# Triggers and actions

Every [workflow](/help/workflows/overview) is a list of **steps**, and every step is a
**trigger** (when it fires) plus an **action** (what it does). You set these per step in
the workflow editor ([Workflows](/360/workflows)).

<Screenshot
  src="/help/screenshots/workflows/steps.png"
  alt="The workflow editor in the 42min dashboard, showing a workflow's 'Applies to' event types and two steps, each with a Trigger, Timing, and Action dropdown plus the email subject/body and the available-variable chips"
  caption="Each step has a Trigger (Before event / After event / On creation / On cancellation / On reschedule), a Timing, and an Action (Email to invitee / Email to host / SMS to invitee); below it, the message and the placeholders you can drop in."
/>

## Triggers

- **Before the event** — fires a set amount of time before the meeting starts (you pick
  the lead time — e.g. 24 hours, or 1 hour). Won't fire if the booking is created inside
  that window.
- **After the event** — fires a set amount of time after the meeting ends.
- **On creation** — fires when a booking is made (good for "new booking" alerts).
- **On cancellation** — fires when a booking is canceled.
- **On reschedule** — fires when a booking is moved to a new time.

The first two are time-based; the last three are event-based and fire immediately when
that thing happens.

## Actions

- **Email the invitee** — send an email to the person who booked.
- **Email the host** — send an email to the meeting's host (you, or the assigned
  round-robin host).
- **SMS the invitee** — send a text to the invitee, where SMS is enabled for your
  organization (it only reaches invitees who provided a phone number).

## The message

For email actions you write a **subject** and **body**; for SMS you write the **text**.
Use the available placeholders (the invitee's name, the host's name, the meeting time,
the location/link, etc. — the editor lists them) so each message is personalized rather
than generic.

## Common pitfalls

- **Mixing up "after event" and "on cancellation".** A follow-up scheduled "after the
  event" will still be sent for a meeting that was canceled or no-showed unless you
  branch on cancellation explicitly with its own step.
- **"Before event" never fires.** Usually the lead time is longer than the time between
  booking and meeting — shorten it, or add a backup short-lead step.
- **Email-host steps going to the wrong person.** For a round-robin event type, "the
  host" is whoever got assigned the booking — not necessarily the workflow's creator.
- **SMS without numbers.** No phone on file → that step is silently skipped for that
  invitee. Use email if you need a guaranteed channel.