Who This Is For / When to Use
This article is for users who want to:
Automate actions when a contact replies to a message.
Trigger workflows based on reply content, intent, tags, or channel.
Route conversations into sales, support, or follow-up workflows.
Use this trigger anytime an inbound customer response should start an automation.
What the Customer Replied Trigger Does
Fires when an incoming message is received from a contact.
Enrolls the contact into the workflow immediately.
Supports multiple filters to control which replies trigger automation.
Each reply event is evaluated against the configured filters before enrollment.
Step 1: Create or Open a Workflow
Navigate to Automations in the left sidebar.
Click Workflows.
Select + Create Workflow or open an existing workflow.
Step 2: Add the Customer Replied Trigger
In the workflow builder, click Add New Trigger.
Search for Customer Replied or select it from the Events section.
Step 3: Configure Trigger Settings
Choose a Workflow Trigger: Customer Replied
Workflow Trigger Name: (Optional)
Used only for identification inside the workflow builder.
Does not affect trigger behavior.
Step 4: Configure Trigger Filters
Filters determine which customer replies will activate the workflow.
Message Content Filters
Contains Phrase
Triggers the workflow if the reply includes the specified phrase. Not case-sensitive.Exact Match Phrase
Triggers the workflow only if the reply exactly matches the specified phrase. Not case-sensitive.
Contact Qualification Filters
Has Tag
Only allows contacts with the selected tag to enter the workflow.Doesn’t Have Tag
Prevents contacts with the selected tag from entering the workflow.
Intent & Workflow Context Filters
Intent Type
Uses AI detection to classify replies (for example, Positive or Negative) and trigger accordingly.Replied to Workflow
Triggers when a reply occurs within a different workflow.
Reply Channel Filters
Reply Channel
Limits triggering to replies from a specific channel, including:Chat Widget
Live Chat
Email
SMS
WhatsApp
Facebook Messenger
Instagram DM
GMB Messaging
Call
Channel-Specific Filters (Chat Widget & Live Chat Only)
When Reply Channel is set to Chat Widget or Live Chat, additional filters appear:
Chat Widget Is
Live Chat Is
These allow selection of a specific widget or live chat instance.
Step 5: Save the Trigger
Review all trigger settings and filters.
Click Save Trigger.
Step 6: Add Workflow Actions
Click the + icon below the trigger.
Add one or more workflow actions.
Common actions include:
Create Opportunity
Send Email or SMS
Apply or Remove Tags
Update Contact Fields
Send Internal Notifications
Any workflow action can be used with this trigger.
Step 7: Save, Test, and Publish the Workflow
Click Save in the top-right corner.
Use Test Workflow to validate behavior.
Toggle Publish to activate the workflow.
Once published, the workflow will trigger for all qualifying customer replies.
Example Use Cases
Create Opportunities from Positive Replies
Trigger Filters
Contains Phrase: interested, confirm
Intent Type: Positive
Actions
Create Opportunity
Notify sales team
Send follow-up email
Route Support Requests Automatically
Trigger Filters
Intent Type: Negative
Reply Channel: Email
Actions
Create support task
Assign to support team
Send acknowledgment message
Common Issues and Fixes
Workflow does not trigger
Confirm the workflow is published.
Verify reply content meets filter criteria.
Check reply channel filters.
Workflow triggers too often
Add phrase, intent, or tag filters.
Restrict by reply channel or widget.
FAQ
What does the Customer Replied trigger do?
It enrolls a contact into a workflow when they send an incoming message that matches the trigger filters.
Are phrase filters case-sensitive?
No. Both Contains Phrase and Exact Match Phrase are not case-sensitive.
Can I trigger workflows for specific channels only?
Yes. Use the Reply Channel filter and optional Chat Widget or Live Chat filters.
How does Intent Type filtering work?
Intent Type uses AI detection to classify replies and trigger workflows based on positive or negative intent.
Can multiple filters be used together?
Yes. You can combine multiple filters to create highly targeted workflows.