At a glance
How it works
The diagram shows one setup step. The workflow repeats it for each step, then marks onboarding as completed.Before you start
- Connect Flowella to HubSpot. See HubSpot setup.
- Use a contact-based workflow. Flowella’s actions run on contacts only, so they can’t run in a deal-based workflow. If a won deal starts onboarding, enrol the deal’s contact: HubSpot can set an associated contact’s lifecycle stage to Customer when a deal is won.
- Store WhatsApp numbers in international format, and message only customers who agreed to WhatsApp messages. See Phone number format and Meta’s opt-in guidance.
- Build one short HubSpot form per setup step, such as “Onboarding step 1”, and sync each to a WhatsApp Flow. See Flows. Each Flow is a single screen, so one form per step keeps every step short.
Create the templates
Create one template per step. Each Flow button opens one Flow, so a template can’t serve two steps.{{1}} is the contact’s first name.
To remind a customer, send the same step template again, so write each one to read well twice.
These templates are Utility: they help the customer set up a service they bought, with no promotion. Prompts to try features the customer hasn’t used are Marketing under Meta’s rules, so keep those out of this workflow. See Meta’s template categorisation guidelines.
Build the workflow
1
Set the trigger
Create a contact-based workflow that enrols contacts when Lifecycle Stage is Customer and Onboarding status is unknown.
2
Start onboarding
Add Edit record to set Onboarding status to In progress and Onboarding milestone to 0 of 3.
3
Send the welcome
Add Send WhatsApp Template with the step 1 template. Map the contact’s WhatsApp number property and Template Variable 1 to the first name. Use a template here: a new customer usually has no open 24-hour window, the 24 hours after a contact’s last message when you can send without a template.
4
Wait for the form
Add Delay until event for Form Completed, filtered on Form Name equal to “Onboarding step 1”. Set the maximum wait to 2 days.
5
Record progress
On the completed path, add Edit record to set Onboarding milestone to 1 of 3. Then add Send WhatsApp Message with a short thank-you. Plain text works here because the Flow submission opened the 24-hour window.
6
Remind once, then hand over
On the timed-out path, add Send WhatsApp Template with the step 1 template again. Add Delay until event with the same filter, up to 2 days, and connect its completed path to the previous step. On its timed-out path, add Edit record to set Onboarding status to Stalled, and Create task for the account manager.
7
Repeat for each step
Add Delay for a set amount of time, set to 1 day, then repeat the send, wait, record and remind steps for step 2 and step 3, with their own templates and Form Name filters.
8
Finish onboarding
After the last step, add Edit record to set Onboarding status to Completed, and Create task for the account team to check in.
Test the workflow
- Set Lifecycle Stage to Customer on a test contact with your own WhatsApp number.
- Complete step 1 in WhatsApp and check Onboarding milestone and the thank-you.
- Ignore step 2 on a second test contact, to test the reminder and the Stalled status.
- Check the workflow history in HubSpot. A failed send shows Flowella’s reason and error code.
Troubleshooting
Related
- KYC onboarding: move identity checks along for regulated products.
- Form design best practices: keep each setup step short.
- HubSpot workflow actions: every Flowella trigger and action.