How to build Automations triggered by Group membership — including the Match All and Advanced Group Matching options that let you target precise audiences.
Groups are one of the most powerful triggers for an Automation. They let you assign content the moment a user joins a Group, or only when they belong to a specific combination of Groups. The flow is the standard Automation creation flow with one important difference: Groups live in the Is Added To Criteria section, and you get extra matching options for combining multiple Groups.
For the standard Automation creation flow without Groups, see Creating an Automation. For the strategic frame on Automations overall, see Automation Design Best Practices.
How to Build a Group-Triggered Automation
Step One. Open Automations. Click Share > Automations in the left-hand navigation.
Step Two. Click + Add an Automation.
Step Three. Define the audience. Select the audience type that fits your trigger. Click Next once the audience is set.
Step Four. Add Group Criteria. In the Is Added To Criteria section, add one or more predefined Groups. You can add multiple Groups for different membership patterns.
Use Match All Groups (radio button) when the user must belong to every selected Group for the Automation to fire. Leave it off when matching any one of the selected Groups should trigger the Automation.
Step Five. Add Advanced Group Matching (optional). Beyond Match All Groups, advanced matching lets you combine Groups with other attribute values:
"Users need to match both the Group(s) above and the values added below." Use this when you want a Group-membership match plus an additional filter (e.g., users in the "Sales" Group and in the "North America" location).
"A user must be associated with ALL values below." Tightens the criteria further — every value in the list must be true for the user. Use sparingly; this combines into very narrow audiences.
Both options exist to give you precise targeting when basic Match All Groups isn't specific enough.
Step Six. Click Next.
Step Seven. Select content to Assign or Share.
Assign when there's an expectation of completion. Allows due dates and notifications. Adds the content to the learner's Dashboard.
Share when completion isn't expected. The content isn't added to the learner's Dashboard.
An Automation can contain assigned content, shared content, or both. If assigning multiple pieces, all must be completed for the assignment to count as finished.
Click Next.
Step Eight. Name the Automation and set a due date (if applicable). From here, the rest of the flow — Escalation Contacts, Notifications, Activate — is the same as any other Automation. See Creating an Automation for the full breakdown.
Don't forget to Activate. A created Group Automation is dormant until activated. See Managing Automations for activation mechanics.
When Group-Triggered Automations Earn Their Cost
Onboarding by role + region. A new sales hire in EMEA should get a different onboarding than one in North America. A Group Automation triggered on "Sales + EMEA" handles this without manual sorting.
Selective enablement. A program designed for a specific function (e.g., the Customer Success leadership team) is easier to scope through Group matching than through Smart Segmentation rules.
Combined membership rules. "User must be in the Partner Group AND the Tier 1 Customer Group." Match All Groups makes this a one-step setup.
Configuration Pitfalls
Forgetting Match All Groups Is Off by Default. Without Match All, adding multiple Groups creates an OR condition (any one Group triggers). Programs designed for combined membership ("Sales AND North America") fire too broadly without the toggle.
Stacking Advanced Matching Until Nobody Qualifies. Each additional constraint narrows the audience. After two or three layered criteria, the matched audience may be zero users. Test with a sample profile before activating.
Using Groups for Audiences That Should Be Smart Segments. Groups are manually maintained — someone has to add and remove users. For attribute-driven audiences that change as user data changes (role, department, location), Smart Segmentation is the right tool. Reserve Groups for explicitly curated lists.
Not Updating Groups When the Program Audience Changes. Because Groups don't auto-update, a stale Group means the Automation is firing for the wrong audience. Build Group maintenance into the program's lifecycle, not as an afterthought.
Skipping Activation. As with every Automation, the final step is to activate. A built-but-not-activated Group Automation doesn't fire even when users join the Group.
Where This Fits
You're here because you want an Automation triggered specifically by Group membership. The general creation flow lives in Creating an Automation. For the strategic frame on when Groups vs Smart Segmentation is the right audience choice, see Automation Design Best Practices.
See Also
- Automation Design Best Practices — the strategic anchor.
- Automations — the section gateway.
- Creating an Automation — the full creation flow without Group-specific steps.
- Managing Automations — activate, deactivate, duplicate, delete.
- Automation Audience Trigger Guide — every trigger type and what it fires on.
- Groups In Continu — creating and managing Groups themselves.
Groups go in the Is Added To Criteria section. Match All when membership in every Group is required. Advanced Matching for tighter audience targeting. Activate before you walk away.