Configuring HubSpot Workflows with Flowella
Flowella integrates directly into HubSpot's workflow engine, giving you access to custom triggers, actions, and branching logic that connect your WhatsApp channel to your CRM automation.
This guide covers everything you need to set up and configure HubSpot workflows using Flowella's triggers and actions.
Before You Start
Make sure you have:
- A Flowella account connected to your HubSpot portal
- At least one WhatsApp template created in the Flowella app (for sending messages)
- Access to HubSpot's workflow tool (requires a Professional or Enterprise plan for contact-based workflows)
Flowella Workflow Triggers
When you create a new contact-based workflow in HubSpot, search for "Flowella" in the trigger selection panel to see all available Flowella triggers. These fire whenever a specific WhatsApp event occurs, and they enrol the associated contact into the workflow automatically.
Form Completed
This trigger fires when a contact completes a WhatsApp Flow form sent via Flowella. It is the most commonly used trigger and forms the backbone of most Flowella automations.
When you select this trigger, you can refine it using the following event properties:
- Form Name — filter by a specific form so only completions of that form trigger the workflow
- hs_email — the contact's email address at the time of the event
- Occurred at — the date and time the form was completed
- Source — the source of the form submission
Typical use: trigger a follow-up workflow after a customer completes a feedback form, a booking confirmation, a KYC questionnaire, or any other structured data collection flow.
Message Read
This trigger fires when a contact reads (opens) a WhatsApp message sent through Flowella. It is useful for tracking engagement and building conditional logic around message delivery.
Typical use: start a follow-up sequence only after confirming the contact has seen your initial message, or flag contacts who have not read a message within a certain timeframe.
Message Sent
This trigger fires when a WhatsApp message is successfully sent to a contact via Flowella. This confirms delivery from the Flowella platform rather than receipt by the contact.
Typical use: log outbound messaging activity, update CRM properties to record that a message has been dispatched, or start a timer for follow-up actions.
Text Reply
This trigger fires when a contact sends a free-text reply to a WhatsApp conversation managed by Flowella.
What makes this trigger particularly powerful is the ability to filter on message content. When configuring the trigger criteria, you can add a condition on the Message property using operators such as "contains any of" to match specific keywords or phrases. This means you can build workflows that respond differently depending on what a contact says.
Typical use: route contacts based on keyword responses. For example, if a contact replies "yes" to a confirmation message, enrol them in one workflow. If they reply "cancel" or "help", enrol them in another. You can also use this to capture opt-in consent, trigger escalation paths, or detect intent from unstructured replies.
Using "Delay Until Event" with Flowella Triggers
One of the most powerful features of combining Flowella with HubSpot workflows is the Delay until event occurs action. This allows a workflow to pause and wait for any of the Flowella events listed above before continuing.
For example, you can build a workflow that:
- Sends a WhatsApp Flow form to a contact
- Pauses using "Delay until event" set to Flowella: WhatsApp Forms Integration: Form Completed
- Branches based on whether or not the event criteria were met within your chosen time window
This is powerful because it creates a true request-and-response pattern inside your automation. Rather than simply sending a message and hoping for a reply, the workflow actively waits for the specific event you care about and then takes the appropriate next step. If the event does not occur within the delay period, the workflow can branch down an alternative path, such as sending a reminder or escalating to a team member.
You can use this pattern with any Flowella event:
- Wait for Form Completed — pause until the contact finishes a WhatsApp Flow, then process their answers
- Wait for Message Read — pause until the contact opens the message, then decide whether to follow up or wait longer
- Wait for Text Reply — pause until the contact responds with a free-text message, then branch on the content
Combined with the branch action ("Whether or not the event criteria were met"), this gives you full control over both the happy path and the fallback path in every automation.
Flowella Workflow Actions
In addition to triggers, Flowella provides custom workflow actions that you can add to any HubSpot workflow. These appear in the action panel when you add a new step to your workflow.
Send WhatsApp Template
This action sends a pre-approved WhatsApp template message to a contact. Templates are created and managed in the Flowella app and include both standard message templates and WhatsApp Flow templates.
Configuration fields:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Contact Phone Number (required) | Select the HubSpot contact property that holds the recipient's WhatsApp phone number. This must be in international format (e.g. +447700900000). |
| Template Name (required) | Choose from a dropdown of templates created in the Flowella app. This includes both standard WhatsApp message templates and Flow templates (interactive forms). |
| Contact Email | Optionally map the contact's email address. This can be used by Flowella to match and enrich contact data. |
| Template Variable 1–5 | Map HubSpot contact or company properties to the personalisation variables defined in your template. For example, if your template includes 1 for the contact's first name, map Template Variable 1 to the First Name property. |
Key points:
- Flow templates (interactive forms) are selected in exactly the same way as standard message templates. Flowella handles the conversion automatically.
- You can map up to five template variables using any HubSpot data token, including enrolled contact properties, company properties, and data from earlier workflow actions.
- This action is ideal for sending booking confirmations, feedback requests, renewal reminders, appointment notifications, and any other structured or templated message.
Send WhatsApp Message
This action sends a direct WhatsApp message to a contact. Unlike the template action, this allows you to compose a message on the fly within the workflow and supports multiple media types.
Configuration fields:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Message Type (required) | Choose from: Text Message, Document, Image, Video, or Audio. |
| Recipient Phone Number (required) | Select the HubSpot contact property that holds the recipient's WhatsApp phone number. |
| Message Text | For text messages, enter the message content. You can personalise this using any HubSpot data token by clicking the data token panel. Available tokens include enrolled contact properties, associated records, trigger and event data, and outputs from previous workflow actions (such as the Send WhatsApp Template action and Delay results). |
Key points:
- Text messages can be fully personalised with dynamic content from HubSpot. For example, you could include the contact's first name, a deal amount, or a ticket reference number.
- Media messages (image, video, audio, document) allow you to send rich content directly through WhatsApp as part of an automated workflow.
- This action is particularly useful for sending follow-up messages that do not require a pre-approved template, such as internal notifications, personalised thank-you messages, or contextual responses triggered by earlier workflow logic.
Assign to Customer Agent
This action assigns a ticket or conversation to a HubSpot Breeze Customer Agent, initiating an AI-powered conversation directly within the Flowella WhatsApp channel.
Configuration fields:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Agent to assign (required) | Select which Breeze Customer Agent should handle the conversation. |
| Record to assign | Choose the record type to assign, such as "Conversations: All associated". |
Why this is so powerful:
When you assign a conversation to a Breeze Customer Agent via this action, the AI agent begins responding to the contact directly in WhatsApp through the Flowella channel. This means your customers receive intelligent, contextual answers to their questions without leaving the WhatsApp conversation they are already in.
This creates a seamless handoff between structured automation and conversational AI. For example, after a contact completes a WhatsApp Flow form, you could branch the workflow based on their responses. If a response indicates they need further help or have a question outside the scope of the form, the workflow can automatically assign the conversation to a Customer Agent. The AI then takes over, answering questions using your knowledge base, while the entire interaction remains within WhatsApp.
This is particularly valuable for scenarios such as:
- Post-form support — after a customer submits an enquiry form, the AI agent can answer follow-up questions immediately
- Out-of-hours handling — route WhatsApp conversations to an AI agent when your team is unavailable
- Triage and escalation — let the AI agent handle initial questions and only escalate to a human when the conversation requires it
- Product and service enquiries — provide instant answers from your knowledge base without requiring a live agent
Because the AI conversation happens natively in WhatsApp via Flowella, the customer experience is entirely seamless. There is no channel switching, no waiting for a callback, and no friction.
Putting It All Together: Workflow Patterns
Here are some common patterns that combine Flowella triggers, delays, and actions effectively.
Pattern 1: Send and Wait
- Action: Send WhatsApp Template (a Flow form)
- Action: Delay until event — Flowella: Form Completed
- Branch: Event criteria met / not met
- If met: Process the form data, update CRM, trigger next steps
- If not met: Send a reminder or escalate
Pattern 2: Keyword-Based Routing
- Trigger: Flowella: Text Reply where Message contains "book" or "reserve"
- Action: Send WhatsApp Template (booking form)
- Action: Delay until event — Flowella: Form Completed
- Branch and process
Pattern 3: Feedback with Smart Follow-Up
- Action: Send WhatsApp Template (feedback form)
- Action: Delay until event — Flowella: Form Completed
- Branch on score:
- High score → Send thank-you message with review link
- Low score → Create ticket, assign to Customer Agent for AI-assisted recovery
Pattern 4: Conversational AI Handoff
- Trigger: Flowella: Text Reply (any message)
- Action: Send WhatsApp Message acknowledging receipt
- Action: Assign to Customer Agent
- AI agent handles the conversation in WhatsApp
Tips and Best Practices
Use international phone number format. Always store WhatsApp phone numbers in international format (e.g. +44 for UK, +1 for US). Flowella requires this to deliver messages successfully.
Name your templates clearly. When creating templates in the Flowella app, use descriptive names that will be easy to identify in HubSpot's dropdown. For example, "Booking Confirmation - Restaurant" is clearer than "Template 1".
Combine triggers with delays for reliability. Rather than relying solely on triggers, use the "send then wait" pattern. This ensures your workflow handles both responsive and non-responsive contacts gracefully.
Use the Text Reply trigger for conversational routing. By filtering on message content, you can build lightweight conversational interfaces without needing a full chatbot. Simple keyword matching can route contacts to the right workflow with minimal friction.
Test with small audiences first. When building new workflows, start by enrolling a small test group before rolling out to your full contact list. This helps you catch issues with template variables, phone number formatting, or branching logic early.
Related Guides
For step-by-step walkthroughs of specific workflow types, see:
- Booking Confirmation and Pre-Visit Requirements
- Post-Visit Feedback and Review Generation
- Marketing Outreach and Re-Engagement
- Meeting and Appointment Reminders
- Lead Qualification and Routing
- Subscription and Membership Renewals
- Customer Onboarding and KYC
- NPS and Customer Satisfaction Surveys
- Event Registration and Follow-Up
- Abandoned Cart and Re-Engagement