Building Automation Flows
Define what happens the moment a form is submitted — send a confirmation, alert your team, or queue a follow-up — with no manual steps in between.What automation flows are
An automation flow is a set of instructions Soli Forms runs when a specific event fires. The most common event is a form submission — a prospective patient completing a Contact Us form, Appointment Request, or New Client Intake on your website. Rather than manually checking your inbox and drafting a reply, you let the flow handle the response.
You manage flows in Builder > Flows. Each flow has a trigger (the event that starts it) and one or more actions (what it does). Create separate flows for different forms and scenarios as needed.
Creating your first flow
Open Builder > Flows and select Create Flow. Give the flow a name (for example, "New Contact Follow-Up"), pick a trigger, then add actions in the order they should run.
Step 1: Name the flow and add a brief description for easy identification later.
Step 2: Choose a trigger. The primary trigger is Form Submission — the flow fires each time a visitor submits the form you select.
Step 3: Add one or more actions. For example, add a "Send Confirmation Email" action followed by a "Notify Team" action.
Step 4: Configure each action — the email subject and body, the notification recipient, or the delay period for a reminder.
Step 5: Publish the flow. It runs on the very next matching submission.
Available triggers
The primary trigger is Form Submission. When you choose it, you specify which form (or forms) should activate the flow. You might use one flow for your "Contact Us — Detailed" form and a different one for "New Client Intake (Full)" because the follow-up differs.
Flows can also filter on submission data. If your Contact Us form has a "Reason for reaching out" field, you could build one flow that fires only when the reason is "I am interested in becoming a new patient" and a separate flow for billing inquiries.
Available actions
A flow can include one or more of these actions:
Confirmation email. Emails the person who submitted the form to confirm receipt. You control the subject line, body, and tone. This is the most common first action — it tells prospects their inquiry was received, not lost.
Follow-up reminder. Queues a reminder in your inbox after a set delay (for example, 24 hours or 3 business days). If you have not responded within that window, the reminder surfaces the submission again so nothing slips through.
Team notification. Sends an in-app notification or email to a named team member or group. Particularly useful in group practices where the front-desk coordinator triages responses, or when a referral form needs to land with a specific clinician.
Publishing and pausing flows
Flows only run while in the Publishedstate. Pausing a flow keeps its configuration intact but stops it from firing on new submissions — handy when you need to suspend a follow-up sequence during a vacation and re-enable it on your return.
Toggle a flow between published and paused in Builder > Flows. You can also edit a live flow; changes apply to the next submission after you save.
Common flow templates
A few configurations that work well for healthcare practices:
New prospect follow-up. Trigger: Contact Us form submitted. Actions: (1) Send a confirmation email thanking the prospect and noting you will respond within one business day. (2) Queue a 24-hour follow-up reminder so the inquiry does not go unanswered.
Intake packet received. Trigger: New Client Intake (Full) form submitted. Actions: (1) Confirm to the patient that all intake documents have been received. (2) Notify the assigned clinician that paperwork is ready for review.
Referral routing. Trigger: Referral Form (Professional) submitted. Actions: (1) Confirm receipt to the referring provider. (2) Alert the practice owner or intake coordinator. (3) Queue a 48-hour reminder to follow up with the referred patient.
Waitlist acknowledgment. Trigger: Waitlist Request form submitted. Actions: (1) Email the prospect confirming they are on the waitlist and will be contacted when a spot opens.
Best practices for prospect follow-up
Response speed matters. Same-day replies significantly increase the likelihood that a prospective patient schedules an intake appointment. Automation flows let you maintain that pace even during back-to-back sessions.
Send the confirmation email immediately — this automated acknowledgment tells the prospect their form landed. Then set a 24-hour follow-up reminder so you personally respond within one business day. An instant acknowledgment paired with a timely personal reply creates a polished experience without keeping you at your desk all day.
Track prospect progress in Inbox > Prospects, which organizes submissions by status: needs response, contacted, and onboarded.