AI workflow automation

What should run by itself?

Write it the way you’d tell a person. Your AI employee turns it into a workflow, tests it, and waits for your OK.

Try
DanielBookkeeper
Waiting for your approval

Failed payment follow-up

  1. Starts whenA Stripe payment failsAny invoice, any customer
  2. DanielEmails a friendly reminderFrom your Gmail, in your voice
  3. WaitsFor the invoice to be paid7 days at a time, up to 3 times
  4. Asks youWhat to do if it’s still unpaidCall them · write it off · keep waiting
Code rulesTypesEvents exist6 of 6 test cases
  • Nothing runs until you approve it
  • Tested against weeks of simulated time
  • Pause it any time
EmmaReplied in the thread · 9:03 AM
Waiting for Dana · up to 5 days · costs nothing
HQ restarted for an update · run resumed

Dana Whitfield · Day 3, 2:15 PM

Fridays. Could someone come by Monday to quote?

Needs youEnquiry reply

Send Dana the HOA rate, $1,450 a month?

Watch one run

Some work takes a minute.
Most takes a week.

SmallForce workflows handle both. Keep scrolling to follow one, start to finish.

You read English.
It runs code.

Under the hood, every workflow is real code. That’s why it does the same thing every time and can be tested. You never have to read it. Point at a step and see the lines that run it.

  1. Enquiry replyEmma · Inbox assistant · version 3

enquiry-reply/workflow.tswritten by Emma

export default workflow({
  title: "Enquiry reply",
  employee: "emma",
  triggers: [on.event("smallforce-mailbox.email.received", {
    match: { mailbox: "hello@millerlawn.co" }, dedupeBy: "threadId" })],
  async run({ input, agent, waitForEvent, outcome }) {
    await agent("reply", { prompt: replyTo(input), timeout: "1h" });

    const answer = await waitForEvent("their-answer", {
      event: "smallforce-mailbox.email.received",
      match: { threadId: input.threadId }, timeout: "3d" });
    if (answer) return outcome("answered");

    await agent("nudge", { prompt: nudge(input) });
    return outcome("quiet");
  },
});

Same steps, every time

The order, the waits and the questions never drift. Only the writing changes from run to run.

Every change is a new version

You see exactly what changed and approve it. Runs already going finish the way they started.

Change it by asking

“Skip weekends.” “Wait five days, not three.” Emma edits it, tests it again and sends it back.

Tested before you see it

It lives through its worst week before you approve it.

Your employee writes test cases next to every workflow: the customer who pays on day two, the one who never pays, the restart in the middle. They run on a fake clock, so weeks take seconds.

  • Real engine, fake clock. The tests run the actual workflow, not a sketch of it.

  • Code rules checked. Nothing in it can repeat a step or skip one after a restart.

  • Only real events. It can only listen for things your connected apps actually send.

Failed payment follow-upVersion 3 · test cases written by Daniel
  1. Pays after the first reminderPaid · 1 email
  2. Pays after the third reminderPaid · 3 emails
  3. Never paysAsked you
  4. Your HQ restarts mid-waitNothing sent twice
  5. Same failure arrives twiceOne run, not two
  6. Nobody answers the questionNeeds a person

6 of 6 passed · ready for your approval75 simulated days in 3.5 seconds

What can start a workflow

When a payment fails,
your employee takes it from there.

70+ events from your SmallForce phone, mailbox and social accounts and the apps you already use. Plus schedules, and a Run now button.

Stripe · pick an event

Human in the loop

You stay in charge.

Your employees build and run the workflows. Only owners and admins decide what goes live.

Failed payment follow-upWaiting for approval

Version 4 · sent by Daniel · 6 of 6 test cases passed

What changed since version 3

  for (let n = 1; n <= 3; n += 1) {−   timeout: "7d",+   timeout: "5d",+   await sleepUntil("weekday", nextWeekday(now()));

Reminders now go every 5 days and wait for a weekday.

Compared with Zapier, n8n and Make

Same job, two ways.

In a builder tool

10 steps to build and map
  1. 1 · TriggerNew email in inboxPick account, folder
  2. 2 · FilterOnly new threads2 conditions
  3. 3 · AI stepWrite a replyPrompt + 4 fields mapped
  4. 4 · ActionSend emailTo, subject, thread ID
  5. 5 · DelayWait 3 days
  6. 6 · SearchFind replies in threadThread ID mapped
  7. 7 · FilterContinue if no reply1 condition
  8. 8 · AI stepWrite a nudgePrompt + 3 fields mapped
  9. 9 · ActionSend emailTo, subject, thread ID
  10. 10 · ActionLog to spreadsheet5 columns mapped

You build it box by box, map every field and test it with sample data.

In SmallForce

“Reply to every email to hello@, and nudge once if they go quiet for three days.”

Done. I wrote it and tested three weeks of it. It’s waiting for your approval.
Builder tools compared with SmallForce workflows
QuestionBuilder toolsSmallForce workflows
Who builds itYou, box by box, mapping fields between steps.Your AI employee, from one sentence.
Steps that need judgmentAn AI step with a prompt, separate from the rest of your work.An employee who knows your business, your apps and your past chats.
Before it goes liveYou run it with sample data.It’s tested against simulated weeks, then you approve that exact version.
Changing itOpen the editor, add steps, re-map, re-test.Say what to change. You approve the new version.

Builder tools are great for moving data between apps. Workflows are for jobs where someone has to think, wait and follow up.

FAQ

AI workflow automation, answered.

Still unsure if it fits your business? Ask Maya, our own AI receptionist. She’ll tell you straight.

Talk to Maya Book a demo

What is AI workflow automation?

It’s automation where some steps need judgment, not just copying data from one app to another. In SmallForce, a workflow is a list of steps that starts when something happens, like an email, a failed payment or a schedule. AI employees do the steps that need thinking. The workflow makes sure the order, the waiting and the approvals happen the same way every time.

What are some examples of AI workflows?

Replying to every enquiry and nudging once if the person goes quiet. Chasing a failed payment every week until it’s paid. Drafting replies to Google reviews and asking you before posting the bad ones. Emailing a lead within minutes and booking the call when they reply. Sending you a short report every Monday.

How do I create an AI automation workflow?

Ask one of your AI employees in chat, the way you’d ask a person. They write the workflow, test it against simulated days and weeks, and send it to you. You read the summary and the test results, then approve it.

Do I need to know how to code?

No. Under the hood a workflow is code, which is why it can be tested and runs the same way every time. You never have to read it. You approve a plain-English summary, and the full code is there if you or a developer want to look.

How is this different from Zapier or n8n?

In a builder tool you design the automation yourself, box by box. With SmallForce your AI employee writes it from a sentence, the steps that need judgment are done by an employee who knows your business, and every version is tested and approved before it runs.

What happens if something goes wrong?

Every finished step is recorded, so a restart never repeats or loses work. App actions retry safely without sending twice. If a step can’t finish, the run ends with a clear reason, and you can open its chat to see exactly what happened.

Which apps can start a workflow?

Your SmallForce phone, mailbox and social accounts, plus Stripe, Gmail, Outlook, Slack, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Google Tasks, Notion, Salesforce, Zoom, Zendesk, Calendly and Todoist. Schedules and a Run now button work too.

Who can turn a workflow on?

Only owners and admins. Employees can build and test workflows, but every version waits for an owner or admin to approve it, and only they can pause, turn off or run one by hand.

What should run by itself first?

Write one sentence. Your team will have it built, tested and waiting for your OK.

Meet the AI employees See pricing