How automations work
A trigger starts a run, and the steps below it play out in order. Here is how to build one, what each step type does, and how to read the run log.
Automations live at Company → Automations, and only company admins can manage them. The tab describes itself well enough: Reply to new leads and remind people about bookings — without anyone having to be at a desk.
Every automation is one trigger plus a chain of steps.
Creating one
- Go to Company → Automations.
- Click New automation.
- Give it a Name. Only you and your team see this — Website enquiry auto-reply is the kind of name that helps later.
- Pick the Trigger.
- Click Create and add steps.
The trigger cannot be changed later. If you picked the wrong one, create a new automation instead.
Nothing sends until you switch the automation on with the toggle on its row.
The triggers you can choose
| Trigger | When it fires |
|---|---|
| New lead | The moment a lead arrives. |
| Lead follow-up | When a lead's scheduled follow-up message falls due. You schedule that on the lead itself. |
| New booking | As soon as someone books, once per booking. |
There is no separate "before the meeting" trigger. To remind someone ahead of time you use New booking and add a Wait step that counts back from the meeting start.
You may also see automations with triggers you cannot pick yourself — Started from a workspace, Review follow-up and the legacy Upcoming booking. These come pre-built or are started by a person rather than by a sweep.
The steps
Click the + between steps and choose from Add a step:
| Step | What it does |
|---|---|
| Sends an email. Needs a subject and a body. | |
| SMS | Sends a text. Pick which of your numbers it comes from. |
| Push notification | Pushes to the app. Choose the audience — the client, or named staff. |
| Wait | Pauses the chain. Either for a duration, or until a set time before the meeting starts on booking automations. |
| Award points | Adds reward points. Only offered on booking and workspace automations, because a lead has no client to award to. Needs a non-zero point amount and a client-facing reason. |
Steps run top to bottom. Click a step to open its editor, fill it in, and Save.
Merge fields work in the message bodies — see SMS and email templates for the list.
Turning it on
Each row on the Automations tab has a switch. Flip it on and the automation is live from that moment. It does not go back and act on older leads or bookings.
The row also shows a one-line summary of what it will do — the trigger, then the chain — so you can sanity-check it without opening the canvas. Delete an automation with the bin icon.
Reading the run log
Every run is recorded, with a status per step. Most confusion comes from a skipped step, and Marketli explains each one in plain English rather than a code. Common ones:
- Recipient has no email address / Recipient has no phone number
- The sending inbox is disconnected — reconnect it on your Profile.
- No phone number / inbox connected yet
- Recipient has opted out of SMS
- Email address is suppressed (bounced or complained)
- Rate limit reached — too many messages to this recipient or today
- This automation has no steps yet
- Booked too close to the reminder time — the reminder moment had already passed when they booked.
- Automation was created after this booking's reminder time
- Booking was cancelled
A skip is not a failure. It means the automation ran and correctly decided not to send.
Where to go next
- Booking confirmations and reminders — including the one you get for free.
- Lead follow-up automations.
Still stuck? Email help@marketli.app.