Skip to main content

​
Contact → Pipeline

Turns Contact information into Pipeline progress. Use the Contact → Pipeline action to take data already stored on the contact — name, phone, labels, custom fields, source — and create or update a record in the right pipeline and stage in a single automation run.
Contact and Pipeline are Automation concepts, not standalone pages. You configure the Contact → Pipeline action inside the Automation builder as a step of a workflow.

​
What each part does

​
Contact

Contact is the source. It is the customer record that triggered the automation — either an existing contact or one created during the flow. A Contact carries the data your workflow can use:
  • Identity — name, phone number, email
  • Labels — segments such as Hot Lead, VIP, Support
  • Custom fields — values collected via ask nodes, WhatsApp Flows, or imports (e.g., city, requirement, budget, priority)
  • Source & assignment — channel source, assigned teammate, status
  • Trigger context — the Event that started the run (e.g., Flow submitted, inbound message)
The workflow does not need to ask for this data again — it is already available as variables in the builder.

​
Pipeline

The Pipeline action creates or updates a record in the chosen Pipeline and places it in the specified stage. It takes:
  • Pipeline — which pipeline to update (e.g., Leads, Sales, Support)
  • Stage — which stage to place the record in (e.g., New, Qualified)
  • Field mapping — which Contact fields to store on the pipeline record (e.g., Title = {{contact.name}}, City = {{contact.customFields.city}})
  • Identity binding — which contact the pipeline record belongs to (usually the triggering contact: “current contact”)
After the action runs, the record appears in the selected stage, history is recorded (who/what moved it and when), and any stage-change Events are logged.

​
How they connect

The Contact provides the data; the Pipeline action performs the business move. Keep them as sequential steps in the same workflow — collect or confirm contact data first, then map it into the pipeline.

​
When to use Contact → Pipeline

  • Lead qualification: when a contact has city and requirement filled, create a record in Leads → Qualified with those fields mapped.
  • Support triage: when a contact is labeled Urgent, move it into Support → In Progress and map issue_type and priority.
  • Booking follow-up: after collecting preferred time on the contact, push into Bookings → Pending Confirmation.
  • Campaign follow-up: when a contact clicks or replies, move them from Leads → New to Leads → Contacted without asking for data again.
If you only need to update a contact field without tracking stage progress, you don’t need a Pipeline — use a field update. Use Pipeline when you need to see where the contact is in your process.

​
How to use Contact → Pipeline

1

Open Automation and choose the workflow

Go to Workspace → Automation. Either create a new workflow (Create a Workflow) or open an existing one. Confirm you are in the correct channel context (see Channels) before editing.
2

Set the trigger

Choose the Event that should start this flow — e.g., Contact created, Custom field updated, Inbound message, WhatsApp Flow submitted, or Webhook received. The trigger determines which Contact data will be available. See Select a Trigger.
3

Ensure Contact data is available

If the workflow collects data, place those steps before the Pipeline action:
  • An Ask node that writes to a custom field (e.g., ask for city)
  • A WhatsApp Flow that maps to custom fields
  • A Condition that checks a label or field value
  • Import or API updates that set fields
The Pipeline action can only map fields that already exist on the contact at that point in the flow.
4

Add the Pipeline step and map Contact fields

Add an action and select Pipeline (sometimes shown as Create Pipeline Record, Update Pipeline, or Move to Pipeline).Configure:
  • Pipeline — select the destination pipeline (e.g., Leads).
  • Stage — select the stage to place the record in (e.g., New or Qualified).
  • Contact binding — confirm the record is linked to the triggering contact (usually automatic: “current contact”).
  • Field mapping — map Contact fields to pipeline fields. Examples:
    • Title = {{contact.name}} or {{contact.name}} - {{contact.customFields.requirement}}
    • Phone = {{contact.phoneNumber}}
    • City = {{contact.customFields.city}}
    • Labels = {{contact.labels}}
    • Source = {{contact.source}}
Map only fields that matter for this pipeline stage. Too many fields make the pipeline card hard to scan.
5

Add conditions if needed (optional)

If the Pipeline move should only happen sometimes, add a condition before the Pipeline step:
  • If requirement is not empty → run Pipeline action
  • If contact.labels contains Hot → move to Leads → Hot else Leads → New
Keep conditions close to the action they guard so the workflow stays readable.
6

Save and review

Review the full chain: Trigger → (contact data steps) → Pipeline. Confirm field mappings reference exactly the right Contact variables.
7

Test with real data

Use a controlled run: trigger the automation with a real phone number and realistic Contact data, then open Pipelines and verify the record was created in the expected stage with the correct mapped values. Also check the contact’s Events history to confirm the stage-change Event was recorded. Only then mark the flow active — see Manage Live Flows.

​
Example

Goal: when a customer submits a WhatsApp Flow with city and requirement, create a Pipeline record in Leads → Qualified. After submission, the contact shows a new card in Pipelines → Leads → Qualified. A teammate can then add a Note — “Discussed pricing. Follow up next week.” — and move the card forward as the deal progresses. Another example — label-based routing:

​
Information passed from Contact into Pipeline

  • Contact identity — name, phone, email
  • Custom fields — any text, dropdown, or label fields stored on the contact
  • Labels and source — useful for segmentation inside the pipeline
  • Assignment and status — who owns the contact, whether blocked/active
  • Trigger context — conversation ID, Flow ID, or automation run ID is retained for history where exposed, so the pipeline record links back to the originating interaction

​
Limitations and prerequisites

  • Pipeline must exist first. Create the target pipeline and its stages in Pipelines before referencing them in Automation. The builder can only select existing pipelines/stages.
  • Contact must exist. Most triggers implicitly create or identify the contact. If your flow tries to map a contact before it is identified, the fields will be empty.
  • Field availability matters. Map only fields that are already set at that point in the flow. If you map an ask-node custom field before that ask node runs, the value will be empty — keep steps ordered.
  • One Pipeline action per intended move. To update multiple Pipelines, add separate Pipeline steps (one per pipeline).
  • Empty values are passed as empty. If a custom field is empty, the pipeline field will be empty — guard optional fields with a condition if needed.
  • Permissions apply. Teammates need Manage Automations (and often Manage Pipelines / Manage Contacts) to create or edit this chain. See Team.
  • Channel scope. Automations are channel-scoped — a workflow built under a WhatsApp channel won’t fire for a Web Chat event unless configured for that channel.

​
Troubleshooting

Last modified on August 28, 2026