Getting Started with Workflows

Workflows lets you automate how your subscription program responds to what subscribers do, so your team spends less time on manual changes and Support requests.

This article covers how a Workflow is put together, the two kinds of Workflows, what you can build with them, and what to have in place before you start.

How a Workflow works

Every Workflow follows the same pattern: if something happens, then do this. You build it from three components:

• Triggers start the Workflow. A trigger is the event you're reacting to, like a new subscription being created or a subscription order being placed.
• Logic decides what happens next. Use logic to check conditions and route the Workflow down different paths, for example, to continue only if it's the customer's third order.
• Actions are what Ordergroove does. An action might update a subscription, send a webhook to another system, or send a custom event to Klaviyo.

For the full list of each, take a look at the Workflows Reference.

For example, say you want to thank subscribers with a free gift on their third order. Instead of finding those orders by hand, you can have Workflows check each recurring order and add the gift for you:

• Trigger: Recurring Order Placed
• Logic: Successful Order Count equals 2
• Actions: Add Gift to Upcoming Purchase, then Send Communication to Klaviyo or Attentive

This example is available as a one-click template. For the full recipe, see Milestone order gift-with-purchase in the Workflows Recipe Book.

Two kinds of Workflows

Most Workflows run on their own: you build the Workflow once, and it runs every time a matching event happens in your store.

A few use Manual Execution instead, which runs the Workflow once, against a set of records you provide, when you click Execute. Manual Execution is built for one-off bulk changes, like moving a batch of order dates or canceling a group of subscriptions. For how to provide the records and run one, see Running a Workflow manually.

What you can build with Workflows

Here are a few things merchants use Workflows for:

• Reward order milestones. Add a free gift to a customer's third order to reduce drop-off between orders.
• Notify customers proactively. Send a Klaviyo email to every subscriber of a product before you discontinue it.
• Make bulk changes. Move the dates on a batch of upcoming orders, or cancel a group of subscriptions, in one run instead of a Support request.
• Keep subscription data in sync. Update a subscription's extra data automatically when a new subscription is created.
• Trigger custom communications. Send a webhook to your CRM or internal system whenever a specific subscription event happens.

For step-by-step instructions for the most popular use cases, take a look at the Workflows Recipe Book.

When to use Workflows

Workflows are a good fit when:

• You want to automate something based on a subscription event.
• The logic can be expressed as a series of if-then steps.
• The actions you need are available as Workflow actions, or can be handled with a webhook.

If you're not sure whether your use case fits, start with the Workflows Recipe Book, or reach out to Ordergroove Support.

Before you start

• Workflows is turned on for your store.
• You have the Workflow Admin permission.
• If your Workflow sends a message, Klaviyo or Attentive is connected, or you have a webhook set up for your email provider. For setup steps, see Connecting your email provider.
• If your brand, legal or CRM team approves customer emails, offers or tests, you have that approval. This is where most launches slow down.

Next steps

• Creating Workflows — start from a template or build your own.
• Workflows Recipe Book — step-by-step setups for common use cases.
• Workflows Reference — every trigger, logic step and action.