round-robin model). This prevents overload on a single agent. *** #### 🔹 Time Limiter The **Time Limiter** controls the volume of flow execution over time. A time limiter can: * Delay the passage of Leads * Allow only a limited number of executions * Release new executions every X hours or X days Practical example: * Allow only 10 leads per day for a given seller * Release 5 opportunities every 2 hours * Control distribution to avoid excessive simultaneous demands This block is ideal for: ✔️ Control lead volume\ ✔️ Avoid team overload\ ✔️ Create a strategic distribution cadence\ ✔️ Maintain operational balance *** ### ⏰ Automation and WhatsApp 24-hour Window When using the WhatsApp channel, it is important to remember: * Within the 24-hour window: it is possible to send free-form messages. * Outside the window: it is mandatory to use **Message Template approved by Meta**. Otherwise, the send will be blocked. *** ### 🛠️ Practical example **Scenario:** Customer sends a message via WhatsApp with the word “quote”. Flow: 1. Trigger: New message received 2. Condition: Message contains “quote” 3. Action: * Apply tag “Quote Interest” * Check **Field Value** “Region” * Use **Alternator** to distribute among sellers * Apply **Time Limiter** to control daily volume * Send automatic message * Route to Commercial Department Result: service organized automatically, with intelligent distribution and volume control. *** ### 🎯 Best practices ✔️ Start with simple flows\ ✔️ Name each step well\ ✔️ Use tags to organize your database\ ✔️ Always test before publishing\ ✔️ Avoid very long and confusing flows\ ✔️ Document the internal logic --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.sprinthub.com/en/topics/relate/automation-flows.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. 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