Automations are designed to respond to user behaviour automatically, clicks, sign-ups, purchases, inactivity, and more. But real-world workflows aren’t always that neat. Sometimes you need to step in and manually trigger an action for a specific contact, without waiting for them to perform an event themselves.
That’s exactly what this update enables.
Why we built this
There are many moments where relying solely on automatic triggers can slow teams down:
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You want to test an automation without waiting for real user behaviour.
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A contact qualifies for a workflow, but the triggering action happened outside the platform.
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You need to manually move a single contact forward without rebuilding logic or creating temporary rules.
Previously, these situations required workarounds — duplicate automations, manual messages, or external tools. Manual triggers remove that friction.
What’s new
You can now trigger custom events directly from the contacts list page.
Each contact now includes a Trigger Event option. When selected, a modal opens that displays:
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The selected contact’s email address (for confirmation)
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A multi-select list containing all available custom events
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A submit button to trigger the selected event(s)
Once submitted, the chosen event is immediately fired for that contact.
What happens after an event is triggered
When you manually trigger an event:
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The system treats it exactly like a real user action
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Any automation configured to listen for that event is executed
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All existing conditions, delays, and actions within the automation are respected
This means you don’t need to adjust or rebuild your workflows. Manual triggers plug straight into your existing automation logic.
Practical use cases
This feature is especially useful for:
Testing automations
Trigger events manually to confirm that workflows behave as expected before rolling them out at scale.
Handling edge cases
Manually trigger an automation when a contact qualifies logically, even if the triggering action happened outside the system.
One-off interventions
Move a single contact into a journey without affecting others or creating special segments.
Operational flexibility
Support teams, sales teams, or operations managers can act instantly without waiting for predefined triggers.
What this doesn’t change
This update doesn’t bypass your automation structure:
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You can only trigger existing custom events
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Automations still control what happens next
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No global behaviour is altered — only the selected contact is affected
Why this matters
Manual triggers give you control without complexity. You get the flexibility to act when timing matters, while still benefiting from the consistency and reliability of automated workflows.
It’s a small addition to the interface, but a powerful upgrade to how you work with contacts and automations.
