> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.thread.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Action Types

> Complete guide to Thread's five action types: Send Email, Request Docs, Collect Info, Schedule Meeting, and Slack Message

## Overview of Action Types

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

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Send Email" icon="envelope">
    AI-powered templated emails
  </Card>

  <Card title="Request Docs" icon="file-arrow-up">
    Portal-based document upload
  </Card>

  <Card title="Collect Info" icon="clipboard-list">
    Structured form collection
  </Card>

  <Card title="Schedule Meeting" icon="calendar">
    Meeting coordination
  </Card>

  <Card title="Slack Message" icon="slack">
    Channel notifications
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

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

***

## Send Email

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

### 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

### Configuration

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Subject Line">
    * 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!`
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Email Body">
    * 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)
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Recipients">
    * **To:** Primary customer contact by default
    * **CC:** Additional stakeholders (optional)
    * **BCC:** Internal team members for visibility (optional)
    * Can add multiple recipients per field
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Portal Visibility">
    * **Hidden**: Email sent but not shown in portal
    * **Visible**: Email appears in customer timeline
    * Recommended: Keep visible for transparency
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

### 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)
```

<Tip>
  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"
</Tip>

### 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

***

## Request Docs

**Purpose:** Collect documents from customers via secure portal uploads.

### Use Cases

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

### Configuration

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Document Types">
    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)
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Instructions">
    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)"
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Portal Display">
    * **Label**: What customers see ("Upload Logo")
    * **Section**: Group related docs together
    * **Status**: Shows "Pending" until uploaded
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

### 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
```

<Info>
  Document uploads auto-complete when customer uploads all required files. No CSM manual completion needed!
</Info>

### 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"

***

## Collect Info

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

### Use Cases

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

### Configuration

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Form Fields">
    **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)
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Intro Text">
    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)"
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Completion Message">
    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."
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Portal Display">
    * **Label**: "Complete Setup Form"
    * **Status**: Pending → In Progress → Completed
    * **Section**: Group with related actions
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

### 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
```

<Warning>
  Form submissions cannot be edited by customers after submitting. Make this clear in your intro text!
</Warning>

### 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

### 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"
```

***

## Schedule Meeting

**Purpose:** Coordinate calls and meetings with customers.

### Use Cases

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

### Configuration

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Meeting Details">
    * **Meeting Type**: Kickoff, Training, Check-in, Review
    * **Duration**: 30, 45, 60, 90 minutes
    * **Description**: What will be covered
    * **Agenda**: Bullet points of topics
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Attendees">
    * **CSM**: Auto-included (you)
    * **Customer Contacts**: Select from account contacts
    * **Additional Team Members**: Optional internal invites
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Scheduling Method">
    **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
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Portal Display">
    * **Label**: "Schedule Kickoff Call"
    * **Status**: Shows "Pending" until scheduled
    * **Action**: Link to calendar or portal scheduler
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

### 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
```

<Info>
  Currently, meeting actions require manual completion after the call. Auto-completion based on calendar attendance is coming soon!
</Info>

### 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

***

## Slack Message

**Purpose:** Send notifications to customer Slack channels.

<Warning>
  Requires Slack integration to be connected for your organization.
</Warning>

### 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

### Configuration

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Channel Selection">
    * **Customer Channels**: Shared channels with customer
    * **Internal Channels**: Your team channels
    * **Direct Messages**: Individual customer users (use sparingly)
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Message Content">
    * Use Slack markdown formatting
    * Include emojis for engagement :tada:
    * @mention relevant people (carefully!)
    * Add reaction suggestions
    * Keep under 500 characters for mobile
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Message Type">
    * **Announcement**: Bold, important updates
    * **Update**: Regular status messages
    * **Celebration**: Wins and milestones
    * **Question**: Seeking input or feedback
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Thread Behavior">
    * **New Message**: Posts standalone message
    * **Reply to Thread**: Continues existing conversation
    * **Update Message**: Edits previous message (rare)
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

### 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
```

### 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

### 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.
```

***

## Action Comparison Table

| Feature                  | Send Email    | Request Docs    | Collect Info    | Schedule Meeting | Slack Message     |
| ------------------------ | ------------- | --------------- | --------------- | ---------------- | ----------------- |
| **Auto-complete**        | No (manual)   | Yes (on upload) | Yes (on submit) | No (manual)      | No (manual)       |
| **Portal visible**       | Optional      | Yes             | Yes             | Optional         | No                |
| **AI generation**        | Yes           | No              | Partial         | No               | Yes (coming soon) |
| **Customer interaction** | One-way       | Upload          | Form fill       | Booking          | Read/React        |
| **Use frequency**        | High          | Medium          | Medium          | Low              | Low-Medium        |
| **Best for**             | Communication | File collection | Data gathering  | Synchronous      | Quick updates     |

***

## Choosing the Right Action Type

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="By Purpose">
    **Communication:**

    * Send Email (async, formal)
    * Slack Message (async, casual)
    * Schedule Meeting (sync)

    **Data Collection:**

    * Collect Info (structured)
    * Request Docs (files)

    **Coordination:**

    * Schedule Meeting
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="By Urgency">
    **Urgent:**

    * Slack Message
    * Send Email (with urgent flag)

    **Standard:**

    * Collect Info
    * Request Docs
    * Schedule Meeting

    **Low Priority:**

    * Send Email (FYI)
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="By Formality">
    **Formal:**

    * Send Email
    * Schedule Meeting

    **Informal:**

    * Slack Message

    **Neutral:**

    * Collect Info
    * Request Docs
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Best Practices" icon="star" href="/csm-guide/templates/best-practices">
    Learn how to combine action types effectively
  </Card>

  <Card title="Creating Templates" icon="hammer" href="/csm-guide/templates/creating-templates">
    Build templates using these action types
  </Card>

  <Card title="Implementation Tab" icon="tasks" href="/csm-guide/accounts/implementation-tab">
    Execute actions for customer accounts
  </Card>

  <Card title="Automation" icon="robot" href="/csm-guide/automation/action-execution">
    Understand action triggers and automation
  </Card>
</CardGroup>