# Your first workflow

Build a workflow that texts and emails a visitor after a website chat, publish it, and switch on sending.

Updated Oct 28, 2026. Source: https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/user-guides/workflows/your-first-workflow

## What this does

In Small Business Chatbot, a workflow starts on an event and runs its steps in order. This one starts when a website chat with your AI chatbot ends. It waits ten minutes, texts the visitor, then emails them.

A new workflow is a draft and sends nothing. It sends only after you publish it and switch outbound sending on.

- **Where:** [Workflows](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/app?panel=workflows)
- **Time:** About ten minutes

## Before you start

- A business phone number. Texts go out from the number the AI receptionist answers calls on. See [Phone number and voice](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/user-guides/voice-agent/number-and-voice).
- An address to send email from. See [Sending domain](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/integrations/email/sending-domain).

## Build it

1. **Create a workflow**

   In the app, open **Workflows**. Click the workflow menu at the top left, then **New workflow +**. The app creates a draft called "New Workflow" and opens it in the **Editor**.

   ![The Workflows panel with a new draft workflow, its Status switch on Draft and an empty canvas showing the Start Event and Action cards](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/static/images/docs/user-guides/your-first-workflow-new-workflow-2026-10-28.webp)
   *Workflows › Editor, October 2026*

2. **Name it**

   In the left column, under **Name**, type a name you'll recognise, such as "After-chat follow-up".

3. **Pick the trigger**

   On the canvas, click the **Start Event** card. In **Select a start event**, click **Chat Widget Conversation Ended**. Its window opens. This trigger has no settings, so click **Close**.

   ![The Select a start event dialog listing every workflow trigger, including Chat Widget Conversation Ended](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/static/images/docs/user-guides/your-first-workflow-start-event-2026-10-28.webp)
   *Workflows › Editor, October 2026*

4. **Add the wait**

   Click the **Action** card under the trigger and pick **Wait**. Under **Wait time**, type `10` and pick **Minutes**. Click **Close**.

5. **Add the text**

   Click the round **+** under the wait. A new step opens as **Variable**. Under **Node type**, pick **Send Text**. Under **Recipient phone**, type `{{trigger.phone}}`. Under **Message**, type your text, for example: `Hi {{trigger.first_name}}, thanks for chatting with us today. Text us here with any other questions.` Click **Close**.

   ![The Send Text step with Recipient phone set to {{trigger.phone}} and a thank-you message that greets the visitor by first name](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/static/images/docs/user-guides/your-first-workflow-text-step-2026-10-28.webp)
   *Workflows › Editor, October 2026*

6. **Add the email**

   Click the **+** under the text step. Under **Node type**, pick **Send Email**. Fill in **To** with `{{trigger.email}}`, then **From email**, **Sender name** and **Subject**. Click the **Body text** tab and write the message. Click **Close**.

7. **Save it**

   Click **Save workflow** under the canvas. A red dot on the button means there are unsaved changes. The page shows "Workflow saved."

The `{{trigger.…}}` values are filled in from the chat when the workflow runs. [Chat ended](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/workflows/triggers/chat-ended) lists every one.

## Publish it and switch sending on

1. **Publish the workflow**

   In the left column, under **Status**, click the switch so it moves from **Draft** to **Published**. Click **Save workflow**. The switch changes nothing until you save.

   ![The workflow's Status switch set to Published under the name After-chat follow-up](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/static/images/docs/user-guides/your-first-workflow-status-2026-10-28.webp)
   *Workflows › Editor, October 2026*

2. **Switch on texts and emails**

   In the app, open **CRM › Contacts** and click the **Settings** tab. Under **Outbound automation**, switch on **Text messages** and **Emails**. Click **Save settings**. The bar reads "Settings saved."

   ![The Outbound automation card with texts, emails and voice calls switched on and their daily limits of 100, 250 and 25](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/static/images/docs/user-guides/outbound-switches-and-limits-outbound-card-2026-10-28.webp)
   *CRM › Contacts › Settings, October 2026*

3. **Test it**

   In the app, open **Chat Widget › Playground** and chat with the chatbot. Give it your own name, phone number and email. Then open any other panel to end the chat. About a minute later, a run appears under **Executions**, waiting at the **Wait** step. Ten minutes after that, the text and the email arrive.

> **Careful:** Once **Outbound automation** is on, every published workflow can text and email your contacts, up to each channel's daily limit. A Playground chat counts as a real chat, so it starts the workflow too.

## Fine-tune it

- To skip visitors who gave no phone number or email, put an [If](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/workflows/steps/branch) step before the text or the email.
- To stop the workflow when the visitor replies, tick **Enabled** under **Stop workflows when contact replies** in the left column. See [Outbound switches and limits](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/user-guides/workflows/outbound-switches-and-limits).

## If something goes wrong

| What you see | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No run under **Executions** | The workflow isn't saved as **Published**, or the chat hasn't ended yet | Check that the workflow menu shows **Published** beside the name. Leave the chat, wait a minute, then click **Refresh**. |
| The run fails at **Send Text** and **Last error** says outbound delivery is disabled | **Outbound automation** or **Text messages** is off | Switch it on under **CRM › Contacts › Settings** and click **Save settings**. |
| The run fails at **Send Text** and **Last error** asks for a phone number | The visitor gave no phone number | Add an **If** step before the text: **Left side** `{{trigger.phone}}`, **Operator** **Not equal**, **Right side** empty. Put the text on the TRUE branch. |
| **Last error** says the voice agent phone number is missing | The account has no business number | Set one up, as in [Phone number and voice](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/user-guides/voice-agent/number-and-voice). |

[Executions](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/user-guides/workflows/run-history) shows each step's input, output and error.