Automations overview
Learn what Spacebrain Automations do, where to find each page, and how to go from an idea to a tested, live automation.
Automations do repeatable work for you. When something happens, such as a form submission, a new lead, a missed call or a paid order, an automation runs the steps you choose, like tagging the lead, creating a task or sending a message. This page is for anyone who wants to understand how Automations are organized before building one.
How an automation works
Every automation has the same three parts:
- A trigger: the event that starts it. For example, Form Submitted, Lead Created, Message Received or Deal Won.
- Steps: what happens next, in order. Steps can be actions (Add Tag, Create Task, Send Email), checks (Condition, Switch, AI Classifier) or timing (Delay).
- A status: an automation is a Draft until you publish it. Only Active automations run on real events. You can Pause an active automation at any time.
Nothing runs while an automation is a draft, so you can build, change and test it safely.
Example
"When the Contact us form is submitted, add the tag website-enquiry, then create a task for the lead's owner due in one day." The trigger is Form Submitted, and the steps are Add Tag and Create Task.
Where to find Automations
Open Automations in the main navigation. It has these pages:
| Page | What you use it for |
|---|---|
| Automations → Overview | Build with AI, see usage and spending, and jump to recent automations. |
| Automations → All Automations | Search, filter, open, pause, duplicate, archive or delete every automation. |
| Automations → Templates | Start from a ready-made automation for a common job. |
| Automations → Runs | See every time an automation ran, what happened and where it stopped. |
| Automations → Connections | Check the email, SMS, WhatsApp, voice and webhook connections your steps need. |
| Automations → Usage | Track active automations, executions and credits used. |
Some modules also have their own Automations page that lists only the automations connected to that module, for example CRM → Automations and Chat & Voice → Automations. They use the same editor. Choosing New Automation there shows starting points for that module only.
Choose how to build
There are three ways to start. All three create a draft that opens in the same editor.
| Start with | Best when | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Describe with Orbit | You can describe the job in a sentence and want AI to draft the steps. | Build an automation with Orbit |
| Build manually | You know which trigger you want and prefer to add steps yourself. | Build an automation in the editor |
| Templates | A common job, like following up after a webinar, already has a template. | Build an automation in the editor |
Before you begin
- Role: you need editing permission in the workspace to create or change automations. Viewers can open automations and runs but cannot change them.
- Plan: some steps are premium. If a draft uses one your plan does not include, the editor shows Upgrade to activate or Start trial to activate instead of Publish.
- Connections: steps that send email, texts, WhatsApp messages or calls need a connected account. Check Automations → Connections first.
- Credits: building with AI and some AI steps use credits. AI Classifier steps are free. See Free AI classifiers.
From idea to live automation
Follow the same path every time:
- Write the job in one sentence. "When X happens, do Y." Name who should be included and who should not.
- Create a draft with Orbit, manually or from a template.
- Finish setup. Open Setup in the editor and choose senders, task owners and other required settings.
- Fix issues. Open Issues and clear every error.
- Test. Open Test and run a dry test with sample data. Nothing is sent or changed.
- Publish. Choose Publish. The automation becomes Active and runs on new events.
- Check the first runs. Open Automations → Runs and confirm the results in the CRM, inbox or task list.
Change a live automation safely
When you edit an active automation, your changes are saved as a draft. The published version keeps running until you choose Publish changes. If a change could affect people who are already partway through (for example, you remove a delay), pause the automation first, publish the change, then resume it.
FAQ
What happened to Sequences?
Sequences have been replaced by email automations. Old Sequences links now open the email automations page. See Sequences.
Does a draft ever run?
No. Only active automations run on real events. Dry tests and classifier tests never send messages or change records.
Can two automations react to the same event?
Yes. Each active automation with a matching trigger runs. Check All Automations for overlapping triggers so a lead does not get two welcome emails.
Next step
Next step
Keep moving
Open the relevant Spacebrain screen or contact support if you need help.
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Build an automation with Orbit
Describe an automation in plain language, review the plan Orbit drafts, save it, test it and open it in the editor. Nothing runs until you activate it.