Automations

Building Your First Workflow

Create a simple automation that runs while you sleep — step by step.

1

What Is a Workflow?

A workflow is a series of automated steps that Jtek runs whenever a specific event happens — with no manual effort from you once it's set up.

  1. A workflow has two parts: a trigger and actions. The trigger is the event that starts the workflow. The actions are what Jtek does in response.
  2. Example: A new lead fills out your website form → Jtek automatically sends them a welcome text → creates a task for you to follow up → assigns the contact to you. All within seconds.
  3. Workflows run 24/7. Even at 2 AM, if a lead fills out a form, your workflow fires and that lead gets an immediate response. Speed-to-lead is one of the biggest drivers of conversion.
  4. Workflows are reusable. Set up a workflow once and it runs for every contact that matches the trigger — forever. You don't need to be involved.
  5. You stay in control. Workflows can be paused, edited, or turned off at any time. You can also view a full history of every contact a workflow has touched and what it did.
Tip: Start with one simple workflow: "New Lead Welcome." Get that working perfectly before building anything complex. Simplicity beats sophistication for your first automation.
2

Creating a New Workflow

Creating a workflow starts with giving it a name and landing on the workflow canvas — a drag-and-drop editor where you build each step visually.

  1. Go to Automations in the left sidebar. Click the lightning bolt icon or find "Automations" in the menu.
  2. Click "Workflows" in the top tab row. This is where all your workflows live — active, draft, and archived.
  3. Click "+ New Workflow." A modal appears asking you how you'd like to start — from scratch or from a template. Choose "Start from Scratch" for this guide.
  4. Name your workflow. Use a descriptive name that includes what triggers it. Example: "New Lead Welcome — Form Fill." You'll thank yourself later when you have 20 workflows.
  5. Click "Create." The workflow canvas opens. You'll see an empty canvas with a single placeholder block at the top: "Add Trigger." That's your starting point.
Tip: New workflows start in "Draft" mode automatically. They will not run until you explicitly toggle them to "Active." Draft mode is your sandbox — experiment freely.
3

Adding a Trigger

The trigger tells Jtek what event should kick off this workflow. Without a trigger, nothing happens — it's the starting condition everything else depends on.

  1. Click the "+ Add Trigger" block at the top of the workflow canvas.
  2. A panel slides open showing all available trigger types. For this guide, select "Contact Created."
  3. Contact Created fires when any new contact is added to Jtek — whether from a form submission, a manual add, or an import.
  4. Add a filter to narrow it down. Click "Add Filter" within the trigger settings. Example filter: Tag = "Website Lead." Now the workflow only fires for contacts created with that specific tag — not every single new contact.
  5. Click Save. The trigger block appears on the canvas with your settings displayed. You'll see a "+" button below it where your first action will connect.
4

Adding Your First Action

Actions are what your workflow actually does — send a text, send an email, assign a rep, create a task. For your first workflow, you'll add a Send SMS action.

  1. Click the "+" button below your trigger block on the canvas.
  2. Select "Send SMS" from the action list. An SMS action block appears and a settings panel slides open on the right.
  3. Compose your message. Write a short, friendly intro. Use personalization tags to make it feel personal: "Hi {{contact.first_name}}, thanks for reaching out! I'll be in touch shortly. — Sarah at Riverside Realty"
  4. Set the delay. For a welcome text, set delay to "Immediately" — so the lead hears from you the moment they submit the form.
  5. Click Save. Your workflow now has one trigger and one action. You can add more actions below this one — an email follow-up, a task creation, whatever makes sense for your process.
Workflow canvas — New Lead Welcome
Jtek
Automations
Contacts
New Lead Welcome — Form Fill  Draft
TRIGGER
Contact Created
Tag = "Website Lead"
ACTION
Send SMS
Immediately · Welcome message
+ Add Action
5

Activating and Testing

Before going live, run a test to confirm the workflow fires correctly. A misfire on a real lead is worse than taking five minutes to test first.

  1. Save your workflow. Click the Save button in the top right of the canvas. The workflow remains in Draft mode until you explicitly activate it.
  2. Run a test. Add a test contact in Jtek with the tag that matches your trigger filter (e.g., Tag = "Website Lead"). If your workflow triggers on Contact Created, create a new contact with that tag now.
  3. Check the Execution History tab. On the workflow detail page, click "Execution History." You should see a row for your test contact. Click it to see each step and whether it succeeded.
  4. Confirm the SMS was received. Check the phone number you used for your test contact — the welcome text should have arrived within a few seconds of the contact being created.
  5. Toggle to Active. In the top right of the workflow canvas, switch the toggle from "Draft" to "Active." Your workflow is now live and will run automatically for every new qualifying contact.
Important: Always test before activating. A workflow with a typo in the SMS, an incorrect trigger filter, or a missing personalization tag will fire on real leads — and first impressions matter.
Tip: Delete your test contact after testing to keep your Contacts list clean. Alternatively, use your own phone number for test contacts so you can verify delivery directly.
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