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You set up one automation, then realise you need another one for a slightly different scenario. Before you know it, you've got fifteen different automations that may or may not be working together, and you're honestly not even sure who's getting what anymore.

I get it. Email marketing starts simple – a signup form, a welcome email, maybe a newsletter. But then real business happens. People book different services, buy different products, come from different places. Suddenly, that simple system isn't so simple anymore.

Enter routing automations – the behind-the-scenes system that'll transform your chaotic email setup into something that actually works for you instead of against you.

What Is a Routing Automation (And Why You Should Care)

Most people think automations are just for sending emails. Wrong.

A routing automation is an automation that usually doesn't send any emails. Instead, it's like having a super-smart assistant who makes sure every single subscriber ends up in exactly the right place – with the right tags, in the right groups, with custom fields updated, and ultimately, getting the right emails.

Think of it as the traffic controller of your email marketing system. When someone takes an action – books a call, makes a purchase, signs up for something – the routing automation kicks in and asks all the important questions:

• Are they new or existing?
• What did they just do?
• What information do we need to update?
• Which email sequence should they get?
• What tags or groups do they need?

Here's why this matters: instead of having 15 different automations all trying to do similar things (and probably conflicting with each other), you have ONE central hub that handles everything. When you need to make changes, you go to one place. When something breaks, you know exactly where to look.

What this means for you: Think of routing automations as your email marketing's personal organiser – everything has its place, and you can actually find what you're looking for.

You're probably thinking, "This sounds nice in theory, but how does it actually work?" Fair question. Let’s walk through some examples.

Scenario 1: Someone Books an Appointment

Without a routing automation, you might end up with a tonne of different automations and Zapier connections for each service, client type, booking scenario, etc.

OR you don’t connect anything at all because you don’t want something generic.

With a routing automation, you have one automation that handles the flow of everything. Someone books an appointment, and you ask some questions like “Are they new or existing?” or “What service did they book?”. Based on these, you route them to the correct places and update tags or custom fields.

In other words, you can start sending them custom emails related to their service, including personalised fields. And you can exclude them from promotions for that same service.

Scenario 2: E-commerce Purchase

E-commerce can get messy fast because there are so many variables – product types, customer status, opt-in preferences.

Your routing automation handles the complexity:

• Determine: New customer or repeat buyer?
• Check: Did they opt in for marketing emails?
• Update: Product interests based on purchase
• Route: Appropriate post-purchase sequence
• Exclude: Remove from promotions for products they just bought
• Count: Track purchase frequency for VIP segments

Instead of drowning in product-specific automations, you have one smart system that sorts everyone correctly.

Scenario 3: Third-Party Integrations

Whether it's Stripe, Thrivecart, Zapier, or your course platform, external integrations can create chaos if not handled properly.

Routing automation brings order:

• Identify: What did they purchase or access?
• Assign: Relevant membership dates and renewal info
• Update: Customer status and purchase history
• Route: Correct onboarding or access emails
• Track: Lead sources and conversion data

The result? Your integrations work together instead of against each other, and you actually know what's happening in your business.

Getting This Set Up (It's Easier Than You Think)

Setting up routing automations does require a bit of planning, but it's way less complicated than you're probably imagining right now.

Start With a Brain Dump

Before you even open your email platform, grab whatever you write on (napkin, fancy notebook, back of an envelope) and map out your current processes and “what if” scenarios.

• What groups of clients/customers do you have?
• What do they purchase? And do they need different experiences?
• What software do you use, and what needs to talk to what?
• What are the key pieces of information you need to make sure everything routes the right way?

This isn't about perfection. It's about getting clarity on what you're actually trying to solve.

Building Your Flow

The Starting Point (Trigger)

There are a few ways you can trigger your routing automation, such as:

• Direct actions like a subscriber clicking a link in an email or completing a form
• Direct integrations like someone booking an appointment in Calendly
• Indirect integrations via adding a tag or group (e.g. a Zap that adds a tag like “Zap: Zap Name”)

These triggers should allow people to go through them more than once. So if you use a tag to trigger it, make sure to remove it at the end.

The Sorting

Your routing automation then starts asking questions, giving directions, and updating whatever information you need.

The Next Step

If you need to point them to other automations to send specific emails, my top tip is to use tags or groups to trigger these. Use a naming convention like “Trigger: <Automation Name>”.

Those other automations then start when that tag is added. It gives you ultimate visibility into who goes where.

At the end of those automations, remove that same trigger tag so everything stays nice and clean.

Can you include emails?

Yes – but I suggest only including a single email like a confirmation or a quick thank you. The reason being: you wouldn’t want to build a whole second automation just to send one email.

If it’s a sequence of emails, like your welcome series, then you should keep that separate.

(Side note: Using this method also means you can point various sources to the same welcome series and not duplicate your efforts or worry about subscribers getting it more than once).

The beautiful part? Once this is done, it's actually done. You're not constantly tweaking because everything flows through your central system.

I promise you this: Your email marketing doesn't have to feel like you're trying to solve a puzzle with half the pieces missing.

Routing automations give you the clarity you've been missing. Instead of crossing your fingers and hoping people get the right emails, you'll actually know they are. Instead of being terrified to add anything new, you'll have a system that can handle whatever you throw at it.

Your email marketing should work for you, not against you. This is how you make that happen.

Ready to tackle this but want some guidance?

If you're thinking, "Okay, I can see how this would help my business, but I'd love someone to walk me through it," that's exactly why I created Engaging Emails.

There's a whole section dedicated to setting up your contacts database the right way, so you can finally send different emails to different people without second-guessing yourself.

Plus, it covers all the other pieces you'll need: writing emails that feel natural, planning content that actually works for your business, and understanding what's happening behind the scenes.

Learn more here.