You set what happens after a form is sent right at the contact step: which mails go out, which tools get the entry and what visitors see next. This article shows where you find the actions, which ones Funnelforms Free and Pro have and how they run with several contact steps.
Requirements
- The form has a contact step. Only sending it stores an entry and starts the actions.
- You can edit the form in the editor. Changing actions also needs the right to see entries; without it you prepare changes and someone with the right publishes them.
- Connections to services such as Slack, text message providers or ad platforms are added by someone who may change the settings (Pro only).
Where to find it
Open the form under Funnelforms → Forms in the Structure workspace and click the contact step on the canvas. In the properties on the right, switch from the Contact step tab to the After sending tab. It is quicker through the After sending area at the bottom of the contact step on the canvas: a click on it opens the same tab.
Features at a glance
- The After sending tab shows the Actions at the top and, under Then visitors see, where visitors go after sending.
- On the canvas, the contact step names up to three actions and the number of further ones. Without an action it says "Only saved. Add a mail …".
- In Free and Pro: E-mail to you and Confirmation to the visitor.
- Pro only: Webhook, CRM, newsletter or spreadsheet, Slack or Teams message, Text message (SMS), WhatsApp message, Conversion (Meta, GA4, TikTok) and Google Ads conversion.
- Each action can be opened, deleted and, in Pro, duplicated.
- If something is missing, the action shows Incomplete and a note saying what is missing.
- With several contact steps, each action applies to one step or to Every contact step.
Step by step
- Open the form in the editor in the Structure workspace.
- In the contact step on the canvas, click the After sending area.
- Under Actions, choose the action you want in Add an action. It opens right away.
- Fill in the fields of the action. Notes at the top of the action tell you what is still missing.
- Click the name of the action to close it. Next to it you see where it goes, such as the address or the name of the connection.
- Check under Then visitors see which end comes after sending.
- Publish the form with Publish.
- Send a test entry and check the Sent to section of the entry under Funnelforms → Entries.
How it works
What does Funnelforms Free have?
Free has exactly one E-mail to you and one Confirmation to the visitor per contact step, plus the thank-you text and the redirect to a page at the end. In Free, the Add an action list only shows the mails the contact step does not have yet. Below it, with the Pro badge: "Webhooks, CRM and newsletter tools, Slack and Teams, text messages, WhatsApp, conversion tracking and more than one mail of each kind come with Funnelforms Pro." The Duplicate icon is greyed out in Free.
What happens in Free with a Pro action?
If a form has an action that only Pro has, Free shows it in the list. When you open it, it says for example "Webhook is part of Funnelforms Pro. Delete this action to publish the form." When you publish, Free reports "The form uses “Webhooks”, which is part of Funnelforms Pro, so Funnelforms Free cannot publish it." If the form was already published, it keeps running, but Free does not run the Pro action. The entry then shows it as "Skipped".
How do actions run with several contact steps?
If the form has several contact steps, the tab of a contact step shows its own actions and those that apply to every contact step. These carry the note Every contact step. A new action applies to the contact step where you create it. In the opened action you change under For entries from which step it runs for, or choose Every contact step.
What happens without a contact step?
Without a contact step the form stores no entry and no action runs. If such a form still has actions, the After sending jump opens an area of its own with the note "This form has no contact step, so nothing is sent and these actions never run." Add a contact step; afterwards you find the actions there.
Where do I see what sending does before an end?
When you click an end, the How visitors get here section shows every path leading there. If a path comes from the contact step, it says for example "After sending: E-mail to you, Webhook" or "After sending: the entry is saved, nothing else happens.", with the Edit link to the actions. If a path comes straight from a question, it says "Leaves without sending: no entry, no mails."
Why do I need the right to see entries?
Actions decide where entries go. So that nobody can send entries to themselves through a form, every change to the actions needs the right to see entries. If you lack it, the tab says "Changes here need the right to see entries. You can prepare them; someone with that right publishes them."
Best Practices
- Add at least one E-mail to you, so you do not miss an entry.
- Give each action only the data its target really needs.
- Test after every change with an entry of your own and check Sent to.
- With several contact steps, check For entries from on every action, so no mail comes twice or not at all.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Action shows Incomplete | A required value is missing, such as a recipient, web address or connection. | Open the action and follow the note at its top. |
| "An action under "After sending" is incomplete." when publishing | An action is not fully set up. | Open the After sending tab and complete the marked action. |
| "An action belongs to a contact step that no longer exists." | The contact step of the action was deleted. | Choose an existing step under For entries from or delete the action. |
| Free: "… is part of Funnelforms Pro. Delete this action to publish the form." | The action is Pro only. | Delete the action or use Funnelforms Pro. |
| The After sending tab is missing | You selected a question or an end. | Click the contact step. |
| No action runs | The path to the end does not lead through the contact step. | Check under How visitors get here at the end whether a path comes from the contact step. |
Tips
- With nothing selected on the canvas, the After sending card on the right takes you straight to the first contact step.
- Hints about the logic of the contact step appear as a number on the After sending tab.
- Actions run in the background. Visitors see the end at once, even while a mail is still on its way.
FAQ
How many mails can I send in Funnelforms Free? One mail to you and one confirmation to the visitor per contact step. The mail to you may have several recipients.
What happens to the actions when I delete the contact step? Actions that applied only to this step then point nowhere. The editor reports it when you publish; assign them to another step or delete them.
Do actions run in the preview? No. The preview checks the answers as a real submission does and shows the end, but it stores no entry and sends nothing. Test actions with an entry on the published page.