Workflows
Workflows are multi-step sequences your AI assistant runs automatically — prospect pre-screening, lead qualification, follow-up messages, document collection, and more. You set them up once; the assistant handles the timing and conversation.
How Workflows Work
- A workflow starts — either you trigger it manually from the dashboard or management chat, or a prospect clicks a shareable link
- The assistant executes steps in order — sending messages, waiting for replies, asking questions, branching based on responses
- If the prospect replies mid-workflow, the assistant pauses the workflow and handles the reply naturally, then resumes
- The workflow ends when all steps complete, the prospect disengages, or you cancel it
Workflows run in the background. You can monitor progress, pause, resume, or cancel from the dashboard or through the management chat.
Built-In Workflows
Rentalot comes with ready-to-use workflow templates. Enable them from Workflows in your dashboard.
Pre-Screening Questionnaire
Screen new prospects with a customizable questionnaire. Collects name, contact info, budget, move-in timeline, and any custom questions you add.
After completing the questionnaire, the prospect’s answers are summarized and you receive an email notification with the submission data and a link to their contact page. You can then review the submission — approve or deny with optional notes.
Trigger: Shareable link — prospects self-enroll by clicking a link or scanning a QR code. You can also start it manually.
Lead Qualification
Screen new prospects before you invest time in a showing. The assistant asks three questions:
- Target move-in date
- Monthly rent budget
- Must-haves (parking, pets, laundry, etc.)
After collecting answers, the assistant searches your listings for matches and recommends properties. You receive a detailed email with the prospect’s data. You can toggle application emails off in Settings > Notifications.
Trigger: Shareable link or manual.
Property Blast
Send a property listing to a contact with automatic follow-ups.
- Sends an intro message with property details
- Waits 24 hours, then follows up if no reply
- Waits another 48 hours for a final nudge
- Stops as soon as the prospect replies
Trigger: Manual — you pick the contact and property.
Showing Follow-Up
After a showing, the assistant follows up to collect feedback and nudge toward application.
- Waits 2 hours after the showing completes
- Asks how the showing went
- If no reply after 24 hours, sends a second check-in
- Notifies you with the prospect’s feedback
Trigger: Automatic — fires when a showing status changes to “completed.”
Application Nudge
For prospects who said “yes” but haven’t submitted an application.
- Sends a check-in message offering help with the process
- Two follow-ups spaced 48 and 72 hours apart
- Notifies you if the prospect remains unresponsive
Trigger: Manual.
Idle Re-Engagement
Reactivate contacts who went silent mid-conversation.
- Sends a friendly check-in
- Waits 72 hours
- If still no reply, archives the contact with a polite closing message
Trigger: Automatic — fires when a contact has been idle for 7+ days.
Renewal Check-In
Remind tenants about upcoming lease renewals.
- Sends a renewal inquiry 60 days before lease expiry
- Two follow-ups if no response
- Notifies you with the tenant’s decision
Trigger: Scheduled — based on lease expiry date.
Document Collection
Collect required documents (ID, pay stubs, references) step by step.
- Asks for each document one at a time
- Sends reminders if the prospect doesn’t respond within 48 hours
- Notifies you as each document arrives and when collection is complete
Trigger: Manual — you enroll contacts after they agree to apply.
Editing Workflow Steps
You can customize any workflow’s steps directly from its detail page. Click into a workflow from the Workflows tab, and you’ll see the step list with editing controls.
What You Can Do
- Expand a step to edit its configuration and routing
- Reorder steps using the arrow buttons
- Delete steps with the trash button
- Add new steps using the ”+ Add Step” button at the bottom
All changes are local until you click Save Steps. If you change your mind, click Discard to revert.
Step Types
| Type | What it does |
|---|---|
| Send Message | Send a message to the prospect (supports variable interpolation like {contact.name}) |
| Wait | Pause the workflow for a duration (e.g. 30s, 5m, 24h, 3d) |
| Wait for Reply | Ask a question and wait for the prospect’s response |
| Condition | Branch the workflow based on a condition (e.g. “did the contact reply?”) |
| Ask Choice | Present multiple-choice options to the prospect |
| Switch | Route to different steps based on a context value |
| Update Contact | Update contact fields with collected data |
| Notify Agent | Store a notification summary on the contact (visible in dashboard) |
| AI Agent | Run an AI-powered conversation step |
| Property Match | Search your listings and recommend matches |
| End | End the workflow and email you the full application details |
Routing
Each step can route to another step via the Next step dropdown. Condition steps have separate Yes and No branches.
When you delete or reorder steps, routing references update automatically. If a deleted step was referenced by another step’s routing, that reference is cleared — check and fix any “(none)” routing before saving.
Tips
- Always keep at least one End step. The editor won’t let you delete the last one.
- Check routing after reordering. Step numbers shift when you move things around — the editor remaps automatically, but it’s good to verify.
- Save often. Unsaved changes are lost if you navigate away.
- Duplicate first, edit the copy. If you’re making major changes to a working workflow, duplicate it and experiment on the copy.
- Complex step types (Wait for Reply, AI Agent, Ask Choice, Switch, Condition, Property Match) show their configuration as read-only JSON for now. Full editing for these types is coming soon.
Starting a Workflow
From the Dashboard
Go to Workflows > Active Runs and click Start Workflow. Select a template, pick a contact, and optionally choose a property.
From Management Chat
Use natural language:
“Start lead qualification for John Smith”
“Send the property blast for 123 Oak St to Maria”
“Run document collection for the Johnsons”
The assistant finds the right template and contact by name — no IDs needed.
Via Shareable Link
Create a link that auto-enrolls prospects when they visit. Share it on listings, flyers, email signatures, or anywhere you want to capture leads.
| Placement | What it triggers |
|---|---|
| Online listing (Zillow, Craigslist) | Pre-screening or lead qualification |
| For-rent sign on the lawn | Pre-screening for that property |
| Open house sign-in table | Showing follow-up (replaces paper sign-in) |
| Flyer or door hanger | Lead qualification for your portfolio |
| Business card | General qualification |
| Email signature | Lead qualification — every email becomes a lead funnel |
Generate links from the dashboard: Workflows > expand a template’s settings > Share section.
Reviewing Applications
When a prospect completes a pre-screening workflow, their submission appears on the dashboard activity feed and on their contact page.
Approve or Deny
- Go to Contacts and select the prospect
- Scroll to the Submission Review card
- Optionally add internal notes (only visible to you, not the prospect)
- Click Approve or Deny
By default, the prospect is not emailed when you approve or deny. To enable prospect review emails, go to Settings > Notifications and turn on Notify prospect on review. When enabled, the prospect receives an email with your decision and a link to their status page.
What the Prospect Sees
If you have the status page enabled, prospects can check their application status using their personalized status link. The status page shows:
- Overall application status
- Review decision badge (Approved / Declined)
- Their submitted answers grouped by category
- Any upcoming showings
Managing Active Workflows
Dashboard
The Workflows page shows two tabs:
- Templates — all available workflows with enable/disable toggles. Expand a template’s settings to toggle public visibility, edit the intro message, manage screening questions, and share via QR code
- Active Runs — currently running, paused, or pending workflows
Each active run shows the template name, contact, current step progress, and action buttons to Pause, Resume, or Cancel.
Management Chat
Ask your assistant about workflows in plain language:
“How’s the Oak Street blast going?”
“Pause the workflow for Sarah Chen”
“Cancel all workflows for unresponsive contacts”
“What workflows are running right now?”
How the Assistant Understands Replies
Workflows aren’t just scripted message sequences. When the assistant asks a question (like “What’s your budget?”), it uses AI to understand freeform replies.
If a prospect says “under 2k but flexible for the right place,” the assistant extracts structured data — budget of $2,000, flexible — and moves to the next question. If the prospect asks an off-topic question mid-workflow (“actually, does that place have parking?”), the assistant answers it and then returns to the workflow question.
If the prospect says they’re not interested, the assistant detects the disengagement, sends a polite closing message, and ends the workflow early.
Stopping a Workflow
Prospects can exit a workflow at any time. You can also:
- Pause — temporarily stop, resume later
- Cancel — permanently end the workflow run
- Cancel all — stop all active workflows for a contact
Limits
- Messages per workflow: Default 5 (configurable per template) — prevents over-messaging
- Timeout: Workflows auto-cancel after 30 days of inactivity
- One active run per template: A contact can’t have two instances of the same workflow running simultaneously