What is the Add Internal Comment action?
The Add Internal Comment action lets a workflow post a private, internal-only note into a contact's conversation thread. The comment is added to the conversation just like an internal comment you write yourself from the Conversations page. It is never sent to or visible to the contact.
This action is handy when you want your automation to leave context for your team instead of messaging the contact. For example, you could flag a hot lead for follow-up.
You can also @mention teammates inside the comment. Mentioned users are notified and added to the contact as followers.
How to use the Add Internal Comment action
Step 1: Open the Workflow Builder
In your account, go to Automations and open the workflow. You can also create a new one from scratch or from a recipe.
Step 2: Add the action
In the workflow builder, click the plus (+) to open the actions menu. Under the Communication category, search or scroll to find Add Internal Comments.
Step 3: Write the comment
Type the comment your team should see in the text editor. The editor supports:
@ (mention): insert a mention of a teammate.
Undo / Redo: undo or redo your last edit while you write.
Note: The comment text is required. If the action runs with no text in the comment, it is skipped.
Step 4: Save the action
Click Save Action to add it to the workflow. Test the workflow, then publish it when you're ready.
How @mentions work in the action
Click the @ icon in the editor to insert a mention. You'll see two options:
Option | What it does |
Assigned User | Mentions whichever user is assigned to the contact at the moment the action runs. |
Specific user | Mentions a fixed user you choose from the list of users in your account. The list is searchable, and you can add more than one mention to the same comment. |
What happens when the comment is posted:
Each mentioned user is added to the contact as a follower. Followers can view and reply to the conversation.
Each mentioned user gets a notification, based on their own notification preferences (Settings > My Profile > Notifications).
If you use Assigned User and the contact has no assigned user, no one is mentioned. The comment still posts with the rest of your text.
Note: Mentioning a user who didn't already have access to the contact will give them access, because they're added as a follower. This is the same as mentioning a user in an internal comment from the Conversations page. Keep this in mind when you mention users in workflows that run for lots of contacts.
Where the comment appears
Once the action runs, the internal comment is posted into the contact's conversation thread:
It shows inline in the conversation timeline, in date order with other messages.
It is not sent to the contact by SMS, email or any other channel, and it doesn't use messaging credits.
To find internal comments quickly in Conversations, use:
The Internal Comments filter, to show only internal comments within a conversation.
The Mentions of Me filter, to see conversations where you were mentioned.
The Mentions of a Specific User filter, to see conversations where a chosen teammate was mentioned.
Important things to know
Comment text is required. If the action runs and the comment has no text, it's skipped. For example, this happens if the comment only had an Assigned User mention and the contact was unassigned. The execution log records: "There is no text added in this comment, so this action is skipped."
Internal comments can't be edited or deleted after they're posted. Check your comment text before you publish the workflow.
Attachments aren't supported in internal comments.
Followers are only ever added. If you later remove a mention from the workflow action, followers already added to contacts by earlier runs stay as followers.
Test before publishing. Run the workflow on a test contact to check the comment text, the mention and the notification all work as expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Will the contact ever see the internal comment?
A: No. Internal comments are private to your team. They aren't sent to the contact through any channel and the contact can't see them.
Q: Does this action use SMS or email credits?
A: No. The internal comment is posted to the conversation and isn't sent to the contact, so no messaging credits are used. Notifications sent to mentioned users follow those users' own notification settings.
Q: What happens if the contact has no assigned user and I used the Assigned User mention?
A: No user is mentioned. If the comment has other text, it still posts without a mention. If the comment only had the Assigned User mention and no other text, the action is skipped and this is recorded in the execution log.
Q: Can I mention more than one user in the same comment?
A: Yes. You can add several mentions to the same comment. Each mentioned user is notified and added to the contact as a follower.
Q: Will mentioning a user give them access to the contact?
A: Yes. Mentioned users are added to the contact as followers, and followers can view and reply to that conversation. This is the same as mentioning a user from the Conversations page.
Q: Where can I check the action ran?
A: Open the workflow's Execution Logs and find the contact's run. The log shows whether the Add Internal Comment action ran or was skipped, along with the reason.
Q: Can I add internal comments outside of workflows?
A: Yes. You can add internal comments yourself from the Conversations page.