Workflows
A workflow is a saved multi-step procedure you've taught VMXpert — "my Monday close," "how we onboard a new vendor," "end-of-season markdown process."
What makes a workflow different from a routine: a workflow stops and asks you things. A routine runs on its own and hands you a result; a workflow is VMXpert working through the steps with you — checking numbers, asking which option you want, pausing where a human decision belongs.
Running one
Workflows run in chat, by name: just ask — "do my Monday close." There's no Run button on the admin page; the admin page is for reviewing and editing the saved procedures.
What a workflow saves you — and what it doesn't
A workflow saves you repeating yourself. It does not save you credits.
This surprises people, so it's worth being blunt about: a workflow is a set of instructions VMXpert remembers under a name. When you run one, VMXpert reads those instructions and works through them the same way it would if you'd typed them out — so it costs roughly what the same request costs any other day. Saving it as a workflow doesn't make it cheaper; it makes it shorter to ask for and consistent every time.
If what you actually want is "this exact job, over and over, without paying for it each time," the answer is an app, not a workflow.
| What it is | Asks you questions? | Cost to re-run | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workflow | Remembered instructions, run by VMXpert in chat | Yes — pauses where a decision belongs | Normal cost each run |
| App | A small custom page VMXpert builds once | No — it's a form/report you use | Free |
| Routine | A saved job on a schedule | No | Free if it's a fixed recipe; costs each run if it uses judgment |
When to pick which:
- The steps change with the situation, and you want to be asked → workflow.
- It's the same question every time and you just want the answer → ask VMXpert to build it as an app. "How many mums did we sell in the last three days, by store" is an app: build it once, then it's a page you open. See Scheduled Work & Apps.
- Nobody needs to be at the keyboard → routine. See Scheduled Work & Apps.
Once an app exists, VMXpert gives you a link to it in the chat. Bookmark that link, or send it to anyone else who needs it — they don't need Toolbox access to open it, so this is the usual way to hand a repeatable job to a staff member.
If a workflow you run often is costing more than you'd like, that's the signal to ask: "can you make this an app instead?" See Credits & budgets for what things cost.
Creating one
- 💬 Teach one in chat — walk VMXpert through the procedure once and ask it to save the steps as a workflow.
- 🔀 Add from the library — ready-made procedures you can adapt.
Managing them
Admin → Toolbox → VMXpert → Workflows lists your saved procedures with how often each is used. Click one to open its detail page — the one place in the toolbox where you directly edit what VMXpert wrote:
- Description — what the workflow is for.
- Instructions — the steps VMXpert follows, in plain language. Edit them anytime; the next run uses your edits.
Workflows can be renamed, archived (and restored), or deleted.