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AssistantOctober 2026: a new automation builder

Describe an automation in your own words and see each step before it runs

Pick what to watch, then write when to act and what to do. As you type, Paradesk shows the steps it will take, like drafting a change order, creating a task for the project manager, or emailing you a summary.

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Free for 14 days, with every feature included.

The automation builder in Paradesk, watching invoices: the When and Then text on the left, and on the right the flow Paradesk read from it, which creates a follow-up task when a payment leaves a balance due and otherwise emails a summary of the payment
The automation builder in Paradesk, watching invoices: the When and Then text on the left, and on the right the flow Paradesk read from it, which creates a follow-up task when a payment leaves a balance due and otherwise emails a summary of the payment
1Paradesk names the automation from what you wrote.
2Write when to act and what to do in your own words, including what to do otherwise.
3As you type, Paradesk lays out what starts the automation, the check it makes, and the steps on each branch.
4Insert menus add starter wording for events, checks, drafts, tasks, and email.
  1. 1Paradesk names the automation from what you wrote.
  2. 2Write when to act and what to do in your own words, including what to do otherwise.
  3. 3As you type, Paradesk lays out what starts the automation, the check it makes, and the steps on each branch.
  4. 4Insert menus add starter wording for events, checks, drafts, tasks, and email.

See what an automation will do before you turn it on

Each step as you type

Paradesk reads your description and lays it out as a flow beside the editors, with the field you're editing highlighted in it. A status shows when the preview is up to date.

Steps it can't take

A step Paradesk can't take is marked with the reason and what to write instead, and the automation can't be turned on until it's changed.

Ideas to add

When something is unclear, like who should get an email or what counts as a large invoice, Paradesk suggests wording to add. Click a suggestion to add it.

Three ways an automation starts

An email arrives

Watch a project's, client's, or contact's inbox. The automation runs when a message is imported, and it can use what the email says.

Something happens in Paradesk

Watch for events such as a proposal being accepted, a reviewer rejecting a document, a payment being recorded, or a task being completed. There are more than 40 to choose from.

A condition becomes true

Paradesk checks the records you're watching every hour of the workday, such as fee lines, phases, or invoices, and acts when your condition is met. You can also run a check by hand.

What an automation can do

  • Draft proposals, new or copied from an earlier one
  • Draft billing contracts and change orders
  • Draft invoices and credit notes, using approved time and expenses
  • Draft checklist templates
  • Create tasks on a project or document, with the assignee and due date you describe
  • Email a summary, reminder, or explanation to people on your team

The Insert menus under each editor add starter wording for any of these, and for the events and facts of the records you're watching. Drafts wait for your team to review, and each automation acts with the permissions of the person who set it up.

The Insert action menu in Paradesk's automation builder, listing the records an automation can create: proposals, billing contracts, change orders, invoices, credit notes, checklist templates, and tasks

Add steps for when your checks aren't met

Write “Otherwise” and what to do, and Paradesk puts those steps on their own branch. When an email or event arrives that doesn't meet your checks, the automation takes the Otherwise steps instead.

Here, a payment that leaves a balance due creates a follow-up task for the project manager. A payment in full sends a short summary instead. Otherwise steps work in automations that start from an email or an event.

An automation's flow in Paradesk: when an invoice payment is recorded and the invoice still has a balance due, create a follow-up task for the project manager, and otherwise email a summary of the payment

What happens on each run

  1. 1

    Paradesk checks the condition

    It reads the facts about each watched record, and about the email or event that started the run, and decides whether your checks are met.

    Evaluating
  2. 2

    It plans the steps

    It works out the drafts, tasks, and emails to prepare, from the Then steps or, when an email or event misses your checks, the Otherwise steps.

    Planning
  3. 3

    It carries them out

    If one step fails, the steps that succeeded are kept, and you can retry the rest. A retry never sends an email twice.

    Executing
  4. 4

    Your team hears about it

    Emails go to the people you chose, and run report recipients get what started the run and what it did. Every run is listed on the automation with its result.

    Completed

A few automations you could set up

Each one is written in plain language. These are examples, and you can describe your own.

Scope changes by email

Watch project inboxes. When a client asks for work outside the agreed scope, draft a change order and create a task for the project manager to review it.

Fee lines running out

Watch fee lines. When one has used its budget while work is still underway, prepare a draft proposal for the extra work.

Phases near budget

Watch billable phases. When one passes 90 percent of its budget, email the project manager a summary of the time and expenses behind it.

Balances after a payment

Watch invoices. When a payment leaves a balance due, create a follow-up task for the project manager. Otherwise, email me a summary of the payment.

Common questions

As you write, Paradesk shows its reading beside the editors: what starts the automation, the checks it will make, and each step it will take. Saving keeps the reading you reviewed.

Try Paradesk on a project you're working on now

Set up a project with its contract and phases, invite your team, and give the assistant some of the routine work. Your first 14 days are free, with every feature included.

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