Actions are the tasks your AI agents perform in response to triggers. They're the "doing" part of your workflows - the actual work that gets accomplished when your agent wakes up and starts working.
Action Basics
How Actions Work
Execute after triggers fire
Use data from previous steps
Connect to external systems
Perform specific tasks
Action Benefits
Automate repetitive tasks
Integrate with your tools
Scale your operations
Reduce manual work
Action Types
UnicornSurf supports a wide variety of action types to connect with your existing tools and workflows:
Email Actions
Send, reply, and manage emails automatically
Examples:
Send email reply
Send new email
Forward email
Add to folder
Mark as read/unread
Add label
Integrations:
GmailOutlookYahoo MailIMAP
Calendar Actions
Manage calendar events and scheduling
Examples:
Create event
Update event
Cancel event
Send invitation
Set reminder
Block time
Integrations:
Google CalendarOutlook CalendarApple CalendarCalendly
CRM Actions
Update customer relationship management systems
Examples:
Create contact
Update contact
Add note
Create deal
Update deal stage
Add to campaign
Integrations:
HubSpotSalesforcePipedriveZoho CRM
Database Actions
Read, write, and update database records
Examples:
Insert record
Update record
Delete record
Query data
Create table
Backup data
Integrations:
PostgreSQLMySQLMongoDBAirtable
File Actions
Manage files and documents
Examples:
Upload file
Download file
Create document
Convert format
Share file
Delete file
Integrations:
Google DriveDropboxOneDriveBox
Webhook Actions
Send data to external systems via HTTP
Examples:
POST data
PUT update
GET request
DELETE request
Custom headers
Authentication
Integrations:
Custom APIsZapierIFTTTWebhook.site
Social Media Actions
Post and manage social media content
Examples:
Post to Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Update Facebook
Post to Instagram
Schedule post
Delete post
Integrations:
TwitterLinkedInFacebookInstagram
Notification Actions
Send notifications and alerts
Examples:
Slack message
Teams notification
SMS text
Push notification
Email alert
Phone call
Integrations:
SlackMicrosoft TeamsTwilioPushover
Action Examples
Here are some real-world examples of how actions work together in complete workflows:
Customer Support Automation
Automatically respond to support tickets and update CRM
1
Analyze Email
AI analyzes the support request and determines priority
AI Processing
2
Search Knowledge Base
Find relevant solutions and documentation
Knowledge Search
3
Generate Response
Create personalized response with solution
AI Generation
4
Send Reply
Send response to customer via email
Email Action
5
Update CRM
Log interaction and update ticket status
CRM Action
6
Notify Team
Alert support team if escalation needed
Notification Action
Lead Qualification Workflow
Qualify leads and route them to appropriate sales reps
1
Score Lead
AI analyzes lead data and assigns qualification score
AI Processing
2
Check CRM
Look up existing contact information
Database Action
3
Create Contact
Add new lead to CRM with qualification data
CRM Action
4
Assign Rep
Route to appropriate sales representative
CRM Action
5
Send Welcome Email
Send personalized welcome message
Email Action
6
Schedule Follow-up
Create calendar event for sales call
Calendar Action
Content Publishing Pipeline
Automate content creation and distribution across platforms
1
Generate Content
AI creates blog post based on topic and keywords
AI Generation
2
Review & Edit
Human review and approval process
Human-in-the-Loop
3
Format for Platform
Adapt content for different social media platforms
AI Processing
4
Publish to Blog
Post to company blog/website
Webhook Action
5
Share on Social
Post to Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook
Social Media Action
6
Send Newsletter
Include in weekly newsletter to subscribers
Email Action
Action Configuration
Configuring actions is straightforward with UnicornSurf's intelligent field system:
1
Select Action Type
Choose from available action types based on your needs
2
Configure Fields
Set up action parameters using Auto, AI Prompt, or Set Manually modes
3
Test Action
Use the test panel to verify the action works correctly
4
Add Error Handling
Configure fallback actions for when things go wrong
5
Monitor Performance
Track action success rates and optimize as needed
Best Practices
Start Simple
Begin with basic actions and gradually add complexity
Pro tip: Start with a simple email reply before building complex multi-step workflows
Test Thoroughly
Always test actions with real data before going live
Pro tip: Use the test panel to verify actions work as expected with actual data
Handle Errors
Add error handling and fallback actions for robustness
Pro tip: Configure what happens when actions fail to prevent workflow breaks
Monitor Performance
Track action success rates and optimize based on data
Pro tip: Review action logs regularly to identify and fix issues quickly
Use Appropriate Modes
Choose the right field configuration mode for each action
Pro tip: Use Auto for simple mapping, AI Prompt for dynamic content, Set Manually for fixed values
Optimize for Credits
Balance functionality with cost efficiency
Pro tip: Use Set Manually for fixed values to avoid unnecessary AI processing costs
Troubleshooting
Action not executing
Check if action is enabled and properly configured
Verify all required fields are filled
Test with sample data to ensure action works
Check integration permissions and authentication
Action fails with error
Review error logs for specific failure reasons
Check field values and data formats
Verify integration API limits and quotas
Test with different data to isolate the issue
Action executes but wrong result
Review field configuration and mapping
Check if using correct field mode (Auto/AI Prompt/Set Manually)
Verify data references are pointing to correct sources
Test with known good data to validate configuration
Action too slow or times out
Check integration response times and API limits
Optimize data processing and reduce payload size
Consider breaking complex actions into smaller steps
Implement retry logic with exponential backoff
Next Steps
Now that you understand actions, explore these related concepts: