Automations: Getting Started

Swivel Automations help streamline repetitive tasks and improve efficiency by automatically triggering actions based on specific conditions.

Automations can be used to send emails and text messages, create tasks, update records, assign users, create opportunities, and more.

---

Understanding Automation Components

Every automation consists of three parts: Trigger, Condition(s), and Action(s).

Trigger

• A trigger determines when an automation begins.
• Each automation can have one trigger.
• There are two types of triggers: Lifecycle trigger or Date-Based trigger

Lifecycle Triggers

Lifecycle triggers run when a user action or record update occurs within Swivel.

Examples include:

• A contact is created
• A contact is updated
• A note is added to a contact
• An opportunity is created

Caution

📌 Note: Lifecycle automations do not trigger from imports or bulk updates.

Date-Based Triggers

Date-based triggers run when a specific date stored within a record is reached.

Examples Include:

• Birthdate
• Appointment Date
• Product Effective Date
• Product Issued Date

Common Use Cases Include:

• Birthday messages
• Appointment reminders and/or confirmations
• Annual Review reminders

Trigger Timing

When you select a date-based trigger, choose when the automation runs in relation to the date:

• On Day Of: The automation runs on the date stored in the record. The days field is disabled.
• Days Before: The automation runs the number of days you enter before the date.
• Days After: The automation runs the number of days you enter after the date.

For Days Before and Days After, enter a whole number of days (1 or more). The trigger step cannot be completed until the days field is filled in.

Note

📌 Note: Swivel checks for date-based automations every hour. Depending on when the automation criteria is met, the action may not run immediately. See also Delay Executions.

Conditions

Think of conditions as filters that narrow when an automation should run.

• Conditions determine whether an automation should run after the trigger occurs.
• Conditions are optional but allow you to create more targeted automations.
• Multiple conditions can be added to the same automation.

Examples Include:

• Only for Active clients
• Only for contacts in a specific state
• Only for a specific carrier
• Only when a note is created by a member of the Advisor team

Actions

Actions determine what happens when the trigger and conditions are met.

• An automation can contain multiple actions.
• Each action may also have its own delay.

Examples Include:

• Send an Email
• Send a Text Message
• Create a Task
• Add a Tag
• Update a Contact Status
• Create an Opportunity

---

Putting It All Together

Example:

Trigger: Contact Note Created

Condition: Note Created By = Advisors Group

Action: Send Email to Manager

Result:

Whenever a member of the Advisors Group adds a note to a contact, Swivel automatically sends an email notification to the manager.

---

Creating an Automation

The automation form has four steps: setup, trigger, conditions, and actions. Select Next to move to the following step and Back to return to the previous one.

1. Navigate to Automations
2. Click + New Automation
3. Enter a name (required) and an optional description, then select Next
4. Select a Trigger. For a date-based trigger, choose On Day Of, Days Before, or Days After, and enter the number of days if needed. Select Next
5. Add Condition(s) Optional, then select Next
6. Configure one or more Actions
7. Save the automation
8. Publish the automation

Note

📌 Note: If a required field is empty when you select Next or Save, Swivel highlights the field and shows a message. Complete the field to continue. If the trigger step has a missing field when you select Save, Swivel returns you to that step.

---

Common Automation Components

Below are some of the most commonly used automation options.

For a complete list of available triggers and conditions, see the Automation Triggers and Conditions Reference Guide.

Common Triggers

• Contact Created
• Contact Updated
• Contact Note Created
• Contact Opportunity Created
• Appointment Date
• Birthdate
• Product Effective Date
• Product Issued Date

Common Conditions

• Contact Category
• Contact Status
• Tags
• Lead Source
• Appointment Type
• Opportunity Sales Stage
• Product Institution / Carrier
• Note Created By

---

Common Actions

Below are some of the most commonly used automation options.

For a complete list of available triggers and conditions, see the Automation Actions Reference Guide.

Common Actions

• Send Email
• Send Text
• Add Task
• Add Note
• Add Tag
• Remove Tag
• Assign Agent
• Assign Status (contact)
• Create Opportunity
• Update Opportunity Sales Stage

Tip

🔍 Tip: Contact Categories can be updated automatically using the Assign Status action. This is useful for moving contacts through different stages of your workflow as automation criteria are met.

Send Email

Sends an email message to:

• The contact who triggered the automation
• One or more internal users
• Up to 10 custom email addresses

Note

📌 Note: Only active users are available for selection when choosing internal recipients.

Send Text

Sends a text message to the contact.

Note

📌 Note: You must complete the Text Registration process before publishing automations that use the Send Text action. See Start Here - Prerequisites & Setup.

Add Task

Creates and assigns a task to an individual user or group.

Add Tag

Applies one or more tags to the contact.

Remove Tag

Removes one or more tags from the contact.

Assign Agent

Assigns the contact to a selected agent.

Assign Status

Updates the contact’s status.

Create Opportunity

Creates a new opportunity and allows you to define the opportunity name, pipeline, sales stage, assigned user, and description.

Update Opportunity Sales Stage

Updates an existing opportunity’s sales stage.

---

Action Delays

Each action within an automation can have its own delay. Use the Delay Execution field on the action to choose an option.

Available options include:

• No Delay
• Minutes After
• Hours After
• Days After
• Same Day Specific Time
• Future Day Specific Time

How Each Delay Works

• No Delay: The action runs immediately when the automation is triggered.
• Minutes After, Hours After, Days After: Enter a number in the Amount field. The action runs after that amount of time has passed.
• Same Day Specific Time: Enter a time in the At time field. The action runs at that time on the day the automation is triggered. If that time has already passed, the action behaves as follows:
  • Before office opening: it waits for the office to open.
  • During office hours: it runs right away.
  • At or after closing: it is skipped.
• Future Day Specific Time: Enter a number in the Days from now field and a time in the At time field. The action runs at that time on that future day.

Note

📌 Note: The At time field defaults to 9:00 AM when you select a specific-time delay.

Example

Trigger: Appointment Confirmed

Condition:

Action 1: Send Confirmation Email Immediately

Action 2: Send Reminder Text 24 Hours Later

Action 3: Create Follow-Up Task 2 Days Later

This allows a single automation to perform multiple actions over time.

Specific Time Example

Trigger: Contact Created

Action 1: Send Welcome Email, Same Day Specific Time, At time 10:00 AM

Action 2: Create Follow-Up Task, Future Day Specific Time, Days from now 3, At time 9:00 AM

If the contact is created after 10:00 AM but during office hours, the welcome email runs right away. If the contact is created at or after closing, the email is skipped. The follow-up task runs at 9:00 AM three days later.

---

Reviewing Automation Activity

• Automation activity can be reviewed from the Automation Log.
• Successful automation runs may display a Via [Record Name] link beneath the related contact.
• Select the link to open the record that triggered the automation.

Examples include:

• Contacts
• Products
• Appointments
• Marketing Events
• Opportunities

Note

📌 Note: The Via link is not displayed for Note or Address-based automations because the related contact already provides the necessary context.

Skipped Entries

An action that does not run is logged as Skipped, along with the reason. Skipped entries can appear for the following reasons:

• Conditions not met: The automation ran, but the record did not meet its conditions, so no action was taken.
• Action not performed: The action did not complete, so no successful result was recorded.
• Time passed outside office hours: The time set for the action had already passed, and the action could not run during office hours that day.
• Appointment already started: The time set for the action had already passed, and the appointment had already started when the automation ran.
• Trigger date changed: The action was scheduled because a date on the record matched the trigger, but that date changed before the action ran.
• Trigger no longer exists: The action was scheduled by a date trigger that was changed or removed before the action ran.
• Trigger field unavailable: The action was scheduled because a date on the record matched the trigger, but that date is no longer available on the record.

---

Troubleshooting

My Automation Didn’t Run

Verify that:

• The automation is active
• The trigger event occurred
• All conditions were met
• The action is configured correctly
• Date-based triggers have reached their processing window

Review the Automation Log. If the entry shows Skipped, see the section below.

An Action Shows as Skipped in the Automation Log

Open the entry in the Automation Log to read the reason, then use the guidance below.

• Time passed outside office hours or appointment already started: The action uses a Same Day Specific Time delay, and the time had passed by the time the automation ran. Choose a later time, use a Future Day Specific Time delay, or use a Minutes, Hours, or Days After delay so the action does not depend on a time of day that may already be past.
• Trigger date changed, trigger no longer exists, or trigger field unavailable: The date that scheduled the action was edited or removed, or the automation’s date trigger was changed, before the action ran. No change is needed if the edit was intended. Otherwise, restore the date or review the automation’s trigger.
• Conditions not met: The record did not match the automation’s conditions. Review the conditions on the automation.

My Contact Didn’t Receive an Automated Text

Verify that:

• The contact has a mobile phone number
• The contact has opted into texting
• The automation is active
• The contact met the trigger criteria

Review the Automation Log for additional details.

My Contact Didn’t Receive an Automated Email

Verify that:

• The contact has a primary email address
• The automation is active
• The contact met the trigger criteria

Review the Automation Log for additional details.

---

Related Articles

• Automation Triggers and Conditions Reference Guide
• Automation Actions Reference Guide
• Automation Tokens Guide
• Automation FAQs