Triggers

Choose a trigger from the automation canvas

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How triggers work (UI anatomy)

Trigger configuration tabs

• Account / Configure - Connect an external account (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.) and pick event options (object, list, form, and so on).
• Output - Shows the sample payload (schema) your trigger provides. When testing in Draft mode, click Refresh after firing a sample to update the schema so field mapping stays accurate.
  • Copy the field paths you will need later (for example contact.email, deal.amount).
  • If a field is missing, send another sample event and click Refresh again.
• Next step - Choose what runs after the trigger (Thoughtly steps such as AI, Conditions, Loop, or an integration action such as Create Contact).

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Thoughtly triggers (built-in)

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1) Time -> Recurring Schedule

Recurring schedule trigger

• Use cases: business-hours call campaigns, nightly CRM sweeps, weekly no-show follow-ups.
• Key options: timezone, days of week, start time, repeat cadence.
• Best practices: keep schedules narrow (for example Mon-Fri 09:00-18:00) to avoid after-hours calling. Pair with Conditions to skip contacts without phone/email.

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2) Webhook -> Incoming Webhook

Incoming webhook trigger

• Use cases: kick off campaigns from your CRM, respond to cart-abandon events, start follow-ups when a form submits.
• How to use:
  1. Copy the unique URL.
  2. Send a JSON POST with your payload.
  3. In Output, click Refresh to lock the schema.
• Security tips: enable webhook verification under Settings -> Developer, generate an API key, and send it in the x-api-token header.

{
  "event_id": "abc-123",
  "contact": {
    "first_name": "Iryna",
    "phone": "+18001234567"
  },
  "intent": "car_purchase"
}

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3) Thoughtly -> On Inbound Call (special)

On inbound call trigger

• Fires before an inbound call connects to an agent-the entry point for pre-call inbound automations.
• Use cases: identity/CRM lookup, spam or fraud checks, VIP routing, setting attributes for downstream logic.
• Output: caller number, dialed number, timestamp, and available carrier metadata.
• Pattern: Trigger -> AI or Conditions -> set Attributes/Metadata -> continue inbound flow.

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4) Thoughtly -> On Call Completed (special)

On call completed trigger

• Fires after a call ends for post-call automations.
• Use cases: dispositions, summaries, sentiment scoring, CRM updates, notifications, analytics.
• Output: rich call data-durations, outcomes, variables captured, action flags, transfers, voicemail detection.
• Pattern: Trigger -> parse payload with Conditions -> write to CRM, spreadsheets, or BI.

• Specific Agents - Select one or more agents from the multi-select dropdown. The automation triggers only when calls complete for the selected agents. Output variables are generated based on the structure of the first selected agent.
• All Agents - The automation triggers whenever a call is completed by any current or future agent. Use this for global monitoring, analytics, or workflows that apply across your entire team.

• transcript - The spoken content
• speaker - Either "ai" or "user"
• createdAt - ISO 8601 timestamp when the message was created
• step - (AI messages only) The step number in the conversation
• node_id - (AI messages only) The node ID from the agent builder

[
  {
    "transcript": "Hello, how can I help you today?",
    "speaker": "ai",
    "createdAt": "2025-11-03T19:33:18.330Z",
    "step": 1,
    "node_id": "node_abc123"
  },
  {
    "transcript": "I'd like to schedule an appointment",
    "speaker": "user",
    "createdAt": "2025-11-03T19:33:25.120Z"
  }
]

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Integration triggers (by app)

• GoHighLevel - On Contact Created
• HubSpot - On Contact Created
• Keap - On Contact Created
• Salesforce - New Contact, New Object
• Salesforce Sandbox - New Contact, New Object
• SmartSheet - On Row Created, On Column Updated
• Trello - On Card Moved to List
• Typeform - New Form Response
• Zoho CRM - On Contact Created
• Time - Recurring Schedule (alias of Time)
• Webhook - Incoming Webhook (alias of Webhook)
• Thoughtly - On Call Completed, On Inbound Call

• HubSpot / Keap / GoHighLevel / Zoho: new contact -> Thoughtly agent call or SMS -> update contact with attributes.
• Salesforce: new object (Lead) -> lookup phone/email -> route via Conditions; if qualified -> create task and start call flow.
• Typeform: new response -> map answers to attributes -> enqueue outbound calls.
• SmartSheet / Trello: row or card moved -> notify the team, set attributes, call back if the SLA is breached.

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Choosing the right trigger (quick guide)

• Run on a schedule -> Time (Recurring Schedule)
• React to an external event -> Webhook or the app’s native trigger
• Pre-call logic before inbound connects -> On Inbound Call
• Work after a call ends -> On Call Completed

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Best practices

• Name and tag clearly. Example: gohighlevel_on_contact_created_q4_campaign
• Test in Draft and refresh Output. Avoid mapping fields you have not seen in a sample payload.
• Keep payloads lean. Map only the data you need into attributes or downstream steps.
• Plan for idempotency. Especially for webhooks and external systems that retry events.

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See also

• Automation steps - Thoughtly steps (AI, Conditions, Loop) vs. integration actions.
• Attributes vs Metadata - what to store before vs. after calls.
• Automations overview - enrich contacts before and after calls.
• On Inbound Call trigger - logic before connecting inbound calls.