An email workflow decides which email a contact gets next based on what they just did, rather than sending everyone the same message on the same day. Built properly, it stops chasing people who already replied, branches when someone books or goes quiet, and hands the contact to a person at the right moment. This article covers building one in Automation on the levelpartner.ai platform: the trigger, the if/else branches, the waits, the goal that ends it, and how email steps sit alongside the tasks, texts and pipeline moves in a wider workflow.
What a workflow does that a campaign cannot
A campaign is a send. It goes to a list at a time you choose. A workflow is a set of rules that runs for each contact separately, starting when something happens to that contact.
That difference matters for a firm with stalled revenue. Most lost deals are not lost on price. They are lost because nobody followed up on day four, or because the follow-up arrived after the prospect had already booked a call with the account manager. A workflow reads the contact record at every step, so it knows about the call and stops.
Before you start
- Your sending domain is authenticated in Settings and has sent a few test emails without landing in spam.
- The emails you plan to use are written and saved, or at least drafted.
- You know which event starts the workflow, such as a form submission, a tag being added or a pipeline stage change.
- You know what success looks like, such as a booked appointment or a reply, so you can set the goal.
- Whoever will receive internal notifications has a user in the account.
How to build an email workflow
- Go to Automation, then Workflows, and click + Create Workflow.
- Choose Start from scratch.
- Click Add New Trigger, for example Form Submitted.
- Add a trigger filter so only the right contacts enter.
- Add Send Email, choosing a template or writing the body.
- Add a Wait set to a time period.
- Add If / Else on a tag or field, such as a booked tag.
- On the matching branch, add an Internal Notification and stop there.
- On the None branch, add the next email and another wait.
- Add a Goal Event for a booked appointment.
- In the Settings tab, tick Stop on Response.
- Run Test Workflow, then check results in Stats View.
- Switch to Publish and click Save.
Keep the first version short. Three emails, two checks and a goal will outperform a twelve-step tree that nobody can debug.
The parts that make it work
Triggers
The trigger is the event that starts the workflow. Use one trigger per workflow where you can. A workflow with five triggers is five workflows sharing one set of steps, and when something goes wrong you cannot tell which entry point caused it.
Waits
Waits set the pace. A fixed wait pauses for a number of days. A wait until a time of day avoids an email landing at 3am. A wait for an event, such as an appointment, pauses until it happens or a timeout passes. For prospect follow-up, wait until the next business morning rather than sending the instant the previous wait ends.
If/else branches
Conditions read the contact record: a tag, a field, a pipeline stage, whether an email was opened or a link clicked. Branch on actions that mean something. A click on a pricing link is a buying signal. An open is not reliable, because many mail apps load images automatically.
Goals and reply handling
A goal is the event that ends the workflow for that contact, wherever they are in it. Without one, a prospect who books on day two still gets the day-six reminder. Reply handling does the same job for replies. A human answer deserves a human response, not another automated email.
Here is how the workflow could run. It starts when a proposal request form is submitted. Email one confirms receipt and links to two case studies. After two days the workflow checks for a booked call. If there is none, email two offers three time slots. After three more days it checks again. If there is still none, it creates a task for the account director and moves the opportunity to a stage called needs a call. The goal is an appointment booked, so anyone who books after step one would never see emails two or three.
Email steps inside a wider workflow
The most useful email workflows are not only email. A single workflow can send an email, then a text if the email is not clicked, then create a task for a person, then move the opportunity in Opportunities. The email is one channel among several.
Combining channels is covered in more depth in using text and email together. For the timing logic of a pure email series, see how an email sequence is paced. If your question is the plumbing underneath, read the mechanics behind email automation.
Time to run each week
After build, an email workflow takes about 20 minutes a week: read the execution log for errors, read replies, check how many contacts reached the goal. Rewrite one email a month based on what the replies say.
Building the workflow before deciding the goal. Teams add emails until the workflow feels complete, then discover contacts who booked keep receiving reminders. Set the goal first, then build backwards from it.
When not to use a workflow
Use a broadcast campaign, not a workflow, for news that goes to everyone once, such as an office move. Use a person, not a workflow, for your largest prospects. A tailored email from the director will beat any automated branch when a single deal can change your year. For examples of where automation is the right call, see email automation examples by stage.
Troubleshooting
Contacts enter the workflow twice
Re-entry is allowed. Check the workflow settings and turn off re-entry, or add a filter that excludes contacts already carrying the workflow's tag.
The condition always takes the no branch
The check runs before the event is recorded. Add a short wait before the condition, or use a wait-for-event step with a timeout instead of a fixed wait followed by a check.
Emails send at odd hours
The wait ends at whatever time the contact entered. Add a step that waits until a set window, such as weekday mornings in the contact's time zone.
The execution log shows a skipped email
The contact has unsubscribed or their address bounced earlier. The platform respects that status. Fix the source of bad addresses, usually a form without validation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an email workflow and an email sequence?
A sequence is a fixed series of emails on a timetable. A workflow can contain a sequence but also branches, goals and non-email actions, so it reacts to what each contact does.
How many emails should a workflow contain?
Three to five for most prospect follow-up. Add more only when the replies show people need more information before they decide.
Can one workflow start another?
Yes. A step can add a contact to a second workflow. Use it to hand contacts from a prospect workflow to a client onboarding workflow when they sign.
Do I need a separate workflow for each industry?
Only if the emails or the goal differ. Often one workflow with a branch on an industry field is easier to maintain than four copies.