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Mastering Workflows and Automations in Tern

A step-by-step guide to building workflows, automations, and email templates in Tern, from the Workflows and Automations workshop.

Written by April

Tern's workflows and automations are designed to streamline your business processes so you can work on your business, not just in it.

Think of a workflow as a crockpot or a complete meal, and the automations and tasks inside it as the ingredients. Once set up, the workflow runs on its own.

Why automate?

  • Save time by eliminating repetitive tasks like sending the same emails over and over

  • Keep client communication and service consistent

  • Improve efficiency and client satisfaction

Setting up your Tern account for automations

Before building workflows, check your settings.

Connected email. Go to Settings (top right, click your profile picture) > Email and Scheduling. Make sure your email (Microsoft, Gmail, etc.) is connected. If it is, automated emails send from your address. If it isn't, they send from a generic Tern address.

Email templates: the foundation of communication

Key principles

  • Template everything. If you send an email frequently, make it a template.

  • Where to find them. Templates live in Library > Email Templates. Keep them private under "My Templates" or share them with your agency or community.

  • Tern Community templates. Browse the "Tern Community" section in Email Templates for examples shared by other users. You can copy and customize any of them.

Tips for effective templates

  • Generic but personal. Write emails general enough to apply to many clients but personal enough to feel tailored. Use placeholders like {{trip.name}} or {{contact.primary_contact.first_name}}.

  • Use AI for drafts. If writing isn't your strength, use an AI tool to draft. Feed it your voice, brand, and past writing so the output sounds like you.

  • Customize the header. To swap the header or logo:

    1. Open the email template for editing

    2. Click the existing header image

    3. Upload your new image

    4. Click the six dots to the left of the old header and delete it

  • Add links. Highlight any text, click the Link icon in the editor, and paste your URL.

  • Use smart naming conventions. Categorize templates so they're easy to find. Your library sorts alphabetically, so prefixes work well:

    • [Workshop] Email 1 - After Booking

    • [Disney] Welcome Packet

    • [Italy] Pre-Trip Guide

    • [Done] Client Review Request

Importing templates from another CRM (for example, Traveljoy)

  1. Copy the email content from your old CRM

  2. Paste it into a Google Doc (not Word, which can introduce formatting issues)

  3. Copy the content from the Google Doc

  4. Paste it into your new Tern email template

This strips out hidden formatting. Add any images or logos manually afterward.

Automations vs. workflows

This is a common point of confusion.

Automation: a single action or ingredient, like "send email" or "create task." You usually don't need automation templates unless you plan to apply that specific automation to individual trips by hand.

Workflow: a collection of automations and tasks that run together, like a complete recipe. You build workflows, and you create individual automations inside them.

Creating a new workflow

  1. Go to Library > Workflows

  2. Click + New on the far right

  3. Give the workflow a descriptive name, for example "Workshop Client Care"

  4. Choose the type:

    • Trip: for trip-related automations like pre-trip emails and payment reminders. These apply to trip cards on your dashboard.

    • Contact: for contact-related automations like birthday and anniversary reminders. These apply to client contact pages.

  5. Click Create Workflow

Adding tasks to a workflow

Tasks are the to-do items the workflow reminds you about.

  1. Inside your workflow, click + Add Task

  2. Click New Task (task templates are only worth it for a very specific task you reuse manually)

  3. Enter a clear task name, for example "Send check-in text"

  4. Assign it to yourself or a team member

  5. Set the due date relative to the trip, for example "0 days before trip starts"

  6. Add a description if needed

  7. Click Save

Adding automations to a workflow

  1. Inside your workflow, click + Add Automation

  2. Click New Automation

  3. Name it descriptively, usually including the action and timing, for example "Workshop Email 1 - After Booking - Immediate." This makes triggers easy to verify at a glance.

  4. Set the trigger:

    • Trip status change: most common for immediate actions. When a trip moves from "Inbound" to "Booked," for example, that can send an email.

    • Payment due date: fires based on upcoming payment dates

    • Before/after event: fires based on the trip's start or end date

    • Contact birthday/anniversary: for Contact workflows

  5. Set the timing. How many days before or after the trigger it should run, for example "0 days immediately" after booking or "7 days before event" for final payment.

  6. Action: select Send Email

  7. Email template: choose From Templates and pick the email you created earlier

  8. Recipient: confirm it's set, for example "Primary Contact on Trip"

  9. Attachments: add packing lists, guides, or other files if needed

  10. Toggle the automation ON. It appears grayed out when active. Toggle it off to make edits.

  11. Click Save and Close

Trigger considerations

  • Immediate emails. For anything that needs to go out right away, like a booking confirmation, use "Trip status change" with "0 days immediately."

  • Delay for personalization. If an email needs personal details added first, don't use an immediate trigger. Set a one-day delay, or send it manually from inside the trip using your template.

  • Payment reminders. The trigger can't tell a deposit apart from a final payment. Every payment-based reminder fires when a payment date is due, so write your copy generically, for example "You have an upcoming payment due." You can stack multiple reminders, such as 7 days and 3 days before.

Applying workflows to trips

Auto apply options

  • From trip created: best for workflows that should start the moment a new trip is created, for example from a Tern form. This assumes the trip already has contact information.

  • Trip status changed: applies when a trip moves to a specified status, such as "Booked"

  • Trip tag added: applies when a specific tag is added to a trip. This is the fastest shortcut.

How to set up auto apply

  1. Open your workflow in Library > Workflows

  2. Scroll to the Auto Apply section

  3. Select your trigger, for example "Trip tag added"

  4. If using a tag, select it (see Creating and using tags below)

  5. Toggle Enable Auto Apply to ON

  6. Save and close the workflow

Applying manually to a single trip

  1. Open the trip

  2. Click Automations in the left sidebar

  3. Click + Add Workflow

  4. Select your workflow

Bulk applying to existing trips or contacts

  1. Open the workflow

  2. Click Bulk Apply

  3. Choose "All Trips" or "All Contacts," depending on the workflow type

  4. Click Bulk Apply

A caution about Apply Updates. If you edit a workflow in your Library after it has been applied to trips and then click "Apply Updates," it overwrites any manual changes made to those individual trip workflows. It won't resend emails that already went out, but it will update automations that haven't fired yet.

Creating and using tags

Tags are a powerful shortcut for applying workflows.

How to create a tag

You can't create a tag from inside a workflow's auto apply settings. Create it in a trip first.

  1. Open any trip (a demo trip works)

  2. Go to the Overview tab

  3. Under "Trip Settings" on the right, find Tags

  4. Type your tag name, for example "Workshop"

  5. Press Enter, then click Create on the "Create [Tag Name]" prompt

You can delete the tag from the demo trip afterward. It still exists for use in workflows.

How to use tags for workflows

  1. Create your tag

  2. Go to Library > Workflows and open your workflow

  3. Under Auto Apply, select Trip tag added and choose your tag

  4. Enable Auto Apply and save

  5. Now, adding that tag on any trip's Overview tab applies the workflow automatically

Tag limitation for agency owners. Tag-based auto-apply is personal to the account that set it up. If you share a tag-based workflow, your agents can't auto-apply it with the tag from the trip overview unless they configure the tag for auto-apply in their own account. They can still apply it manually from the Automations tab inside the trip.

Testing your workflows

Always test before rolling out.

  1. Create a demo trip in Tern

  2. Add yourself as the primary traveler using your personal email

  3. Apply the workflow, manually or by tag or status change

  4. Make sure the trip has all the dates and information the triggers need (start and end dates, payment dates)

  5. Change trip statuses to fire immediate emails, or move dates forward to simulate upcoming events

  6. Check your personal inbox to confirm emails are sending

  7. Check your task list in Tern to confirm tasks are appearing

Tern's integrated scheduler

Tern includes a scheduling tool that can replace external services like Calendly.

  1. Go to Settings > Email and Scheduling

  2. Click Manage Schedules

  3. Create a scheduling page:

    • Set your call details (Tern integrates directly with Zoom and Microsoft Teams)

    • Define your availability with time blocks for each day

  4. Calendar sync. The scheduler syncs with your connected calendar (Google, Outlook, and others). Existing appointments on that calendar are automatically blocked out on your scheduling page.

  5. Notifications. When a client books, you get an email notification and the appointment is added to your synced calendar.

Best practices and advanced tips

  • Start small. Don't automate everything at once. Begin with a few essential touchpoints (after booking, final payment reminder, pre-trip info, welcome home or review request) and expand from there.

  • Layer workflows. You can apply several workflows to one trip, for example a general client care workflow plus a Disney World workflow plus a young children personalization workflow. Watch the timing so clients don't get several emails on the same day.

  • Stack passport reminders. Set multiple reminders (250, 180, and 120 days before expiration) so clients are prompted even if they're added late or miss an earlier one. Ask clients to tell you about updates so records stay current, or send them a form link to upload new passport information.

  • Use multiple tabs. Right-click menu items like Library, Trips, or Contacts and select "Open link in new tab" to keep several sections of Tern open at once.

  • Put timing in automation names. Naming an automation "Email - 7 Days Before Trip" gives you a quick visual check when reviewing the workflow.

  • Experiment. You can always delete test trips and workflows. If something goes wrong, the Tern support team can help.

  • Add a "Check Automations" task. A manual task that fires a set number of days before a trip reminds you to review that trip's upcoming automations and toggle on anything you left inactive for manual control.

Community and support

  • Q&A sessions. Attend live Q&A sessions. Check the Tern to Learn library or the website events page for schedules.

  • Community experts. Reach out to community experts for personalized help.

  • Tern Community. Browse the Tern Community inside the platform for shared resources, templates, and discussions.

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