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Workflow Overview

What are Workflows? How do I create and implement them?

Teresa Webb avatar
Written by Teresa Webb
Updated over a week ago

Workflow Templates allow you to automate the tasks you usually take to complete a project and guide your contact through your client experience. 

They save you time by either completing the tasks for you or reminding you to complete a task. They also allow you to scale your business by creating a consistent, repeatable client experience. You can even delegate the tasks to other team members added to your account!

We recommend creating a Workflow Template for each stage of your Client Experience. We break your client experience into four different systems: Lead Management, Booking, Onboarding, and Fulfillment. To learn more about each method, click the buttons below.

Outside of creating a workflow template for the four stages of your Client Experience, you may also create a workflow for anything! Marketing strategies, monthly internal tasks, side-projects. The only limit is your imagination.

Preparing to Create Your Workflow Template

To build the best Workflow, think of your client's needs. What do you need to know in order to fulfill your Service or Product successfully? What do they need to know in preparation? How many times do you want to contact them? What emails do you typically send? What documents will you need?

Write out each step in the order you usually accomplish them. A Workflow Template can be as long or as short as you'd like, so feel free to add in as many steps as necessary. To stay better organized, think of your Workflow in the four stages of your Client Experience: Lead Management, Booking, Onboarding, and Fulfillment. 

Once you know all the Documents & Emails you may need, create them within the Documents & Emails template page. For more on creating Templates, click the button below.

Building your Workflow Template

To begin building your Workflow Template, go to your Account Settings, and go to the Workflow tab under Account Templates. 

If this is your first Workflow, you'll be prompted with an overview of Workflows and an educational video. Click the "Create a Workflow" button to get started. 

If you've built a Workflow Template previously, you'll see all Workflow Templates created beforehand. Click the + button near the page title to create your next Workflow. 

A pop-up will appear where you can give your Workflow Template a name, assign it to a calendar, and add any notes about the Workflow.  

You should give your Workflow templates a name based on the process that it represents — for example, Wedding - Onboarding, Spa Service Booking, Portrait Session - Lead Follow-up Workflow.

You can assign your Workflow to any calendar, but we recommend creating and assigning each Workflow Template to a To-Do/Workflow Calendar. This eliminates congestion on the calendars you use for actual events. To learn more about how we recommend setting up your calendars, click the button below.


Once you've given your Workflow Template a name, selected a calendar for the steps to appear on, and added any notes about the Workflow, you can begin adding steps to your Workflow.

Workflow Items

There are three different items you can add to your Workflow. A To-Do, An Action Item, and a Pause Item. 

  1. To Do: these are items you need to accomplish. Use a To-Do task if you need to remind yourself to call someone, order supplies, or send a thank you card. These type of To-Do steps can also trigger other actions after the task has been completed.

  2. Action: these steps can be completed within 17hats automatically, or upon your review. You'll use an action item to send any Email, Quote, Contract, Invoice or Questionnaire. You can also use an action item to start a new workflow, archive the project, or change the calendar the project appears on.

  3. Pause: as the name implies, this inserts a break within your Workflow and allows you to put your process on hold.

To learn more about using the three different types of Workflow steps, click the button below. 

Activating Your Workflow

Once your Workflow Template is complete, you'll need to activate it within a project. You can activate a Workflow automatically through your Lead Capture Form, from a previously added Workflow, or manually.  

Once activated, your Workflow will initiate. You'll be notified of any workflow to-do or action item you need to complete on the Dashboard within the Let's Take Care of Business Section, on the main Workflow overview page, and within the project itself. 

To learn more about activating your Workflow automatically through a Lead Capture Form, click the button below. 


To manually activate a Workflow on the project, navigate to the project and click on the "+" symbol next to Workflow header on the right side-bar.

You can also have multiple Workflows activated at the same time. 

Pro tip: before activating your Workflow Template, run through the steps yourself as if you were the contact to make sure that everything is working as intended. 

*This feature may not be available on all plan types.

If you have other questions regarding workflows, our Business Support Team is ready to help! Contact them via live chat or by email Monday through Friday 7am-4pm PST. 

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