---
title: "Workflow Triggers"
slug: "workflows-and-guides"
updated: 2026-05-06T20:21:48Z
published: 2026-05-06T20:21:48Z
stale: true
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.gladly.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Workflow Triggers

Workflows don't run on their own. To activate a workflow, you connect it to a trigger inside a Gladly Agent. Triggers tell Gladly when to run the workflow during a Conversation.

You configure triggers from the **Workflow Triggers** tab within a Gladly Agent.

![Gladly interface showing workflow triggers and options for automation settings.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/7047b671-c4f2-4df0-bb0a-b9b511fd2452/Images/Documentation/workflow triggers select.png)

## Available triggers

Two triggers are available:

**Before First Message** runs the workflow before your Gladly Agent processes the first message in a conversation. The workflow takes control at the start of the session and completes its steps before the Agent begins. Use this trigger for things that should happen on every new conversation: sending a greeting or disclosure, filtering spam, collecting routing information, or identifying the Customer.

**Before Handoff** runs the workflow when your Gladly Agent decides to hand off to a team member. The workflow takes control before the handoff is completed and can collect additional information, send a message, or redirect the conversation entirely. Use this trigger to gather context before a team member takes over, or to intercept handoffs that shouldn't go through, such as contacts outside of business hours.

![Workflow triggers for SMS disclosure and customer information confirmation settings.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/7047b671-c4f2-4df0-bb0a-b9b511fd2452/Images/Documentation/triggers.png)

## How to connect a workflow to a trigger

1. Open the Gladly Agent you want to configure.
2. Click the **Workflow Triggers** tab.
3. Under the trigger you want to use, click **Add workflow to Before First Message** or **Add workflow to Before Handoff**.
4. Select the workflow from the dropdown.
5. Click **Save**.

You can add more than one workflow to a trigger. Workflows run in the order they are listed.

## Workflows across Gladly Agents

A workflow is agnostic of where it's used. The same workflow can be connected to multiple triggers across multiple Agents. What happens when a workflow ends depends on which trigger ran it: a Before First Message workflow hands control back to the Agent, while a Before Handoff workflow either completes the handoff or redirects it based on your Stop configuration.

> [!WARNING]
> Creating a workflow does not automatically connect it to anything
> 
> Until a workflow is added to a trigger, it will not run.

*Conversation*

or

*Conversations*

(with a capital "C") provides a holistic view of Customer communications and interactions contained in the Conversation Timeline.

*Customer* or C*ustomers* refers to the people you support through Gladly who buy or use your products or services.