YOUR WORKFLOW
Your best process,
every single time.
Every team has a version of the job that works. It usually lives in one person's head and survives until they take a week off. A workflow is that process written down once and then run identically, at three in the morning, on the busiest day of the month.
01 — IN ONE LINE
Rules that carry work between the conversation, the CRM and your team — the same way every time.
And, just as usefully, what it is not:
- Not mass broadcast. This is per-conversation logic, not a list blast.
- Not a drip sequence bolted on the side. The steps read and write the same pipeline your team is working.
- Not a way to send more messages. Used properly it usually means fewer, better-timed ones.
02 — HOW IT ACTUALLY WORKS
Six steps,
in order.
- TriggerSomething happens
A new message, a form submission, a stage change, a lead going quiet for three days, a date arriving. The trigger decides when the workflow is even considered.
- ConditionYou check whether it applies
Only high-intent leads. Only Dubai. Only during business hours. Only if nobody has replied yet. Conditions are what stop automation becoming noise.
- ActionIt does the work
Send a reply, create the opportunity, assign an owner, update a field, add a task, notify a manager, tag the lead, call the AI agent.
- BranchDifferent paths for different answers
Score above the line goes to a human today. Below it goes to nurture. The same trigger, two honest outcomes — rather than one path that fits neither.
- WaitTiming is part of the logic
Wait two hours. Wait until Monday 9am. Wait three days, and stop the moment they reply. Most follow-up fails on timing rather than wording.
- LogEvery run is inspectable
Which leads entered, which branch each took, what was sent, what failed. A workflow you cannot inspect is a workflow you cannot trust.
03 — IN DEPTH
What it does,
and what you decide.
Triggers
Inbound message, missed call, form, stage change, field change, no reply for N days, a scheduled time, or a manual run on selected leads.
You controlEach workflow can be paused without deleting it.
Conditions and scoring
Branch on captured fields, lead score, channel, language, owner, stage or time of day.
You controlYou define how the score is built, so it reflects your idea of intent.
Actions
Reply, assign, create or update a CRM record, set a next step, notify a person or channel, tag, or hand to the AI agent.
You controlActions that touch money or commitments can be set to require approval.
Timing and quiet hours
Waits, business-hours awareness and quiet hours, so a nurture message does not land at 2am.
You controlQuiet hours are set per workspace and respected by every workflow.
Stop conditions
A sequence that keeps going after the customer has replied is the fastest way to get blocked.
You control“Stop if they reply” and “stop if stage changes” should be on almost every sequence.
Run history
Per-run logs showing entries, branches, sends and failures.
You controlTest mode runs the logic against a real lead without sending anything.
04 — SEE IT MOVE
Try the mechanic,
not a video of it.
Run it in test mode. The logic executes and the log is written, but nothing is sent to anyone.
05 — THE RULES THAT ARE NOT OURS
What WhatsApp itself allows
These are rules of the WhatsApp Business Platform, not Flowlines settings. They apply to every vendor, and any vendor who tells you otherwise is worth walking away from.
- There is a 24-hour customer service window. Once a customer messages you, you can reply freely for 24 hours. After that you cannot simply send a normal message — you must use an approved template.
- Templates are approved by Meta, not by us, and approval takes time. Anything marketing-flavoured is reviewed more strictly than a genuine utility message such as an appointment reminder.
- Marketing templates need opt-in, and recipients can block or report. Send rates are tied to quality ratings, so aggressive sending narrows what you are allowed to send later.
- This is why a well-built follow-up sequence tries to land inside the 24-hour window, and why “stop if they reply” matters more than the copy.
05 — WHAT YOU CONTROL
Your settings,
not our defaults.
Workflows change what customers receive. Editing is usually restricted to a small group.
Run the logic against real leads with sending switched off, and read what would have happened.
Upper bounds on how many messages a single lead can receive in a period, across all workflows.
Hours in which nothing automated may send.
The conditions that remove a lead from a running sequence.
A human checkpoint in the middle of a flow for anything consequential.
06 — WHAT IT DOES NOT DO
The honest list.
Every tool has one. Most vendors keep it for the sixth week of the implementation, which is a worse time to read it than now.
- It cannot break WhatsApp's rules for you. Outside the 24-hour window an approved template is required, and Meta decides what gets approved.
- It will not fix a process nobody has agreed on. Automating a disputed process just makes the dispute faster.
- It is not a broadcast tool, and using it as one will damage your number's quality rating.
- Complex branching becomes hard to reason about. Two clear workflows beat one clever one.
- Every automated message is still your business talking. Volume is not the goal and never was.
07 — GETTING IT LIVE
What the first
two weeks look like.
- Day 1Write down the one process that matters
Usually new lead to assigned owner. Not ten workflows — one, working.
- Day 1Decide the stop conditions first
Before what it sends, decide what makes it stop. This is the step teams skip and regret.
- Week 1Run it in test mode
Real leads, no sending. Read the log and find the branch you did not think about.
- Week 1Go live narrow
One channel, one segment, business hours only. Widen once the log is boring.
- Week 2+Add the second workflow
Usually the no-reply follow-up, once you trust the first one.
08 — WHERE IT SITS
It is one part
of one system.
A workflow can hand a conversation to the agent, and the agent can start a workflow.
Stage changes trigger workflows; workflows create records, set owners and next steps.
Notifications and tasks land with the person who has to act, not in a shared inbox nobody owns.
Run history feeds the reporting, so you can see which sequence actually moves leads.
09 — QUESTIONS
What teams
actually ask.
Can I message a customer after 24 hours?
Only with a template approved by Meta. That is WhatsApp's rule and it applies to every provider. A good sequence is designed around it rather than fighting it.
How long does template approval take?
Meta decides, not us. Utility messages such as reminders usually clear faster than marketing. Plan for it rather than assuming same-day.
Will this get my number banned?
Sending unwanted marketing to people who did not opt in can, and that is true of any tool. Quality rating is driven by blocks and reports. Conservative sending with proper stop conditions is not just politer, it protects your ability to send at all.
What if a customer replies mid-sequence?
If you set the stop condition, the sequence ends and the conversation goes to a person. Set the stop condition.
Can I test without messaging anyone?
Yes — test mode runs the logic and writes the log with sending disabled.
How many workflows do teams actually run?
The ones that work usually run three or four. Teams that build twenty tend to stop trusting any of them.
LET’S KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING
Bring us the process
you already run.
We will map it into Automation live, and tell you honestly which parts fit and which do not.
- 5 minYou show us how the work happens today
- 10 minWe build it in front of you
- 5 minYou keep the diagram, either way
