Automations (no-code workflows)

Automations are workflows you build by dragging and connecting steps. They start when something happens, such as a new message, a new contact or an abandoned cart, and then carry out the steps for you.

Where: Automations (/app/automations)

How an automation works

Every automation has:

• one trigger: the event that starts it, and
• a flow of steps (nodes): what happens next, connected on a visual canvas. A flow can branch, wait and loop back.

Triggers

Trigger	Starts when
Message received	A customer sends a message
Contact created	A new contact is added
Tag added	A particular tag is added to a contact
Campaign sent	A campaign has been sent
Form submitted	A form is completed
Webhook received	Another system calls the automation's webhook URL
Order placed / fulfilled / cancelled	An order changes in a connected store
Cart abandoned	A shopper leaves items in their cart
Customer created	A new customer is created in a connected store
Lead stage changed / qualified / won / lost	A lead moves in your lead pipeline

Building a flow

Open an automation and click Edit to open the builder. Drag steps onto the canvas and connect them. The main kinds of step are:

• Send: WhatsApp messages and templates, SMS, email, media, buttons, lists, quick replies and locations.
• Logic: conditions (if/else branches), waits, questions that pause until the contact replies, and sub-flows.
• Contact: add or remove tags, update contact fields, add to a campaign.
• People: assign to an agent, or hand the conversation to a person.
• AI: let an AI chatbot write the reply, or branch on what the customer meant.
• External: call a webhook, work with Google Sheets, Docs or Forms, book an appointment with a video link, or look up products in Shopify or WooCommerce.

Some external steps, such as the Google ones, appear only when the platform has that integration switched on.

Personalising messages

Insert values that change per contact or message with tokens such as {{contact.name}} or {{message.body}}. Each token is replaced with real data when the flow runs.

Start faster: templates and AI

• Templates: start from a ready-made automation and adjust it.
• Generate with AI: describe what you want in plain English, for example "When someone asks about pricing, send our price list and tag them warm_lead", and Omni builds a first draft of the flow for you to review and edit.

Always check an AI-generated flow before you switch it on.

Testing and monitoring

• Test runs an automation once, so you can see what it does.
• Runs (/app/automations/{id}/runs) shows every execution with its status (running, waiting, completed or failed) and where it is in the flow.
• An automation that asks a question pauses until the contact replies, then continues automatically.

Triggering from other systems

Create a webhook token for an automation to get a private URL. When your website, form tool or another service calls that URL, the automation starts. Automations can also be triggered through the REST API.

Plan limits

The number of active automations depends on your plan. See Billing and plans.

Next: answer questions automatically with AI chatbots.