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Drafting Automations using Blueprints and the AI Assistant

Blueprints and AI make it easier to draft many Automations instead of building them from scratch

Automation Blueprints

Automation Blueprints are pre-built automations created by Chariot with feedback from movers that cover a wide range of common and high-value workflows for moving companies. Instead of building an automation from scratch, you can start from a Blueprint, use it as-is, or customize it to fit your business — saving significant setup time.



How to Use a Blueprint

  1. Go to the Automations tab in your left navigation menu.

  2. Click Create New Automation and select From a Blueprint.

  3. Browse the Blueprint library. Each Blueprint includes a description of what it does and when it fires.

  4. Click a Blueprint to preview its trigger, conditions, and actions.

  5. Click Save to create a copy in your account.

  6. Review and customize. (See "What to Review Before Publishing a Blueprint" below)

  7. Click Save. Publish the automation when you're ready to go live.

Recommendation: Blueprints are a starting point — Chariot recommends reviewing each one during your onboarding kickoff to confirm the settings are right for your team before publishing.

What to Review Before Publishing a Blueprint

Most Blueprints are designed to work out of the box, but a few things are worth checking before you go live:

  • Timing — Does the default delay (e.g., "2 hours after estimate signed") make sense for your business? Adjust if needed.

  • Conditions — Consider whether you want different behavior for residential vs. commercial moves, short-term vs. long-term move dates, or specific lead sources.

  • Communication templates — If the Blueprint includes a Send Email or Send SMS action, you'll should to review and edit the pre-built communication templates publishing, to make sure you approve of the messaging to your customers.

  • Task assignment — For automations that create tasks, confirm who tasks should be assigned to: the sales owner, a specific team member, a role, or round-robin.

  • Overlap with existing default Chariot automations — If you already have default Chariot reminders covering a similar scenario, coordinate with Chariot support to avoid sending duplicate messages to customers (we'll proactively flag this during onboarding/ setup)

Blueprint Tips

  • You can use the same Blueprint as a starting point for multiple variations (e.g., one version for residential, one for commercial)

  • Rename Blueprints to clearly reflect what your customized version does

  • During onboarding, your Chariot team will walk through the full Blueprint library with you to decide what should be enabled and how it should be configured


Creating an Automation Using the AI Assistant

The AI Assistant allows you to create automations using a simple written prompt instead of manually configuring complex triggers and conditions.



How to Create an Automation with AI

Step 1: Start a New Automation

  1. Navigate to Automations in the left navigation menu.

  2. Click New Automation (top right)

  3. Select Create with AI

You'll see a prompt explaining what details the AI needs.


What to Include in Your Prompt

For best results, include:

  • Trigger Event — When the automation should be spawned (e.g., "when a new lead is created")

  • Enrollment Conditions (optional) — Additional rules that filter when the workflow should enroll

  • Re-enrollment Events (optional) — Events that will re-run the entire automation from the beginning

  • Actions & Conditions — What the automation should do and when

The more specific you are, the better the result (but don't worry, the AI Assistant will push you for specifics as needed!).


Example Prompt

Here's an example of a multi-step automation request:

Create an automation that sends two separate follow-ups to customers who received an estimate but have not signed it. Send the first message three days after the estimate is sent as a text message. Send the second message one week after the estimate is sent as an email reminder to sign and pay their deposit.

Click Send, and the AI will generate the automation.


What the AI Generates

After processing, the AI will automatically populate:

  • Automation Name (if one wasn't supplied)

  • Description (if applicable)

  • Enrollment Trigger (e.g., Estimate Sent)

  • Conditions (e.g., Time Since Estimate Sent = 3 days / 7 days)

  • Automation Steps

In our example, it correctly:

  • Set enrollment to Estimate Sent

  • Created two time-based steps (3 days and 7 days)

  • Configured SMS and Email actions


⚠️ Review Before Publishing (Important)

AI is powerful — but it can make mistakes. Always review your newly created automation before publishing.

In our example we did not include a restart trigger — easy to do by accident — and if you don't review it, the automation would not have restarted when a new estimate was sent.

Think of the AI Assistant as your first draft builder.


Publishing the Automation

Once you've reviewed everything:

  1. Click Save

  2. Click Publish

Until it is published, it will remain in Draft mode and will not run.


When to Use AI

AI is especially helpful when:

  • Building multi-step sequences

  • Creating layered timing rules

  • Designing conditional follow-ups

  • You're unsure how to structure the logic manually

For simple automations, Blueprints may be faster. For advanced or custom workflows, AI can save significant time.


AI Best Practices

  • Be specific in your prompt

  • Include restart behavior if needed

  • Always review before publishing

  • Test with internal jobs first

  • Monitor results after activation


From Scratch

Building from scratch gives you full control over every part of the automation — the trigger, conditions, timing, and actions. This option is recommended for advanced users or for workflows that don't map cleanly to an existing Blueprint.

For a full walkthrough of how to build an automation from scratch, including all available triggers, conditions, and actions, see The Basics of Creating an Automation.


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