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Automation Events and Workflows help your team automate repetitive tasks and create consistent, repeatable processes in Captivated. At the simplest level:
  • Automation Events follow a “When this happens, do this” model.
  • Workflows move conversations through your organization’s own custom stages.
Used together, they can automatically send messages, invite Users, transfer conversations, add Tags, transition Workflow states, and much more.

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Automation Events

Automation Events allow Captivated to automatically perform one or more actions when a specific event occurs. Think of it as:
When this happens → automatically do this.
Every Automation Event has two parts:
  1. Event — the trigger or cause.
  2. Action — what Captivated does as a result.
For example:
When a customer messages the word “directions” → automatically send your business address.

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What Can Trigger an Automation?

Automation Events can be triggered by activity such as:
  • A conversation being assigned to a User
  • A conversation being unassigned from a User
  • A conversation being queued
  • A conversation being taken from a Queue
  • A conversation being completed
  • A message being sent
  • A message being received
  • A payment being received
  • A location being received
  • A form being submitted
  • An appointment being booked
  • A Workflow state being entered
  • A Workflow state being exited
  • A custom button being clicked

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What Can Captivated Do Automatically?

When an event occurs, Captivated can perform one or more actions, including:
  • Send a message
  • Send a Template
  • Invite a User to the conversation
  • Transfer the conversation
  • Add an Internal Note
  • Complete the conversation
  • Start a Workflow
  • Transition a Workflow to another state
  • End a Workflow
  • Add a Tag
  • Remove a Tag
  • Send a webhook to a URL
Actions can also be configured to wait a set amount of time before running. For example:
When a conversation has been waiting for 60 minutes → automatically transition it to an Escalated state.

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Global vs. Workflow Automation

Automation Events can work in two different ways.

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Global Automation Events

Automation Events created under: Settings → Automation Events apply across the account whenever the selected event occurs. For example, you could automatically invite a supervisor anytime a trainee takes a conversation.

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Workflow-Specific Automation Events

Automation Events can also be configured inside an individual Workflow state. In that case, the automation only listens for the event while the conversation is in that specific state. This is especially useful for responses such as YES, NO, or a number. For example, a reply of YES could mean one thing while a contact is in an Appointment Confirmation state and something completely different while they are in a Customer Survey state.
Why this matters: Workflow-specific events prevent unrelated customer replies from accidentally triggering the wrong automation.

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Automation Event Examples

Here are a few ways businesses can use Automation Events:
  • Automatically invite a subject-matter expert when a keyword appears.
  • Send your address when a customer texts “address” or “directions.”
  • Invite a supervisor when a new trainee takes a conversation.
  • Automatically add or remove Tags based on customer activity.
  • Create a text-based menu such as “Reply 1 to check in, 2 to schedule.”
  • Trigger a Workflow when a Form or Payment is completed.
  • Add quick-action buttons that perform predefined steps.

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Workflows

Workflows allow conversations to move through your organization’s own custom states instead of only being Active or Complete. For example, an automotive service Workflow might use:
  1. Checked In
  2. Being Inspected
  3. Awaiting Approval
  4. Service in Progress
  5. Service Complete
A hotel might use something much simpler, such as: Checked In → Checked Out Each Workflow represents a repeatable business process your team can follow.

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Start a Workflow

To start a Workflow from a conversation:
  1. Open the conversation.
  2. Select the more menu from the message composer.
  3. Choose Start Workflow.
  4. Select the Workflow you want to begin.
The conversation will enter the Workflow’s designated Initial State.

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How Workflow States Work

A Workflow is made up of individual states. Each state can define:
  • What happens when the state is entered
  • What events Captivated should listen for
  • What causes the conversation to transition to another state
  • What actions should occur during that transition
For example: Awaiting Approval When the state is entered:
  • Send the customer an approval request.
When the customer replies YES:
  • Transition to Approved.
When the customer replies NO:
  • Transition to Needs Follow-Up and invite a manager.
Because these rules are tied to the current state, the same customer response can be used elsewhere in the Workflow without creating conflicts.

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Workflow State Buttons

Workflow states can also display custom buttons within the conversation. For example:
  • Vehicle Service Started
  • Inspection Complete
  • Service Complete
Selecting a button can automatically:
  • Move the conversation to another state
  • Send a message
  • Add a Tag
  • Invite a User
  • Perform other configured actions
This allows your team to move through a process without manually typing the same messages or selecting the same Templates each time. image

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Find Conversations by Workflow State

Use Advanced Search to find conversations currently in a specific Workflow state. You can also save these searches for quick access later. For example, a service team could save a search for: Workflow State: Awaiting Approval This gives them an easy way to see every customer currently waiting for the same next step.

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Configuring a Workflow

Administrators can create and manage Workflows under: Settings → Workflows When creating a Workflow:
  1. Give the Workflow a name.
  2. Create the states your process requires.
  3. Choose which state should be the Initial State.
  4. Configure Events and Actions for each state.
  5. Set the display order and other available state settings.
  6. Use Sharing to choose which Users or Teams can access the Workflow.
States can also be configured with options such as:

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Plan Your Workflow First

Before building a Workflow, map out:
  • Each stage in the process
  • What should happen when a conversation enters that stage
  • What event moves it forward
  • What messages should be sent
  • Who should be involved
  • Whether anything should happen automatically after a delay
Best Practice: Sketch the Workflow on paper or create a simple flowchart before configuring it in Captivated. Planning the states and transitions first makes more complex Workflows much easier to build and maintain.

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Example: Customer Survey Workflow

A simple Customer Survey Workflow could look like this: Initial Question
  • Automatically ask whether the customer would like to participate.
If they respond YES:
  • Move to the survey question.
If they respond NO:
  • Send a thank-you message and end the Workflow.
Survey
  • Ask the customer to rate their experience.
Based on their response:
  • Send an appropriate follow-up
  • Invite a manager when additional attention is needed
  • End or transition the Workflow
This is just one example. Workflows can be designed around nearly any repeatable customer communication process.

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Getting Started

Automation Events and Workflows are premium capabilities and may require configuration by an Administrator or assistance from Captivated’s Professional Services or Support team.

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Workflow Video Example

For pricing and access to Automation Events & Workflows, contact Captivated Support.