What are Workflows?

Workflows are the ability to automatically send pre-defined messages to specific members or teams based on certain criteria.

With Workflows, you can:

Automatically notify a Workplace Member that their request or reservation has been received, approved, cancelled, or otherwise updated.
Notify Team Members when a new request or reservation has been made so they can approve, reject, prepare, or take other actions in the course of their duties.
Automatically remind members before an event starts, or send a follow up message after an event ends.

Triggering a Workflow
- When | Before | After
Messaging Methods
- Multiple Messages | Customizing Messages
Recipients

Triggering a Workflow

Workflows can be triggered by a change in status of an interactive piece of content, or based on the Start or End time.

When

When an interactive content item is created, updated, or cancelled, a workflow can be triggered to notify the people affected.

These actions work in combination with the interactive feature Statuses.

If the status of an interactive item can change from:

Created -> Approved
Created -> Rejected
Created -> Cancelled

Then multiple Workflows can be created for each of the different scenarios above. That means a different message can be sent depending whether the interaction is approved, rejected, or cancelled.

Before

A Workflow can send a message before the start or end of an interactive event. This is based on the Start and End time of the Post.

This can be used to remind members of an event they have registered for.

💡 Note: Workflows triggered by time events are sent regardless of status. A timed message will be sent even if the interactive event has a closed or cancelled status.

After

A Workflow can send a message after the start time or end time of an interactive event.

This can be used to thank members for attending the event and sending links to followup surveys, register for similar events, provide documentation related to the event, and more.

Messaging methods

There are four ways to message users through Workflows:

Send a Notification sends an in-app notification to the user's mobile app. The user must have Allow Notifications enabled for the VTS Activate app in their iOS or Android mobile device settings.
Send an Email sends an email to the user's primary and verified email address stored in Activate. Emails are not sent to unverified email addresses, except in cases where Guest Invites is used.
Send an SMS message sends a text message to the user's phone number stored in Activate.
Trigger a Webhook sends a message containing the details of the interaction to another platform such as Zapier or Tray.io that can take further action on it.

Multiple messages

It is possible to send multiple messages in different formats to the same person or team simply by creating another Workflow.

For example, a confirmation of registration and payment may be sent to a user by email as a receipt, as well as a short in-app notification to their mobile device.

Customizing messages

By default, users receive a standard system generated message from Workflows detailing the interaction and status change.

By toggling the Custom Notification button, you can enter a custom message up to 128 characters.

This also applies to the SMS option, also up to 128 characters:

When the method is sending an email, there are seven toggles under Email Settings that allow customizing the message.

Recipients of Workflows

The people who receive messages generated from Workflows are:

A specific team: Select the team who is responsible for acting on the event.
A specific user: Select the user who is responsible for acting on the event.
The end user: The member who submitted the interaction. It is good practice to send confirmations whenever the status changes, or to confirm registration or payment.
Invited guests: When the Invite Guests feature is enabled, messages can be sent to the email addresses entered for each guest.

💡 Note: External guests are unlikely to have the app installed or a user profile with a phone number, therefore email is the best method for communication.

Conclusion

Workflows are used to:

Send messages when/before/after...
...an interactive content piece is created/updated/cancelled/approved/rejected...
...Via an in-app notification, email, text message, or by triggering a webhook,
...to a specific team, user, or the person who created the interaction.

If you have any questions or need additional help, contact VTS Activate Support at support@activate.vts.com and we will be happy to advise.