Workflow recipes to copy

A library of ready-to-copy workflows for your venue: follow-ups, confirmations, reminders and thank-you messages.

An automation always follows the same structure: a trigger, an optional condition, an action, and sometimes a delay. Rather than starting from a blank page, this article gives you five proven workflows you can recreate as-is for your venue and then adapt to your business. Each recipe is described brick by brick, with the reason it works and the steps to build it.

Prerequisites

Before copying a recipe, make sure you have gathered the following. They ensure the workflow fires at the right moment and sends the right message.

Access to Workflows in your Joinways workspace.
A connected sending address for outgoing emails.
Familiarity with the basic trigger → condition → delay → action structure.
Email content prepared in your own tone before activating the workflow.
A test record (a real enquiry, quote or event) to check the behaviour.

What you'll learn

The details of each of the five recipes: its trigger, optional condition, delay and action.
Why each recipe is useful and at what point in the deal it applies.
How to build each workflow step by step.
How to adapt an existing recipe to your own process.
How to troubleshoot a workflow that doesn't fire or sends at the wrong time.

1. Follow up on a quote with no reply

This is the most profitable recipe: a client you've sent a quote to often forgets it in their inbox. An automatic follow-up after 48 hours brings them back to the deal without you having to think about it. Here is how it is composed.

Trigger — a quote has been sent to the client.

Condition — no reply from the client.

Delay — 48 hours after sending.

Action — send a polite follow-up email.

Choose the "quote sent" trigger.
Add the "no reply from the client" condition to avoid following up someone who already replied.
Set the delay to 48 hours after sending.
Write the short, polite follow-up email, then activate the workflow.

2. Confirm after signature

As soon as a client signs, several steps should follow immediately: reassure them, trigger invoicing and alert the team. This recipe chains those three actions with no delay, so nothing lingers after the client's decision.

Trigger — a quote is signed by the client.

Action — send a confirmation email, generate the invoice and notify the team.

Choose the "quote signed" trigger.
No condition is needed: the signature alone starts the sequence.
Leave the delay at zero for an immediate reaction.
Chain the actions: confirmation email, invoice generation, team notification.

3. Deposit reminder

An unpaid deposit throws off cash flow and the schedule. This recipe sends a courteous reminder a few days before the due date, but only if the deposit hasn't been received yet — you never bother a client who is already up to date.

Trigger — an invoice is issued.

Condition — the deposit is not yet paid.

Delay — a few days before the due date.

Action — send a courteous reminder with the amount and due date.

Choose the "invoice issued" trigger.
Add the "deposit not yet paid" condition.
Set the delay so it lands a few days before the due date.
Write the reminder including the amount and due date, then activate.

4. Thank-you after the event

The day after the event is the best moment to thank the client, while the experience is still fresh. It is also the ideal time to ask for a review, which will feed your reputation for future enquiries.

Trigger — the event date has passed.

Delay — D+1 (the day after the event).

Action — send a thank-you email and invite the client to leave a review.

Choose the trigger based on the event date having passed.
Set the delay to D+1.
Write a warm email that thanks the client and invites a review.
Activate the workflow and check it on a recent event.

5. Flag a high-potential enquiry

Not every enquiry is equal. This recipe spots high-potential enquiries — big budget or premium date — and alerts the team internally so they are handled in priority, ahead of the competition.

Trigger — a new enquiry is received.

Condition — high budget or premium date.

Action — notify the team internally for priority follow-up.

Choose the "new enquiry received" trigger.
Add the condition on budget or premium date.
Choose the internal notification action rather than a client email.
Activate and confirm the team actually receives the alert.

Adapt a recipe to your process

A recipe is only a starting point. You can change any of its blocks to fit how you work, as long as you keep the trigger → condition → delay → action structure coherent.

Change the delay to follow up earlier or later than the suggested values.
Add or remove a condition to target the relevant deals more precisely.
Replace the email content with your own text and signature.
Combine several actions in one recipe, as in confirm after signature.

Reference: available building blocks

Every recipe is built from four building blocks. Here is their role in one line.

Trigger — the event that starts the workflow (quote sent, quote signed, invoice issued, date passed, new enquiry).

Condition — an optional filter deciding whether the action happens (no reply, deposit unpaid, high budget, premium date).

Delay — the wait before the action (immediate, 48 hours, a few days before the due date, D+1).

Action — what gets executed (send an email, generate an invoice, notify the team).

How it works

When a trigger occurs, the workflow first checks the condition if there is one. If the condition is met, it waits for the configured delay, then runs the action. All of this happens in the background, with no involvement from you once the workflow is active.

If the condition is not met at the time of the check, the action does not happen: that is what prevents following up a client who already replied or chasing a deposit that has already been paid.

Edge cases

Some situations deserve your attention before activating a recipe.

If the client replies during the follow-up delay, the "no reply" condition blocks the send: the workflow respects the reality of the deal.
If the deposit is paid just before the due date, the reminder does not go out, because the "deposit not yet paid" condition is no longer true.
For confirm after signature, the chain of actions runs in one go; check each action is configured correctly before activating.

💡 Tip: start with a single workflow, test it on a real situation, then add the others. That way you keep control over what your clients receive.

Best practices

Activate recipes one at a time rather than all at once.
Always adapt the tone of the emails to your brand before activating.
Check each recipe on a real test record before going live.
Document internally which recipes are active so the whole team knows.

Troubleshooting

Problem — the workflow doesn't fire.

Cause: the chosen trigger doesn't match the real event, or the workflow isn't activated.
Solution: check that the right trigger is selected and the workflow is in active status.

Problem — the email goes out at the wrong time.

Cause: the delay is misconfigured or calculated from an unexpected date.
Solution: recheck the delay value and the reference date (sending, due date, event date).

Problem — a client who is already up to date still gets a reminder.

Cause: the condition is missing or misconfigured.
Solution: add or fix the condition (no reply, deposit unpaid) to filter out these cases.

Real-world example

You send a quote for a wedding on Monday morning. No reply on Tuesday. On Wednesday, 48 hours after sending, the follow-up recipe detects the lack of reply and sends a courteous email. The client, who had forgotten, replies within the hour and the conversation resumes.

Another example

A client signs their quote on Friday evening. Immediately, the confirmation recipe sends the confirmation email, generates the invoice and notifies the team. On Monday, everyone already knows the deal is confirmed and invoicing has started, with no manual entry.

FAQ

Can I activate several recipes at the same time?

Yes, but it is advisable to activate one at a time at first, so you can check each behaviour.

What happens if I edit an email after activation?

Subsequent sends use the new version; emails already sent are not affected.

Does the follow-up go out if the client already replied?

No: the "no reply" condition blocks the send as soon as a reply is detected.

Can I change a recipe's delay?

Yes, the delay is fully editable, shorter or longer than the suggested value.

Does the confirmation recipe really generate the invoice?

Yes, invoice generation is part of this recipe's action, alongside the email and the notification.

How can I test a recipe without disturbing a real client?

Use a test record (your own address or an internal deal) before applying it to clients.

Can I temporarily disable a recipe?

Yes, you can deactivate a workflow at any time; it will stop firing until reactivated.