Skip to content

Workflows

Workflows let you create multi-stage forms where different participants complete different stages in sequence. They're ideal for processes that involve handoffs between people — like applications, approvals, reviews, and onboarding.

Workflows are available on the Pro plan and above.

Concepts

Stages

A workflow is made up of stages. Each stage is essentially its own form, completed by a specific participant.

Example: A job application workflow with three stages: 1. Application — the candidate fills out their details 2. Review — the hiring manager scores the application 3. Decision — the HR lead records the final decision

Roles

Roles define the types of participants in your workflow. Each stage is assigned to a role.

Common roles: - Applicant - Reviewer - Admin - Approver

Triggers

Triggers control when a stage becomes active. They determine the flow between stages.

Trigger Type Description
Immediate Next stage activates as soon as the current one is completed
Time Delay Wait a specified number of minutes before activating
Condition Activate based on answers from a previous stage
Manual Requires an admin to manually activate the next stage
Dependency Wait for a specific other stage to complete first

Participants

Participants are the real people who complete each stage. Each participant is assigned a role and receives a unique magic link via email.

Creating a Workflow

Step 1: New Workflow

  1. Go to Workflows from the admin sidebar.
  2. Click New Workflow.
  3. Enter a title and description.

Step 2: Define Roles

  1. Switch to the Roles view in the builder.
  2. Click Add Role.
  3. Name each role (e.g., "Applicant", "Reviewer") and add a description.

Step 3: Build Stages

  1. Switch to the Stages view.
  2. Click Add Stage.
  3. For each stage, configure:
  4. Title — what participants see (e.g., "Application Form")
  5. Description — instructions for the participant
  6. Assigned Role — which role completes this stage
  7. Form fields — add, edit, reorder, and remove fields directly in the stage editor. All 27 field types are available, including text, choice, rating, date/time, content blocks (headings, images, embeds), advanced (address, location, matrix), and media (file upload, signature, rich text).
  8. Context Display — optionally show answers from previous stages as read-only context

You can also use AI Generate to create fields automatically — describe what you need and Drift builds the form for you. You can then fine-tune individual fields afterwards.

Step 4: Set Up Triggers

  1. Switch to the Timeline view to see the visual flow.
  2. Draw connections between stages.
  3. For each connection, configure the trigger type:
  4. Immediate — flows automatically
  5. Time Delay — set the delay in minutes
  6. Condition — configure which answers trigger the transition
  7. Manual — admin activates manually
  8. Dependency — select the stage(s) to wait for

Step 5: Publish

Click Publish to make the workflow available for launching instances.

The Flow Designer

The Timeline View provides a visual canvas where you can:

  • See all stages as nodes on a diagram
  • Draw connections showing trigger paths
  • Drag stages to reposition them
  • See the full workflow logic at a glance

This is the best view for understanding complex workflows with multiple branches.

Launching a Workflow Instance

Once a workflow is published, you can launch instances of it:

  1. Go to Workflows → select your workflow → Instances tab.
  2. Click Create Instance.
  3. Add participants:
  4. Enter each participant's name and email
  5. Assign them a role
  6. Click Launch.

Each participant receives an email with a unique magic link to complete their stage.

Participant Experience

When a participant clicks their magic link:

  1. They see the workflow title and stage title.
  2. A personalised greeting: "Welcome, [Name]".
  3. Context display — if configured, they see read-only answers from previous stages.
  4. The form for their stage.
  5. After submitting, they see a confirmation message.

Participants don't need a Drift account — magic links provide secure, token-based access.

Managing Instances

Instance Statuses

Status Description
Active In progress — at least one stage is pending or active
Completed All stages have been completed
Cancelled Manually cancelled by an admin

Monitoring Progress

From the instance detail page you can:

  • See which stages are completed, active, or pending
  • View each participant's status and role
  • Read submitted responses for completed stages — responses are displayed with full formatting (star ratings, file downloads, signatures, formatted addresses, and more), grouped by section, with the participant's name and completion time shown for each stage
  • Send reminder links to participants
  • Manually activate stages (for manual triggers)

Stage Statuses

Each stage in an instance has its own status:

Status Description
Pending Waiting for a trigger to activate
Active The participant can now complete this stage
Completed The participant has submitted their response
Skipped The stage was skipped due to conditional logic

Workflow Branding & Theming

Workflow participant pages support the same branding options as forms:

  1. Open your workflow in the builder.
  2. Go to Settings → Branding (from the overflow menu).
  3. Choose a theme or set custom colours for the participant experience — background, text, buttons, and input fields.
  4. Upload a logo and cover image.
  5. Adjust typography, button shape (including the new pill option), and corner radius.

Branding applies to the magic link pages your participants see when completing their stages.

Embedding Workflows

You can embed workflow participant pages in your website, just like forms:

  1. From the workflow builder, open the Share dialog.
  2. Choose the Embed tab.
  3. Copy the iframe code or JavaScript snippet.
  4. Paste it into your website's HTML.

The embedded view uses a minimal chrome layout and automatically resizes to fit the content. The transparent background option lets the workflow blend seamlessly into your site design.

Workflow Activity on the Dashboard

The dashboard's Recent Activity stream shows workflow events alongside form responses:

  • Workflow launched — when a new instance is created and participants are invited
  • Stage completed — when a participant submits their stage

Each activity item links to the relevant instance detail page. Workflow events are shown with a green accent to distinguish them from form responses.

Workflow AI Generation (Pro)

Describe your workflow in plain English and let AI generate the structure:

  1. Click New Workflow → Generate with AI.
  2. Describe the process, e.g.: "A three-stage employee onboarding process where HR fills out employee details, the new hire completes their profile, and the manager signs off."
  3. AI generates roles, stages, forms, and triggers.
  4. Review and refine in the builder.

Workflow Insights (Pro)

Access AI-generated insights for workflow instances:

  • Completion rates across stages
  • Average time per stage
  • Common patterns in responses
  • Bottleneck identification

Find insights under the workflow's AI Insights tab.

Tips

  • Start simple — begin with 2–3 stages and add complexity as needed
  • Context display — use it to give reviewers the information they need without leaving the form
  • Manual triggers — useful for approval steps where a human needs to make a judgement call
  • Conditional triggers — great for routing to different reviewers based on application type
  • Test first — launch a test instance with your own email to walk through the full experience