An automation sends the right message when a customer does something, or stops doing something. Each automation has a start trigger (what puts someone in) followed by actions (send an email, wait, if/else, add a tag and so on).
Common start triggers
Trigger | Starts when | Venue example |
Subscribes to a list | Someone joins a list | Welcome new members of All Contacts |
Submits a form | Someone fills in a form | Thank people who joined from your website |
Tag is added / removed | You or another automation tags someone | Start a catering follow-up when |
Date based | A date field matches (before, on or after) | Birthday offer from Date of Birth |
On a schedule | A set date or a repeating schedule, for a segment | Weekly check for lapsed regulars |
Contact field changes | A field's value changes | Points reminder when Reward Points changes |
Opens or clicks an email | Someone engages with a campaign | Follow up people who clicked a function-booking link |
Some triggers depend on your plan. If you can't see one you need, contact us.
Recommended first automations
Automation | Start trigger | What it does |
Welcome | Subscribes to All Contacts | Thanks the new member and explains how to earn Nomni Loyalty points |
Birthday | Date based: Date of Birth, every year | Sends a birthday offer a few days before |
Win-back | On a schedule, daily, for Last Sale Activity more than 60 days ago | "We miss you" offer, then a reminder a week later |
Points reminder | Contact field changes: Reward Points | Tells customers their balance when they're close to a reward |
Brandollars reminder | On a schedule, for Current Wallet Balance not 0 and Last Redeemed Timestamp more than 30 days ago | Reminds customers they have Brandollars to spend |
Build one
Go to Automations and click Create an automation. Start from scratch or from a ready-made recipe.
Choose the start trigger and its options. Decide whether a contact can enter once or multiple times. For welcome and birthday, use once (birthday "runs yearly" is set inside the date trigger).
Add actions: Send an email, Wait, If/Else, Add tag, Go to and so on.
Test with a test contact, then set the automation to Active.
Important: how synced customers enter automations
New and edited customers from Nomni POS sync one at a time, so they can start automations. For example, a new customer joining All Contacts starts your welcome email.
Your first full sync (Sync Contacts) and the daily spend update are bulk imports and don't start automations. That's deliberate, so your existing customers don't all get a welcome email on day one.
Triggers don't work backwards. People who already met the trigger before you switched the automation on won't be added. To include existing customers, use a scheduled or date-based trigger, or add a tag in bulk that starts the automation.
"Contact field changes" can fire often, because loyalty fields update with every visit or points change. Add an If/Else or Wait step, or tag people once they've had the message, so they don't get it repeatedly. A contact can enter a "multiple times" automation up to 10 times in 24 hours.
Editing a live automation
Pause the automation before changing its triggers, then set it back to Active. People already inside carry on from where they are.
Tips
Several small automations are easier to manage than one huge one.
Use Wait until steps to send at sensible times (for example 10am, not 3am).
Exclude staff with an If/Else on the
INT_Stafftag.
Troubleshooting
If a customer didn't enter an automation, see Troubleshooting: an automation isn't starting or sending. Still stuck? Message us in the chat, email support@nomni.ai or call 1300 445 483.