Automation steps reference
Every action an automation can take — messages, templates, tags, assignment, fields, deals, waits, conditions, webhooks and sending to a list.
| Step | What it does | Settings |
|---|---|---|
| Send Message | Sends a text reply | Message text (supports variables) |
| Send Buttons | Sends up to 3 quick-reply buttons | Body, buttons with label and id |
| Send List | Sends a tappable list (up to 10 rows) | Body, button label, sections and rows |
| Send Template | Sends an approved template | Template, language, variables |
| Send to a List or Tag | Sends a template to a whole HubSpot list or everyone with a tag | Template, audience, delay, time zone |
| Add Tag / Remove Tag | Changes the contact’s tags | Tag |
| Assign Conversation | Assigns the chat | Round-robin or Specific agent |
| Update Contact Field | Sets name, email, company or a custom field | Field, value |
| Create Deal | Opens a deal in a pipeline | Title, pipeline, stage, amount |
| Wait | Pauses before the next step | Amount and unit (minutes, hours, days) |
| Condition (If/Else) | Branches into Yes and No | Subject, operator, value |
| Send Webhook | POSTs JSON to your URL | URL, headers, body template |
| Close Conversation | Sets the conversation to closed | — |
Message steps and the 24-hour window
Send Message, Send Buttons and Send List are free-form messages. WhatsApp only delivers them inside the 24-hour window — so use them on message-based triggers. For time-based or HubSpot triggers, use Send Template.
Variables
Use variables in message text, field values and webhook bodies:
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
{{ contact.name }} | Contact’s name |
{{ contact.phone }} | Contact’s phone |
{{ contact.id }} | Vatli contact id |
{{ message.text }} | Text of the message that triggered the automation |
Condition subjects
| Subject | Example |
|---|---|
| Tag presence | Contact has tag vip |
| Contact field | email is present / name contains “Ltd” |
| Message content | Message contains “urgent” |
| Time of day | Between 09:00-18:00 (use this for office-hours replies) |
Send to a List or Tag
Sends a template to many people at once through the broadcast queue, so opt-outs, the marketing frequency rule and your monthly allowance apply.
- Audience: a HubSpot list, or contacts with a tag (the tag is ignored when a list is chosen).
- Delay: wait this long after the person joins the list (or after the previous message). Choose hours or working days (Mon–Fri). With working days, Saturday and Sunday are skipped and nothing is sent at the weekend. Public holidays aren’t accounted for.
- Nobody is messaged twice: on a repeating schedule the list is re-read every run, and anyone this automation already messaged is skipped.
Send Webhook
Sends a POST with your body template, e.g. {"id": "{{ contact.id }}"}, and any headers such as {"Authorization": "Bearer …"}. A non-2xx response marks the step as failed in the logs. Requests to private or internal addresses are blocked.
Round-robin assignment
Assigns to the next agent in turn so new chats are spread evenly across the team.