Automation

Understanding triggers and actions in GHL workflows

A complete reference to every trigger and action type available in GHL workflows.

📋 7 steps ⏱ ~21 min 📅 Updated 2026-04-07 English

What you will learn

This GoHighLevel tutorial walks you through understanding triggers and actions in ghl workflows with clear, numbered steps. Whether you are new to GoHighLevel or looking to configure automation correctly, this guide covers everything you need. You will learn: what are triggers?, contact-based triggers, form and funnel triggers, appointment triggers, and more. All steps work inside a standard GoHighLevel account — start a free 14-day trial if you do not have one yet.

Step-by-step guide

1

What are triggers?

Triggers are the events that start a workflow. They watch for something to happen — like a form submission, a tag being added, or an appointment being booked.

2

Contact-based triggers

These fire based on changes to a contact: Contact Created, Tag Added/Removed, Field Changed, Birthday Reminder, Contact DND (Do Not Disturb) status change.

3

Form and funnel triggers

Fire when someone interacts with your forms or funnels: Form Submitted, Survey Submitted, Order Submitted, Funnel Step Completed.

4

Appointment triggers

Fire based on calendar events: Appointment Booked, Appointment Status Changed (confirmed, cancelled, no-show).

5

Pipeline / opportunity triggers

Fire when deals move in your CRM: Opportunity Status Changed, Opportunity Stage Changed, Pipeline Stage Entered.

6

Action types overview

Actions are what the workflow does: Send Email, Send SMS, Add Tag, Remove Tag, Add to Campaign, Create Opportunity, Update Contact Field, Wait, If/Else branch, and more.

7

If/Else branching

Use the If/Else action to create conditional paths. For example: if the contact has the tag 'Paid Customer', go down one path; otherwise go down another.

💡 Once this is set up, GoHighLevel handles the rest automatically. Start your free trial →

Frequently asked questions

How do I what are triggers? in GoHighLevel?

Triggers are the events that start a workflow. They watch for something to happen — like a form submission, a tag being added, or an appointment being booked.

What is the first step to understanding triggers and actions in ghl workflows?

The first step is to what are triggers?. Triggers are the events that start a workflow. They watch for something to happen — like a form submission, a tag being added, or an appointment being booked.

Do I need a GoHighLevel account to follow this tutorial?

Yes. This guide requires an active GoHighLevel account. You can start a free 14-day trial at gohighlevel.com — no credit card is required.

Have questions about GHL? 📅 Book a free call 🔥 Skool — $87/mo