Each stage on a contact board can run its own automations. When a contact moves into that stage, VipeCloud can send an email or text, launch a series, update a field, or take any other automation action. It runs whenever a contact moves into the stage, whether you drag the card on the board, change the stage on the contact record, or bulk change contacts from the Contacts table.
Stage automations are set up one stage at a time, on the dropdown field that powers your board.
How to Add an Automation to a Stage
This is set up in the Edit Custom Field drawer for the field your board is grouped by.
Go to Settings and click Customize.
Click Contact to expand it, then click Fields.
Click the field your board is grouped by, for example Sales Status.
In the Options list, click + on the stage you want, for example Closed Lost.
Choose an action, such as Send Email, Send Text, or Launch Series.
Complete the action's settings, such as choosing a template.
Click Save Automation.
The automation saves as soon as you click Save Automation. You don't need to click Save in the Edit Custom Field drawer afterward.
Stage automations run immediately. There's no delay setting for this trigger, so for a follow-up that should go out days later, choose Launch Series and build the timing into the series.
How to Create a Stage Automation From the Automations Page
You can also start from the Automations page.
Click Automations in the left sidebar.
Click Create.
Click Dropdown Value Set.
Choose the field under Choose Dropdown Field.
Choose the stage under Choose Value.
Choose an action, complete its settings, and click Save Automation.
How to See a Stage's Automations
In the Options list on the Edit Custom Field drawer, the lightning bolt on each stage row shows how many automations that stage runs. Click the arrow next to it to expand the row and see each automation's trigger and action.
Stage automations also appear on the Automations page with your other automations. You can edit or delete them there like any other automation.
Automations saved with Save as Draft don't run and aren't counted on the lightning bolt. To turn one on, open it from the Automations page, uncheck Save as Draft, and click Save Automation.
How to Ask Before an Automation Runs
Turn on Ask me before running this automation when you want whoever moves the contact to confirm the automation first. This is useful for automations the contact will see, like an email or text, so a rep can skip it when the timing isn't right.
This setting is in the Create Automation drawer, after you choose an action.
Open the automation, or create a new one.
Choose an action.
Check Ask me before running this automation.
Click Save Automation.
This setting is available for stage automations on contact boards and for Opportunity Stage Change automations.
What Users See When an Automation Asks Before Running
When someone moves a contact into that stage, a Run these automations? prompt appears. Automations that ask before running are listed with a checkbox, so the user can uncheck any they don't want. Automations that don't ask are listed under These will also run, so the user knows what else will happen.
Run selected - runs the checked automations along with the ones under These will also run.
Skip all automations - moves the contact without running the automations that ask. The ones under These will also run still run.
Cancel change - cancels the move. Nothing runs, and the contact stays in its current stage.
If the stage also asks for a loss reason, the reason prompt appears first. See How to Capture Loss Reasons on a Board View.
Stage changes made by the API, an import, or another automation don't show this prompt, and the automation runs normally.
Stage Automations for Accounts
Account board views work the same way. Go to Settings, click Customize, expand Account instead of Contact, and follow the same steps using the account's dropdown field.
Account stage automations run for the account's primary contact. If the account has no primary contact, the automation doesn't run.