Automations
Automations let you build workflows that run automatically when specific events happen. Reduce manual work by triggering actions like sending emails, creating tasks, or notifying your team.How automations work
Every automation has two parts:- Trigger - The event that starts the automation (e.g., “When a lead is created”)
- Actions - What happens next (e.g., “Send an email” and “Create a task”)
Screenshot: Automation builder
Creating an automation
- Go to Automations
- Click Add Automation
- Name your automation
- Choose a trigger
- Add one or more actions
- Enable the automation
Available triggers
Event triggers
These fire when something happens in Heffl:| Trigger | Description |
|---|---|
| Lead Created | A new lead is added |
| Lead Updated | A lead’s fields are modified |
| Lead Stage Changed | A lead moves to a different stage |
| Lead Deleted | A lead is removed |
| Deal Created | A new deal is added |
| Deal Updated | A deal’s fields are modified |
| Deal Stage Changed | A deal moves to a different pipeline stage |
| Deal Deleted | A deal is removed |
| Client Created | A new contact or company is added |
| Client Updated | A contact’s fields are modified |
| Client Deleted | A contact is removed |
| Quotation Created | A new quotation is added |
| Quotation Updated | A quotation’s fields are modified |
| Quotation Deleted | A quotation is removed |
| Form Response Created | A form submission is received |
| Webhook Trigger | A custom external webhook is received |
Webhook trigger
Use webhook triggers to start automations from external systems:- Select Webhook Trigger
- Copy the generated webhook URL
- Configure your external system to POST to this URL
- The automation runs whenever the webhook is called
Available actions
Heffl actions
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Send Notification | Send an in-app notification to team members |
| Create Lead | Automatically create a new lead |
| Create Task | Create a task and assign it to team members |
Email actions
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Send Email via Gmail | Send through your connected Gmail account |
| Send Email via Outlook | Send through your connected Outlook account |
| Send Email via Zoho Mail | Send through your connected Zoho Mail account |
| Send Email via SMTP | Send through your custom SMTP server |
- Dynamic recipient fields (to, cc, bcc)
- Subject and body templates with merge tags
- HTML email content
Telegram actions
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Send Telegram Message | Send a message to a Telegram chat |
Utility actions
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Trigger Webhook | Send an HTTP POST request to an external URL |
| Delay | Wait for a specified duration before continuing |
Using merge tags
Actions can include data from the trigger event using merge tags. For example, when a lead is created:{{lead.name}}- Lead’s name{{lead.email}}- Lead’s email{{lead.title}}- Lead title{{lead.source}}- Lead source
Managing automations
Enable / Disable
Toggle automations on or off without deleting them. Disabled automations won’t fire even if the trigger event occurs.Testing
Test an automation by:- Creating a test record that matches the trigger condition
- Checking that all actions execute correctly
- Review the automation logs for any errors
Examples
Notify the team when a deal is won
- Trigger: Deal Stage Changed
- Condition: New stage type is “Won”
- Action: Send Notification to the sales team
Send a welcome email to new leads
- Trigger: Lead Created
- Action: Send Email via Gmail with a welcome template
Create a follow-up task when a quotation is sent
- Trigger: Quotation Updated (status changed to Sent)
- Action: Create Task - “Follow up on quotation” assigned to the sales person
Forward form submissions to Slack via webhook
- Trigger: Form Response Created
- Action: Trigger Webhook to your Slack webhook URL
FAQ
How many actions can an automation have?
How many actions can an automation have?
There’s no hard limit on the number of actions. Each action runs sequentially after the previous one completes.
Can automations run on existing records?
Can automations run on existing records?
Automations only fire on new events. They don’t retroactively process existing records.
What happens if an action fails?
What happens if an action fails?
If an action fails (e.g., email delivery fails), the error is logged. Subsequent actions in the workflow may still execute depending on the failure type.
Do I need to connect integrations first?
Do I need to connect integrations first?
Yes. Email actions require a connected email account, and Telegram actions require a bot token. Heffl validates integration requirements when you save the automation.