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How to Create an Automation in Clientish

4 min read

Build an automation step by step: pick a trigger, add checks and steps, test it on a real record, then turn it on.

An automation in Clientish runs your next step automatically when something happens in your workspace. Here’s how to build one, test it on a real record without sending anything, and turn it on.

Applies to: Growth, Pro and Enterprise (not on Solo or Starter)
Who can do it: the workspace owner and admins, and team members whose role has Edit Company Settings

Before You Begin

  • Know the event that should start the rule and what should happen next, for example: an invoice is 3 days overdue, so remind the client and notify the owner.
  • To post in Slack, Microsoft Teams, Discord or Telegram, or to send SMS or WhatsApp, connect that channel to your workspace first; a step can only post where you’re connected.

How to Create an Automation in Clientish

  1. Open Automations

    Go to Settings → Automations (under Communication). Click New automation, or open Ready-made and press Use this on a rule that is close to what you need.

  2. Name it

    Give the rule a name your team will recognize in the list, for example Chase an overdue invoice.

  3. Choose what starts it

    Under When this happens, pick a Trigger. For a timed trigger, set After (or How long before for something coming due) and Counted in (hours or days). When it’s counted in days, pick the hour it is Checked at, then choose On these days. For a weekly or monthly schedule, set Repeats, the day and the hour At. Times follow your workspace clock.

    When this happens card with the Invoice is overdue trigger, After 3 days, Checked at 09:00 and the days of the week

  4. Add checks if you need them

    Under Only if, click Add check to limit the rule, for example to one service or to invoices over a set amount. You can add up to 5 checks, and all of them must match. With no checks, the rule runs every time.

    Only if card with no checks, so the automation runs every time, and the Add check button

  5. Add the steps

    Under Then do this, click Add step, choose what the step does and fill out its fields. Repeat for up to 8 steps. Use the shortcodes on the right, such as [client-name] or [invoice-no], to fill in details. Add If / otherwise to do one thing or another, or Wait, then carry on to pause before the next step.

    Then do this card with step 1 Notify a team member, sent to the workspace owner with a message using invoice shortcodes, and Add step

  6. Test it

    Click Test run, pick one of your latest records under Test with and press Run test. You see what each step would do, or why it would be skipped. Nothing is sent or changed.

  7. Save it

    Press Save and turn on to start it now, or Save, keep paused to turn it on later from the list.

How to Pause, Copy or Delete an Automation

Each rule in the Automations list has its own switch and menu, so you can stop, copy or remove it anytime.

  • The list shows each rule’s trigger, its steps, how many times it ran in the last 30 days and when it last ran.
  • Use the switch to Pause a rule or Turn on again.
  • Duplicate makes a paused copy you can change.
  • Run history shows the last 100 runs from the past 30 days.
  • Delete stops a rule immediately and removes its run history.

Automation Problems and How to Fix Them

Test run is grayed out⌄
Choose a trigger first. The test needs to know which kind of record to try the rule on.
I can’t save a rule with a Wait step⌄
A Wait can’t be the last step, a rule can’t be only waits, and all waits together can last up to 90 days. Add the step that should happen after the wait.
The rule did nothing for invoices that were already overdue⌄
Timed triggers only act on what becomes due after you turn the rule on. Older records are left alone on purpose.

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