Automation Triggers Overview
Every automation in Ambassador 3 starts with a trigger — the moment that sets everything in motion. When you create a new automation, you'll choose a starting point that tells Ambassador exactly when to fire it. This article covers every available trigger, organized by category.
How Triggers Are Organized
Triggers are grouped into six categories based on the type of activity that starts the automation:
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Contact activity — actions and changes related to your contacts
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Rewards & payments — reward status changes and fulfillment events
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Campaign activity — campaign lifecycle events
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Order activity — buyer shopping and order events
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API & integrations — webhook and third-party data events
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Time based — scheduled or manual execution
Contact Activity
Contact activity triggers fire based on things happening with your contacts — profile changes, advocacy actions, referral events, and loyalty milestones. When you select this category, you'll filter by contact type: All contacts, Advocate only, or Customer only.
All Contacts
These triggers apply to any contact in your account, regardless of whether they're an advocate or a customer.
Profile Changes
|
Trigger |
Description |
|---|---|
|
When a Contact is Created |
Starts when a new contact is created — send an invite to join the program or other call-to-action. |
|
When a Contact Profile Field Changes |
Starts when specific contact fields change — like their email, status, custom fields, or segment. |
|
When a Contact Journey Stage Changes |
Starts when a contact moves from one stage of their journey to another, like going from "Qualified" to "Closed/Won." |
|
When a Contact is Added to a Segment |
Starts when a contact joins a specific segment — pair with smart segments to automatically group people when they meet certain conditions, like "Referred Prospects" or "VIP Advocates." |
Recognition
|
Trigger |
Description |
|---|---|
|
When a Contact Changes Loyalty Tiers |
Starts when a contact moves to a higher or lower loyalty tier — reach out to celebrate or encourage progress. |
|
When a Contact Receives a Badge |
Starts when a loyalty badge is awarded to an advocate — recognize their achievement and encourage them to keep going. |
|
When a Contact Completes a Task |
Starts when a task is completed by a contact — recognize their achievement and encourage them to keep going. |
|
On a Contact's Birthday |
Starts on a contact's birthday — celebrate with a personal touch and keep the connection strong. |
Advocate Only
These triggers are specific to contacts who are enrolled as advocates in your program.
Enrollment
|
Trigger |
Description |
|---|---|
|
When a Contact Enrolls as an Advocate |
Starts when a contact enrolls as an advocate — welcome them right away and set them up for success with helpful follow-ups. |
Referral Link
|
Trigger |
Description |
|---|---|
|
When an Advocate Makes a Referral |
Starts when a referral is created between an advocate and someone they referred — use it to complete an outcome for the advocate, such as engaging them with an email. |
|
When an Advocate Shares a Referral Link |
Starts when an advocate shares their referral link — encourage the advocate for their first share or a milestone share to keep the momentum going. |
|
When an Advocate's Referral Link is Clicked |
Starts when someone clicks on an advocate's referral link — engage the advocate when they reach a click milestone. |
Recognition
|
Trigger |
Description |
|---|---|
|
On an Advocate's Enrollment Anniversary |
Starts on the anniversary of a contact becoming an advocate — celebrate their milestone and show appreciation for their continued support. |
|
When an Advocate Clicks on a Loyalty Task |
Starts when an advocate clicks a loyalty task — mark it complete and keep them motivated with a badge, reward, or email. |
Customer Only
These triggers are specific to contacts who are in your system as referred customers.
Referral Link
|
Trigger |
Description |
|---|---|
|
When a Contact is Referred |
Starts when a referral is linked between a contact and the advocate who referred them — use it to take action with the referred contact, update their stage, or guide their next step. |
Rewards & Payments
These triggers fire based on reward status changes and fulfillment activity. Use them to notify contacts, trigger follow-up actions, or catch issues before they become problems.
|
Trigger |
Description |
|---|---|
|
When a Reward is Created |
Starts when a points or cash reward is created for a contact. |
|
When a Reward is Approved |
Starts when a reward's status changes to Approved — great for kicking off fulfillment or celebration steps. |
|
When a Reward is Denied |
Starts when a reward's status changes to Denied — use it to explain why and guide the contact toward earning future rewards. |
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When a Reward is Flagged |
Starts when a reward's status changes to Flagged — review it quickly to catch possible fraud or misuse. |
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When a Reward Expires |
Starts when a reward's status changes to Expired — notify contacts of the expiration. |
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When a Reward is Fulfilled |
Starts when one or more rewards for a contact are fulfilled — send a notification to the recipient with the details. |
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When a Reward is Redeemed |
Starts when a reward is redeemed by a contact or via direct fulfillment. |
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When a Portal or Storefront Reward is About to Expire |
Starts a set number of days before a reward expires — remind contacts to redeem their rewards before they lose them. |
|
When a Portal or Storefront Reward Remains Unredeemed |
Starts a set number of days after a reward is fulfilled but remains unredeemed — encourage contacts to redeem their rewards before they lose them. |
Campaign Activity
These triggers fire based on campaign lifecycle events. Use them to keep your systems, team, and participants in sync as campaigns move through their stages.
|
Trigger |
Description |
|---|---|
|
When a Campaign Starts |
Starts when a campaign's status changes to Live and the Start Date is reached — get your systems, team, and participants in sync. |
|
When a Campaign Ends |
Starts when a campaign's status changes to Ended — wrap things up and update everyone who needs to know. |
|
When a Campaign's Landing Page Changes Status |
Starts when a landing page's status changes — make sure your systems, team, and participants are aligned. |
Order Activity
These triggers fire based on buyer shopping activity. They're especially useful when you're running reward-on-purchase flows or need to update a contact's journey based on order behavior.
|
Trigger |
Description |
|---|---|
|
When an Order is Created |
Starts when a customer places an order — reward them, update their journey, send a thank-you email, issue a badge, adjust loyalty tiers, or keep your team informed. |
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When an Order is Changed |
Starts when an existing order is updated — like changes to items, quantities, pricing, or customer info — use it to update reward status or a customer journey. |
API & Integrations
These triggers fire based on incoming data from your connected tools and services.
|
Trigger |
Description |
|---|---|
|
When a Webhook is Received |
Starts when Ambassador gets real-time data from one of your connected tools or services — keep everything synced and running smoothly across platforms. |
Time Based
Time-based triggers let you schedule automations to run on a set schedule or fire them manually on demand. These are great for recurring engagement campaigns, monthly emails, or one-time sends.
|
Trigger |
Description |
|---|---|
|
On Any Day of the Week |
Run this automation on specific days of the week — set start and end dates for limited-time promos. |
|
On a Specific Day of the Month |
Run it on a set day each month — perfect for monthly engagement emails or a one-time send. |
|
Crontab |
Run it at a custom time using a cron expression (advanced). |
|
On Demand |
Start it manually whenever you're ready — giving you full control to run it instantly and only when needed. |