Automations are a helpful way to create two-way interactions with your customers or to trigger workflows and actions based on keywords in message responses. In this article we describe the different automation actions that are available and how they can be used. This blog post also shares several great use cases and templates you can try using automations.
Automation actions basics
Every Automation requires at least one action, and every action has an Action Name. This can be anything you want and is for you to create a descriptive name to help you identify the action later.
Once you are finished customising your action, you will use the Save Action button in the bottom right corner to add it to your automation. You can always come back and Edit the Action if you need to update it.
Let’s look at some of the actions available:
Add to Group
Add to Group will automatically add recipients to a designated contact group when they reply to a message with a prescribed keyword or phrase.
This is helpful when you want to set up a mailing list for future messaging, based on voluntary opt-in from a wider audience.
Just click on Add to Group from the list of available actions in the drop-down list, followed by the name of the group to which you which to add the contacts who reply with the keyword or phrase.
Note: you will need to have already created the contact group before creating this action.
Remove from Contact Group
Remove From Group will automatically remove the replying contact from a nominated contact group (provided they are already saved in that group)
Simply select Remove From Group from the list of available Actions, followed by the name of the group concerned:
Remember to click “Save Action” in the bottom right to add this action to your automation.
Send SMS Reply
Send an SMS Reply will automatically reply to whoever just messaged you.
You might use this to send additional information to a customer or to let them know that their message was received. For example, if someone has confirmed their appointment, you might want to respond with a message that includes your business's address or phone number. Or you may want to send a message to anyone who texts you which says something like, "We've received your message and someone will respond to you within 1 business day."
Once you select Send an SMS Reply, type in the message you would want to send.
Forward to Mobile
Forward to Mobile will automatically forward responses to a nominated mobile number. This is handy if you want to be able to see real-time responses to campaigns on the fly, and can’t always be in front of the web portal.
Simply select Forward to Mobile from the list of available actions, followed by the mobile number(s) to which you want responses to be forwarded:
Forward to Email
Forward to Email will automatically forward responses to a nominated email address. This will allow you to see and organise responses in email folders without needing to use the web portal.
Simply select Forward to Email from the list of available actions, followed by the email address(es) to which you want responses to be forwarded:
Unsubscribe
Unsubscribe will automatically unsubscribe any contact who sends the prescribed response as set in the Automation settings.
Simply select Unsubscribe from the list of available actions:
Forward to URL
Forward to URL is used for creating events in third-party systems via REST API.
- Select Forward to URL from the list of available actions in the dropdown list
- You will then need to choose the HTTP Method
- Enter the endpoint URL
- Enter your Header key and value and click Add Header
- Enter your Parameter key and value and lick Add Parameter
- Once you have entered all required values, click Save Action