Dubsado workflows are made up of two things: actions, and triggers. An action dictates WHAT is happening, and a trigger dictates WHEN it’s happening. Today we’re talking all about Dubsado workflow triggers. Specifically, my top three favorites!

The 3 Dubsado workflow triggers I couldn’t live without:

1. After Form Is Not Completed

Dubsado workflow triggers are like children to me: I don’t want you to make me pick favorites. But if I had to, this one is at the top of my list.

I love this trigger because often a lot of our collective headspace is taken up by remembering to check if a client has completed a task (and following up if they haven’t), so we can then move on to the next step in our process. This step allows you to rest easy knowing that you don’t have to waste a second on those things.

With this workflow trigger, we can set up reminders about completing a form (a questionnaire or proposal) to go out to the client at whatever interval(s) you want — and the best part is that if the client has already filled out the form, they won’t get the reminders! So for example, if you want to send a “get to know you” questionnaire a day after they’re officially booked, you could set up a reminder (with the form attached again) to send them two weeks after the form isn’t completed.

You could take it a step further and send a second reminder to go out another two weeks after the form still isn’t completed (one month after they’re officially booked), although in my experience clients usually only need one form reminder to get it done. And again, if the client in this example fills out and submits the form one week after they’re booked, they won’t get either of the two follow up reminders about it, because the workflow is looking for the form to NOT be completed.

This is about as close as Dubsado workflows currently get to conditional logic, so I’m basically automatically on board.

2. After An Appointment Is Scheduled

So much can happen after a client schedules an appointment with you. Do they need to be sent a form that correlates with the meeting topic? Should they receive an email a couple days later with things to remember and your best prep tips before the appointment? Do they need to be moved into another project status to reflect the next step of their client journey? You can do all of those things with this workflow trigger; I love how versatile it is.

And also, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that appointment schedulers only need to be used for phone calls! I (and some of my clients) use appointment schedulers to schedule in-person photography sessions for existing clients. They could also be used for mentorships or workshops, or wherever your imagination takes you.

3. After Invoice Installment Paid

This is a great workflow trigger because it often marks the point at which a person goes from being a lead to a booked client — and a lot of steps happen at this point in the client journey! Not only are they paying their first invoice payment, which is a massive leap of faith in you as the service provider (as it can sometimes be upwards of thousands of dollars — buyer’s remorse shows up most here than at any other point in their journey), but after that the provider is often sending a booking confirmation or welcome email.

For some people, this email is when they introduce their best and most valuable resource(s) — this is reserved for clients and usually takes the form of a thorough PDF guide, but can also be a welcome gift. And in the background, the project is changing over from “Leads” to “Jobs.” And because they’re moving into Jobs, you can use this trigger to start a new “Booked” workflow that only applies to your signed clients.

A quick note:

I want to take the opportunity here to recommend that you place your invoice step after the contract (whether you’re sending these manually, or through an automated workflow), and not the other way around. If a client is paying their invoice before they sign the contract, you might run into a sticky situation. Hopefully this doesn’t happen, but there is the possibility that the client never signs their contract for one reason or another (maybe they ghost, or change their mind later on).

And if that happens, you’re on the hook for refunding their invoice payment because you don’t have a written agreement between you stating otherwise (i.e., it’s nonrefundable). Not only is this an inconvenience to you, but you’re still stuck paying the original transaction fees, and if enough time goes by where they still haven’t signed the contract, you’ve probably allocated that money into your personal budgeting. All around, no bueno. Get a contract signature first and you’re golden.

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So there you have it, my three favorite Dubsado workflow triggers! If you loved this post, you should check out my sister post that details my three favorite Dubsado workflow actions.