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Overview of Action Types

Thread supports five action types that cover most customer onboarding workflows:

Send Email

AI-powered templated emails

Request Docs

Portal-based document upload

Collect Info

Structured form collection

Schedule Meeting

Meeting coordination

Slack Message

Channel notifications
Each action type has specific configuration, execution behavior, and completion criteria.

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Send Email

Purpose: Send templated, personalized emails to customers with AI-powered content generation.

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Use Cases

  • Welcome emails when milestones start
  • Status updates and progress reports
  • Reminders for pending actions
  • Meeting follow-ups
  • Milestone completion notifications
  • Document sharing and instructions

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Configuration

  • Keep under 50 characters
  • Use variables for personalization: {{company_name}}, {{milestone_name}}
  • Include clear purpose: “Welcome”, “Next Steps”, “Action Required”
  • Example: Welcome to {{company_name}}'s Implementation Journey!
  • Write in template editor with markdown support
  • Use variables liberally
  • Include clear CTAs
  • Add links to portal, documentation, or scheduling
  • Keep scannable (bullets, headers, short paragraphs)
  • To: Primary customer contact by default
  • CC: Additional stakeholders (optional)
  • BCC: Internal team members for visibility (optional)
  • Can add multiple recipients per field
  • Hidden: Email sent but not shown in portal
  • Visible: Email appears in customer timeline
  • Recommended: Keep visible for transparency

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Execution Flow

1. CSM clicks "Execute" in Implementation Tab
2. Thread interpolates variables ({{company_name}} → "Acme Corp")
3. Email sent via your email infrastructure
4. Customer receives email
5. CSM manually marks as complete (no auto-tracking)
Use AI regeneration if the draft doesn’t match your needs. You can add instructions like “Make it more casual” or “Add urgency about deadline”

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Best Practices

  • ✅ Always include a clear CTA
  • ✅ Link to customer portal for actions
  • ✅ Keep emails under 250 words
  • ✅ Use bullet points for multi-step instructions
  • ✅ Add your calendar link for scheduling
  • ❌ Don’t send without CSM review
  • ❌ Avoid walls of text
  • ❌ Don’t forget to personalize

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Request Docs

Purpose: Collect documents from customers via secure portal uploads.

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Use Cases

  • Contracts and signed agreements
  • Technical specifications
  • Logo and brand assets
  • Security questionnaires
  • Integration credentials (non-sensitive)
  • Training materials
  • Reference architecture diagrams

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Configuration

Define what documents you need:
  • Name: “Logo Files”, “Technical Spec”, “Contract”
  • Required: Yes/No (blocks milestone completion if yes)
  • File types: PDF, DOCX, PNG, JPG, etc.
  • Max size: Set reasonable limits (10MB default)
Provide clear guidance to customers:
  • What document to upload
  • Acceptable formats
  • Where they can find it
  • Why you need it
  • Example: “Please upload your company logo in PNG or SVG format (min 500x500px)”
  • Label: What customers see (“Upload Logo”)
  • Section: Group related docs together
  • Status: Shows “Pending” until uploaded

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Execution Flow

1. CSM executes "Request Docs" action
2. Upload interface appears in customer portal
3. Customer clicks "Upload Document"
4. Customer selects file and uploads
5. Thread auto-marks action as complete
6. CSM receives notification of upload
7. CSM reviews document
Document uploads auto-complete when customer uploads all required files. No CSM manual completion needed!

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Best Practices

  • ✅ Group related documents together
  • ✅ Provide examples if format is important
  • ✅ Review uploads within 24 hours
  • ✅ Send acknowledgment when received
  • ✅ Use for sensitive docs (portal is secure)
  • ❌ Don’t ask for passwords or API keys
  • ❌ Don’t request unnecessary documents
  • ❌ Don’t make everything “required”

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Collect Info

Purpose: Gather structured information through forms in the customer portal.

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Use Cases

  • Technical requirements gathering
  • User provisioning details
  • Feature preference selection
  • Integration configuration info
  • Business context questions
  • Onboarding survey
  • Feedback collection

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Configuration

Field types supported:
  • Text: Short input (name, email, URL)
  • Textarea: Long input (description, notes)
  • Select: Dropdown (choose one option)
  • Multi-select: Choose multiple options
  • Checkbox: Yes/No or opt-in
  • Date: Date picker
  • Number: Numeric input
For each field:
  • Label (what customer sees)
  • Placeholder text (hint)
  • Required (yes/no)
  • Validation rules (email format, min/max length)
Explain why you’re collecting this info:
  • Purpose of the form
  • How you’ll use the information
  • Estimated time to complete
  • Example: “Help us configure your platform by answering these 5 quick questions (2 minutes)”
Thank customers and set next steps:
  • Confirmation of submission
  • What happens next
  • Expected timeline
  • Example: “Thanks! We’ll review your responses and reach out within 24 hours.”
  • Label: “Complete Setup Form”
  • Status: Pending → In Progress → Completed
  • Section: Group with related actions

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Execution Flow

1. CSM executes "Collect Info" action
2. Form appears in customer portal
3. Customer fills out fields
4. Customer clicks "Submit"
5. Thread auto-marks action as complete
6. CSM sees submission in account view
7. CSM uses info for next steps
Form submissions cannot be edited by customers after submitting. Make this clear in your intro text!

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Best Practices

  • ✅ Keep forms under 10 fields
  • ✅ Use logical field order
  • ✅ Make only critical fields required
  • ✅ Provide placeholder examples
  • ✅ Group related questions
  • ❌ Don’t collect info you already have
  • ❌ Don’t make forms too long
  • ❌ Don’t use confusing labels

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Example Form: Technical Setup

Field 1 (Text, Required):
  Label: "Primary Admin Email"
  Placeholder: "admin@company.com"

Field 2 (Select, Required):
  Label: "Preferred Data Center Region"
  Options: ["US East", "US West", "EU", "APAC"]

Field 3 (Textarea, Optional):
  Label: "Special Configuration Requirements"
  Placeholder: "Any custom setup needs or constraints..."

Field 4 (Checkbox, Required):
  Label: "I confirm we have IT approval for this integration"

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Schedule Meeting

Purpose: Coordinate calls and meetings with customers.

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Use Cases

  • Kickoff calls
  • Training sessions
  • Check-in meetings
  • Technical review calls
  • Go-live planning
  • Executive business reviews
  • Post-launch retrospectives

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Configuration

  • Meeting Type: Kickoff, Training, Check-in, Review
  • Duration: 30, 45, 60, 90 minutes
  • Description: What will be covered
  • Agenda: Bullet points of topics
  • CSM: Auto-included (you)
  • Customer Contacts: Select from account contacts
  • Additional Team Members: Optional internal invites
Current:
  • Share calendar link in portal
  • Customer books time
  • CSM confirms
Coming Soon:
  • Auto-sync with Google Calendar
  • Suggested times based on availability
  • One-click scheduling
  • Label: “Schedule Kickoff Call”
  • Status: Shows “Pending” until scheduled
  • Action: Link to calendar or portal scheduler

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Execution Flow

1. CSM executes "Schedule Meeting" action
2. Scheduling link appears in customer portal
3. Customer clicks link (calendar booking or Calendly)
4. Customer selects time
5. Meeting invitation sent to all attendees
6. CSM manually marks as complete after call
Currently, meeting actions require manual completion after the call. Auto-completion based on calendar attendance is coming soon!

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Best Practices

  • ✅ Send calendar link in action description
  • ✅ Include agenda in meeting details
  • ✅ Schedule at least 48 hours in advance
  • ✅ Send reminder email 24 hours before
  • ✅ Add relevant documentation links
  • ❌ Don’t schedule back-to-back with no prep time
  • ❌ Don’t forget to send calendar invites
  • ❌ Don’t skip meeting prep

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Slack Message

Purpose: Send notifications to customer Slack channels.
Requires Slack integration to be connected for your organization.

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Use Cases

  • Milestone completion announcements
  • Urgent updates or issues
  • Launch day notifications
  • Team celebrations
  • Status updates for async teams
  • Document sharing
  • Quick wins and progress

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Configuration

  • Customer Channels: Shared channels with customer
  • Internal Channels: Your team channels
  • Direct Messages: Individual customer users (use sparingly)
  • Use Slack markdown formatting
  • Include emojis for engagement :tada:
  • @mention relevant people (carefully!)
  • Add reaction suggestions
  • Keep under 500 characters for mobile
  • Announcement: Bold, important updates
  • Update: Regular status messages
  • Celebration: Wins and milestones
  • Question: Seeking input or feedback
  • New Message: Posts standalone message
  • Reply to Thread: Continues existing conversation
  • Update Message: Edits previous message (rare)

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Execution Flow

1. CSM executes "Slack Message" action
2. Thread posts message to selected channel
3. Customer team sees notification
4. Thread tracks reactions/responses (coming soon)
5. CSM manually marks as complete

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Best Practices

  • ✅ Use for important, timely updates
  • ✅ Keep tone consistent with Slack norms (casual, emoji-friendly)
  • ✅ @mention sparingly (respect notifications)
  • ✅ Add relevant links or attachments
  • ✅ Celebrate wins publicly
  • ❌ Don’t spam channels with frequent updates
  • ❌ Don’t replace important emails with Slack
  • ❌ Don’t use for sensitive information

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Example Messages

Milestone Completion: 
:tada: Great news! We've completed the Technical Setup phase!

Next up: Training & Enablement starts Monday. Check your portal for the training schedule.

Questions? Drop them here or schedule time with me: [calendar link]
Urgent Update: 
:warning: Quick heads up: We're experiencing a brief API outage affecting data sync.

Our engineering team is on it. Expected resolution: within 2 hours.

I'll update this thread with progress. No action needed from your side.

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Action Comparison Table

FeatureSend EmailRequest DocsCollect InfoSchedule MeetingSlack Message
Auto-completeNo (manual)Yes (on upload)Yes (on submit)No (manual)No (manual)
Portal visibleOptionalYesYesOptionalNo
AI generationYesNoPartialNoYes (coming soon)
Customer interactionOne-wayUploadForm fillBookingRead/React
Use frequencyHighMediumMediumLowLow-Medium
Best forCommunicationFile collectionData gatheringSynchronousQuick updates

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Choosing the Right Action Type

Communication:
  • Send Email (async, formal)
  • Slack Message (async, casual)
  • Schedule Meeting (sync)
Data Collection:
  • Collect Info (structured)
  • Request Docs (files)
Coordination:
  • Schedule Meeting

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Next Steps

Best Practices

Learn how to combine action types effectively

Creating Templates

Build templates using these action types

Implementation Tab

Execute actions for customer accounts

Automation

Understand action triggers and automation