Getting Started with Inbox & Review Automations

Automations reply to comments, DMs, story replies, mentions and reviews for you, so no message goes unanswered. Use them to capture leads with Instagram keywords, answer common questions, or thank reviewers on Google.

Ways to create an automation

Go to Automations → Create automation. In the Setup new automation window, choose how you want to build it, then click Continue:

• Build with Ask Vista: describe what you want in your own words, and Ask Vista builds the automation with you. For example: "When someone comments 'guide' on my Instagram posts, send them the download link in a DM." For a full walkthrough, see How to build automations with Ask Vista.
• Ready-to-Go templates: start from a predefined template for common goals, like growing followers or sending links from comments.
• Create from scratch: set up every trigger and action yourself, using the steps below.

Step 1: Choose your goal

Before you build, decide what the automation is for:

A. Customer service

• Goal: Answer FAQs (shipping, hours, pricing) instantly.
• Trigger: Direct message or Comments on post or reel.
• Tip: Use Detect intent to catch questions like "Where is my order?" without exact keywords.

B. Reputation management

• Goal: Thank 5-star reviewers or acknowledge feedback on Google, Yelp, and Trustpilot.
• Trigger: Review.
• Tip: Use an AI reply so each response fits the review.

C. Lead generation

• Goal: Send a link/coupon when someone comments a specific keyword.
• Trigger: Comments on post or reel with keywords.

Step 2: Set up your trigger

Choose how Vista Social identifies an incoming engagement:

• Must include keywords: best for campaigns, for example "Comment SALE for a link". Turn on Match whole words to avoid partial matches.
• Must not contain keywords: skip messages that include certain words.
• Detect intent: uses AI to detect what a message is about (e.g., identifies a "Billing Question" or a "Product Inquiry") even if the user doesn't use specific keywords.
• Ratings: Runs the automation if a review arrives within the star ratings you choose.
• Followers only: on Instagram, only run the automation for people who follow you.

You can also choose when the automation runs:

• Run anytime (24/7): the automation runs all the time, so no message is missed.

• Specific days and times: turn off Run anytime and pick the days, hours and timezone. Use Every day, Weekdays or Weekends as shortcuts.

• Why use this? Many teams use it for after-hours support: the automation only replies at night or on weekends, when your team is offline.

Step 3: Add your actions

When the trigger fires, the automation runs its actions in order. Messages can be AI, Text, Image, Video, PDF or Card.

AI replies

Instead of writing a fixed response, give the AI a prompt (e.g., "You are a helpful support agent for a luxury hotel. Answer the guest warmly and invite them to DM us for booking help.").

• Why use this? Every reply is written for what the person actually said. To ground replies in your own information, choose a Brain under Respond based on trained knowledge.

Text replies with variations

Write several versions of a reply. Vista Social rotates them at random so your replies don't all look the same.

Available actions

The action list is split into two groups. Network actions depend on the network and trigger you chose. Vista Social actions work on every network.

• Network actions: Direct message, reply to the comment, hide or delete the comment, Delay, and Data collection.
• Vista Social actions: Apply tags, Assign a task, Create Zendesk ticket, Mark complete, and Send emails.

See Inbox Automation Triggers & Actions by Network for what each network supports.

Step 4: Manage actions and settings

Managing your actions

Once you have added actions to your automation, you can easily change them. Use the icons next to each action to:

• Rearrange: use the arrows to change the order of your actions. (For example: Make sure the Comment happens before the DM and Email alert).

• Duplicate: Want to use the same reply but change one small detail? Click duplicate to copy an action instantly.

• Delete: if you don't need an action anymore, click the X to remove it.

Automation settings

In the Settings section of the first step, control when the automation runs, in what order, and how often each person gets it.

• Tags
  Group automations with tags so you can find them on the Automations list later.

• Schedule
  Defines when the DM automation is allowed to trigger. This includes the days, hours and timezone the automation can run in.
  

• Sequence
  Organizes and prioritizes your automations into a defined order. Lower numbers run first.

• Exclusive
  Prevents a user from being enrolled in multiple DM automation sequences at the same time. When enabled, the user must complete or exit the current automation before another exclusive automation can begin.

• Once per user
  Ensures each user can only enter the DM automation sequence one time. After the automation completes for a user, it will not re-trigger for that same user, even if the automation remains active.
  

   

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I hand off to a human?

A: Yes. Use the Assign a task action. It creates a task in a Vista Work project for your team, with a title, status, due date, priority and assignee.

Q: Which networks support DM automation?

A: Check out our guide on Inbox Automation Triggers & Actions by Network here.

Q: Do you support Google Business reviews?

A: Yes. Use the Review trigger to reply based on star ratings or keywords.

Q: How do I prevent my automations from sounding like a bot?

A: Use AI replies. Give the AI a prompt and it writes a new reply for each message, in your brand voice.

Q: Does Vista Social support AI for Review Management?

A: Yes. Use Detect intent to recognize what a review is about and AI replies to respond on Google Business and Facebook.

Q: Can I test my own automations? 

A: Yes, but you will have to use another profile for testing, as the automation does not fire for your own profile.

Q: Can I show a client how an automation is performing?

A: Yes. In the Automations table, open the row menu and click Share. Performance is included by default, while contacts and settings stay off unless you turn them on. Learn more in Share anything with a link and get feedback.

Need further help?

If you have any questions or need additional help, feel free to contact our awesome support team. We are here to assist you! 💙

Related Reading:

Inbox Automation Triggers & Actions by Network

Data Collection with DM Automations

Instagram Automations: How to Send More Than One Message

Inbox message options

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