0:00 Hello everybody, my name is Drew. Today we're going to walk through the Automations page in VipeCloud. Automations allow you to set up triggers and actions for tasks like sending emails, calls, and more.

0:16 For example, if you’ve built an email, a series, or a text, and want scheduled communications to automatically stop based on triggers, this is where you can manage that.

0:33 This is the place to handle those tasks, and we’ll walk through some examples here.

0:41 To access this, go to the Automations tab in the sidebar. You’ll see a list of all the automations you’ve set up.

0:53 There are two main columns: Trigger and Action. These show how content can be sent or stopped based on specific events, which we call triggers.

1:15 Automations are distinct from Series, which are templates for multiple steps, like a drip campaign. If you want a whole series of emails to be sent, you’ll create it under Series. Then, those series can be triggered by an automation.

1:37 To create a new automation, click the Create button. It’s a two-step process: choose a trigger and then choose an action.

1:49 For example, you can add a contact to a list when they fill out a sign-up form.

2:04 You can also set up monthly recurring actions, such as sending an email template to everyone who filled out a sign-up form on the first of each month.

2:18 Daily recurring actions are based on custom fields. For instance, you can send a birthday message when the current date matches the contact’s birthday.

2:30 Another option is opportunity stage changes. If you’re a CRM user, when a deal reaches a specific stage—such as "won"—you can trigger an onboarding series.

2:55 Now, let’s walk through some examples. First, we’ll add a contact to a list.

3:04 Select the contact list, then choose an action. For example, if you’re adding someone to a newsletter, you might want to send a welcome email introducing them to what they can expect.

3:23 After selecting "Send Email," you’ll choose an email template. If you haven’t created one yet, you’ll need to do that first by going to the Emails tab. As a general rule, create your content first, then set up the automation.

3:50 You can also set send options, such as delaying the email or limiting the automation to certain hours, so emails aren’t sent late at night.

4:13 Once you’ve set everything, click Save Automation. Now, the new automation is ready.

4:22 Next, I’ll show you how this automation works in action by adding a contact and viewing the logs.

4:36 The logs let you see exactly what’s being sent and provide insights into how your automations are performing.

4:49 Let’s go over the signup form completion automation. This is similar to the contact list automation—you select a signup form, then choose an action.

5:03 You can choose actions like sending an email or a text. For texts, make sure the contact has a phone number in the mobile field.

5:24 You can also launch a series, which is a multi-step automation. Other actions include canceling scheduled emails or texts, and removing contacts from a series. This helps ensure that if a contact moves to a new stage, they won’t continue receiving outdated communications.

5:53 You can also trigger automations to stop, ensuring that contacts don’t receive redundant messages as they progress.

6:06 Monthly recurring automations allow you to send emails to a contact list on a specific date each month. You can even set it to wait until Monday if the date falls on a weekend.

6:48 Daily recurring automations are triggered by custom date fields, commonly used for birthdays or anniversaries.

7:01 Lastly, opportunity stage change automations trigger actions when a deal moves into a specific stage in your pipeline.

7:17 You can set actions like sending an email, delaying the send, or moving the contact to a different list. You can also cancel existing series for the primary contact if needed.

8:04 Now, let’s add a contact to the contact list and see how the automation works.

8:15 I’ll open a new tab, add a contact, and then check the logs to see the automation in action.

8:34 Here we go—the log shows that an email was sent to the contact added to the list. It also displays the trigger event, confirming the automation worked as intended.

9:00 By hovering over the log, we can inspect the contact record and verify the email was sent.

9:08 This demonstrates how you can monitor your automations and gain insights into their performance.

9:22 I hope this walkthrough has been helpful. You should now have a better understanding of how to set up automations, manage triggers, and track their results using the logs.

9:37 If you have any questions or ideas for automations but aren’t sure how to implement them, feel free to reach out. We’re happy to help. Thank you so much!