Automated workflows

Set up automated email and SMS workflows triggered by booking, membership, and payment events.

Workflows let you automate email and SMS communications based on events in Sailia. Instead of manually sending reminders, follow-ups, or thank-you messages, you configure triggers and let Sailia handle the rest.

How workflows work

A workflow consists of:

1. A trigger — the event that starts the workflow (for example, a booking confirmation or an activity date approaching)
2. A delay (optional) — how long to wait after the trigger before sending
3. A message — the email or SMS sent to the customer or staff member

When the trigger fires, Sailia queues the message and sends it at the configured time.

Workflow emails are tracked as workflow-email-sent events in meter usage tracking, so you can monitor how many automated emails are being sent.

Available triggers

Sailia provides triggers across several categories. You can attach one or more workflow communications to any trigger.

Booking triggers

Trigger	When it fires
Booking confirmed	A customer completes payment for a booking
Basket created	A new basket is created and awaiting payment
Basket expired	A pending basket passes its expiry time without payment
Invoice pending	An invoice is raised and awaiting payment
Invoice overdue	An invoice passes its due date without payment

Course and session triggers

Trigger	When it fires
Course starting	A set time before (or after) the first session of a course
Course ending	A set time before (or after) the last session of a course
Course start waiver reminder	Before a course starts, only for customers with incomplete waivers
Session starting (instructor)	Before an individual session begins — notifies the assigned instructor with register link and location

Group booking triggers

Trigger	When it fires
New group booking	A group booking is paid — reminds the organiser to complete participant details
Group booking reminder	Before the first session of a group booking, if participant details are still incomplete

Membership triggers

Trigger	When it fires
Membership requested	A customer submits a new membership request
Membership started	A membership becomes active
Membership renewal	A set time before a membership’s billing cycle renews
Membership rejected	A membership request is rejected
Membership cancelled	A membership is cancelled
Membership payment info required	A membership requires updated payment details

Instalment triggers

Trigger	When it fires
Instalment due	An instalment payment becomes due
Instalment paid	An instalment payment is successfully collected
Instalment plan started	A new instalment plan is created
Instalment plan completed	All instalments in a plan are fully paid
Instalment plan abandoned	A plan is terminated due to missed payments

Account triggers

Trigger	When it fires
New client account	A new customer account is created
New staff account	A new staff member account is created

Waiver and waitlist triggers

Trigger	When it fires
Waiver pending	A customer has outstanding waivers to complete
Waitlist spot available	A spot opens on a waitlisted session

Staff triggers

Trigger	When it fires
Instructor assigned	An instructor is assigned to a booking or session
Availability request submitted	A staff member submits a time-off request
Availability request responded	An admin approves or rejects an availability request
Timesheet invoice submitted	A staff member submits a timesheet invoice
Timesheet invoice approved	An admin approves a timesheet invoice
Timesheet invoice rejected	An admin rejects a timesheet invoice
Timesheet invoice paid	A timesheet invoice is marked as paid
Timesheet invoice voided	A timesheet invoice is voided

Common workflow examples

Trigger	Use case
Booking confirmed	Send a welcome email with what to bring and where to meet
Course starting	Send a reminder 24 or 48 hours before the first session
Course ending	Send a thank-you email with a link to rebook or leave a review
Course start waiver reminder	Remind customers to complete their waiver before the course
New group booking	Prompt the group organiser to fill in participant details
Instalment due	Remind customers about upcoming instalment payments
Membership renewal	Notify members before their membership renews

Create a workflow

1. Open the workflows section

   Navigate to your workflows dashboard and select Create Workflow.

2. Choose a trigger

   Select the event that starts the workflow. See available triggers for the full list.

3. Set the timing

   Choose when the message should be sent — immediately after the trigger, or after a delay (for example, 24 hours before the activity).

4. Write the message

   Compose the email or SMS content. Use merge fields to personalize the message with the customer’s name, activity details, and booking information.

5. Activate

   Enable the workflow. It runs automatically for all future events that match the trigger.

Merge fields

Workflow messages support merge fields to personalize content. Available fields depend on the trigger, but common fields include:

Merge field	Description
Customer name	The customer’s full name
Customer email	The customer’s email address
Transaction details	A summary of items in the booking
Total paid	The total amount charged
Checkout link	A link for the customer to complete payment (for pending baskets)
Waiver link	A link for the customer to complete outstanding waivers
Receipt breakdown	An itemised breakdown of the booking

Business merge fields

You can also use merge fields that pull in your business details. These are available across all triggers and are automatically populated from your account settings:

Merge field	Description
Tenant name	Your business name
Tenant logo	Your business logo URL
Tenant subdomain	Your Sailia booking page subdomain
Admin email	Your primary contact email address
Admin phone	Your primary contact phone number

Business merge fields are useful for adding consistent branding to your communications — for example, including your logo in email headers or your contact details in footers.

The exact merge fields available are shown in the workflow editor when you select a trigger. When you send a test email, business merge fields are populated with your real business details so you can preview exactly how they appear.

Email and SMS

Workflows support both email and SMS as delivery channels. When creating a workflow, choose the channel that best fits the use case:

• Email — best for detailed messages with booking breakdowns, links, and attachments
• SMS — best for short, time-sensitive reminders like session start times

Booking confirmation workflows automatically attach a PDF receipt when sent by email.

Managing workflows

From the workflows dashboard, you can:

• Enable or disable a workflow without deleting it
• Edit the message content or timing
• View send history to see which customers received the message
• Monitor volume through the workflow-email-sent built-in meter

Disabling a workflow stops future messages from being sent but does not cancel messages already queued. If a message is scheduled to send in 24 hours and you disable the workflow now, that message may still be delivered.

Groups

You can scope a workflow to a specific group so that it only fires for a subset of your activities or memberships. This lets you send different messages for different contexts — for example, a kayaking-specific welcome email for kayaking bookings, or a renewal reminder that only applies to your premium membership.

Product groups

Product groups apply to booking and session triggers. A product group can contain individual activities, shop products, or a mix of both.

When you create a workflow for a booking or session trigger, you can select a product group to limit which bookings fire the communication. If no group is selected, the workflow applies to all activities.

Membership groups

Membership groups apply to membership triggers. A membership group can contain individual memberships, specific membership plans, or a mix of both.

When you create a workflow for a membership trigger, you can select a membership group to limit which memberships fire the communication. If no group is selected, the workflow applies to all memberships.

This is useful when you have multiple membership tiers and want to send different communications for each — for example, a welcome email with tier-specific benefits or a renewal reminder that only targets annual plans.

Managing groups

You can create, rename, and delete groups directly from the workflow editor. To add items to a group, open the group and use the item picker to search for activities, products, memberships, or membership plans depending on the group type.

Related guides

Waivers

Set up waivers and automate reminders for incomplete submissions.

Meter tracking

Monitor workflow email volume through built-in meters.