Automation doesn't mean sending one automatic message. It means a customer enters a path that branches on their behaviour: did they reply or not? Did they buy or browse and leave? Mersal's automation builder lets you draw that path visually, without code.
Available nodes
A flow is assembled from nodes you connect together:
- Start: the entry point.
- Keyword: begins the flow when a customer sends a particular word.
- Trigger: starts on an event (new signup, order, incoming message).
- Wait: pauses for a set duration before the next step.
- Condition: branches — if this happened go here, otherwise go there.
- AI:
ai_generateandai_sendnodes to compose and send an intelligent reply inside the flow.
Keyword versus Trigger
Both start a flow, but which one you choose shapes the whole automation:
- Keyword starts from the customer's side — they sent a word. Suited to self-service: "pricing", "branches", "track".
- Trigger starts from the system's side — something happened in your store. Suited to operational flows: new order, abandoned cart, signup.
Most genuinely useful automations start with a Trigger. Keywords are handy, but they wait for the customer to move — and the real value is in you moving at the right moment.
11 ready-made presets
You don't have to start from a blank canvas. Eleven presets are available to start from and adapt, which removes the hardest first step.
Three automations worth building immediately
1) Abandoned cart recovery
Trigger on cart abandonment → Wait 1 hour → a friendly reminder → Condition: if no purchase within 24 hours → a second message with a small incentive. This is usually the highest-ROI automation in e-commerce.
One important note: make the first message a reminder, not an offer. Lead with a discount and you teach customers to abandon carts in order to get one.
2) New customer welcome
Trigger on signup → immediate welcome → Wait 2 days → a "how to get started" message → Wait 5 days → a first-order offer.
3) Post-sale follow-up
Trigger on order completion → Wait 3 days → "Did it arrive? What do you think?" → Condition on the reply: positive → ask for a review; negative → route to a support ticket.
The Condition node: the most important one
Automation without conditions is just scheduled messaging. The conditions that actually matter:
- Replied or not: someone who replied deserves an entirely different path from someone who stayed silent.
- Bought or not: essential to halt a recovery flow the moment they purchase — a "you forgot your cart" message after checkout does damage.
- Customer attribute: a wholesale customer should receive a different message from a retail one.
- Order value: a large order deserves personal follow-up from a rep, not an automated message.
Test before you activate
The builder includes a test mode and flow duplication. Run the flow against your own number first. The most common mistake is a Wait node with the wrong duration, which makes a customer receive three messages in a minute.
Before enabling for everyone, run it against a small group for a week and read the real conversations.
Common mistakes
- Flows with no end: every branch must terminate, or customers stay in the flow forever.
- Not stopping on handoff: once a human takes over, the automation must go quiet.
- Two automations on one event: the customer receives two similar messages and you look disorganised.
- Wait durations too short: a one-hour wait in a follow-up flow reads as pushy. Keep durations realistic.
- No fallback path: if the customer replies with something unexpected, something has to catch it.
Webhooks for external systems
If you run an external system you can register a webhook endpoint and receive auth, delivery and reply events, with a ping test and secret rotation. Automation isn't locked inside Mersal — it can drive processes in your own stack too.
Frequently asked questions
Can a customer enter the same flow twice? You control that — usually best to block repeats on welcome flows and allow them on order flows.
Does automation consume credit? Every message sent from a flow is deducted like any other message.
Can I stop a running flow? Yes, and customers partway through stop where they are.
