How to Configure Automation Actions in CrmLeaf
All editions. Requires the Workflow Automation add-on. Which actions are offered depends on the record type and on which actions are switched on for your account.
Availability: All editions. Requires the Workflow Automation add-on. Which actions are offered depends on the record type and on which actions are switched on for your account.
Overview
The Then part of a rule is one or more actions. You can add up to your plan's limit of actions; the panel shows, for example, 1 of 3 actions used on your plan.
How It Works
| Action | What it does | Offered for |
|---|---|---|
| Send a notification | Notifies people inside CrmLeaf | Every record type |
| Send an email | Emails an address | Every record type |
| Create a task | Creates a task in your Tasks | Every record type |
| Update a field | Sets a field on the record that triggered the rule | Lead, Deal, Client, Task, Ticket, Project |
| Assign to a user | Hands the record to a person | Lead, Deal, Task, Ticket, Project |
| Call a webhook | Sends the record to another system over the internet | Every record type |
Proposals and Invoices have no fields an automation may change, so Update a field is not offered for them.
Send a notification
Choose who to Notify: the assigned user (the record's owner, agent or manager, whichever that record type has), whoever created the record, a specific user, or everyone with a role. Add a subject and message, or leave them blank for a standard text naming the rule. Only active users are notified. Recipients get an in-app notification with a link back to the record, plus an email if they have email notifications on, and a Slack or push message where your company has those connected. If nobody can be found, for example the record has no owner, the action fails with Nobody to notify.
Send an email
Choose Send to: a fixed address, the address on the record (for example a lead's or client's email), or the assigned user. A subject and message are required. This sends mail only; it creates no in-app notification. Unlike a notification, it can reach a customer or an outside team, so check the wording.
Create a task
Set a task title (required), an optional description, a priority (Low, Medium or High; Medium if untouched), Due in (days) counted from the day the rule runs, and who it is assigned to: whoever the record is assigned to, a specific user, or nobody. The task is also linked to the record's project, client or deal where the record has one. If the record has no owner, "whoever the record is assigned to" produces a task with no assignee; it is still created.
Update a field
Pick the field to set and its new value (a dropdown where the field has a fixed list; leave the value empty to clear the field). Only set it if the field is currently empty keeps existing data. The value must be one your company actually has: a status or user that does not exist is refused and the record is left alone. If the field already holds that value, nothing is written. Only user-facing fields are offered; reference numbers, totals, payment state and ownership fields cannot be set by a rule.
| Record | Fields a rule may set |
|---|---|
| Lead | Status, Source, Category, Lead owner |
| Deal | Pipeline stage, Agent, Category |
| Client | Category, Sub category, Country |
| Task | Priority, Task category, Billable |
| Ticket | Status, Priority, Agent, Type, Group |
| Project | Status, Category, Team, Project admin |
Assign to a user
Choose the user. On Tasks, which can have several people, Replace anyone already assigned decides between making them the only assignee and adding them alongside the others. On a deal, the user must already be set up as a sales agent.
Call a webhook
Sends the record to a web address you control, to feed another system.
- Endpoint URL and method (POST, GET, PUT, PATCH or DELETE).
- Headers: name and value pairs, for example an authorisation token. Values are stored encrypted and never shown again: when you edit the rule the value box says Saved - leave blank to keep it. Type a new value to replace it.
- Fields to send: tick the record fields to include, or leave empty to send all available ones. The message always includes the event, record type, record ID, the rule's name and the time.
- The address must be a public one. Private and internal addresses, such as localhost, company-network ranges, or anything that does not resolve, are refused when you save and again at the moment of sending.
- A reply other than a success (anything outside 200-299) counts as a failed action. Each call gives up after a few seconds, so a slow endpoint holds nothing up for long.
Merge fields: putting record data in your text
In a notification's message, an email's subject and message, and a task's title and description, write
{{ field_name }} to insert a value from the record, for example Call {{ client_name }} within 2
days. The panel lists the names available for the record type, and clicking one inserts it.
- Only the names listed resolve. Anything else is left as typed, so a typo shows up in the output instead of silently vanishing.
- Not in a notification's subject. The subject of an in-app notification is used exactly as written; put merge fields in its message instead. An email's subject does resolve them.
- Names that hold an ID, such as
status_id, insert the ID, not the label. - An empty value inserts nothing.
How several actions run
Under Advanced → Run the actions you choose:
| Mode | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| One after another (default) | In order. If one fails, the rest still run |
| One after another, stop on failure | In order. The first failure skips everything after it |
| All at the same time | All start together and finish in any order |
Use stop on failure when step 2 only makes sense if step 1 worked.
Prerequisites
- A rule open in the builder with its When and If parts set (see How to Build an Automation Rule from Scratch).
- For an email or notification, the wording you want and any merge fields it should use.
- For a webhook, a public address you control and a contact who can confirm it received the call.
For Administrators
Step 1: Add an action
What to do: In the builder, add an action card and choose its type.
What to verify: Only the types valid for your record type are offered, and the panel shows how many of your plan's actions you have used.
Step 2: Fill in its settings
What to do: Complete the fields described above, using merge fields where useful.
What to verify: The card changes from Needs setup to Ready.
Step 3: Choose how actions run
What to do: If the rule has more than one action, open Advanced and choose the run mode.
What to verify: The mode matches what should happen if an earlier action fails.
Expected Result
Each matching record triggers your actions in the order and mode you chose, with record details filled into the text.
Important Notes
- Menu names and their position can differ between product editions and can be customised for your account, so your sidebar may not match these paths exactly. Use Search or your Quick Access items if you cannot find a screen.
- An email can reach a customer or an outside team. A webhook sends data outside CrmLeaf. Send only to destinations you control and that meet your data-protection obligations.
- An action that changes a record (Update a field, Assign, Create a task) is itself a record save and can fire other rules. See Limits, Safety Nets and Troubleshooting.
- A failed run is recorded and not repeated, so a notification or webhook is never sent twice.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Possible Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Nobody to notify | The record has no owner, or the chosen role has no active users | Choose a specific user, or fix the record. |
| Webhook address refused when saving | The address is private, unresolvable, or not a web address | Use a public address. |
| Webhook returned an error | The other system answered with a failure code | Check that system and the headers you saved. |
| A field update is refused | The value is not one your company has, such as a status that does not exist | Pick a value from the dropdown. |
A merge field appears as {{ ... }} in the output | The name is not one the panel lists, or it is in a notification subject | Click a listed name to insert it, and put it in the message instead. |
| An action is not offered for a record type | That record type does not support it, or it is switched off for your account | Check the table above, or contact CrmLeaf support. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see the webhook header I saved?
No, by design. Re-enter it to change it.
Does Send an email also notify the person in CrmLeaf?
No. It sends mail only. Use Send a notification for an in-app message.
If there is no owner on the record, does Create a task still work?
Yes. The task is created with no assignee.
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