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15.5. Schedule Recurring Workflow Automation
Use one-time and recurring workflow schedules for month-end billing checks, client health reviews, and other time-based MSP operations.
Not every automation starts from a ticket or invoice event. Some business processes should run on a schedule: daily, weekly, monthly, or at a specific date and time.
Use Workflows > Workflow Control Panel > Schedules to create one-time or recurring schedules for published workflows.
Figure 1: Schedules let admins run published workflows at a planned time with saved input data.
When to use schedules
| Scheduled process | Example cadence | Business value |
|---|---|---|
| Backup review | Every weekday morning | Create or notify on failed backup checks before clients call. |
| Overdue invoice follow-up | Every morning | Keep accounts receivable follow-up consistent. |
| Client health summary | Every Friday afternoon | Prepare account managers for weekly or monthly client review. |
| Contract renewal review | Monthly | Identify agreements approaching renewal. |
| Onboarding checkpoint | One-time after contract start | Create tasks or reminders after a new managed services agreement begins. |
| License count review | Monthly before billing | Prompt the team to verify usage-sensitive client quantities. |
One-time versus recurring schedules
| Schedule type | Use it when | Example |
|---|---|---|
| One-time | The workflow should run once at a selected date and time. | Run a new-client onboarding task list the morning after the agreement starts. |
| Recurring | The workflow should run repeatedly on a cadence. | Run an overdue invoice review every weekday at 8:00 AM. |
For recurring schedules, choose a timezone that matches the business process. For example, a client-facing reminder schedule should usually match the MSP's business timezone, while regional field-service workflows may use the local office timezone.
Payloads: saved input for scheduled runs
Scheduled workflows can include saved input data. Think of the payload as the standard information the workflow needs when it runs.
Examples:
| Workflow | Example saved input |
|---|---|
| Month-end AP sync | date range, accounting adapter, client filter. |
| Weekly client health summary | client segment, report recipients, service manager. |
| Backup alert review | backup service name, severity threshold, dispatch queue. |
| Contract renewal check | renewal window, account manager team, reminder template. |
If the workflow has a published input schema, the schedule form can present structured fields. If not, use JSON mode only when an advanced admin understands the required input.
Scheduling checklist
Before enabling a schedule, confirm:
- the workflow is published and stable;
- the schedule name explains the business process;
- the timezone and cadence are correct;
- saved input data is complete;
- the workflow owner knows where to review run history;
- client-facing messages have been reviewed;
- the automation will not duplicate another scheduled or event-based workflow.
Common examples
Daily overdue invoice reminder
- Workflow: Overdue Invoice Follow-Up
- Schedule: weekdays at 8:00 AM
- Steps: find overdue invoices, send internal accounts-receivable summary, optionally send approved client reminders.
Weekly client health review
- Workflow: Weekly Client Health Summary
- Schedule: Fridays at 3:00 PM
- Steps: gather open priority tickets, upcoming renewals, backup exceptions, and create account manager tasks.
New client onboarding kickoff
- Workflow: New Client Onboarding Tasks
- Schedule: one-time on the first business day after contract signature
- Steps: create onboarding tasks, notify the project manager, and add CRM activity notes.