> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://sailia-mintlify-5b02008a.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Automated workflows
> Set up automated email and SMS workflows triggered by booking, membership, and payment events.
Workflows let you automate email and SMS communications based on events in Sailia. Instead of manually sending reminders, follow-ups, or thank-you messages, you configure triggers and let Sailia handle the rest.
## How workflows work
A workflow consists of:
1. **A trigger** — the event that starts the workflow (for example, a booking confirmation or an activity date approaching)
2. **A delay (optional)** — how long to wait after the trigger before sending
3. **A message** — the email or SMS sent to the customer or staff member
When the trigger fires, Sailia queues the message and sends it at the configured time.
Workflow emails are tracked as `workflow-email-sent` events in [meter usage tracking](/api-reference/meter-tracking#built-in-meters), so you can monitor how many automated emails are being sent.
Time-based triggers (such as **Course starting**, **Session starting**, or **Group booking** reminders) evaluate their send windows in your [business timezone](/getting-started/account-settings#timezone). For example, a workflow set to send 24 hours before a session uses the tenant-local time of that session, so customers receive reminders at the expected local time regardless of where Sailia runs.
## Available triggers
Sailia provides 30+ triggers across bookings, courses, memberships, instalments, accounts, waivers, waitlists, qualifications, and staff events. You can attach one or more workflow communications to any trigger.
See the [workflow triggers reference](/integrations/workflow-triggers) for the complete list with descriptions and common use cases.
Key trigger categories include:
* **Booking** — booking confirmed, basket created/expired, invoice pending/overdue
* **Course and session** — course starting/ending, waiver reminders, instructor notifications
* **Group booking** — new group booking, participant detail reminders
* **Membership** — requested, started, renewal, cancelled, past due, payment info required
* **Instalment** — due, paid, plan started/completed/abandoned
* **Account** — new client or staff account
* **Waiver and waitlist** — pending waivers, waitlist spots available
* **Qualification** — qualification expiry reminders for staff
* **Staff** — instructor assigned, availability requests, timesheet invoices
## Common workflow examples
| Trigger | Use case |
| -------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Booking confirmed** | Send a welcome email with what to bring and where to meet |
| **Course starting** | Send a reminder 24 or 48 hours before the first session |
| **Course ending** | Send a thank-you email with a link to rebook or leave a review |
| **Course start waiver reminder** | Remind customers to complete their [waiver](/customers/waivers) before the course |
| **New group booking** | Prompt the group organiser to fill in participant details |
| **Instalment due** | Remind customers about upcoming instalment payments |
| **Membership renewal** | Notify members before their membership renews |
| **Membership past due** | Alert members when a payment fails and prompt them to update their payment method |
| **Qualification expiry** | Remind staff to renew qualifications before they lapse |
## Create a workflow
Navigate to your workflows dashboard and select **Create Workflow**.
Select the event that starts the workflow. See [available triggers](#available-triggers) for the full list.
Choose when the message should be sent — immediately after the trigger, or after a delay (for example, 24 hours before the activity).
Compose the email or SMS content. Use merge fields to personalize the message with the customer's name, activity details, and booking information.
Enable the workflow. It runs automatically for all future events that match the trigger.
## Merge fields
Workflow messages support merge fields to personalize content. Available fields depend on the trigger, but common fields include:
| Merge field | Description |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Customer name | The customer's full name |
| Customer first name | The customer's first name. Falls back to the full name if no first name is recorded. |
| Customer last name | The customer's last name. Falls back to the full name if no last name is recorded. |
| Customer email | The customer's email address |
| Transaction details | A summary of items in the booking |
| Total paid | The total amount charged |
| Checkout link | A link for the customer to complete payment (for pending baskets) |
| Waiver link | A link for the customer to complete outstanding waivers |
| Receipt breakdown | An itemised breakdown of the booking |
Use **Customer first name** for friendlier greetings — for example, "Hi {'{'}{'{'}user\_first\_name{'}'}{'}'}," instead of using the full name. If a contact only has a single name on file, the first and last name fields safely fall back to the full name so the greeting is never blank.
### Membership merge fields
Membership triggers provide additional merge fields specific to the member's subscription:
| Merge field | Description |
| ------------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| Membership name | The name of the membership |
| Membership plan | The name of the membership plan |
| Billing cycle start | The start date of the current billing period |
| Billing cycle end | The end date of the current billing period |
| Participant names | The names of all users on the membership |
These fields are available across all [membership triggers](#membership-triggers), including the **Membership past due** trigger. Use them to include billing dates and plan details in renewal reminders or past-due payment notifications.
### Qualification merge fields
Qualification triggers provide merge fields specific to the staff member and their qualification:
| Merge field | Description |
| -------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Staff name | The staff member's name |
| Staff first name | The staff member's first name (falls back to the full name if not recorded) |
| Staff last name | The staff member's last name (falls back to the full name if not recorded) |
| Staff email | The staff member's email address |
| Staff phone | The staff member's phone number |
| Qualification name | The name of the qualification |
| Qualification expiry date | The qualification's expiry date |
| Qualification certificate number | The certificate number, if recorded |
These fields are available on the [qualification expiry trigger](/integrations/workflow-triggers#qualification-triggers). Use them to include specific qualification details in renewal reminders sent to staff or admins.
### Business merge fields
You can also use merge fields that pull in your business details. These are available across all triggers and are automatically populated from your [account settings](/getting-started/account-settings):
| Merge field | Description |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------- |
| Tenant name | Your business name |
| Tenant logo | Your business logo URL |
| Tenant subdomain | Your Sailia booking page subdomain |
| Admin email | Your primary contact email address |
| Admin phone | Your primary contact phone number |
Business merge fields are useful for adding consistent branding to your communications — for example, including your logo in email headers or your contact details in footers.
The exact merge fields available are shown in the workflow editor when you select a trigger. When you send a test email, business merge fields are populated with your real business details so you can preview exactly how they appear.
## Email and SMS
Workflows support both email and SMS as delivery channels. When creating a workflow, choose the channel that best fits the use case:
* **Email** — best for detailed messages with booking breakdowns, links, and attachments
* **SMS** — best for short, time-sensitive reminders like session start times
Booking confirmation workflows automatically attach a PDF receipt when sent by email.
## Managing workflows
From the workflows dashboard, you can:
* **Enable or disable** a workflow without deleting it
* **Edit** the message content or timing
* **View send history** to see which customers received the message
* **Monitor volume** through the `workflow-email-sent` [built-in meter](/api-reference/meter-tracking#built-in-meters)
Disabling a workflow stops future messages from being sent but does not cancel messages already queued. If a message is scheduled to send in 24 hours and you disable the workflow now, that message may still be delivered.
## Groups
You can scope a workflow to a specific group so that it only fires for a subset of your activities or memberships. This lets you send different messages for different contexts — for example, a kayaking-specific welcome email for kayaking bookings, or a renewal reminder that only applies to your premium membership.
### Product groups
Product groups apply to booking and session triggers. A product group can contain individual activities, shop products, or a mix of both.
When you create a workflow for a booking or session trigger, you can select a product group to limit which bookings fire the communication. If no group is selected, the workflow applies to all activities.
### Membership groups
Membership groups apply to [membership triggers](#membership-triggers). A membership group can contain individual memberships, specific membership plans, or a mix of both.
When you create a workflow for a membership trigger, you can select a membership group to limit which memberships fire the communication. If no group is selected, the workflow applies to all memberships.
This is useful when you have multiple membership tiers and want to send different communications for each — for example, a welcome email with tier-specific benefits or a renewal reminder that only targets annual plans.
### Managing groups
You can create, rename, and delete groups directly from the workflow editor. To add items to a group, open the group and use the item picker to search for activities, products, memberships, or membership plans depending on the group type.
## Related guides
Complete list of all available triggers with descriptions.
Set up waivers and automate reminders for incomplete submissions.
Understand the automatic emails Sailia sends.
Monitor workflow email volume through built-in meters.