Automation Sequences
Automations are the engine behind Clinivoz — they allow your clinic to follow up with leads, send appointment reminders, collect intake information, and more, all without your staff having to do it manually every time.
1. How Automations Work​
An automation consists of:
- Trigger — the event that starts the automation (e.g., a form is submitted, an appointment is booked)
- Actions — what happens next (e.g., send a text, add a tag, add a lead, assign a task)
- Conditions/Filters — optional rules that control whether an action runs (e.g., "only if the contact is tagged ABA Therapy")
An Automation Sequence is a complete automation — one trigger plus all the actions that follow from it.
2. Creating an Automation Sequence​
- Click Automations in the left sidebar.
- Click + New Automation Sequence.
- Choose to start from Scratch or select a Template.
- Add your trigger (see Trigger Types below).
- Add actions using the + Add Action button.
- Set delays between actions as needed.
- Click Save and then Publish when you're ready to make it live.
Important: Sequences must be Published to run. A sequence in Draft status won't fire even if the trigger is met.
3. Trigger Types​
These are the most commonly used triggers for speech and ABA therapy clinics:
| Trigger | When to Use |
|---|---|
| Form Submitted | A contact fills out an intake, referral, or contact form |
| Appointment Booked | A new appointment is scheduled on any calendar |
| Appointment Reminder | A set time before an appointment occurs |
| Appointment Status Changed | Appointment marked as No-Show, Cancelled, Confirmed, etc. |
| Contact Tag Added | A specific tag is added to a contact |
| Pipeline Stage Changed | A lead moves to a new pipeline stage |
| Inbound Webhook | Data received from an external source (advanced) |
| Contact Created | A brand new contact is added to the system |
| Birthday Reminder | A date-based trigger based on the contact's date of birth |
4. Action Types​
| Action | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Send SMS | Sends a text to the contact |
| Send Email | Sends an email to the contact |
| Internal Notification | Sends an alert to a staff member (email or app notification) |
| Add Tag | Applies a tag to the contact |
| Remove Tag | Removes a tag from the contact |
| Add Lead | Adds a new lead in a specified pipeline/stage |
| Move Lead | Moves an existing lead to a new pipeline stage |
| Assign User | Assigns the contact to a specific team member |
| Create Task | Creates a to-do task for a staff member |
| Wait | Pauses the sequence for a set time (e.g., wait 24 hours) |
| If/Else Condition | Branches the sequence based on a condition |
| Go To Step | Jumps to a different step in the same sequence |
| Update Contact Field | Updates a custom field on the contact record |
| Remove from Sequence | Stops the contact from continuing in this automation sequence |
5. Pre-Built Automation Templates for Speech & ABA Clinics​
Template 1: New Inquiry Follow-Up​
Trigger: Form Submitted (Intake/Contact Form)
| Step | Action | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Immediately | Send SMS | "Hi {{contact.firstName}}! Thanks for reaching out to [Clinic Name]. We received your inquiry and will be in touch within 1 business day. Questions? Reply to this text anytime." |
| Immediately | Add Lead | Add to "Speech Therapy Intake" pipeline, Stage: "New Inquiry" |
| Immediately | Add Tag | New Inquiry |
| Immediately | Internal Notification | Notify intake coordinator: "New inquiry from {{contact.firstName}} {{contact.lastName}}" |
| Wait 1 Business Day | Create Task | "Call {{contact.firstName}} to discuss evaluation scheduling" (assigned to intake coordinator) |
Template 2: Appointment Reminder Sequence​
Trigger: Appointment Booked
| Step | Action | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Immediately | Send SMS | "Your appointment at [Clinic Name] is confirmed for {{appointment.date}} at {{appointment.time}}. Reply CONFIRM to confirm or CANCEL to cancel." |
| 48 Hours Before | Send SMS | "Reminder: Your appointment at [Clinic Name] is tomorrow, {{appointment.date}} at {{appointment.time}}. See you soon! Reply CANCEL if you need to reschedule." |
| 48 Hours Before | Send Email | Appointment reminder with date, time, location, what to bring |
| 2 Hours Before | Send SMS | "Just a reminder — your appointment at [Clinic Name] is today at {{appointment.time}}. We're looking forward to seeing you!" |
Template 3: No-Show Follow-Up​
Trigger: Appointment Status Changed → No-Show
| Step | Action | Content |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Hour After | Send SMS | "Hi {{contact.firstName}}, we missed you today! Life happens — we'd love to reschedule. Reply here or click to book: [scheduling link]" |
| Add Tag | No-Show | |
| Wait 2 Days | Send SMS | "Hi {{contact.firstName}}, just following up to see if you'd like to reschedule your appointment. We have openings this week!" |
| Wait 5 Days | Create Task | "Follow up by phone with {{contact.firstName}} — 2nd no-show follow-up" |
Template 4: Waitlist Notification​
Trigger: Tag Added → Waitlist
| Step | Action | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Immediately | Send Email | "Hi {{contact.firstName}}, you've been added to our waitlist for [service type]. We'll reach out as soon as a spot opens up. Thank you for your patience!" |
| Every 30 Days | Send SMS | "Hi {{contact.firstName}}, a quick update from [Clinic Name]: you're on our waitlist. Want to stay on the list? Reply YES and we'll keep your spot." |
Template 5: Insurance Authorization Follow-Up​
Trigger: Pipeline Stage Changed → "Awaiting Insurance Auth"
| Step | Action | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Immediately | Send Email | "Hi {{contact.firstName}}, we've submitted your insurance authorization request. This typically takes 5–10 business days. We'll update you as soon as we hear back!" |
| Wait 7 Days | Create Task | "Check authorization status for {{contact.firstName}} with insurance" |
| Wait 10 Days (if still in stage) | Send SMS | "Hi {{contact.firstName}}, we're still waiting on your insurance authorization. We'll follow up with them and keep you posted!" |
6. Using If/Else Conditions (Branching)​
Conditions allow one automation sequence to behave differently for different contacts.
Example: A form submission sequence that branches based on service type:
TRIGGER: Form Submitted
IF contact.field["Service Requested"] = "Speech Therapy"
→ Add Tag: Speech Therapy
→ Add Lead to Speech Intake Pipeline
→ Send SMS: Speech-specific welcome message
ELSE IF contact.field["Service Requested"] = "ABA Therapy"
→ Add Tag: ABA Therapy
→ Add Lead to ABA Intake Pipeline
→ Send SMS: ABA-specific welcome message
7. Automation Sequence Best Practices​
- Test before publishing: Use the Test feature to run a sequence on your own contact record before going live.
- Use delays thoughtfully: Don't send too many messages too quickly. Space them out as a real person would.
- Don't over-automate: Automations handle the routine; your team should still handle sensitive or complex conversations personally.
- Monitor regularly: Check the Enrollment logs weekly to ensure sequences are firing correctly and contacts aren't getting stuck.
- Use tags to exit: Always add a condition to stop automations if a contact is no longer relevant (e.g., if they book an appointment, stop the "follow up to schedule" sequence).
8. Stopping a Sequence for a Contact​
If a contact shouldn't continue in an automation (e.g., they called and booked directly), you can remove them manually:
- Open the contact's record.
- Click the Automation Sequences tab.
- Find the active sequence.
- Click Remove from Sequence.
9. Enrollment History​
To see all contacts currently in an automation sequence or who have passed through it:
- Go to Automations.
- Open the automation sequence.
- Click Enrollment History or the Contacts tab.
- Filter by status: Active, Completed, Failed.