Automations, flows, sequences and AI — which one to use
Vatli has four ways to message people without an agent. A quick guide to what each one is for, with examples.
Plan: All plansWho can build them: Owner and Admin by default (the "Automations & flows" permission)
| Tool | What it is | Use it for | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Automation | “When this happens, do these steps.” | Background actions — tagging, assigning, sending one message, creating a deal, calling a webhook | When a contact sends “price”, tag them pricing and assign the chat round-robin |
| Flow (chatbot) | A conversation the customer taps through with buttons and lists | Menus, FAQ bots, collecting details before a human takes over | “Hi” → menu: New order / Track order / Talk to us |
| Follow-up sequence | A series of templates sent days apart to a HubSpot list | Nurturing leads until they book | Day 0 intro, day 2 case study, day 5 last reminder |
| AI assistant | Answers free-text questions from your business context and knowledge base | Open questions a menu can’t predict | “Do you deliver to Ranchi on Sundays?” |
How they work together
- When a message arrives, an active flow that is waiting for that customer handles it first.
- Automations react to events (a message, a tag, an assignment, a HubSpot event) and run alongside.
- The AI auto-reply only answers when no flow handles the message and no agent is assigned.
- When a person replies from the inbox, a running flow pauses — the customer never gets a bot message on top of a human one.
Rules that apply to all of them
- They can only send free-form messages inside the 24-hour window. Outside it, they must send an approved template.
- They never message contacts who opted out.
- Messages to a list or tag go through the broadcast queue and count toward your monthly allowance.
Next: Create an automation or Build a chatbot flow.