What are Automation Rules and how to use them? | Everything about Papo Global.

Automation Rules in Papo (https://papo.global/) are a set of "if-then" logical instructions that allow you to automate repetitive tasks. With them, you can configure the system to automatically perform actions — such as adding a tag, assigning a conversation to a team, or initiating a Flow — whenever a specific trigger and conditions are met, optimizing the organization and efficiency of your customer service.

Rules are the engine behind a smart operation, eliminating the need for manual actions to organize, categorize, and direct conversations. Instead of an agent having to read each new message to decide what to do, rules perform this initial triage in seconds, ensuring nothing is missed and every customer receives appropriate attention.

Component	Description	Practical Example
Trigger (If)	The event that initiates the rule's check, acting as the "start".	A new message is received in an inbox.
Condition (And if)	The specific criterion that the conversation, contact, or message must meet.	The message contains the word "budget" OR "price".
Action (Then)	The task that the platform automatically performs when the conditions are met.	Assign the conversation to the "Sales" team and add the "Hot Lead" tag.

How Do Automation Rules Work?

Automation Rules operate based on a simple yet powerful conditional logic, composed of three main elements: Triggers, Conditions, and Actions.

Trigger (The initial event): This is the event that fires the automation. The platform constantly monitors these events. Common trigger examples include:
- A new conversation is created.
- A conversation is closed.
- A message is received.
- A tag is added to a contact.
Condition (The logical filter): Once the trigger occurs, the system checks if one or more conditions are true. Conditions are the filters that ensure the action will only be executed in the correct scenario. You can create conditions based on:
- Message content: If the message contains, does not contain, or is equal to certain keywords (e.g., "support", "cancellation", "invoice").
- Origin channel: If the conversation came from WhatsApp, Instagram, Email, etc.
- Contact attributes: If the contact has a specific tag (e.g., "VIP Client") or if a custom attribute has a certain value.
Action (The executed task): If the conditions are met, the platform performs the action you defined. Actions are the tasks you want to automate. Examples of actions include:
- Add or remove a tag: To categorize the conversation (e.g., "Financial Query").
- Assign the conversation: To direct customer service to a specific agent or team (e.g., "Technical Support Team").
- Send a message: To provide a quick response or initiate a conversation Flow.
- Initiate a Flow: To trigger a more complex automation, such as a qualification chatbot.

Step-by-Step: How to Create an Automation Rule

While the exact location may vary, Automation Rules are generally configured within sections like "Flows" or in the general automation settings of your Papo account. The conceptual process is as follows:

Define the objective of your automation: Start with a clear need. For example: "I want all technical support requests received via WhatsApp to be automatically directed to the Support team."
Choose the appropriate trigger: Identify the event that should start the process. For the example above, the trigger would be "New conversation created."
Establish the conditions: Determine the criteria that must be met. In this case, there would be two combined conditions:
- Condition 1: The conversation channel is "WhatsApp."
- Condition 2: The first message of the conversation contains the words "support", "problem", or "help."
Configure the action to be executed: Define what should happen if the conditions are true. For our example, the action would be "Assign the conversation to the 'Support' team." You could add a second action, such as "Add the 'Technical Support' tag."
Save and activate the rule: After configuring all steps, save your automation. It's good practice to send a test message to ensure the rule is working as expected before letting it run in your operation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the difference between a Rule and a Flow?

A Rule is a simple automation based on "if-then" logic to perform one or more immediate actions (e.g., if the message contains "price", add the "Sales" tag). A Flow is an interactive and complex journey, with multiple steps, branches, and user interactions (e.g., a complete qualification chatbot). Often, a Rule is used to trigger the start of a Flow.

Can I create a Rule that sends an automatic message?

Yes, one of the available actions in an Automation Rule is "Send message." You can use it to send automatic responses based on keywords. Remember that for channels like WhatsApp, sending proactive messages outside the 24-hour window may require the use of approved message templates.

How many conditions and actions can I have in a single Rule?

The Papo platform allows you to combine multiple conditions (using "AND" / "OR" logic) and execute multiple actions in a single rule. This offers great flexibility to create precise automations. For specific limits, please consult the rule configuration interface on the platform.

Do Rules work for all channels (WhatsApp, Instagram, etc.)?

Yes. Since Papo unifies all your customer service channels into a single inbox, Automation Rules can be configured to work based on triggers and conditions from any connected channel, such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Email, and others.

Where can I find Rules on the Papo platform?

Automation Rules are not an isolated module but rather a fundamental component integrated with other functionalities. You will generally find them within the Flows builder (to create branching logic) or in a general account automation settings section, where you can create global rules for conversation triage.

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