Automations Overview

Using Fleetio Automations, you can set up logic-based workflows that automate key tasks within Fleetio. These workflows are designed to handle repetitive actions, speed up turnaround time, and ultimately free up your team's time to focus on higher-value activities.

User Settings

By default, all Administrators will have Automations enabled.

If you would like to enable or disable access to Automations for an Administrator:

1. Go to your Account Menu and select User Management.

2. Select the user to modify and click the Edit button on their Details page.

3. In the Administration section, check or uncheck Manage Automations to enable or disable access. You can change this at any time.

4. Click the Save Contact button to save your changes.

About Automations

Automations are used to streamline repetitive tasks and processes within your day-to-day workflows. By automating manual tasks in Fleetio, you can improve your fleet's efficiency and reduce errors in various processes.

Automations are made up of three parts: Triggers, Conditions, and Actions. Read on to learn more about these parts.

Triggers

Triggers are the events that occur within Fleetio to start your Automation, and consist of two parts: the Record Type and Trigger Type.

Record Type

Record Type is a Fleetio record that, when modified according to the Trigger Type, will start your Automation. The current Record Types available for Automations are:

• Work Order
• Issue
• Service Entry
• Purchase Order - Available with Premium plans only
• Geofence Event - Currently available in Early Access only

Trigger Type

Trigger Type is the change to the selected Record Type that will trigger your Automation to start. Trigger types include actions such as:

• Created - When a new record is created
• Updated - When an existing record is updated
• Created or Updated - When a new record is created or an existing record is updated
• Deleted - When a record is deleted

For example, in the image below, the Automation would be triggered to start when a Purchase Order is Created or Updated.

Conditions

Conditions are optional rules that must be met for Automation actions to be executed. The available Conditions are fields, including Custom Fields, that are determined by the Record Type you selected as your Trigger.

Multiple Conditions can be added to a single Automation to narrow the scope of the Automation to specific records.

For example, in the image below, the Purchase Order Automation would only execute if the Purchase Order Status is Pending Approval and the Total is less than $100.00.

Actions

Actions are the operations that the Automation will execute when both the Trigger and Conditions are met. The available Actions are determined by the Trigger you've set up, and consist of two parts: the Record Type and Action Type.

Record Type

Record Type is the Fleetio record that will be updated when the Automation is executed.

Action Type

Action Type is the action that the Automation will execute when the Trigger and Conditions are met. Action Types can include:

• Update Field - Updates the selected Field with a selected Value
• Add Comment - Leaves a Comment on the selected Record Type (see below)
• Send Email - Sends an email to the selected recipients (see below)
• Create Record - Creates a new record for the selected Record Type (see below)

For example, in the image below, when this Automation executes, it will:

1. Update Field (Action Type) on the Purchase Order (Record Type)
2. The Field that will be updated is Status
3. The Value of that Field will be Replaced with - Approved

In other words, the Automation will Update the Purchase Order (a) Status field (b) to Approved (c).

Add Comment Action

The Add Comment action type will automatically leave a comment on the selected Record Type when the Automation runs. Share context and keep your team in the loop without needing to manually follow up.

Adding comments also supports @mentioning other Users.

Send Email Action

The Send Email action type will automatically send an email to the selected recipients when the Automation runs.

1. Select the email Recipients
2. Enter the email Subject line
3. Enter the email Content

Insert Variables

Variables are strings of text you can use with the Send Email action that will be replaced with information from Fleetio, such as a Vehicle Status or a link to a Work Order number.

• For example, the variable of {{ work_order.number }} would be replaced with a link to the new Work Order created in your Automation.

To insert a variable into your email:

1. Click Insert Variables (d) to open the Variables list
2. Click the Copy to clipboard icon (e) next to the variable
3. Paste the variable into the Subject or Email Content fields (f)

Create Record Action

The Create Record action type will create a new record based on the selected record type.

To set up your automation to create a Work Order record:

1. Set your Trigger with the Issue Record Type and Created Trigger Type

2. Add optional Conditions
   • For example, you may want to create a Work Order record only if the Issue Priority is Critical or High:

3. Set up your Action as shown below:
   1. Set the Record Type to Work Order
   2. Set the Trigger Type to Create Record
   3. Select a Status for the new Work Order
      • Note that only Incomplete Work Order Statuses are available
   4. (optional) Select a User to assign to the Work Order

When a Work Order record is created using an Automation, the following fields in the new Work Order are automatically populated based on the triggering event:

• Vehicle - Selected based on the asset selected for the triggering event
• Issue Date - Set to the date of the triggering event
• Issue Time - Set to the time of the triggering event
• Issued By - Set to Fleetio Automation

Resolving Errors

Certain Trigger and Action combinations may require setting a specific Condition for the Automation to run successfully. You'll see a message when adding an Action if this is the case:

If you attempt to save an Automation that contains errors, it will not be saved, and you'll be shown a message prompting you to resolve any errors:

Clicking the Resolve Error button will automatically correct any errors in your Automation flow.

Creating an Automation

New Automations can be created from scratch or by using a template. You can find instructions for both methods in the Creating an Automation article.

Automations Index

You can navigate to the Automations Index by clicking Automations in your Account Menu.

In the Automations Index, you can view information for each of the Automations you've created, as well as:

1. Click the Tabs to view All or Archived Automations
2. Use Search and Filters to filter the list
3. Click the More Actions Button to Edit, View, Disable/Enable, or Archive an Automation

Click on an existing Automation to view more details, and see a summary of steps, run history, and activity.

You can also take the following actions:

4. Use the Toggle at the top of the page to enable or disable the Automation
5. Click the More Actions Button to Archive the Automation or View Record History
6. Click the Edit button to make changes to the Automation

You can also access Automations from any record index that currently has Automations enabled.

Click the Automations drop-down to view Automations triggered by the record you're on, Add an Automation, or View all Automations.