Scheduled Workflows in airSlate
About this course
This course walks you through the key steps required for scheduling workflows in airSlate. You'll learn how to run a workflow on a schedule or when any data in your system records change, such as in CRM or ERP systems, spreadsheets, and more.
By the end of this course, you'll be equipped with all the knowledge you need to turn your most complex processes into automated multi-level workflows that can be run on a schedule in a single click.
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airSlate: no-code automation for scheduled workflow setup
Accuracy and proper organization of every process running like a clockwork have paramount importance for a business. It may seem trivial, but these qualities help a company survive in the highly-competitive market environment and even substantially impact growth. Planning budgets and campaigns is essential, but setting up a timetable for a little daily routine also matters.
In the not-too-distant past, employees spent hours organizing meetings, sending regular newsletters, calling or sending messages to the participants to remind them of the documentation pending their signatures, etc. Things have changed thanks to the automation technologies boom, so now you can automatically schedule workflows and save time and resources for more significant business tasks.
What is a scheduled workflow, and what are its positive aspects?
A scheduled workflow is an integral part of workflow management. It’s a business process configured to start running upon a specific condition. Depending on your needs, you can set up the autostart for your business processes based on changes in forms and agreements, spreadsheets, or CRM records.
According to such pre-defined conditions, the workflow will run with a single click of a button or even without human interaction. Often, the main criteria for autostart is a specific date and time. Such processes are called time-dependent or time-based workflows triggered by the scheduled date.
Setting up tasks this way is a perfect solution for those who need to properly organize their recurring events in the future. Using a time-based workflow allows one to update the lead owner in a CRM or ERP system, automatically initiate a new document workflow, or arrange automatic data collection and data update based on other active workflows. The benefits of applying time-based automation are beyond a shadow of a doubt:
- Configuring a scheduled workflow requires a minimum of time but brings maximum effect on general performance;
- It saves hours of business time and, thereby, human resources and financial costs;
- Data never gets lost, and tasks are done at the appropriate time according to the team’s plan;
- Due to the automatic launch of the processes, most of the regular work runs smoothly and more efficiently;
- The staff makes fewer errors and can focus on customers and new projects instead of wasting time on a routine manual job.
Many online services offer time-based workflow functionality. The complexity of their configuration differs a lot, and airSlate is just the solution with the perfect simplicity-in-use and accuracy ratio you need.
Creating a scheduled workflow with airSlate
airSlate is an all-in-one platform for automating business processes of any complexity. Pre-built Flow templates, the ability to create them from scratch, and numerous no-code Bots make airSlate super simple and convenient for users with any level of tech skills. And in addition to the entire document workflow automation, it also provides their planned launch via the Autostart option.
An Autostart is a particular action that activates a Flow and makes it run automatically according to the defined conditions. Set it up so that your Flow works as per timetable at a given time daily, weekly, fortnightly, monthly, etc. You can set configurations, create a scheduled workflow upon document completion, after you edit a Google spreadsheet, or update CRM records. And it’s all possible with only several simple clicks.
Configuring a time-based workflow with airSlate requires only a couple of steps:
- Creating a Template. Customize the document according to your needs.
- Enabling the Autostart option. You can do it in the Workflow tab by clicking the Add Autostart button available either from the Flow Start block or from the Send button dropdown.
- Choosing how to start your Flow. At this step, you can opt for one of the available options for scheduling the Flow:
- Scheduled Start to set up the exact date and time when the Flow will be activated and with what frequency;
- From another Flow (selecting from what Template documents will be pre-filled);
- From Google Sheet updates or Microsoft 365 Excel updates;
- From Salesforce, MS Dynamics 365, NetSuite, or SharePoint;
- From an External File or External Event;
- Scheduled start from Google Sheets.
Once done, the process will launch automatically so that you don’t have to make any extra actions.
airSlate Academy: the best way to learn to create time-based workflows
As you can see, the platform offers various options for pre-planning document workflows. Even though the setup process is intuitive, each option has customization peculiarities. airSlate Academy provides a unique course that reveals all workflow creation and customization steps, accompanied by detailed video guides. The practical section will help you consolidate knowledge and check how it works for your use case. All of this comes free of charge — enroll today!
Questions & answers
What is a time-based workflow?
A time-based workflow is a business process that works due to a specific timetable. You can set it up to activate on a particular date and at the appropriate time. The most common examples of such workflows are sending a company’s weekly newsletters or regular reminders to fill out an invoice.
How do you create a time-based workflow?
Scheduling workflows based on a particular plan at a specific time is an essential feature in workflow automation. In airSlate, you need to add the Autostart option to your Flow with the relative button in the Flow Start block or the Send button dropdown menu. Then, schedule the start for your workflow, providing the date, time, and frequency for it to launch.
What are the four types of workflow actions?
Scheduled workflows activate upon a specific condition, which can be either time or action-based. Workflow actions are the events that must be performed for a process to launch. These can be the following:
- A record update in a CRM/ERP system or a specific field in a document;
- Sending an email alert;
- Creating a task;
- Sending an outbound message.
What is a time-based workflow queue?
A workflow queue is used in some programs as a lineup for manually created tasks that users will receive for completing in a particular order. A time-based workflow queue involves tasks arrangement based on their time scheduling.
Can we configure a time-based workflow in less than 1-hour time interval?
When you configure an Autostart option for your airSlate workflows, you set a date and time when it should start working. You can also provide the frequency for your time-based workflow, specifying how often the action should occur and the number of repetitions needed. The detailed guidance is described in the airSlate Academy course for Scheduled workflows.
What are workflow rules?
Workflow rules are the criteria for an automated process to work. These are the if-this-then-that conditions that you provide when setting up the workflow. If properly configured, they will launch a process automatically once met.
What are the limitations of time-dependent workflow?
All platforms have different limitations for time-dependent workflows. The most common one is the restriction on setting the exact minutes and seconds to activate a process. In airSlate, you can initiate Flow running by choosing its start time from the 30-minute step options given in a dropdown menu and specifying the time zone.
For what criteria in a workflow the time-dependent actions cannot be created?
As a general rule, you can’t set up an automatic start for an already active workflow. Also, it’s impossible to schedule a workflow based on time in the past.
What manages the scheduling and execution of a workflow?
To schedule a workflow in airSlate, you must correctly define the rules for its execution. After adding the Autostart option, you must select the condition for auto-launching the Flow (based on a particular time or action), define the exact rules for executing the workflow, and set how often it should be activated.
Where can we assign the scheduler to workflows?
In airSlate, the Flow scheduler is the Autostart option. You can find it either in the Flow Start block or the Send button dropdown menu. After clicking on the Autostart, you can select what will auto-trigger your process.
