What is a workflow in Sembot
Table of contents:
- Workflow as a sequence of actions triggered by a trigger
- The difference between a workflow and a task
- When to automate and when not to
Workflow as a sequence of actions triggered by a trigger
A workflow is a set of steps that Sembot executes automatically — without human involvement — whenever a specific condition (a trigger) occurs.
Think of it as an instruction manual for the system:
"When [something happens] → check [this data] → if [condition] → perform [action]"
A real-world example:
"Every Monday at 9:00 AM → retrieve cost-per-click data from Google Ads → if CPC has increased by more than 20% → create a task for the campaign specialist with a description of the problem"
In Sembot, you configure this scenario once, and it runs on its own — week after week, with no intervention required.
How every workflow operates:
[TRIGGER] → [FETCH DATA] → [CONDITION] → [ACTION]| Element | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | Starts the entire workflow | Every Monday at 9:00 AM |
| Fetch data | Retrieves data from a source | Campaign metrics from Google Ads |
| Condition | Checks whether something is true | CPC > $5 |
| Action | Performs an operation | Creates a task for the team |
Available triggers (what can start a workflow):
- Schedule — the workflow runs at a specified time: every hour, daily, weekly, or monthly. You can choose specific days and times, the time zone, and an end date.
- Webhook — an external system sends a signal to Sembot (e.g., an e-commerce platform notifies Sembot of a price change). Sembot responds immediately upon receiving the signal.
- Task Job — the workflow runs when someone manually starts an AI job within an existing task.
Available actions (what a workflow can do):
- Create a task — the workflow creates a task in Sembot on its own: with a title, description, assigned person, due date, and priority.
- Send an HTTP request — the workflow communicates with an external system (e.g., CRM, Slack, your own API).
- Add a comment to a task — the workflow appends information to an existing task, such as the current state of a campaign.
📸 [SCREEN: workflow editor view in Sembot — list of steps, trigger panel, action panel]
The difference between a workflow and a task
Sembot operates with two distinct concepts that are easy to confuse:
| Workflow | Task | |
|---|---|---|
| Who executes it? | The system automatically | A human |
| When does it run? | When a trigger occurs | When someone completes it |
| Requires attention? | No (once configured) | Yes |
| Example | Automatic data retrieval and alert | Campaign optimization by a specialist |
| Outcome | Data, comment, new task | Change, decision, action |
Workflows and tasks work together: a workflow can automatically create tasks for people. This means the system monitors campaigns around the clock and only "assigns work" to the appropriate person when it detects a problem.
📸 [SCREEN: view of a task automatically created by a workflow — system comment visible with information about the source]
When to automate and when not to
Worth automating when:
- The action is repetitive — you do the same thing every week or every month
- The source is a number or data — the decision is based on a simple condition (e.g., "if the result is below X")
- Response time matters — e.g., a budget overrun alert should arrive immediately, not once a week at a meeting
- A human is only needed after data has been collected — the system can lay the groundwork while the specialist simply makes the decision
Better not to automate when:
- Context assessment is required — e.g., "does this campaign make strategic sense" is a question for a human, not an algorithm
- Data is insufficient or unreliable — an automated action based on bad data can cause more harm than no action at all
- The process is exceptional — if something happens once a year and always differently, configuring a workflow may take more time than it saves
- The risk of error is high — e.g., automatically sending messages to customers without verification
Practical rule: If you can describe the process as "whenever X, do Y," it can probably be automated. If it requires the phrase "it depends" — it is better left to a human.
📸 [SCREEN: list of workflows in the Sembot panel — name, trigger, last run, active/inactive status]