Automation flows: Triggers, actions, and rules
Automations in Textmagic help you automate customer messaging, contact management, sales, and e-commerce workflows. A flow starts with a trigger, continues with one or more actions, and can use rules to control timing and branching.
You can build automations using Textmagic events or connected apps. Textmagic supports native automation integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, and HubSpot, so activity in these apps can trigger flows and be used as part of your automation.
Build a flow manually or use Build with AI to create one from a description. AI can also help you troubleshoot existing flows and identify potential setup or logic issues.
Triggers
A trigger is what starts the automation. Every flow must have exactly one trigger. You can use filters to control which contacts enter the flow. Available filters depend on the selected trigger.
Textmagic triggers
| Trigger | Fires when |
|---|---|
| Tag is added to a contact | A selected tag is added to a contact |
| Contact is added to a list | A contact is added to a selected list |
| New inbound SMS is received | A new SMS is received |
| New inbound email is received | A new email is received |
| Manually select contacts | You manually select contacts to enter the flow |
| Contact created | A new contact is created |
| Contact updated | An existing contact is updated |
| Subscribe form filled | A contact submits a subscribe form |
Social triggers
| Trigger | Fires when |
|---|---|
| New live chat message | A new live chat message is received |
| New WhatsApp message | A new WhatsApp message is received |
| New Facebook message | A new Facebook message is received |
| New Instagram message | A new Instagram message is received |
Shopify triggers
| Trigger | Fires when |
|---|---|
| Order created | A new order is created |
| Order paid | An order is paid |
| Order fulfilled | An order is fulfilled |
| Order shipped | An order is shipped |
| Order ready for pickup | An order is ready for pickup |
| Abandoned checkout | A customer abandons checkout |
WooCommerce triggers
| Trigger | Fires when |
|---|---|
| Order created | A new order is created |
| Order paid | An order is paid |
| Order completed | An order is completed |
| Order cancelled | An order is cancelled |
| Order refunded | An order is refunded |
| Order failed | An order fails |
| Abandoned checkout | A customer abandons checkout |
HubSpot triggers
| Trigger | Fires when |
|---|---|
| New contact | A contact is created in HubSpot |
| Contact property updated | A contact property changes |
| New deal | A deal is created |
| Deal property updated | A deal property changes |
| New ticket | A ticket is created |
| Ticket property updated | A ticket property changes |
| New task | A task is created |
| Task property updated | A task property changes |
| New order | An order is created |
| Order property updated | An order property changes |
| New meeting | A meeting is created |
| Meeting property updated | A meeting property changes |
| New conversation | A conversation is created |
| Conversation property updated | A conversation property changes |
| New message in a conversation | A new message is received in a conversation |
Actions
Actions are the steps that happen after the trigger. You can add as many actions as needed to build your flow.
Messages and contacts
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Send SMS | Sends an SMS to the contact |
| Send email | Sends an email to the contact |
| Update contact | Updates the contact’s information |
| Add tag | Adds a selected tag to the contact |
| Remove tag | Removes a selected tag from the contact |
| Add to list | Adds the contact to a selected list |
| Remove from list | Removes the contact from a selected list |
| Unsubscribe contact | Unsubscribes the contact from the selected communication channel |
Additional actions may be available under Automation flows, Shopify, HubSpot, and Tasks and deals, depending on the integrations and tools connected to your account.
Rules
Rules add logic to your flow. They help you control timing, create different paths, wait for events or replies, and connect different parts of an automation.
| Rule | What it does |
|---|---|
| Time delay | Pauses the flow for a specified amount of time |
| Conditional split | Creates different paths based on specified conditions |
| Percentage split | Randomly distributes contacts between paths |
| Wait until event happens | Pauses the flow until a selected event occurs or the waiting period expires |
| Wait for reply & split | Waits for a reply and branches the flow based on the result |
| Go to another step | Moves the contact to another step in the flow |
Build and troubleshoot flows with AI
You can use AI to create a new automation from a description or analyze an existing flow when something does not work as expected.
Describe the automation you want to create instead of adding every trigger, action, and rule manually.
- Select Build with AI.
- Describe what you want the automation to do.
- Review the flow generated by AI.
- Adjust any steps if needed, then activate the flow.
Example: When a customer abandons their Shopify checkout, wait one hour, send an SMS reminder, and follow up by email.
Use AI to analyze an existing automation when it does not behave as expected.
- Review the flow structure.
- Identify potential issues with triggers, actions, and rules.
- Find possible problems in the flow logic.
- Suggest changes to help fix the flow.
Review any suggested changes before applying them and activating the flow.
Automation settings
Automation settings control when contacts can enter a flow and how often the same contact can enter it again.
| Setting | Option | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Flow schedule | Always run | Allows contacts to enter the flow at any time |
| Run on selected hours | Lets you select the weekdays and hours when contacts can enter the flow | |
| Run on specific date period | Lets you define a specific date range when contacts can enter the flow | |
| Contact re-entry | Once per time period | Allows the same contact to enter the flow again after the selected time period has passed, for example once per 24 hours |
Summary
Automation flows give you control over how contacts move through your messaging and business processes. You can start flows based on contact activity, incoming messages, social channels, e-commerce events, or HubSpot activity, and then:
- Send SMS or emails
- Update contacts, tags, and lists
- React to Shopify and WooCommerce events
- React to HubSpot activity
- Route contacts through delays and different paths
- Wait for events or replies
- Control when contacts can enter a flow
- Control how often contacts can re-enter
- Build and troubleshoot flows with AI
Together, these tools help you build consistent, scalable customer journeys with less manual work.
Common use cases
Here are some common ways to use automation flows in Textmagic.
| Use case | Example flow |
|---|---|
| 👋Welcome and onboarding | New contact or form submission → Send welcome email → Send SMS introduction |
| 🌱Lead nurturing | New lead → Send follow-up email → Wait → Send SMS if there is no reply |
| 💬Automatic replies | Incoming message → Send an automatic confirmation or response |
| 🛒Abandoned checkout recovery | Checkout abandoned → Wait 1 hour → Send SMS reminder → Follow up by email |
| 📦Order updates | Order shipped or ready for pickup → Send customer notification |
| 📅Appointment and booking flows | New meeting → Send confirmation → Wait → Send reminder before the appointment |
| 🔀Conditional workflows | Send message → Wait for reply → Route contacts to different paths based on the result |
| 🧪A/B testing | Split contacts 50/50 → Send different message versions → Compare the results |
| 👥Contact management | Contact reaches a step → Update contact → Add or remove a tag → Add to a list |
| 🔗HubSpot workflows | HubSpot contact, deal, ticket, task, meeting, order, or conversation event → Start a Textmagic flow |
| ✨AI-built automations | Describe the workflow → Let AI build the initial flow → Review and activate it |