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Automations

Last Update há 4 dias

Automations Overview Automation trigger types in the builder Action Nodes Wait Nodes Using Smart Tags in Automations

Action Nodes

Vaasu Guduguntla

Last Update há 4 dias

What Action Nodes Do

If triggers are what start the workflow, actions are what carry it out.
They help you automate the next step instead of doing it manually.
For example, an action can:
  • Send an email
  • Create a task
  • Send a document
  • Update a project stage
  • Send information to another tool

Available Action Types

Send Email

Use this when you want the automation to send an email automatically.
This works with your connected Gmail or Outlook account. If no account is connected, emails are sent through TalleFlow's built-in sending.
This is helpful for:
  • Follow-ups after a form submission
  • Confirmations after a payment or booking
  • Reminders before a meeting or due date
  • Next-step emails after a contract is signed
  • Internal notifications to your team

You can customize the email content and make it feel more personal by using merge tags.

    Using Message Templates

    When composing an email in a Send Email action, you can apply a saved Message Template to pre-fill the subject and body. Click "Use template" and select from your template library.
    The template content is copied into the action step when you apply it. If you later edit the template, automation steps that already used it will not update automatically. To use an updated version, re-apply the template to the step.
    For more on creating and managing templates, see Message Templates.

    Send SMS

    Use this when you want the automation to send a text message to a contact.
    This works through your connected SMS provider (Quo or OpenPhone).
    This is helpful for:
    • Quick confirmations that don't need a full email
    • Time-sensitive reminders (meetings, deadlines)
    • Short follow-ups that feel more personal than email

    Create Task

    Use this when you want the automation to create a task for you or your team.
    This is useful when a workflow should automatically create internal to-dos after something happens.
    Examples:
    • Create a follow-up task after a lead submits a form
    • Create an onboarding task after a contract is signed
    • Create a reminder task after a project moves to a new stage
    • Create a prep task when a meeting is scheduled
    You can set the task title, description, assignee, due date, and priority. Due dates can be fixed, relative to the project start/due date, or custom.
    Update Project StageUse this when you want the automation to move a project into a different stage automatically.
    This helps keep your pipeline clean and up to date without manual dragging or updating.
    Examples:
    • Move a project to Booked after a contract is signed
    • Move a project to Active after payment is received
    • Move a project to Complete after the final file is finished

    Update Project Source

    Use this when you want the automation to change where a project's lead source is tracked to.
    This is helpful for:
    • Automatically tagging how a lead came in based on which form they submitted
    • Updating the source when a referral converts
    • Keeping your reporting clean without manual edits

    Assign Team Member to Project

    Use this when you want the automation to add an internal team member to the project.
    This adds the person to the project's Team Members list (not the contact list).
    This is helpful for:
    • Automatically assigning a coordinator when a project hits a certain stage
    • Adding a second shooter or assistant when a booking is confirmed
    • Routing projects to the right team member based on what triggered the workflow

    Set Contact Custom Field

    Use this when you want the automation to update a custom field value on the contact.
    This is helpful for:
    • Tagging contacts based on what form they submitted
    • Updating a status field when a milestone is reached
    • Storing workflow-derived data back on the contact record

    Set Project Custom Field

    Use this when you want the automation to update a custom field value on the project.
    This is helpful for:
    • Marking a project with metadata based on what happened in the workflow
    • Updating tracking fields automatically instead of manually
    • Storing calculated or derived values based on trigger data

    Send Document

    Use this when you want the automation to send a document as the next step in the workflow.
    This sends the document to the contact via their portal link email.
    Examples:
    • Send a proposal after an inquiry is reviewed
    • Send a contract after a proposal is accepted
    • Send a questionnaire after a booking is confirmed

    Personalizing Actions 

    Some action nodes let you pull in dynamic details from the workflow.
    This means your automation can use information connected to the trigger instead of sending the same generic output every time.
    Examples of what can be pulled in include:
    • Names
    • Project details
    • Document details
    • Other information related to the workflow
    This makes automated actions feel much more relevant and useful.

    Good Examples of Action Nodes in Real Workflows 

    Example 1:
    • Trigger: Contact Form Submitted
    • Action: Send Email
    This works well when you want an inquiry confirmation or first-touch follow-up to go out right away.
    Example 2:
    • Trigger: Client Signed Contract
    • Action: Create Task
    This is useful when signing the contract should create next-step work for your team.

    Example 3:

    • Trigger: Invoice Paid in Full
    • Action: Update Project Stage
    This helps move the project forward automatically instead of relying on manual updates.

    Example 4:
    • Trigger: Questionnaire Submitted
    • Action: Send Document
    This works well when one completed file should immediately lead into the next file in the process.

    Choosing the Right Action 

    A simple way to think about it:
    • If you need to communicate, use Send Email
    • If you need to assign work, use Create Task
    • If you need to deliver the next file, use Send Document
    • If you need to move the project forward, use Update Project Stage
    • If you need to apply a saved timeline, use Apply Timeline Template

      Things to Keep in Mind 

      A note on trigger names

      In the automation builder, payment triggers appear as Invoice Paid in Full and contract triggers as Client Signed Contract. Older saved automations may still show legacy internal names; they behave the same. File Completed is the broadest document-finished trigger (contracts, questionnaires, proposals, invoices).

      • Actions happen after the automation starts, but they don't have to happen immediately.
      • You can place a Wait node before an action if you want to delay it.
      • You can also place a Condition node before an action if you only want that action to happen in certain cases.
      • That means actions work best when they're part of a full workflow, not just used on their own.

      📅 Relative task due dates (Sep 2026)

      In a Create task action you can set the due date relative to when the automation runs (after only).

      • Anchor day – the calendar day the automation runs in your business timezone.
      • Offset – add days after that anchor (for example 3 days after the run).
      1. Add or edit a Create task action in the automation builder.
      2. Under Due date, choose Relative to task created.
      3. Pick how many days after the run the task should be due.
      4. Save the automation.
      💡 Rule of thumb: Use this for follow-up tasks that should always land a fixed number of days after the workflow fires—not tied to the project start or due date.

      📚 Learn More

      • Action Nodes
      • Understanding Tasks in TalleFlow
      • Automations Overview
      • Apply Timeline Template (Action Nodes)

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