Build your first workflow

A workflow in KudosCRM is a simple idea made reliable: when this happens, do that. The builder is a visual flow — you lay out a trigger, optional conditions and branches, and one or more actions as node cards, editing each one in a side drawer. There's no code, no DSL, and no YAML to learn.

This guide walks the whole path for a first workflow: choosing the event that starts it, filtering with a condition so it only runs when it should, adding your first action, testing it with a dry run, and turning it on. Once it's live, it runs asynchronously in the background every time the trigger fires.

Who this is for

Anyone setting up their first automation — founders, sales ops, admins, or a rep who wants follow-up to happen without remembering to do it.

Before you start

• Permission to create workflows in your workspace.
• A clear "when X, do Y" in mind — for example, when a deal is won, create an onboarding task.
• The records or pipelines your trigger depends on already set up (a pipeline, a sequence, a Slack connection, etc., depending on the action you choose).

What's live vs. coming soon
The visual flow builder, ~20+ real triggers, 17 actions, 16 one-click templates, the dry-run simulator, and asynchronous execution are all live today. SMS and WhatsApp actions, reusable subflows, and scheduled (cron) or manual run-now triggers are on the roadmap, shown with a "Soon" pill — so build your first workflow around an event that actually fires, like a deal won or a form submitted.

Build it step by step

1. Start from a blank flow or a template
   Create a new workflow. You can start from an empty flow or pick one of 16 one-click templates — a finished workflow you can read and adapt. For your first one, a template is the fastest way to see how the pieces fit together.
2. Choose the trigger
   The trigger is the event that starts the flow. Pick from real events like deal created/updated/stage moved/won/lost, contact or lead created/updated, form submitted, meeting booked/completed, quote sent/accepted, order placed, invoice created, or a project milestone done. The trigger you choose decides what data the rest of the flow can use.
3. Add a condition so it only runs when it should
   Most workflows shouldn't run on every event. Add a condition — for example, only when the deal amount is over a threshold, or the lead's country is in a list. Conditions support AND/OR groups so you can be as precise as you need.
4. Drop in your first action
   Add an action node: send an email, create a task, update a field, add a tag, move a deal stage, assign an owner, enroll in a sequence, create a project, post to Slack, call a signed webhook, or add an AI step. Open the side drawer to configure it — pick the template, the assignee, the field value — using data from the trigger.
5. Branch if the flow needs to fork
   If different cases need different actions, add a branch node. It can split N ways with an else path, so (for example) high-value deals notify a manager while everything else just creates a task. Each branch holds its own actions.
6. Dry-run it before going live
   Use the dry-run simulator to walk a sample record through the flow without sending anything for real. You'll see which branch it takes and what each action would do — the cheapest way to catch a wrong condition before it touches a customer.
7. Turn it on
   Flip the workflow to active. From now on it runs asynchronously every time the trigger fires — in the background, so it never blocks the person who triggered it. You can edit it while it's live; versioning keeps in-flight runs on the version they started on.

What you get

• A live, no-code workflow that runs on its own whenever its trigger fires.
• A condition that keeps it from firing on the wrong records.
• A dry run that proved the logic before a single real action ran.
• A flow you can read top to bottom and hand to a teammate.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to write any code to build a workflow?

No. The builder is a visual flow — trigger, conditions, branches, and actions as node cards you configure in a side drawer. There's no code, DSL, or YAML. Developers who want to integrate other systems can still use signed inbound and outbound webhooks plus scoped API tokens, but that's optional, not required to build a workflow.

What triggers can start a workflow?

More than 20 real events fire workflows today — across deals (created, updated, stage moved, won, lost), contacts and leads (created, updated, stage changed), forms (submitted), meetings (booked, completed, no-show, cancelled), quotes (sent, viewed, accepted, approved, expired), orders (placed), invoices (created), projects (created, status changed, milestone done, health degraded), campaigns (launched, clicked), and partners (lead registered, approved). Scheduled (cron) and manual run-now triggers are on the roadmap.

What's the difference between starting from a template and a blank flow?

A template is a finished workflow built for a common job — you adopt it in one click and then adjust the trigger, conditions, and actions to fit. A blank flow starts empty so you can build exactly what you need. There are 16 templates today; many people start from one to see the shape, then customize.

Will the workflow slow things down for the person who triggers it?

No. Workflows run asynchronously in the background, so the action that fired the trigger — saving a deal, submitting a form — completes immediately and the workflow runs after. That also means a slow action, like an external webhook, never blocks the user.

Can I test a workflow before it touches real records?

Yes. Use the dry-run simulator to push a sample record through the flow without sending or changing anything. You'll see which branch it takes and what each step would do, so you can fix a bad condition before turning the workflow on.

Learn more

• Workflows (feature) — Everything the visual flow builder does, on the feature page.
• Automation overview — The full automation stage — triggers, actions, AI steps, and run history.