Automation · Module 08
Journey Builder
Multi-Step Automation, With Branches
A "Journey" lets you build a whole sequence — wait, check, send an email, branch — as one visual flow. That's instead of stitching together several separate Workflow Rules, which only do one step each.
About & Business Case #
Why one flow beats a pile of separate rules #
"A single Workflow Rule can send one email when a lead is created. I need a whole nurture sequence instead: wait two days, check if they replied, and only then send a different email to the ones who didn't. That's five decisions chained together, not one."
A Workflow Rule is built for one trigger (a thing that happens) leading to one set of actions, all at once. A real nurture sequence — a planned series of follow-up touches — needs several steps in order, waiting periods between them, and different paths depending on what the data looks like at each step. Trying to fake that with several separate Workflow Rules gets confusing fast.
What you get out of it
One visual flow builds an entire multi-step, branching sequence. That's instead of maintaining a pile of separate single-step rules trying to approximate the same thing.
Implementation #
A trigger, then a chain of steps #
A Journey starts with one trigger — the thing that kicks it off: Record Created, Record Updated, or Created or Updated, on whichever kind of record you pick (a Lead, for example). Below the trigger, you add steps one after another, and each step runs in order.
| Step type | What it does |
|---|---|
| Send Email | Sends a ready-made template email to the record |
| Time Delay | Waits a set number of minutes, hours, or days before continuing to the next step |
| Branch (If/Else) | Splits the journey into different paths, based on what a field's value is |
| Email Alert | Sends a custom email you write yourself (to / subject / body) |
| Webhook | Sends the record's data to an outside web address, so another system can react to it |
How it differs from Workflow Rules
A Workflow Rule fires one trigger straight into one set of actions, all at once. A Journey is a sequence: steps run one after another, can wait in between, and can branch — so different leads can follow different paths through the very same journey.
Early access
Journey Builder is newer, and the SmartLite team is still rolling it out to everyone. If you don't see it on your menu yet, ask your SmartLite admin. Underneath, it runs on the very same automation engine that powers Workflow Rules.
1 Build a New Lead nurture sequence #
How to Use #
Day-to-day: marketing and sales ops #
What to try next
Look at the Workflow Automation trail first if you haven't — Journeys build on the same trigger/action engine, just with more steps.