Creating a Workflow, Stages and Boards

Overview

Workflows let you set up Effi's pipeline to match the way your business works. You can name and order your own stages, control who sees each one, and create boards that give each team a focused view of the stages they care about.

• Workflow — the full set of stages a lead or loan can move through, from first contact to settlement.
• Stage — one step in the workflow (for example, New Enquiry or Appointment Booked).
• Board — a view that sits under a workflow and shows only selected stages. For example, a loan processor's board might show only the application-to-settlement stages.

This guide walks you through all three: creating a workflow, adding its stages, then creating a board under it.

Before you start

You need admin access to Workflows in the Effi Broker Portal. This is usually your platform or business administrator.

To open Workflows, select the Workflows icon in the left-hand menu (1). You'll see a list of your existing workflows, with how many stages each has, which business it applies to, and who has access.

Step 1: Create a new workflow

1. On the Workflows page, select + Add Workflow in the top-right corner (2 in the screenshot above).
2. Under Information, enter a Name for your workflow (1), for example Residential Lending.
3. In Applies to (2), choose the business or brand this workflow is for.
4. Under Permissions (3), choose who can access the workflow:
   • Admin Roles — roles that can manage the workflow's set-up.
   • Contributor Roles and Contributor Users — roles or named people who can work leads through the stages.
   • Viewer Roles and Viewer Users — roles or named people who can see the workflow but not change it.
5. Scroll down to Stages and continue with Step 2. Don't select Save until you've added at least one stage.

Step 2: Add stages to the workflow

Stages appear in the order you add them, left to right. To change the order, drag and drop a stage card into its new position.

1. In the Stages section, select Add a new stage (4). A card called New Stage #1 appears.
2. Click the stage name (1) and type the name you want, for example New Enquiry.
3. Tick the box that describes what this stage represents (2): Unassigned, Unsuccessful, New, Settled, Details Popup, Lodged or Approved. These ticks are used for reporting: they tell Effi which of your stages counts as, for example, New or Settled in your reports. Make sure Unassigned, New and Settled are each ticked on the stage that matches them.
4. Use the three icons at the bottom of the card (3) to fine-tune the stage, if needed (see below).
5. Select Add a new stage again for each further stage, for example Appointment Booked, Application, Lodged and Settled.
6. When all your stages are in place, select Save (5).

Optional: stage icons

Each stage card has three icons, from left to right:

• Shield — Rule Builder. Set rules for the stage using +Rule and +Group, combined with AND / OR. See Add rules to a stage below.

  

• Cog — Stage Settings. Set a No Activity Overdue Notification (months, days, hours, minutes) and the defaults for the stage's details pop-up: subject, message, functionality, accordion pane, and whether email, SMS, add-to-calendar or a customer review request are on by default.

• Person and padlock — Stage Permissions. Choose which roles or users can contribute to or view this stage, and use Hide from Roles to hide it from particular roles.

Optional: add rules to a stage

Rules set the conditions a lead must meet before it can move into a stage. For example, you can stop a lead moving to Lodged while it still has open tasks.

1. On the Workflows list, select Edit on the main (parent) workflow.
2. Select the shield icon on the stage you want to add rules to. The Rule Builder opens.
3. Select +Rule to add a rule.
4. Set up the rule's three fields:
   • Data field — what to check, such as Total Loan Amount, Open Task or Settlement Date.
   • Operator — how to check it, such as Equal, Between or Is Not Null. The options depend on the data field.
   • Value or Field — enter a fixed value, or choose Field to compare against another lead field.
5. Select +Rule again to add more rules, and choose AND or OR to decide how they combine.
6. Close the Rule Builder and select Save on the workflow.

Examples

• Open Task Equal 0 — the lead must have no open tasks.
• Lender Assigned Equal True — a lender must be assigned.
• Total Loan Amount Between 2,000 and 3,000 — the loan amount must fall in this range.
• Settlement Date Between May 2026 and May 2027 — the settlement date must fall in this range.

Data fields you can use: Total Loan Amount, Loan Term, LVR, Interest Rate, Discount Margin, Interest Type, Fixed Type Term, Interest-Only Term, Repayment Type, Number of Splits, Loan Type, Transaction Type, Lodgement Type, Lodgement Date, Lender Assigned, Lender Name, Lender Reference, Product Selected, Product Type, Guarantor Availability, Property Address, Property Value, Property Use, Settlement Date, Expected Settlement Date, Open Task, Checklist Status, Apply Online ID and Legal Representative Reference.

Step 3: Create a board under the workflow

A board gives a team its own view of the workflow. Each board stage is mapped to one or more stages in the main workflow, so leads stay in sync across both.

1. Go back to the Workflows list and find the workflow you created in Steps 1 and 2.
2. Scroll to the right of that row and select the Add board icon (1) — the page with a plus sign, third from the left.

3. Under Information, enter a Name for the board, for example Loan Processing, and choose who it Applies to (1).
4. Under Permissions (2), choose the roles and users who can manage, contribute to or view this board.

5. IIn the board's Stages section, select Add a new stage, then click the stage name to rename it (1).
6. Select add a mapping stage, then pick the workflow stage it should show from the dropdown (2). The dropdown lists the stages in the parent workflow. A board can only use stages from its parent workflow, so if you need a new stage on a board, add it to the parent workflow first (Step 2).
7. Repeat for each board stage, then select Save (3).

Once saved, the board appears in the Workflows list underneath its workflow. Select the arrow next to the workflow name to show or hide its boards.

Tips and FAQs

Can I edit a workflow after saving it? Yes. On the Workflows list, scroll right and select the Edit icon (the page with a pencil) on that workflow's row.

Can I copy an existing workflow instead of starting from scratch? Yes. Select the Copy icon (first on the left) on the row, then rename and adjust the copy.

Can I create a board under a board? No. Boards sit directly under a workflow, so the Add board icon only shows on workflow rows.

Why can't my team see the new board? Check the board's Permissions. People need a Contributor or Viewer role, or to be added as a Contributor or Viewer user.

Can I hide a workflow without deleting it? Yes. Select the Hide icon (the eye with a line through it) on the row.

Need a hand? Submit a request through the Help Centre or email support@effi.com.au. We're available Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm AEST, and reply within one business day.