Understanding Automations – What They Are & How They Work

Automate repetitive tasks and create powerful workflows that respond to form submissions #

What Automations Are #

FORMEPIC Automations transform your forms from simple data collection tools into powerful workflow engines. Instead of manually processing each submission, automations let you define actions that happen automatically when specific events occur. Think of automations as “if this happens, then do that” rules that work 24/7 without any manual intervention.

Key Benefits:

• Save Time: Eliminate repetitive manual tasks and focus on what matters
• Respond Instantly: Take action within seconds of form submission
• Never Miss a Lead: Ensure every submission triggers the right follow-up
• Reduce Errors: Automated processes are consistent and reliable
• Scale Effortlessly: Handle 10 or 10,000 submissions with the same efficiency
• Integrate Seamlessly: Connect your forms to your entire business ecosystem

How to Access Automations #

You can access and manage automations in two ways:

From the Form Builder #

1. Open any form in the builder
2. Click on the Settings tab in the right panel
3. Scroll to find the Automations section
4. Click Add Automation to create a new one
5. Configure your trigger and action settings
6. Save and enable your automation

From the Dashboard #

1. Navigate to the Automations page from the main navigation
2. View all automations across all your forms in one place
3. See which forms they’re connected to
4. Toggle automations on/off quickly
5. Monitor automation status and configuration

The dashboard view is perfect for managing multiple automations across different forms, while the form builder view lets you set up automations specific to each form as you design it.

Automation Workflow Concept #

Every automation in FORMEPIC follows a simple but powerful workflow:

Trigger → Condition Check → Action

1. Trigger: Something happens (form submitted, specific answer given, completion confirmed)
2. Condition Check: The system evaluates if the trigger conditions are met
3. Action: If conditions match, the specified action executes automatically

For example:

• Trigger: User submits contact form
• Condition: User selected “Sales Inquiry”
• Action: Send email to sales team + Create CRM entry + Send confirmation to customer

You can create multiple automations for the same form, each with different triggers and actions. They all work independently and can even run simultaneously when conditions are met.

Enabling and Disabling Automations #

Managing your automations is simple and flexible:

Enable an Automation #

• Toggle the switch to ON (green) position
• The automation will start processing immediately
• All conditions will be evaluated for new submissions
• Enabled automations show a green “Enabled” badge

Disable an Automation #

• Toggle the switch to OFF (gray) position
• The automation stops processing immediately
• No actions will be triggered for new submissions
• Existing queued actions will still complete
• Disabled automations show a gray “Disabled” badge

Why Disable Instead of Delete?

• Temporarily pause automations during maintenance
• Test new workflows without losing old ones
• Keep historical configurations for reference
• Quickly reactivate when needed

Automation Management Dashboard #

The Automations dashboard provides a centralized view of all your automated workflows:

What You Can See #

• All Automations: View every automation across all forms
• Form Association: See which form each automation belongs to
• Status Badges: Quickly identify enabled vs disabled automations
• Trigger Types: Understand what triggers each automation
• Action Types: See what actions are configured
• Configuration Details: View complete action settings

Dashboard Features #

• Quick Toggle: Enable/disable automations with one click
• Sorted View: Automations sorted by creation date (newest first)
• Configuration Display: JSON view of action settings for transparency
• Provider Names: See connected email/SMS providers by name
• Empty State Guidance: Clear instructions when no automations exist

Managing Multiple Automations #

• Create different automations for different scenarios
• Use descriptive names to identify purposes quickly
• Group related automations by form
• Monitor which automations are active
• Easily navigate to form builder for editing

Tips & Tricks #

• Start Simple: Begin with one automation per form, then expand as needed
• Use Clear Names: Name automations by their purpose (e.g., “Sales Lead Notification” not “Automation 1”)
• Test Thoroughly: Submit test responses to ensure automations work as expected
• Monitor Regularly: Check the automations dashboard periodically to ensure everything is running smoothly
• Document Your Setup: Keep notes on complex automation workflows for team reference
• Combine Actions: Create multiple automations for the same trigger to perform different actions simultaneously

Important Notes #

• Automations only process new submissions after they’re enabled
• Disabling an automation does not delete it – your configuration is saved
• Multiple automations can trigger from the same form submission
• Action execution happens within seconds of form submission
• Failed actions may be retried automatically depending on the action type
• You can edit automation configuration by accessing the form builder
• Automations work independently – one failure doesn’t affect others

Common Issues & Troubleshooting #

Automation Not Triggering #

Problem: Automation appears enabled but actions aren’t executing

Solutions:

• Verify the automation is actually toggled to “Enabled” status
• Check if trigger conditions are correctly configured
• For “On Specific Answer” triggers, ensure the expected answer matches exactly
• Test with a new form submission to confirm behavior
• Check that the form itself is published and accepting responses

Can’t See My Automation #

Problem: Created automation doesn’t appear in the list

Solutions:

• Refresh the page to load latest data
• Verify you’re viewing the correct form in the builder
• Check the Automations dashboard to see all automations
• Ensure the automation was successfully saved (check for error messages)
• Verify you have proper permissions to view automations

Multiple Actions Needed #

Problem: Want several things to happen from one trigger

Solutions:

• Create multiple automations with the same trigger event
• Each automation can have a different action type
• All will execute independently when the trigger occurs
• Name them clearly to distinguish their purposes

Configuration Not Saving #

Problem: Changes to automation settings aren’t being saved

Solutions:

• Ensure all required fields are filled out before saving
• Check for error messages indicating validation issues
• Save the form before creating automations
• Verify you have stable internet connection
• Try refreshing the page and making changes again

Wrong Action Executing #

Problem: Automation triggers but performs incorrect action

Solutions:

• Review the action configuration in detail
• Check that you selected the correct action type
• For email actions, verify the correct provider is selected
• For webhook actions, confirm the URL is correct
• Test the automation with known inputs to isolate the issue
• Consider disabling and recreating if configuration seems corrupted