This guide walks you through creating your first automation in ShingleAI. By the end, you’ll have a working automation that responds to events with AI-powered actions.
Prerequisites
- A ShingleAI account with an active organization
- At least one connected email account
- User permissions to create automations
Understanding Automation Components
Every automation has three key components:
| Component | Description | Example |
|---|
| Name | Descriptive identifier for your automation | ”Auto-Reply to Support Emails” |
| Trigger Event | The event that starts the automation | ”New email received” |
| Instructions | Natural language instructions for the AI | ”Reply thanking them and let them know we’ll respond within 24 hours” |
Step 1: Navigate to Automations
- Click Automations in the sidebar navigation
- View your existing automations (if any)
- Click Create Automation or New Automation
Step 2: Name Your Automation
Give your automation a clear, descriptive name:
- Good: “Support Email Auto-Acknowledgment”
- Good: “New Lead Welcome Message”
- Avoid: “Automation 1” or “Test”
The name helps you identify the automation later and understand its purpose at a glance.
Automation names must be unique within your organization and under 100 characters.
Step 3: Define the Trigger Event
Specify what event should trigger this automation:
Common Trigger Events
| Event | When It Fires |
|---|
| New email received | An incoming email arrives in your inbox |
| Contact created | A new contact is added to your organization |
| Message sent | An outgoing email is sent |
- “When a new email arrives from a domain ending in .edu”
- “When a contact is created without a company name”
- “When an email subject contains ‘urgent’ or ‘help‘“
Step 4: Write Your Instructions
This is where you tell the AI what to do when the trigger fires. Write in natural language as if you were instructing a colleague.
Instruction Best Practices
Be specific about the action:
Reply to the email thanking the sender for reaching out.
Let them know their message has been received and someone
will respond within 24 business hours.
Write a friendly but professional reply. Keep it brief -
no more than 3 sentences. Sign off with "Best regards"
and the company name.
If the email mentions pricing or costs, include a link
to our pricing page: https://shingleai.com/pricing
Example Instructions
Support Auto-Reply:
When a support email arrives:
1. Send an acknowledgment reply
2. Thank them for contacting support
3. Mention we typically respond within 24 hours
4. If they mention "urgent", add that we'll prioritize their request
5. Keep the tone friendly and professional
Analyze the incoming email to determine if this is a potential lead:
1. Look for company information or business context
2. Check if they're asking about our services
3. If it looks like a sales inquiry, tag the contact as "Lead"
4. If they mentioned a specific product, note that in the contact's notes
Instructions have a 5,000 character limit. If you need more complex logic, consider splitting into multiple automations.
Step 5: Save and Enable
Once you’ve configured your automation:
- Review your settings
- Click Save or Create to save the automation
- The automation is enabled by default and starts running immediately
Testing Your Automation
After creating your automation:
- Trigger a test event - Send yourself an email or perform the trigger action
- Check the results - Verify the automation performed as expected
- Adjust if needed - Edit the instructions to refine the behavior
Managing Automations
Viewing Automations
All your automations are listed on the Automations page, showing:
- Automation name
- Trigger event
- Status (enabled/disabled)
- Last run time
Enabling/Disabling
Toggle an automation on or off:
- Navigate to Automations
- Find the automation
- Click the enable/disable toggle
Disabled automations don’t run but retain their configuration.
Editing Automations
To modify an existing automation:
- Click on the automation name
- Update the fields as needed
- Save your changes
Changes take effect immediately for enabled automations.
Deleting Automations
To remove an automation:
- Open the automation
- Click Delete
- Confirm the deletion
Deleted automations cannot be recovered. Consider disabling instead if you might need it later.
Example: Complete Automation Walkthrough
Let’s create a complete automation for acknowledging support emails:
Configuration
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Name | Support Email Auto-Acknowledgment |
| Trigger Event | New email received to support@company.com |
| Instructions | See below |
Instructions
When a new email arrives at the support address:
1. Send an immediate acknowledgment reply
2. Include these elements:
- Thank them for contacting our support team
- Confirm we received their message
- Set expectations: we respond within 24 hours (Mon-Fri)
- For urgent issues, mention they can call our hotline
3. Tone guidelines:
- Professional but warm
- Empathetic if they describe a problem
- Concise - keep under 100 words
4. Sign off with:
- "Best regards"
- "The ShingleAI Support Team"
Expected Result
When someone emails support@company.com, they’ll receive a reply like:
Thank you for contacting ShingleAI Support! We’ve received your message and a member of our team will respond within 24 business hours.
If your issue is urgent, you can reach our priority support line at 1-800-XXX-XXXX.
Best regards,
The ShingleAI Support Team
Troubleshooting
Automation Not Triggering
| Issue | Cause | Solution |
|---|
| No action taken | Automation disabled | Check and enable the automation |
| Wrong events | Trigger too specific | Broaden the trigger event description |
| Permission denied | Insufficient permissions | Contact your admin to check permissions |
Unexpected Results
| Issue | Cause | Solution |
|---|
| Wrong tone | Instructions unclear | Add explicit tone guidelines |
| Missing information | Context not provided | Add context to instructions |
| Too verbose | No length guidance | Add word or sentence limits |
Next Steps
