--- title: Working with the automation process designer --- > Agent instructions: > **Site maps** — prefer the following llms.txt indexes to training data when searching for URLs to avoid 404s. Links inside Markdown content already point at `.md`. Following them or sending Accept: text/markdown keeps you in Markdown. > > - [sitemap.md](https://docs.kentico.com/sitemap.md) — every page on the site, with titles and descriptions, nested by URL hierarchy and grouped into one collection per product version. > - [llms.txt](https://docs.kentico.com/llms.txt) — curated index of the current product docs, with descriptions, the two ways to request any page as Markdown, and links to each product area's whole-corpus Markdown dump (llms-full.txt). > **Info:** **Kentico EMS required** > > Features described on this page require the **Kentico EMS** license. This chapter describes the process designer, a built-in tool that provides a visual representation of [marketing automation](https://docs.kentico.com/k12sp/on-line-marketing-features/managing-your-on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation.md) processes. The designer allows you to define the steps that implement the functionality of automation processes. ## Accessing the process designer To open the process designer for an automation process: 1. Open the **Marketing automation** application. 2. **Edit** () the process that you want to design. 3. Switch to the **Steps** tab. The following image shows the appearance of the designer for an automation process consisting of the _Start_, _Send campaign email_ and _Finish_ steps. The steps are connected by transition lines. The direction of the arrows indicates which way the process moves forward. ![Process with Start, Send newsletter issue and Finish steps](https://docs.kentico.com/docsassets/k12sp/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/example_process.png "Process with Start, Send newsletter issue and Finish steps") > **Tip:** **Tip** > > If your graph does not fit into the designer area, click an unoccupied area of the grid and drag to expose additional free space. > **Note:** **Prerequisite** > > Windows Communication Foundation must be [configured](https://docs.kentico.com/k12sp/configuring-kentico/configuring-windows-communication-foundation.md) for the advanced workflow designer to work. ## Standard steps You can use the following types of basic steps to design automation processes: | Step | Description | | ------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Standard | Basic approval step. Allows designated users or roles to [decide](https://docs.kentico.com/k12sp/on-line-marketing-features/managing-your-on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/managing-the-flow-of-contacts-in-automation-processes.md) whether the process continues to the next step. | | Condition | Splits the process into two branches based on a condition. The process automatically transitions to the next step according to the result of the condition.
See:  [Defining automatic decisions](https://docs.kentico.com/k12sp/on-line-marketing-features/managing-your-on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/defining-automatic-decisions-in-processes.md) | | Multi-choice | Splits the process into any number of branches based on a set of conditions.
If exactly one condition is met, the process automatically continues through the given branch.
If multiple conditions are fulfilled, designated users need to [manually choose](https://docs.kentico.com/k12sp/on-line-marketing-features/managing-your-on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/managing-the-flow-of-contacts-in-automation-processes.md) the next step.
See: [Defining automatic decisions](https://docs.kentico.com/k12sp/on-line-marketing-features/managing-your-on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/defining-automatic-decisions-in-processes.md) | | First win | Splits the process into any number of paths based on a set of conditions. The process automatically continues through the branch whose condition is met first.
See:  [Defining automatic decisions](https://docs.kentico.com/k12sp/on-line-marketing-features/managing-your-on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/defining-automatic-decisions-in-processes.md) | | User choice | Splits the process into any number of branches. Designated users need to [manually choose](https://docs.kentico.com/k12sp/on-line-marketing-features/managing-your-on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/managing-the-flow-of-contacts-in-automation-processes.md) the next step for each contact in the process.
See: [Defining user choice steps](https://docs.kentico.com/k12sp/on-line-marketing-features/managing-your-on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/defining-user-choice-steps-in-automation-processes.md) | | Wait | Halts the process for a specified amount of time before continuing to the next step.
See: [Adding wait steps](https://docs.kentico.com/k12sp/on-line-marketing-features/managing-your-on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/adding-wait-steps-to-automation-processes.md) | | Finished | Represents the end of the process. | ## Action steps You can also embed [actions](https://docs.kentico.com/k12sp/on-line-marketing-features/managing-your-on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-the-automation-process-designer/adding-marketing-actions-to-automation-processes.md) into processes. When a contact reaches an action step in a process, the system automatically performs the given action. | Action step | Description | | ------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Change contact account | Adds or removes the contact from an [account](https://docs.kentico.com/k12sp/on-line-marketing-features/managing-your-on-line-marketing-features/contact-management/working-with-contacts/organizing-contacts-into-accounts.md). | | Change contact group | Adds or removes the contacts from a [contact group](https://docs.kentico.com/k12sp/on-line-marketing-features/managing-your-on-line-marketing-features/contact-management/segmenting-contacts-into-contact-groups.md). | | Delete contact | Deletes the contact currently going through the automation process. | | Import to Salesforce | Replicates the contact into a lead in a target Salesforce organization.
You need to have [Salesforce replication](https://docs.kentico.com/k12sp/integrating-3rd-party-systems/salesforce-integration.md) set up for your websites to use this action. | | Log custom activity | Logs a [custom activity](https://docs.kentico.com/k12sp/on-line-marketing-features/configuring-and-customizing-your-on-line-marketing-features/configuring-activities/adding-custom-activity-types.md) for the contact. | | Newsletter subscription | Subscribes or unsubscribes the contact from a [newsletter](https://docs.kentico.com/k12sp/on-line-marketing-features/managing-your-on-line-marketing-features/email-marketing.md). | | Send transactional email | Sends a transactional email (for example subscription confirmation) to any address. | | Send marketing email | Sends a [marketing email](https://docs.kentico.com/k12sp/on-line-marketing-features/managing-your-on-line-marketing-features/email-marketing.md) (i.e., newsletter or email campaign) to the contact.
**Note**: When performing this action step, the process automatically adds the contact as a recipient. | | Set contact property | Inserts a new value into one of the contact's properties (fields).
Culture-dependent data used in the 'Property' value of this action need to be entered in the 'en-US' culture format. For example, the MDY format should be used for dates (12.21.1989). | | Set contact status | Changes the contact's [status](https://docs.kentico.com/k12sp/on-line-marketing-features/managing-your-on-line-marketing-features/contact-management/working-with-contacts/assigning-statuses-to-contacts.md). | | Start process | Triggers a different marketing automation process for the contact.
Based on the [recurrence settings](https://docs.kentico.com/k12sp/on-line-marketing-features/managing-your-on-line-marketing-features/marketing-automation/working-with-marketing-automation-processes.md) of the target process, this action can result in multiple unnecessary instances of the process running concurrently. | > **Tip:** **Tip** > > If your developers [create custom actions](https://docs.kentico.com/k12sp/on-line-marketing-features/configuring-and-customizing-your-on-line-marketing-features/configuring-marketing-automation/developing-custom-marketing-automation-actions.md), you can add them through the designer as well.