You can use workflows to automate certain repetitive actions in your organisation's processes.
Use workflows to perform the following actions:
Create tasks,
Send email alerts,
Send SMS alerts,
Update fields.
Each workflow is based upon two important parts:
The Criteria - Where you set specific criteria and filters that the workflow needs to take into account and only trigger when these criteria are met.
The Action - This is what the workflow needs to perform if the set criteria are met.
In this guide, we will be going through the creation of the base workflow and the addition of an action.
To get started working with workflows in Operate, go to the Settings section, in the main navigation menu, then choose Workflows.
Creating a New Workflow
Let’s see how to create a new workflow. For the purpose of this guide, we will go through the steps needed in order to set up one that sends an email reminder when a new Licence is created at a certain location.
Under the Settings > Workflows section, click Workflows one more time.
Operate will now display a list of your workflow folders - these folders allow you to organize your workflows. Choose a folder to place your new workflow in. to create a new folder, use the Folder Maintenance link and click New. You can also click New right from the folders screen; and choose the folder while setting up your workflow.
If you have chosen a folder instead of clicking New, you will be taken to the list of workflows being added to the selected folder. Click New on top of this list to continue.
Step 1: Name your workflow and select a folder
Step 2: Select the module that your workflow is based upon
This is essentially the main object that your workflow refers to: licences, contacts, accounts, etc.
Step 3: Build the criteria and filters for your workflow
Here is where you can choose when to evaluate the workflow: this allows the system to consider whether to apply it when a record is created, updated and/or edited in the system, that refers to the module you have previously selected. The workflow will be applied if the critters you set in the filters (explained below) are met.
Created - this will evaluate the rule criteria each time and only when a record is created. If the rule criteria is met, the workflow will trigger the actions. This workflow will not run on updates to existing records. This workflow will only trigger once per record (on creation).
Edited - this option will evaluate the rule criteria each time a record is updated. If the rule criteria are met, the workflow will perform the actions you set up. This workflow will run every time a record is edited as long as the record meets the criteria.
Deleted - this option will allow the workflow to trigger whenever a record that meets your criteria is deleted.
Next, select any filters that you might want to apply to your workflow, according to your needs.
Please note: The available filters will vary depending on the module for which you are creating your workflow. For example, if you are working with the Accounts module in Step 2, then in Step 3, your filters will only be related and apply to the Accounts module.
Any custom fields you have created can be used here.
For our example, we will select the Location FieldName; equals as the operation and our desired location as the value. You can add as many filters as you need - simply use the Add New button to add more filters; or the Add Logic button to specify AND and OR conditions for your filters, which change the default AND relationship between each filter.
When adding logic, it’s good to know that:
AND ties two fields together, so that your list contains both or all fields (e.g.: 1 AND 2 AND 3).
OR will make your list display either one field or the other; depending on your selection. (e.g. 1 OR 2 OR 3).
You can combine AND and OR in more complex expressions; in which case you can use parentheses.
Filter example:
To create a workflow that filters Prospects working in the Accounting industry, who are interested in renting space at a specific location, then your filters may look like this:
If, for instance, you would like to set the filter to use either one criterion or the other, you can use the Add Logic button and add an OR Parameter, as follows:
Let's say you want to filter for one specific location or another.
Your logic expression in this case would be: "1 AND 2 AND 3 OR 4 AND 5" - as per the filters below
Step 4: Enable this workflow by ticking the box to activate it.
Adding your Workflow Actions
Once saved, click into your workflow from the list (don't select edit; click on the workflow link) and then at the bottom under Workflow Action click on the New button to add your first action.
Choose the type of action that you want to create:
Within these workflow actions, you will have the possibility to set a timebased rule in order to trigger workflow actions based on a specified number of minutes, hours, or days, before or after a given date and time. You can have multiple timebased rules attached to the one workflow name.
You can add, delete or edit the workflow actions at any time.
NOTE: Reorder the workflow actions by dragging and dropping them into the order you want them to be executed in.
Editing and Deleting Workflows
To edit a Workflow, simply click the pencil button next to the workflow record.
To delete a workflow, click the red “x” sign next to the workflow record.