Connecting Actions

Actions are the work horses of your automations. Once a trigger fires and conditions are met, actions execute the actual tasks that make your workflows valuable. Learn how to configure powerful action sequences that save time and improve customer experience.

🎯 Action Categories

Communication Actions

Send Email

Deliver personalized emails to leads, customers, or team members.

Configuration Options:

• Recipients: Dynamic (form submitter) or static email addresses
• Email Templates: Pre-built designs or custom HTML
• Personalization: Insert form data into subject and body
• Attachments: PDFs, documents, or generated reports
• Scheduling: Immediate or delayed sending

Advanced Features:

• Conditional Content: Show different sections based on form data
• A/B Testing: Test different subject lines or content
• Tracking: Open rates, click rates, and engagement metrics
• Reply Handling: Auto-responses and conversation threading

Example Configuration:

Email Type: Welcome Email
To: {{email_field}}
Subject: "Welcome to SmartFlow, {{first_name}}!"
Template: Welcome Series Template 1
Delay: Send immediately
Track Opens: Yes

Send SMS

Reach leads instantly with text messages.

Configuration Options:

• Phone Number Source: Form field or manual entry
• Message Content: Plain text with dynamic variables
• Sender ID: Custom business name or number
• Country Codes: Automatic detection or manual specification
• Timing: Immediate, delayed, or business hours only

SMS Best Practices:

• Keep messages under 160 characters
• Include clear call-to-action
• Respect opt-out preferences
• Use business hours for non-urgent messages

Team Notifications

Alert team members about important submissions or events.

Configuration Options:

• Notification Channels: Email, Slack, Microsoft Teams
• Recipient Rules: Based on form data, lead score, or rotation
• Message Templates: Standardized notification formats
• Priority Levels: Normal, high, or urgent notifications
• Escalation: Forward to managers if no response

CRM Actions

Create Contact

Add new leads directly to your CRM system.

Configuration Options:

• CRM Platform: HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, etc.
• Field Mapping: Match form fields to CRM properties
• Duplicate Handling: Update existing or create new
• Contact Lists: Assign to specific lists or segments
• Owner Assignment: Round-robin or rule-based assignment

Field Mapping Example:

Form Field → CRM Field
email → Email Address
first_name → First Name
company → Company Name
phone → Phone Number
budget → Annual Revenue

Update Contact

Modify existing contact records with new information.

Configuration Options:

• Update Rules: Append, overwrite, or conditional updates
• Custom Fields: Update CRM-specific properties
• Activity Logging: Record form submission as activity
• Score Updates: Modify lead scores based on new data

Create Deal/Opportunity

Generate sales opportunities from high-value leads.

Configuration Options:

• Deal Value: Static amount or calculated from form data
• Pipeline Stage: Initial stage assignment
• Close Date: Estimated based on lead type
• Deal Owner: Assigned based on territory or lead score
• Products: Associate relevant products or services

Lead Management Actions

Calculate Lead Score

Assign or update lead scores based on form responses.

Scoring Configuration:

• Demographic Scoring: Company size, industry, role
• Behavioral Scoring: Form completion, page visits, downloads
• Negative Scoring: Unqualified criteria, competitor indicators
• Score Decay: Reduce scores over time for inactive leads

Scoring Example:

Company Size:
- Enterprise (1000+ employees): +25 points
- Mid-market (100-999 employees): +15 points
- Small business (<100 employees): +5 points

Budget:
- >$100,000: +30 points
- $50,000-$100,000: +20 points
- $10,000-$50,000: +10 points
- <$10,000: +5 points

Assign Lead

Route leads to appropriate team members.

Assignment Rules:

• Geographic: Based on location or territory
• Product-based: Route by product interest or expertise
• Round-robin: Equal distribution among available reps
• Skill-based: Match lead requirements to rep capabilities
• Workload balancing: Consider current lead volume

Tag and Categorize

Organize leads with tags and categories for better management.

Tagging Options:

• Source Tags: Form name, traffic source, campaign
• Interest Tags: Product categories, service types
• Qualification Tags: Budget level, timeline, authority
• Behavioral Tags: Download history, engagement level

Integration Actions

Webhook Actions

Send data to external systems via HTTP requests.

Configuration:

• Endpoint URL: Destination system URL
• HTTP Method: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE
• Headers: Authentication and content type
• Payload: JSON data from form submission
• Error Handling: Retry logic and failure notifications

Webhook Example:

{
  "event": "form_submission",
  "timestamp": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "lead": {
    "email": "{{email}}",
    "name": "{{first_name}} {{last_name}}",
    "company": "{{company}}",
    "score": "{{calculated_score}}"
  }
}

API Integrations

Direct integration with third-party APIs.

Popular Integrations:

• Google Sheets: Add rows to spreadsheets
• Zapier: Trigger thousands of app connections
• Analytics: Send conversion events to Google Analytics
• Calendar: Create meetings or schedule follow-ups

Advanced Action Types

Conditional Actions

Execute different actions based on form data or lead characteristics.

If/Then Logic:

IF lead_score > 80
THEN assign_to_senior_sales_rep
ELSE assign_to_junior_sales_rep

IF budget > $50000
THEN create_enterprise_deal
ELSE add_to_nurture_sequence

Delayed Actions

Schedule actions to run after specific time periods.

Delay Options:

• Fixed Delay: Specific hours, days, or weeks
• Business Hours: Skip weekends and holidays
• Time Zone Aware: Respect lead's local time
• Dynamic Delay: Based on form data or lead behavior

Sequential Actions

Chain multiple actions together in a specific order.

Action Sequence Example:

1. Calculate lead score
2. Send confirmation email to lead
3. Create contact in CRM
4. Assign to sales rep
5. Send notification to sales rep
6. Schedule follow-up reminder

🔧 Action Configuration Best Practices

Data Mapping

Dynamic Content

Use form field data throughout your actions.

Variable Syntax:

• for form fields
• for computed values
• for timestamps
• for form identification

Fallback Values

Provide defaults when form fields are empty.

Example:

Email Subject: "Thank you {{first_name|Guest}} for your interest!"

Error Handling

Retry Logic

Configure automatic retries for failed actions.

Retry Settings:

• Max Attempts: 3-5 retry attempts
• Backoff Strategy: Exponential delay between retries
• Failure Actions: Alternative actions if all retries fail
• Monitoring: Alerts for persistent failures

Validation

Ensure data quality before executing actions.

Validation Rules:

• Email format validation
• Phone number formatting
• Required field checks
• Data type verification

Performance Optimization

Action Prioritization

Order actions by importance and dependencies.

Priority Guidelines:

1. Critical notifications (high-value leads)
2. Data synchronization (CRM updates)
3. Lead assignment and routing
4. Secondary communications
5. Analytics and tracking

Bulk Processing

Group similar actions for efficiency.

Batch Processing:

• Combine multiple CRM updates
• Send bulk notifications
• Process webhooks in batches
• Schedule non-urgent actions

📊 Monitoring and Analytics

Action Performance Metrics

Success Rates

Track how often actions complete successfully.

Key Metrics:

• Action completion rate
• Average execution time
• Error frequency by action type
• Integration reliability scores

Impact Analysis

Measure the business impact of your actions.

Business Metrics:

• Lead response time improvement
• Conversion rate increases
• Sales team efficiency gains
• Customer satisfaction scores

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Email Delivery Problems

• Check sender reputation
• Verify email template formatting
• Review spam filter settings
• Validate recipient email addresses

CRM Integration Failures

• Confirm API credentials
• Check field mapping accuracy
• Verify CRM system limits
• Review data format requirements

Webhook Timeouts

• Optimize payload size
• Check endpoint availability
• Implement proper error handling
• Use asynchronous processing

🚀 Getting Started with Actions

Simple First Actions

Start with these basic but powerful actions:

1. Welcome Email - Immediate confirmation to form submitters
2. Team Notification - Alert sales when new leads arrive
3. CRM Contact Creation - Automatically add leads to your CRM

Progressive Enhancement

Gradually add sophistication:

1. Lead Scoring - Calculate scores based on form responses
2. Conditional Routing - Different actions for different lead types
3. Follow-up Sequences - Multi-touch communication campaigns
4. Advanced Integrations - Custom webhooks and API connections

📚 Next Steps

Ready to build powerful action sequences?

• Testing Automations →
• Automation Templates →
• Lead Scoring Guide →
• Integration Setup →

Start Building Actions →