What is automation?
Automation means writing down a job once and letting software do it every time. In Auto Appy, that written-down job is called a workflow (or an agent).
Every workflow answers two questions:
- When should it start? This is the trigger. For example: a customer fills the form on my website.
- What should happen then? These are the steps. For example: add them to my Google Sheet, then send them a WhatsApp welcome.
At Vidya Coaching Centre, that’s exactly the first workflow Neha builds: a parent fills the enquiry form (the trigger), the enquiry is saved to the sheet and the parent gets a demo-class invite on WhatsApp (the steps).
Watch it run:
1Something happens: a parent fills the enquiry form on Vidya Coaching's website at 9:40 pm. This is the trigger, the "when".
2Auto Appy receives the answers straight away: student name, phone and course (JEE).
3Step 1 runs: the enquiry is added as a new row in the "Enquiries 2026" Google Sheet.
4Step 2 runs: the parent gets a WhatsApp message inviting Rahul to a free demo class.
5Done in about two seconds, at 9:40 pm, while the centre is closed. Every enquiry, every time.
Triggers: the “when”
Section titled “Triggers: the “when””A trigger is the event that starts a workflow. Common triggers in Auto Appy:
| Trigger | Starts the workflow when… |
|---|---|
| Webhook | a website form, landing page or another app sends data to the workflow’s private web address. |
| Schedule | a time arrives: every morning at 9, every Monday, once on a date. |
| App trigger | something happens in an app, such as a Razorpay payment or a new Google Form response. |
| An AI assistant | an assistant such as Claude runs it for you through MCP. |
Steps: the “then”
Section titled “Steps: the “then””Each step uses one app to do one action: add a row, send a message, create a lead, wait two days, ask AI to summarise. Steps run in order, and a later step can use any information an earlier step produced, such as the customer’s name and phone number.
Steps can also branch. A connection between two steps can carry a condition, for example only continue if the message contains “price”.
Examples from the two businesses
Section titled “Examples from the two businesses”| Business | When… | Then… |
|---|---|---|
| Vidya Coaching | a parent fills the enquiry form | save it to the sheet, WhatsApp a demo invite |
| Vidya Coaching | it’s the 1st of the month, 10 am | send each parent with fees due a reminder |
| Vidya Coaching | Razorpay says a fee was paid | mark it paid, send a thank-you |
| Skyline Realty | a lead arrives from 99acres, MagicBricks or Facebook | create a CRM lead, send the right brochure |
| Skyline Realty | a site visit is booked | add it to the agent’s calendar, remind the buyer |
| Skyline Realty | it’s 10 am | nudge every lead that has gone quiet |
What a “task” is
Section titled “What a “task” is”Each step that runs uses one task from your plan. A workflow with a trigger and two steps uses about two or three tasks per run. Your plan includes a number of tasks per month; see Plans and billing.
When not to automate
Section titled “When not to automate”Automation is best for clear, repeated jobs. Keep a person in the loop when every case needs judgement, when a mistake would be expensive, or when the job happens only a few times a year. For jobs that need some judgement, an AI agent can help, and you can make it wait for your approval.