Workflow triggers in Zoho Campaigns 3.0
This article covers every trigger available in Zoho Campaigns 3.0, what each one does, how to configure it, and when to use it.
Overview
Zoho Campaigns 3.0 offers 16 triggers. Most triggers are event-based and fire when something specific happens to a contact, like being added to a list, clicking an email, or performing an action on a WhatsApp message. Abandoned Cart and Purchase Follow-up, are tied to e-commerce activity and require an active e-commerce integration. Cyclic, is schedule-based and fires on a recurring cadence regardless of contact activity.
How to add a trigger to a workflow
Open the Workflow Builder. The left panel shows three collapsible sections: Trigger, Process, and Action. Click Trigger to expand it. You'll see all available trigger types as tiles with icons. Drag a trigger tile onto the canvas.
Working with trigger blocks
Editing and managing a trigger
Once a trigger block is placed on the canvas, a pencil icon and a three dot menu appear at the top of the block. Click the pencil icon to open the configuration panel and make changes. Click ... to reveal two options: Clone and Delete.
Clone creates a duplicate of the trigger block with all its configurations copied over. This is useful when building workflows with multiple similar triggers that only differ in one or two settings.
Delete removes the trigger block from the canvas.
Important: You can edit a trigger's configuration as many times as needed before the workflow is launched. Once the workflow is launched, trigger configurations are locked and can no longer be edited. Plan your trigger settings carefully before activating.At the bottom of each trigger block, three counters are displayed:
Entered - the number of contacts who entered the workflow through this trigger.
Exited - the number of contacts who exited the workflow from this point.
Contacts - a link to view the specific contacts associated with this trigger's activity.
Note: These counters update in real time, but they remain at zero until the workflow is launched. Use them to monitor how many contacts are flowing through each trigger after the workflow is launched.How errors are surfaced
Zoho Campaigns 3.0 surfaces workflow errors in two ways.
Error panel - configuration problems appear in the error panel. These must be resolved before the workflow can be activated.
Toast notifications - errors that appear briefly on screen. These are usually caused by multi-session conflicts or state changes that happened outside your current session (for example, a list being deleted in another tab while you're editing the workflow). If a toast references a stale state, refreshing the workflow shows you the current version.
Common trigger settings
Certain configurations appear across multiple triggers. Rather than repeat them for every trigger, here's what each one means.
Allow existing contacts who have been qualified for this trigger already - when checked, contacts who already met the trigger condition before the workflow was activated will also enter the workflow. When unchecked, only contacts who meet the condition after activation are included.
For example - You send a promotional email to 5,000 contacts on Monday. On Tuesday, you create a workflow that triggers on "Any link clicked" for that same email, with this option checked. The 200 contacts who already clicked the link on Monday will immediately enter the workflow. If unchecked, only new contacts who click from Tuesday onward will enter - the 200 Monday clickers are excluded.
Remove from workflow when contacts don't meet the trigger criteria after entering - when checked, if a contact's data changes after they've entered the workflow and they no longer match the original trigger condition, they're removed from the workflow mid-flow.
For example - A contact is part of your "High-Value Prospects" mailing list when you launch a premium nurture workflow. They enter the workflow and receive the first email. Two days later, an admin removes them from the list due to a status change. With this option checked, the contact immediately exits the workflow and stops receiving the remaining emails. If unchecked, the contact continues through the entire workflow sequence even though they've been removed from the list - they receive all remaining emails regardless of their current list membership.
Allow re-entry of contacts - when checked, a contact who has already gone through the workflow can enter it again if they meet the trigger condition a second time.
For example - A contact replies to a specific WhatsApp support message and enters a customer service workflow. They receive three follow-up messages and the workflow completes. A week later, they reply to the same WhatsApp support message from your business. With this option checked, they can enter the workflow again and receive the same service sequence. If unchecked, once they've completed the workflow, that same trigger won't enroll them again, even if they reply to the WhatsApp message.
Triggers
Added To List
Fires when a contact is assigned to the mailing list you select.
Select target list is a required field. Click the dropdown to search or browse your existing lists, then select one.
Once you've selected a list, choose which contacts are eligible to enter the workflow:
Allow entry of existing and new contacts from this list - includes all contacts currently in the list plus any added in the future.
Allow entry of contacts that enter this list from now - only contacts added to the list after the workflow is activated will enter. Existing members are excluded.
Allow entry of only those contacts that are in the list right now - only contacts currently in the list at the time of activation. No one added later will enter.
You can also check Remove from workflow when contacts don't meet the trigger criteria after entering and Allow re-entry of contacts.
Click Save to confirm.
Note: This trigger supports only one list at a time. If you want to target multiple lists, add another Added To List trigger block to the workflow and select a different list for each. This allows contacts from any of the selected lists to enter the workflow.Use Case: an online fitness platform uses this trigger to automatically enroll new subscribers in a six-email onboarding sequence whenever someone joins their "New Members" list.
Removed From List
Fires when a contact is removed from the mailing list you select.
Select a list is a required field. Use the dropdown to search your lists and pick one.
Available trigger settings: Remove from workflow when contacts don't meet the trigger criteria after entering and Allow re-entry of contacts.
Click Save to confirm.
Use Case: a nonprofit uses this trigger to send a brief exit survey to anyone removed from their "Active Volunteers" list, to gather feedback before they're fully off-boarded.
Added To Segment
Fires when a contact is assigned to the segment you select.
Select segment is a required field. Use the dropdown to search across your saved segments.
Choose which contacts enter the workflow:
Allow entry of existing and new contacts from this segment - includes all contacts currently in the segment plus any who join it later.
Allow entry of contacts that enter this segment from now - only contacts who become part of the segment after workflow activation.
Allow entry of only those contacts that are in the segment right now – only allows contacts that are part of the segment at activation time.
Available trigger settings: Remove from workflow when contacts don't meet the trigger criteria after entering and Allow re-entry of contacts.
Click Save to confirm.
Note: If the segment hasn't finished processing when you try to activate the workflow, the trigger block shows "Workflow is not ready to activate." Wait for the segment to finish building before activating.Use Case: An online fashion retailer creates a "Highly Engaged" segment that dynamically includes customers who've clicked 5+ email links in the last 90 days. When customers enter this segment, a workflow triggers an exclusive sale preview and early access offers.
Exited Segment
This trigger fires when a contact leaves the segment you specify.
Select segment is a required field. Use the dropdown to search and select a segment.
Available trigger settings: Remove from workflow when contacts don't meet the trigger criteria after entering and Allow re-entry of contacts.
Click Save to confirm.
Note: If the segment hasn't finished processing when you try to activate the workflow, the trigger block shows "Workflow is not ready to activate." Wait for the segment to finish building before activating.Use Case: a B2B software company uses this trigger to move prospects out of their "Free Trial" nurture sequence the moment they exit the "Active Trial Users" segment - signaling that the trial has ended and a different follow-up is needed.
Form Submission
Fires when a contact submits a signup form. You can scope it to all your forms or a single specific one.
Select the form scope:
Any form - the trigger fires when a contact submits any signup form in your account. This is the default.
Specific form - search for a form or choose a particular form from the dropdown. You can select multiple forms too.
Check Allow existing contacts who have been qualified for this trigger already if you want contacts who previously submitted the form to also enter the workflow.
Available trigger settings: Remove from workflow when contacts don't meet the trigger criteria after entering and Allow re-entry of contacts.
Click Save to confirm.
Use Case: a regional law firm uses this trigger to send a personalized welcome email and appointment booking link every time someone fills out the contact form on their website.
Email Action
This component triggers when a contact performs a selected action on one of your emails - such as opening it, clicking a link, or completing a survey.
First, choose which email to monitor:
Any email - the trigger fires when the action happens on any email in your account.
Specific email - choose from a searchable list of individual email campaigns.
Workflow email - choose an email that belongs to a specific workflow. The list shows the email name alongside its parent workflow name for easy identification.
Then select the email action that should fire the trigger:
Delivered
Opened
Any link clicked
Specific link clicked (this option appears only for “Specific Email” and “Workflow Email”)
Replied
Skipped
Survey Accessed
- Survey Submitted
Note: This trigger can't be configured for campaigns that contain only plain text, since open rate and click rate aren't tracked for plain-text emails.Available trigger settings: Allow existing contacts who have been qualified for this trigger already, and Allow re-entry of contacts.
Click Save to confirm.
Use Case: an e-commerce brand uses the "Any link clicked" action with a specific promotional email to trigger a follow-up sequence for contacts who engaged with product links in the email.
WhatsApp Action
Fires when a contact performs a selected action on one of your WhatsApp messages - such as delivering, reading, clicking a link, or replying to a message.
Choose which WhatsApp message to monitor:
Select any WhatsApp message - the trigger fires when the selected action happens on any WhatsApp campaign in your account.
Select a specific WhatsApp message - choose a particular WhatsApp message from the searchable dropdown.
Select a workflow WhatsApp message - choose a WhatsApp message that belongs to a specific workflow. The list shows WhatsApp campaigns that are already part of other workflows. If you have no workflow WhatsApp messages yet, the dropdown shows "No options found".
Select action performed on the WhatsApp message - choose which contact action should fire the trigger. Available actions are:
Sent - the message was sent to the contact.
Note: There are cases where a message may not be tracked as sent: when the campaign is stopped due to insufficient credits, when Meta rejects the number or if the templates are paused, or disabled. Delivered - the message was successfully delivered.
Failed - the message failed to deliver after being sent.
Note: This trigger only applies to contacts whose messages were initially sent but subsequently failed delivery. Contacts who were excluded during campaign sending or marked as invalid will not enter this trigger. Read - the contact read the message.
Note: If read receipts are disabled on the contact's WhatsApp settings, they won't enter this trigger even if they've seen the message. However, if they perform any action on the message, such as clicking a link, replying to it, or selecting a quick reply - they will be automatically marked as read and will enter this trigger.Any link clicked - the contact clicked any link in the message, including links in the message body and links in button elements.
Specific link clicked option becomes available only for the “Select a specific WhatsApp message” option - click it to narrow the trigger to a particular link within the message body or buttons. When selected, a dropdown appears to choose which specific link. If the message has no links, the dropdown shows "No options found".
Replied - the contact replied directly to the message by selecting it.
Note: This trigger only fires for replies made by selecting and replying - general text messages sent to your WhatsApp number won't trigger this component.Quick Replies - the contact used a pre-defined quick reply template to respond to the message instantly. When selected, a dropdown appears to choose which quick reply template. If the message has no quick replies configured, the dropdown shows "No options found".
Tip: To capture responses to frequently asked questions, configure Quick Replies in your WhatsApp message with common responses, then use the Quick Replies action to target contacts who select and use those predefined replies.Matches keyword - the contact's reply contains a specific keyword or phrase. When selected, two fields appear: Enter a keyword (a text input for the keyword to match) and a matching type dropdown with two options:
Exact Match - triggers when the contact enters the exact phrase or specific words.
Contains - triggers when the contact's entire message contains the word, even as part of a longer phrase.
Available settings: Allow existing contacts who have been qualified for this trigger already, Remove from workflow when contacts don't meet the trigger criteria after entering, and Allow re-entry of contacts.
Click Save to confirm.
For example: a customer support team uses this trigger set to "Replied" on a specific WhatsApp message to automatically enroll customers in a support ticket workflow the moment they respond to an initial outreach message.
Alert: If the WhatsApp campaign linked to this trigger is deleted from your account, the trigger block will show "has invalid configuration". Date Field
This trigger fires when a contact's date data matches the condition you set. This is useful for birthday emails, renewal reminders, contract expiry follow-ups, or any time-based touchpoint tied to a date stored in a contact's record.
Configure Date Field Trigger:
Trigger contact entry has two options:
1. Custom date field
Select a date field from your contact data using the Select field dropdown.
Fields are grouped into categories: Contact Attributes, Account Attributes, Associations, Topics, Email Engagements, SMS Engagements, Deal Attributes, Form Attributes, Event Attributes, Webinar Attributes, E-Commerce Attributes, WhatsApp Engagements and Workflow Attributes.
After selecting a field, choose when during that date contacts should enter the workflow:
Any time during the selected date - contacts enter at any point on the matching date.
Within a specific time - set a time range (start time to end time) and a timezone. Contacts enter only if they're processed within that window.
At a particular time - set a specific time and timezone. Contacts enter at that exact time on the matching date.
You can also check Trigger before the scheduled date to fire the trigger ahead of the date stored in the contact field - useful for reminders.
2. Specific date
Opens a calendar picker. Navigate to the month and year and click the date you want. All contacts in the workflow's audience enter on that fixed date.
After selecting the date, set the time option: Any time during the selected date, Within a specific time, or At a particular time - same options as Custom date field .
Set additional properties for contacts to enter this trigger – enable this to reveal a criteria builder with Group 1 containing Choose a field and a Select dropdown. Use + Add A Group to stack multiple filter groups. This lets you narrow which contacts enter the workflow even if they match the date condition. The field picker supports the same attribute categories as Custom date field.
Available trigger settings: Remove from workflow when contacts don't meet the trigger criteria after entering. (Allow re-entry of contacts is greyed out for date-based triggers.)
Click Save to confirm.
Use Case: a dental chain uses the custom date field trigger with a "Last appointment date" field to send a six-month checkup reminder to patients.
Alert:
If the custom date field selected here is later deleted from your account, the trigger will show "has invalid configuration". Open the trigger and choose a different date field.
If you're using a specific date and that date has already passed when you try to activate the workflow, activation will be blocked. Open the trigger and select an upcoming date.
Tag Assigned
This trigger fires when a contact is assigned a specific tag.
Click on the Select tag dropdown to open a searchable picker. You can select one or more tags - the trigger fires when any of the selected tags is assigned to a contact.
Available trigger settings: Allow existing contacts who have been qualified for this trigger already, Remove from workflow when contacts don't meet the trigger criteria after entering, and Allow re-entry of contacts.
Click Save to confirm.
Use Case: a media company tags contacts as "Event Attendee" after they register for a live session. The Tag Assigned trigger kicks off a post-event email sequence the moment the tag is applied.
Tag Removed
This trigger fires when a tag is removed from a contact.
Click on the Select tags dropdown to search for and select one or more tags - the trigger fires when any of the selected tags are removed from the contact.
Available trigger settings: Remove from workflow when contacts don't meet the trigger criteria after entering and Allow re-entry of contacts.
Click Save to confirm.
Contact Score Update
Fires when a contact's contact score meets the numerical condition you define.
Contact score - choose an operator from the dropdown:
is equal to
is not equal to
is between
is less than
is less than equal to
is greater than
is greater than equal to
is empty
is not empty
Enter the target score value (or range, if using "is between") in the Value field.
Available trigger settings: Allow existing contacts who have been qualified for this trigger already, Remove from workflow when contacts don't meet the trigger criteria after entering, and Allow re-entry of contacts.
Click Save to confirm.
Use Case: a financial advisory firm triggers a high-touch sales outreach workflow whenever a contact score hits 80 or above, signaling strong purchase intent.
Open Trigger
Fires when contacts are pushed into the workflow via an API call from an external service. This is the trigger to use when you want to start a workflow from outside Zoho Campaigns, like a CRM, a custom application, or another platform.
When you open the configuration panel, the system displays an API Key section with a Generate API Key link. Click it to generate a unique key. Copy the key using the copy icon and use it in your API call to push contacts into this workflow.
Available trigger settings: Remove from workflow when contacts don't meet the trigger criteria after entering and Allow re-entry of contacts.
Click Save to confirm.
Alert: Only one Open Trigger is allowed per workflow.Abandoned Cart
Fires when a contact adds items to a shopping cart in your connected e-commerce store but doesn't complete the purchase. Use this trigger to recover potential lost sales with timely follow-up messages.
Note: Abandoned Cart is a standalone trigger - it can't be combined with any other trigger in the same workflow.E-commerce integration required. If your account doesn't have an e-commerce platform connected, opening the configuration panel will show an Integrations screen with the message "E-commerce not yet integrated." Click Integrate to start the setup, or refer to the e-commerce integration guide for step-by-step instructions.
Once an integration is active, the configuration panel shows the following fields.
Store name - displays the name of your connected e-commerce store. This is read-only and auto-populated from your integration.
Product scope - choose which products should qualify as trigger conditions:
Any product - the trigger fires when a contact abandons a cart containing any product from your store.
Specific product - restrict the trigger to one or more particular products. When selected, a searchable Select Product dropdown appears. Products from your store are listed with their variant images. You can select multiple products; selected items appear as tags that can be removed individually.
Cart Value - optionally filter by the monetary value of the abandoned cart. Choose an operator from the dropdown:
Any amount (default - no value filter applied)
Specific amount
Greater than
Less than
Greater than equal to
Less than equal to
When any option other than "Any amount" is selected, an Enter amount field becomes active. Enter the threshold value.
Enable Set new criteria for who can enter this map toggle for an additional criteria builder. Use this to further restrict which contacts can enter - for example, only contacts from a specific country or list membership.
Available trigger settings: Remove from workflow when contacts don't meet the trigger criteria after entering and Allow re-entry of contacts.
Click Save to confirm.
Use Case: an outdoor gear retailer uses this trigger scoped to their premium product range with a cart value of greater than $150, ensuring their abandoned cart recovery sequence targets only high-value carts.
Purchase Follow-Up
Fires when a contact completes a purchase in your connected e-commerce store. Use this trigger to send order confirmations, cross-sell recommendations, review requests, or post-purchase nurture sequences.
Note: Purchase Follow-Up is a standalone trigger.E-commerce integration required. If no integration is active, the configuration panel shows the "E-commerce not yet integrated" screen with an Integrate button.
Once an integration is active, the configuration panel shows the following fields.
Store name - displays the name of your connected e-commerce store. Read-only, auto-populated from your integration.
Product scope - choose which purchased products should qualify:
Any product - the trigger fires when a contact completes a purchase of any product from your store.
Specific product - restrict to one or more products. A searchable Select Product dropdown appears, listing products from your store. You can select multiple products.
Purchased Amount - optionally filter by the value of the completed purchase. Choose an operator:
Any amount (default)
Specific amount
Greater than
Less than
Greater than equal to
Less than equal to
When any option other than "Any amount" is selected, an Enter amount field activates for the threshold value.
Enable Set new criteria for who can enter this map toggle for an additional criteria builder. Use this to further filter which contacts enter the workflow after a purchase - for example, only contacts from a specific country or list membership.
Available trigger settings: Remove from workflow when contacts don't meet the trigger criteria after entering and Allow re-entry of contacts.
Click Save to confirm.
Use Case: a home appliances brand uses this trigger scoped to their premium product line to automatically enroll buyers in a three-email onboarding sequence covering setup, care tips, and a warranty registration reminder.
Cyclic
Unlike event-based triggers, Cyclic doesn't fire in response to a contact action. Instead, it runs the workflow on a recurring schedule - daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly - for contacts who meet the criteria you define.
Schedule
Every - set the interval. The first dropdown is a number; the second is the unit:
Day(s) - pick a number from 1 to 365. Set the time and timezone.
Week(s) - pick a number from 1 to 52. Set the time and timezone. Choose the days under Only on – for example, Saturday and Sunday (for the components to trigger only during the weekends).
Month(s) - pick a number from 1 to 12. Choose Specific dates or Specific days:
Specific dates: click individual date tiles (1st through 30th, plus Last day of month).
Specific days: pick from a week-and-day grid (1st Week, 2nd Week, 3rd Week, 4th Week, Last Week - each with Sun through Sat).
Set the time and timezone.
Year(s) - pick a number from 1 to 4. Select a month from the Of dropdown. Choose Specific dates (1st through 31st) or Specific days (same week-and-day grid). Set the time and timezone.
Criteria for contact entry
Below the schedule section is Set criteria for contacts to enter the workflow. Only contacts who match these conditions at the scheduled time will enter the workflow.
Available trigger settings: Remove from workflow when contacts don't meet the trigger criteria after entering. (Allow re-entry of contacts is checked and greyed out - Cyclic always allows re-entry by design, since it runs repeatedly.)
Click Save to confirm.
Alert: Only one Cyclic Trigger is allowed per workflow.Use Case: a manufacturing supplier uses a monthly Cyclic trigger to send procurement updates to all contacts whose "Account Type" is set to "Distributor" on the 1st of every month.
Choosing the right trigger
The trigger you pick shapes the entire workflow. A few pointers:
Use Added To List or Added To Segment when your workflow should start at the point of list membership.
Use Form Submission when the entry point is your website or a signup page.
Use Email Action or WhatsApp Action when you want to follow up based on how contacts engaged with a previous message.
Use Date Field for time-sensitive outreach tied to contact records.
Use Contact Score Update to trigger sales hand-offs or priority follow-ups.
Use Open Trigger when you're orchestrating workflows from external systems via API. Use Cyclic for recurring, scheduled campaigns that aren't event-driven.
For e-commerce use cases - abandoned cart recovery and post-purchase sequences - connect your store first, then configure Abandoned Cart or Purchase Follow-Up with the appropriate product scope and amount filter.