A Workflow in Sprout Studio allows you to define a step-by-step process one time and then apply it over and over again. This allows you to save time and create a more consistent experience for your clients.
A workflow is made up of a series of steps, where each step follows a basic "when this, then that" structure, where:
When is the relative amount of time from the trigger when the action should happen? For example, 1 week after the client booking.
This is the event that triggers the step in the workflow. For example, a client booking.
That is what action happens when the step in the workflow is triggered. For example, sending an email.
Together, the three elements of a workflow step come together to get a singular action. In the example above - 1 week after the client books, send an email. When you add multiple steps to a workflow, you create a powerful engine that can automate your to-do list and automatically send emails and questionnaires to your clients at the right time.
The "this" workflow step component, explained
The "this" component of a workflow step is the event that triggers the step in the workflow. Even if you apply a workflow to a lead or shoot, a step will only be triggered when the "this" event occurs.
The "this" event can be any of:
Workflow is applied
Inquiry date
Booking proposal is sent
Client signs booking proposal
The booking proposal is cancelled
Lead becomes shoot
Status change
Shoot date
Custom date
The "when" workflow step component, explained
The "when" component of a workflow step is the amount of time in relation to the "this" event when the workflow step should trigger. It can be one of:
Immediately
Relative to (before or after)
The "when" component in combination with the "this" component dictates exactly when the workflow step is triggered. For example:
Immediately upon inquiry date
5 days after the booking proposal is sent
2 days before the shoot date
1 week after status changes to "follow-up"
The "that" workflow step component, explained
The "that" component of a workflow step is the action that happens when the workflow step is triggered. It can be one of:
Send email
Create task
Send questionnaire
Change status
Apply another workflow
When a workflow step is triggered (with the "when" and "this" components), the action occurs. So, for example:
Immediately upon inquiry date, send a "thank you" email
5 days after the booking proposal is sent, change status to "not booking"
2 days before the shoot date, create the task "call bride to confirm times"
1 week after status changes to "follow-up", apply "follow-up" workflow
How to create and edit a workflow
To create a workflow, you can go to Settings > Automation > Lead/Shoot Workflows and click the "New Workflow" button.
When building a workflow, you can add a new step by clicking the "Add Workflow Step" button at the bottom of the modal, or you can click the "+" button at the end of the row for any existing step to add a new workflow step before or after that step.
While building a workflow, you can drag-and-drop workflow steps by grabbing any part of the step and dragging it up or down.
Automatically applying workflows
To specify automatic workflow settings, go to Settings > Automation > Lead/Shoot Workflows. Lead workflows can be automatically applied to leads that are a certain shoot type by specifying this in the Default Workflow section.
