Each automation will include one trigger and as many actions, waits, and conditions as you’d like. We'll cover all of the triggers, actions, waits and conditions that are available to you, and what they mean, below.
📚 Tips
This article covers Automations 2.0, HoneyBook's new automations builder with conditional logic, 3rd party app integrations, and more. Learn more about Automations 2.0 here.
Once you've set up your automation, be sure to activate it so it starts running in projects when the trigger is met.
Triggers
A trigger is the event and conditions that will cause the automation to start running in projects. For any trigger, select the project/event type(s) for which the trigger will apply, or all.
Apps
Calendly: Meeting scheduled
The automation will run after a meeting is scheduled from your connected Calendly account. If you select this trigger, you'll also be required to add a Create Opportunity/Project step for the automation.
Acuity: Meeting scheduled
The automation will run after a meeting is scheduled from your connected Acuity account. If you select this trigger, you'll also be required to add a Create Opportunity/Project step for the automation.
Inquiry
Contact form submitted
The automation will run after a contact form is submitted.
Lead form submitted
The automation will run after a lead form is submitted. If you select this option, you can select the specific lead form(s) that will apply to this trigger, or all.
Session
📣 Note
Session-related triggers only apply to sessions that are scheduled through the Scheduler.
Session is scheduled
The automation will run after a session is scheduled by a participant in the project.
When setting up your automation, you'll have the option to select which session types (including team members') will activate this trigger, or all.
Session starts
The automation will run a set amount of time before or after the project's session is scheduled to begin.
When setting up your automation, you'll have the option to select which session types (including team members') will activate this trigger, or all.
Session ends
The automation will run a set amount of time before or after the project's session is scheduled to end.
When setting up your automation, you'll have the option to select which session types (including team members') will activate this trigger, or all.
File
Questionnaire submitted
The automation will run after a questionnaire has been signed by a client in the project. If you select this option, you can select the specific template(s) that will apply to this trigger, or all.
Smart file is completed
The automation will run after a smart file is completed. If you select this option, you can select the specific template(s) that will apply to this trigger, or all.
📚 Tip
A smart file is considered completed once the client has completed all actions and mandatory questions and navigated to the final page of the smart file. However, if the final page contains questions or actions, the client must submit the final page in order for the file to be considered completed.
You can also manually mark a smart file in which the client has completed all required actions as completed. Learn how here.
Booking
📣 Note
Payment-related triggers will work for payments that are either made through, or marked as paid on, a HoneyBook invoice in the project.
First payment paid
The automation will run after the first payment in a payment schedule has been made. If you select this option, you can select the specific template(s) that will apply to this trigger, or all. A few notes:
If the payment schedule only contains one payment (versus multiple payments), the action will trigger after the sole payment
The payment file must be active (i.e., not expired) in order for the trigger to function
If you have activate automations with the “first payment” and “paid in full” triggers and have relevant projects with a single-payment file, both automations will trigger when the sole payment is made
Manually marking a payment as paid will not activate this trigger
Invoice paid in full
The automation will run after the final payment in a payment schedule has been made. If you select this option, you can select the specific template(s) that will apply to this trigger, or all. A few notes:
If the payment schedule only contains one payment (versus multiple payments), the action will trigger after the sole payment
The payment file must be active (i.e., not expired) in order for the trigger to function
If a file contains a recurring invoice, the trigger will only occur after the final payment date, if there is an end date set
If you have activate automations with the “first payment” and “paid in full” triggers and have relevant projects with a single-payment file, both automations will trigger when the sole payment is made
Manually marking a payment as paid will not activate this trigger
Contract is signed
The automation will run after a contract has been signed by a client in the project. If the contract includes multiple signature lines for multiple clients, the action will trigger after the first signature has been added. If you select this option, you can select the specific template(s) that will apply to this trigger, or all.
All signatures are signed
The automation will run after all of the required signatures in a contract have been signed. If you select this option, you can select the specific template(s) that will apply to this trigger, or all.
Project
Project start time
The automation will run X number of minutes, hours, days, weeks, or months before or after the project start time.
Project end time
The automation will run X number of minutes, hours, days, weeks, or months before or after the project end time.
Project stage changed
The automation will run after the project has been moved to the selected stage in your project pipeline.
📚 Tip
The "Project stage changed" trigger replaces the old "Project moved to completed" trigger. With this update, you now have full control over the pipeline stage that will cause an automation to start running. If you have older automations that still use the "Project moved to completed" trigger, they will continue running as-is.
Tags added to project
The automation will run when specific tags are added to a project. This trigger follows or logic: for example, if you select the tags "Summer wedding" and "Ghosted," the automation will run in any projects that moving forward, have either tag applied.
Other
Manual trigger
The automation will run in a project once it's been manually triggered in the project. Learn more about manually triggering an automation here.
Actions
An action is something that happens when the automation runs.
Create/update subscriber
The Create/update subscriber action is available to users who have connected their HoneyBook account to Flodesk. This action will automatically send project contacts to your Flodesk subscriber list. Learn how to connect your Flodesk account here and learn best practices for using this action here.
Create email draft
The Create email draft action allows you to select one of your existing email templates to include in a step of an automation. When the action runs in a project, a new email draft will be created in the project based off of the select template, that you can then edit (if you'd like) and send or delete.
Send email
The Send email action allows you to select one of your existing email templates to include in a step of an automation. When the action runs in a project, the email will send as-is (or, if you've required approval before sending, you can choose to send or not send the email as-is). If you'd like the option to edit an email through an automation before it goes out, use the Create email draft action instead.
Create task
The Create task action allows the automation to add a task to your (or a member of your team's) task list, using the automation trigger and any waits to assign the due date. When the automation reaches that step, the assignee will see the task appear. Your clients will not be able to see your task list.
Send smart file via email
The Send smart file via email action allows you to select one of your existing smart templates to include in a step of an automation. You’ll also choose an email template that will go out with the smart file.
📣 Note
If you choose to send a smart file with a contract via automation, the contract will send as-is. The contract signee will be listed as the first participant in the project. Learn more about creating & applying booking automations here.
Move Pipeline stage
The Move Pipeline stage action allows the automation to move the associated project to a particular pipeline stage when the chosen trigger occurs.
📚 Tip
This action takes manual work out of moving projects through your pipeline. If you have a unique trigger (such as: after a smart file is completed, after a session ends) that signals a pipeline stage move, you can use this action to have the stage move occur automatically.
Remember to also set up pipeline automations for full control over your pipeline.
Waits
A wait is a wait time or delay between the automation trigger and first step, or two subsequent steps. A wait can be either time-related or event-related.
Time-related
You can configure the automation to wait X number of minutes, hours, days, weeks, or month between steps.
Event-related
You can configure an automation to pause a run until a specific event occurs in the project ("Wait until..."). The available events are:
Session scheduled
File completed
Questionnaire submitted
First payment paid
Invoice paid in full
Contract signed
All signatures signed
Conditions
When building an automation, you can add conditions for enhanced customization and control. Select a condition from the existing options, then choose additional automation steps based on whether or not the condition was met.
📚 Tip
Learn more about adding conditional logic to your automations here.
Session was scheduled
Use this condition if you want to split the automation based on whether or not a session was scheduled in the associated project.
If using this condition, you can specify which session the condition will check for:
Any session in the project, OR
Specific session types (including team members')
File was viewed
Use this condition if you want to split the automation based on whether or not a file was viewed.
If using this condition, you can specify which files the condition will check for:
Any file in the project,
File sent in previous step of the automation, OR
Specific file templates
File was completed
Use this condition if you want to split the automation based on whether or not a file was completed.
📚 Tip
A smart file in HoneyBook is considered completed when:
The client has completed all required actions and mandatory questions.
The client has navigated to the final page of the smart file.
If the final page contains questions or actions, the client has submitted the final page
This logic cannot be adjusted, but note that you can manually mark a smart file as complete if the client has completed all required actions.
If using this condition, you can specify which files the condition will check for:
Any file in the project,
File sent in previous step of the automation, OR
Specific file templates
First payment has been paid
Use this condition if you want to split the automation based on whether the first payment has been paid through a smart file.
If using this condition, you can specify which invoices the condition will check for:
Any invoice in the project,
Invoice sent in previous step of the automation, OR
Specific invoice templates
Invoice paid in full
Use this condition if you want to split the automation based on whether an invoice has been paid in full in the associated project.
If using this condition, you can specify which invoices the condition will check for:
Any invoice in the project,
Invoice sent in previous step of the automation, OR
Specific invoice templates
Contract signed
Use this condition if you want to split the automation based on whether a contract has been signed.
If using this condition, you can specify which contracts the condition will check for:
Any contract in the project,
Contract sent in previous step of the automation, OR
Specific contract templates
Questionnaire was submitted
Use this condition if you want to split the automation based on whether a questionnaire was submitted.
If using this condition, you can specify which questionnaires the condition will check for:
Any questionnaire in the project,
Questionnaire sent in previous step of the automation, OR
Specific questionnaire templates
Task was completed
Use this condition if you want to split the automation based on whether a task was completed.
If using this condition, you'll need to select a task for which this condition will apply, and the task must have been created previously through the automation, in a "Create task" step.
Still have questions? Feel free to send us a message by clicking the Question Mark icon on any HoneyBook page. Our team is always happy to help!