Configure a Workflow Trigger

Every workflow begins with a Trigger. The Trigger defines the event BotLance should wait for before starting the workflow.

When you open the Trigger node, you first choose the channel where the workflow will operate. After that, you can configure one or more trigger events for that channel.

BotLance keeps this configuration in one place so you can see the channel, configured triggers, and the events that are currently able to start the workflow.

At the top of the Trigger configuration, select the channel where this workflow should run.

BotLance currently uses a single-channel workflow model. A workflow is connected to one channel at a time rather than combining multiple messaging channels inside the same workflow.

Depending on the channels available in your workspace, you may see options such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, Messenger, and other supported channels.

Choose the channel first because the trigger options shown afterward are based on that channel.

In the example above, Instagram is selected. The panel below then shows the triggers already configured for that Instagram workflow.

The Configured Triggers area shows every event that can currently start the workflow.

Triggers are organized into groups so related events stay together. For example, you may see groups related to:

• messages and conversations

• contact data

• integration events

The available groups and events can expand as BotLance adds more capabilities.

A workflow can contain more than one configured trigger. If any configured trigger matches, the same workflow can begin.

Use Add New Trigger when you want to add another starting condition.

For messaging channels such as Instagram, the Message & Conversation group contains events based on how the customer interacts with your account.

For Instagram, these can include events such as:

Direct Message — someone sends a DM to your Instagram account.

Post / Reel Comment — someone comments on a post or Reel.

Story Reply — someone replies to one of your Instagram Stories.

Live Comment — someone comments during an Instagram Live.

You can select the event or combination of events that should use the trigger.

The example above is editing a trigger for a Direct Message containing the keyword price.

At the top of the editor, BotLance also shows which trigger you are editing and which channel it belongs to. This is useful when a workflow contains several triggers.

Inside Message Events, select the places where the trigger should listen.

For example, if you enable both Direct Message and Story Reply, the same trigger configuration can respond to matching messages coming from either source.

You do not need to create a completely separate keyword configuration for every selected message event.

This is an important part of the BotLance trigger model: the selected message events can share the same keyword rules.

When you choose a comment-based event, BotLance can provide additional options for deciding which content the trigger should watch.

Depending on the event, you may be able to configure the trigger around examples such as:

• any applicable post
• a specific post or Reel
• upcoming content
• a particular supported live event

The available choices depend on the selected channel and event.

Use these options when you want a workflow to respond only to interactions associated with particular content rather than every eligible interaction on the account.

The Keyword Trigger section defines the words or phrases that should actually start the workflow.

Enter one or more keywords that represent the intent this workflow is designed to handle.

For example:

price

You can add additional keywords when customers may express the same intent in different ways.

The matching rule can also be selected from the available dropdown. For example, Keyword contains means the keyword can appear anywhere inside a longer customer message.

If the keyword is price, a message such as:

What is your price?

can match the trigger.

Keyword matching is not case-sensitive, so values such as PRICE, Price, and price are treated the same way.

BotLance uses one shared keyword configuration for the message events selected inside the trigger.

For example, if you select:

• Direct Message

• Post / Reel Comment

• Story Reply

and configure the keyword:

price

the same keyword rule applies across those selected events.

You do not need to enter price separately for DMs, again for comments, and again for Story replies.

This keeps the trigger easier to maintain, especially when the same customer intent can arrive from several places on the same channel.

For message-based workflow triggers, BotLance expects you to define the keyword or intent that should enter the workflow.

This prevents the workflow from taking over every normal customer message or comment.

If a customer sends something that does not match the configured workflow trigger, the conversation can continue through the normal AI experience instead of being forced into an unrelated automation.

For example, imagine you have a workflow designed specifically for people asking about pricing.

You configure:

price

Messages that match that intent can enter the workflow.

A completely unrelated customer question does not need to enter the pricing workflow. Your AI agent can continue handling that conversation normally.

This makes workflows useful for specific automated journeys while allowing the AI to remain available for general conversation.

Continue scrolling down in the Trigger editor and you will also find the AI Intention configuration.

AI Intention gives you another way to help BotLance understand when the trigger is relevant based on what the customer is trying to accomplish, rather than relying only on exact wording.

Use this area when you want to describe the customer intent the workflow should recognize.

For example, instead of trying to manually predict every possible phrase a customer might use when asking about pricing, you can provide guidance about the intention behind the trigger.

Keep the instruction focused on the purpose of the workflow. The clearer the intention, the easier it is for BotLance to distinguish this workflow from unrelated conversations.

You may need to scroll further down the Trigger editor to reach this setting because it appears below the keyword configuration shown in the screenshot above.

Keywords and AI Intention can work together to make a trigger more precise.

Keywords give you clear matching rules for important terms and phrases, while AI Intention can help BotLance understand the broader meaning behind customer messages.

You do not need to make the configuration unnecessarily complicated. For many workflows, a few strong keywords and a clear intention are enough.

The goal is to define which customer interactions belong in this workflow.

After saving a trigger, return to the main Trigger panel to see it inside Configured Triggers.

You can then add additional triggers when the same workflow needs more than one starting point.

For example, the same workflow could potentially begin from a matching customer message, a contact-data event, or an event received from a connected business system.

Each trigger remains visible in its appropriate group so you can understand at a glance what can start the workflow.