Automation steps

Steps are the building blocks of a flow. In the editor, click a + between cards to open the step picker; it’s grouped exactly like this page: Messaging, Timing, Logic, Contact, Appointments, ActiveCampaign, AI Agent and Finish. Click any card afterwards to edit its settings.

Messaging

Send WhatsApp template

Sends one of your approved WhatsApp templates. This is the only messaging step that works when the 24-hour window is closed — which is why every message that follows a long wait should be a template.

Configuration:

• Template (approved) — pick from your approved templates. Drafts and pending templates can’t be sent; see Template approval.
• Custom params (one per line) — values for the template’s placeholders, if it has any.

Example: the webinar reminder 24 hours before start — the contact probably hasn’t written to you within the last day, so it must be a template.

Note

Template sends count against your monthly send limit and are billed by Meta according to the template category — see WhatsApp costs.

Send message

Sends a free-form WhatsApp message — text you write directly in the step, no approval needed. Only works while the 24-hour window is open (the contact messaged you within the last 24 hours). If the window is closed when this step runs, the run fails for that contact — use Send WhatsApp template instead where that can happen.

Configuration:

• Header (optional) — No header, Text (max. 60 characters), Image, Video or Document (upload the file right in the step).
• Message (body) — the text. Placeholders {{first_name}}, {{name}} and {{phone}} are filled per contact.
• Footer (optional, max. 60) — small grey line under the message.
• Buttons (optional):
  • Reply buttons (up to 3) — max. 20 characters each. A tap sends the button text back as the contact’s reply — perfect for branching or keyword triggers.
  • List (up to 10 options) — a tappable menu; each option max. 24 characters, plus the list button text. The chosen option comes back as reply text (great for quizzes and scoring).
  • Link button — a labelled button that opens a URL.

Example: right after a keyword trigger, answer with “Hi {{first_name}} 👋 What are you interested in?” plus three reply buttons.

Send form (flow)

Sends one of your WhatsApp forms into the chat — the contact fills it in without leaving WhatsApp, and the answers land on their contact record in the CRM (and, if enabled in the form, in ActiveCampaign). Build forms under Forms; see also Forms in automations.

Configuration:

• Form (flow) — pick the form. The step shows its fields so you know what you’re asking. An unpublished form is only delivered to your own WhatsApp admins — publish it before going live.
• Wait for the form to be submitted before continuing — checked by default. Unchecked, the flow moves on immediately after sending.

Only sendable within the 24-hour window (free). While the automation waits for the submission, it owns the conversation — the contact’s answers route here and other automations queue.

Example: qualification flow — send the “Project details” form, wait for submission, then branch on the answers.

Send product (Shopify)

Sends a Shopify product as a card: image, title, price and a link button (default label Buy in shop) that opens the product page. Requires the Shopify integration. Only works within the 24-hour window.

Configuration: pick the product from your store; adjust the Button text (max. 20 characters) if you like. The product details are snapshotted into the step when you pick it.

Example: after a contact asks about a product by keyword, send the matching product card with a buy link.

Timing

Wait for

Pauses the run for a fixed duration, then continues with the next step.

Configuration: a number plus a unit — Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days or Weeks.

Example: send the welcome message, Wait for 1 day, then follow up.

Caution

Waits and the 24-hour window. The window closes 24 hours after the contact’s last message to you. Any wait of a day or longer usually means the window is closed when the flow resumes — the next messaging step must then be Send WhatsApp template. For shorter waits, if you’re unsure, put a Condition with “24-hour window is open” in front: yes → free message, no → template.

Wait until date

Pauses the run until a specific date and time, then continues. If the date is already in the past when the run reaches this step, it just continues immediately — handy for late sign-ups.

Configuration: date, time and timezone.

Example: the backbone of event flows — “Wait until date: 14 Oct, 10:00 (Europe/Berlin)” before the “starting soon” reminder.

Wait for event

Pauses until the contact does something — no fixed duration, the flow waits as long as it takes.

Configuration — Wait until…:

• Contact replies — any inbound message after reaching this step.
• 24h window is open — the contact messages you, reopening the window.
• Opt-in is confirmed — the contact’s opt-in status becomes confirmed (see Opt-in).
• Contact gets a tag — a specific tag is added to the contact.

Example: ask a question with reply buttons (Send message), then Wait for event: Contact replies, then branch on the answer with a Condition.

A message step followed by Wait for event is a dialog turn — the automation owns the conversation until the contact answers, and the reply is routed to this flow (see conversation ownership).

Logic

Condition

Splits the flow into a yes and a no branch. The editor lets you combine any number of checks:

• Inside a group, all conditions must match (AND).
• You can add more groups with + OR — add another condition group; if any group matches, the contact goes down yes, otherwise no.

Available checks:

• Contact field — Opt-in status, Name, Phone number, Language, Source, Inbox status, Lead score, or any custom field. Operators: is, is not, contains, is set, and numeric ≥ ≤ > < (for scores).
• Last answer (reply text) — compares the contact’s most recent reply (including tapped button/list labels): contains, is exactly, starts with. Several values comma-separated count as OR.
• Has tag — the contact has a specific native tag.
• Has replied — the contact has ever sent you a message.
• 24-hour window is open — free-form messages are currently allowed.
• Time in the automation — the contact has been in this flow for at least a given duration.
• From date/time — true once a specific moment has passed.
• AC: has tag / AC: field value — checks the linked ActiveCampaign contact (see ActiveCampaign).

Example: after a wait — Condition: Has replied → yes: thank them; no: send a reminder template.

Jump to (goal)

A goal is a magnet: the moment its condition becomes true for a contact — no matter where they currently are in this automation — they jump straight to this step and skip everything in between. Each goal fires once per contact.

Configuration: the jump condition, built with the same condition editor as above.

Example: a nurture sequence with a goal “Has tag purchased” leading straight to the thank-you step — as soon as someone buys, they skip all remaining nurture messages.

Contact

Add tag

Adds a tag to the contact. Pick an existing tag or type a new name — new tags are created automatically.

Example: tag everyone who completes the quiz with quiz-done (which can itself trigger another automation via Tag is added).

Note

This adds a native Nybero tag — the ones you manage under Contacts → Tags and use for segments. It does not touch ActiveCampaign; for that, use Set ActiveCampaign tag below.

Remove tag

Removes a native tag from the contact. Same picker as Add tag.

Example: remove trial when the flow confirms an upgrade.

Update contact

Writes a value into a contact field.

Configuration:

• Field to set — a standard field (Name, Language, Source) or any custom field; you can create a new custom field right in the step (＋ Create new field…), and it then also appears on the contact in the CRM.
• New value — the value to write.

Example: set Source to webinar-october for everyone entering via the webinar signup.

Lead score

Adds points to a numeric field on the contact (default quiz_score). Points can be negative. Combine with list-button questions to build scored quizzes, then branch on the total with a Condition (“Lead score ≥ 8”).

Configuration: Score field and Points (can be negative, e.g. -3).

Example: +3 for “budget over €5k”, +1 for “just researching”, then route contacts scoring ≥ 5 to the AI agent.

Appointments

Book appointment

Books a real appointment inside the WhatsApp chat: the flow asks the contact for a time range (Tomorrow / This Week / Next Week), shows actual free slots from your calendar as a tappable list, collects their email if needed, books the slot and sends the confirmation — all without leaving the chat.

Configuration:

• Platform — Cal.com or Google Calendar (Google also asks for the Appointment duration (minutes)), connected under Integrations. Calendly is also available (see the dedicated step below).
• The event type (Cal.com) to book.
• Timezone for displaying times.
• Tag on booking — added to the contact once booked (default Appointment booked).
• Every chat text of the booking dialog is customisable (ask for time range, slot list intro, no-slots message, email prompts, confirmation).

The step runs as an interactive dialog, so it owns the conversation until the booking is done. Booked appointments also appear on the contact record.

Example: keyword DEMO → short pitch → Book appointment → tag + confirmation. (Full recipe in Recipes.)

Book appointment (Calendly)

The same in-chat experience for Calendly: the contact picks a range, sees real free Calendly slots as a list, and gets a one-tap confirmation link for the chosen slot (Calendly confirms by email).

Configuration: Calendly event type, Timezone for display, Tag on appointment request (default Appointment requested), and the customisable dialog texts.

ActiveCampaign

These two steps write to the linked ActiveCampaign contact — they work for contacts that came in through your AC opt-in and require the ActiveCampaign integration. They never touch your native Nybero tags.

Set ActiveCampaign tag

Assigns a tag in ActiveCampaign (created there if it doesn’t exist). Use it to hand results back to your AC funnels — e.g. tag wa-qualified so an AC automation continues by email.

Set ActiveCampaign field

Writes a value into an ActiveCampaign custom field — e.g. set “WhatsApp quiz result” to Yes.

AI Agent

Hand over to AI agent

Hands this contact’s conversation to your AI agent: from now on the agent answers their messages. Your automations stay quiet for this contact while the agent is in control (except time-critical reminders, which always send).

Configuration:

• AI agent — use the default agent or pick a specific one.
• Conversion goal (optional) — what the agent should steer towards: Sign-up / registration, Appointment booking (call), Purchase / order, Referral, Free trial, Capture contact details, Arrange a callback, Request a quote, Review / feedback — or keep the agent’s default.

Requirement: the agent is enabled under AI Agent. The agent replies only within the 24-hour window and yields to structured flows (forms, booking dialogs) — see Handover.

Example: after a lead scores high in the qualification quiz, hand them to the agent with the goal Appointment booking (call).

Take back from AI agent

Switches the AI agent off for this contact — no more automatic agent replies; your team and automations are back in charge.

Example: an onboarding flow gives the agent 2 days to answer questions (Hand over to AI agent → Wait for 2 days → Take back from AI agent).

Finish

Automation ends

The normal end of a path. Every branch of your flow should finish in one of these; the contact’s run is then marked done.

Stop automation

A hard stop — the run is halted and marked stopped rather than completed. Use it for exit paths where the contact shouldn’t count as having finished the flow (e.g. the “not interested” branch).

Cheat sheet: which message step when?

Situation	Step
Contact just messaged you (keyword, button, reply)	Send message — window is open
After a wait of ~1 day or longer	Send WhatsApp template — window likely closed
Not sure if the window is open	Condition: 24-hour window is open → yes: message, no: template
Collect structured answers	Send form (flow) (window must be open)
Show a product with a buy link	Send product (Shopify) (window must be open)