Workflow Templates

Extracting LinkedIn Profile Information Use Case Manually copying data from LinkedIn profiles is time-consuming and error-prone. This automation helps you extract structured, detailed information from any public LinkedIn profile—enabling fast enrichment, hiring research, or lead scoring. What This Automation Does This automation extracts profile details from a LinkedIn URL using the following input parameters: airtop_profile**: The name of your Airtop Profile connected to LinkedIn. linkedin_url**: The URL of the LinkedIn profile you want to extract data from. How It Works Starts with a form trigger or via another workflow. Assigns the LinkedIn URL and Airtop profile variables. Opens the LinkedIn profile in a real browser session using Airtop. Uses an AI prompt to extract structured information, including: Name, headline, location Current company and position About section, experience, and education history Skills, certifications, languages, connections, and recommendations Returns structured JSON ready for further use or storage. Setup Requirements Airtop API Key — free to generate. An Airtop Profile connected to LinkedIn (requires one-time login). Next Steps Sync with CRM**: Push extracted data into HubSpot, Salesforce, or Airtable for lead enrichment. Combine with Search Automation**: Use with a LinkedIn search scraper to process profiles in bulk. Adapt to Other Platforms**: Customize the prompt to extract structured data from GitHub, Twitter, or company sites. Read more about the Extract Linkedin Profile Information automation.

Automate Customer Feedback Analysis with Google Sheets, WhatsApp, and Email Introduction: Drowning in Data, Starving for Insight? Imagine this: Your team launches a new feature. Feedback starts pouring in emails, support tickets, social media mentions, and survey responses. You know gold is buried in there, but manually reading, tagging, and summarising hundreds, maybe thousands, of comments? It takes days, maybe weeks. By the time you have a clear picture, the moment might have passed. Sounds exhausting, right? What if you could have an AI assistant tirelessly working 24/7, instantly analysing every piece of feedback the moment it arrives? This isn't science fiction anymore. AI-powered automation can transform this slow, manual chore into a real-time insight engine, giving you the pulse of your customer base almost instantly. Let's explore how. What's the Goal? Understanding the Workflow Objective The core challenge is transforming raw, unstructured customer feedback into actionable intelligence quickly and efficiently. The Problem: Manual Overload: Sifting through vast amounts of feedback manually is incredibly time-consuming and prone to human error or bias. Delayed Insights: The lag between receiving feedback and understanding it means missed opportunities and slow responses to critical issues. Inconsistent Analysis: Different team members might interpret or categorize feedback differently, leading to unreliable trend spotting. The AI Solution: Automated Data Collection: Connects directly to feedback sources (surveys, social media, review sites, helpdesks). AI-Powered Analysis: Uses Large Language Models (LLMs) like GPT-4 or Claude to analyze sentiment, extract key topics, and summarize comments. Intelligent Categorization: Automatically tags feedback based on predefined or dynamically identified themes (e.g., "bug report," "feature request," "pricing issue"). Real-time Reporting: Pushes structured insights into dashboards, databases, or triggers notifications for immediate awareness. Outcome: You move from reactive problem-solving based on stale data to proactive, strategic decisions driven by a near real-time understanding of customer sentiment and needs. Why Does It Matter? Achieving 100X Productivity and Efficiency Look, automating feedback isn't just about saving time; it's about scaling your ability to listen and respond smarter, not harder. When you leverage AI, the gains aren't incremental - they're exponential. Here’s why this is a game changer: Blazing Speed: Analyse feedback 100x Faster (or more!) than manual methods. Insights appear in minutes or hours, not days or weeks. Unhuman Scalability: Process virtually unlimited volumes of feedback without needing to scale your human team proportionally. AI doesn't get tired or bored. Consistent Accuracy: AI applies analysis rules consistently, reducing human bias and ensuring reliable categorisation and sentiment scoring over time. Proactive Trend Spotting: Identify emerging issues or popular requests much earlier by analysing aggregated data automatically. Spot patterns humans might miss. Free Up Your Team: Let your talented team focus on acting on insights – improving products, fixing issues, engaging customers – instead of drowning in data entry. How It Works: AI Automation Step by Step Getting this set up is more straightforward than you might think, especially with tools like n8n acting as the central hub. Automated Feedback Triggering CRM/Website Event Node Trigger feedback requests after: Purchases (eCommerce) Support ticket resolution Feature usage (SaaS) Time-Based Node Schedule recurring NPS surveys Customer health check-ups Chat App Node (WhatsApp/Telegram/Messenger) Send conversational feedback prompts: "How was your recent experience with [specific interaction]?" Multi-Channel Feedback Collection Email Node (SendGrid/Mailchimp) Send personalized feedback requests Embed 1-5 rating widgets SMS Node (Twilio) Short mobile surveys: "Reply 1-5: How satisfied with your purchase?" Webhook Node Capture in-app feedback Process chatbot responses Social Media Node Monitor Twitter/X, Instagram mentions Analyze comments for unsolicited feedback AI-Powered Real-Time Analysis OpenAI/ChatGPT Node (Sentiment Analysis) Prompt: "Analyze sentiment (positive/neutral/negative) and key themes from: [customer feedback]" Output fields: Sentiment score (1-5) Urgency flag (high/medium/low) Key topics (billing, support, product, etc.) Translation Node (Optional) Convert multilingual feedback into a consistent language Instant AI Response System Conditional Node (Routing Logic) Positive feedback → Send thank-you + referral ask Neutral feedback → Follow-up question for details Negative feedback → Escalate to the human team AI Response Generator Node Prompt: "Create a personalized response to [feedback type] about [topic] with sentiment [score]" Adjust tone (professional/friendly/empathetic) Escalation Node Route critical issues to the support team with full context Automated Insights & Alerts Dashboard Node Real-time sentiment tracking Emerging issue detection Alert Node (Slack/Teams/Email) Notify teams of negative trends: "3+ complaints about checkout flow in the past hour!" Report Node Auto-generate weekly/monthly summaries: "Top 5 customer pain points this week" Product Board Integration Auto-create feature requests Prioritize based on feedback volume Tools of the Trade: AI & Automation Tech Stack You don't need a massive, complex tech stack. Focus on a few core, powerful tools: n8n: The workflow automation platform. This is the 'glue' that connects everything and orchestrates the process without needing deep coding knowledge. Honestly, it's incredibly versatile. OpenAI (GPT-4/GPT-4o): State-of-the-art LLM for high-quality text analysis, summarization, and classification. Great for complex understanding. Anthropic (Claude 3 Sonnet/Opus): Another top-tier LLM, known for strong performance in analysis and handling large contexts. Often, a great alternative or complement to GPT models. Feedback Sources APIs: Connectors for where your feedback lives (e.g., Typeform, SurveyMonkey, Twitter API, Zendesk API, Google Play/App Store review APIs). Data Storage/Destination: Where the processed insights go (e.g., Google Sheets, Airtable, Notion, PostgreSQL database, BigQuery). (Optional) Visualization Tool: Tools like Metabase, Grafana, Looker Studio, or Power BI to create dashboards from your structured feedback data. What's the Cost? Estimated Budget Let's talk investment. You're mainly looking at: Setup Costs: Primarily your time (or a consultant's) to design and build the initial workflow in n8n. Depending on complexity, this could range from a few hours to a few days. No major software licenses are usually needed upfront if using self-hosted n8n or starting with free/low-tier cloud plans. AI API Calls: You pay per usage to OpenAI/Anthropic. Costs depend heavily on volume but can start from $20-$50/month for moderate usage and scale up. Newer models are getting more cost-effective. n8n Hosting: Free if self-hosted (requires a server), or tiered cloud pricing starting around $20/month. Feedback Source APIs: Some platforms might have API access costs or rate limits on free tiers. Total Estimated Monthly Cost: For many businesses, ongoing costs can range from $50 - $500+ per month, highly dependent on feedback volume and AI model choice. The Return on Investment (ROI) is typically rapid. Consider the hours saved from manual analysis, the value of faster issue resolution, preventing churn, and the benefits of making product decisions based on real-time data. It often pays for itself very quickly. Who Benefits? Target Users and Industries This automated feedback loop isn't niche; it's valuable across many sectors and roles: Top Industries: SaaS (Software as a Service): Understanding user friction, feature requests, bug reports. E-commerce & Retail: Analyzing product reviews, post-purchase surveys, and support chats. Hospitality & Travel: Processing guest reviews, survey feedback. Mobile Apps: Monitoring app store reviews, in-app feedback. Financial Services: Gauging customer satisfaction with services, identifying pain points. Key Roles: Product Managers: Prioritizing features, understanding user needs, tracking launch reception. Customer Experience (CX) / Success Managers: Monitoring customer health, identifying churn risks, and improving support processes. Marketing Teams: Understanding brand perception, campaign feedback, and voice of the customer. Support Leads: Identifying recurring issues, measuring support quality, spotting training needs. This approach works for businesses of all sizes, from startups wanting to stay lean and agile to large enterprises needing to manage massive feedback volumes. How to use workflow? Importing a workflow in n8n is a straightforward process that allows you to use pre-built or shared workflows to save time. Below is a step-by-step guide to import a workflow in n8n, based on the official documentation and community resources. Steps to Import a Workflow in n8n 1. Obtain the Workflow JSON Source the Workflow:** Workflows are typically shared as JSON files or code snippets. You might receive them from: The n8n community (e.g., n8n.io workflows page). A colleague or tutorial (e.g., a .json file or copied JSON code). Exported from another n8n instance (see export instructions below if needed). Format:** Ensure you have the workflow in JSON format, either as a file (e.g., workflow.json) or as text copied to your clipboard. 2. Access the n8n Workflow Editor Log in to n8n:** Open your n8n instance (via n8n Cloud or your - self-hosted instance). Navigate to the Workflows tab in the n8n dashboard. Open a New Workflow:** Click Add Workflow to create a blank workflow, or open an existing workflow if you want to merge the imported workflow. 3. Import the Workflow Option 1: Import via JSON Code (Clipboard): In the n8n editor, click the three dots (⋯) in the top-right corner to open the menu. Select Import from Clipboard. Paste the JSON code of the workflow into the provided text box. Click Import to load the workflow into the editor. Option 2: Import via JSON File: In the n8n editor, click the three dots (⋯) in the top-right corner. Select Import from File. Choose the .json file from your computer. Click Open to import the workflow. Note: If the workflow includes nodes for apps requiring credentials (e.g., Google Sheets), you’ll need to configure those credentials separately after importing.

Who is this for? This template is designed for content creators, marketing teams, educators, or media managers who want to repurpose video content into written blog posts with visuals. It's ideal for anyone looking to automate the process of transforming YouTube videos into professional blog articles and custom images. What problem is this workflow solving? Creating written content from video material is time-consuming and manual. This workflow solves that by automating the entire pipeline: from detecting new YouTube video uploads to transcribing the audio, turning it into an engaging blog post, generating a matching visual, and saving both in Airtable. It saves hours of work while keeping your blog or social feed active and consistent. What this workflow does This automation listens for new YouTube videos added to a Google Drive folder, extracts the full transcript using Dumpling AI, and sends it to GPT-4o to generate a blog post and image prompt. Dumpling AI then turns the prompt into a 16:9 visual. The blog and visual are saved into Airtable for easy publishing or curation. Setup Google Drive Trigger Create a folder in Google Drive and upload your YouTube videos there. Link this folder in the "Watch Folder for New YouTube Videos" node. Enable polling every minute or adjust as needed. Download & Prepare the Video The video is downloaded and converted into base64 format by the next two nodes: Download Video File and Convert Downloaded Video to Base64. Transcription with Dumpling AI The base64 video is sent to Dumpling AI’s extract-video endpoint. You must have a Dumpling AI account and an API key with access to this endpoint: Dumpling AI Docs Generate Blog Content with GPT-4o GPT-4o takes the transcript and generates: A human-like blog post A descriptive prompt for AI image generation Make sure your OpenAI credentials are configured. Generate the Visual The prompt is passed to Dumpling AI’s generate-ai-image endpoint using model FLUX.1-pro. The result is a clean 1024x576 image. Save to Airtable Blog content is stored under the Content field in Airtable. The image prompt is also added to the Attachments column as a visual reference. Ensure Airtable base and table are preconfigured with the correct field names. How to customize this workflow to your needs Change the GPT prompt to alter the tone or format of the blog post (e.g., add bullet points or SEO tags). Modify the Dumpling AI prompt to generate different image styles. Add a scheduler or webhook trigger to run at different intervals or through other integrations. Connect this output to Ghost, Notion, or your CMS using additional nodes. 🧠 Sticky Note Summary Part 1: Transcription & Blog Prompt Watches a Google Drive folder for new video uploads. Downloads and encodes the video. Transcribes full audio with Dumpling AI. GPT-4o writes a blog post and descriptive image prompt. Part 2: Image Generation & Airtable Save Dumpling AI generates a visual from the image prompt. Blog content is saved to Airtable. The image prompt is patched into the Attachments field in the same record. ✅ Use this if you want to automate repurposing YouTube videos into blog content with zero manual work.

You Don’t Need More Tools. You Just Need the Right Leads. Why spend $1,000s on lead gen when your perfect leads are already waiting in Apollo? You’ve already filtered the ideal prospects. You know who they are, where they work, and what they do. Now imagine turning that list into enriched, ready-to-contact leads—without paying pricey Apollo's recurring subscription (spoiler: you will pay only 0.60$ per 500 leads). From Filter to Outreach-Ready in Seconds With the Lead Generation System, you just drop your Apollo search URL. The workflow does the rest: ✅ Scrapes all matching contacts from your Apollo filter ✅ Enriches and organizes the data (names, roles, emails, LinkedIns, companies, etc.) ✅ Delivers the final lead list to Airtable—or your CRM of choice No more manual exports. No CSV mess. No VA needed. Just qualified leads, cleaned and ready to go. Perfect For Founders doing DIY outbound Growth marketers scaling cold email Agencies running lead-gen for clients Anyone tired of paying too much for messy, outdated lists Setup Guide I built a step-by-step guide to setup this workflow in 5 to 10 minutes, available here: https://notanothermarketer.gitbook.io/home/templates/lead-generation This template is free. Enjoy!

This workflow contains community nodes that are only compatible with the self-hosted version of n8n. Transform your expense tracking with automated AI receipt processing that extracts data and organizes it instantly. What this workflow does Monitors Google Drive for new receipt uploads (images/PDFs) Downloads and processes files automatically Extracts key data using VLM Run community node (merchant, amount, currency, date) Saves structured data to Google Sheets for easy tracking Setup Prerequisites: Google Drive/Sheets accounts, VLM Run API credentials, n8n instance. You need to install VLM Run community node. To install Community nodes you need to follow steps, Settings -> Community Nodes -> Install -> Search with name @vlm-run/n8n-nodes-vlmrun Quick Setup: Configure Google Drive OAuth2 and create receipt upload folder Add VLM Run API credentials Create Google Sheets with columns: Customer, Merchant, Amount, Currency, Date Update folder/sheet IDs in workflow nodes Test and activate How to customize this workflow to your needs Extend functionality by: Adding expense categories and approval workflows Connecting to accounting software (QuickBooks, Xero) Including Slack notifications for processed receipts Adding data validation and duplicate detection This workflow transforms manual receipt processing into an automated system that saves hours while improving accuracy.

Overview This workflow is designed for eCommerce store owners and marketing teams who use WooCommerce. It helps segment customers based on their purchasing behavior using the RFM (Recency, Frequency, Monetary) model. By identifying high-value customers, new buyers, and at-risk segments, you can tailor your marketing strategies and improve customer retention. How It Works Trigger: The workflow can be started manually or on a scheduled basis (e.g., weekly). Retrieve Orders: It fetches completed orders from your WooCommerce store from the past year. RFM Analysis: It groups orders by customer and calculates their RFM scores. Customer Segmentation: Based on RFM scores, customers are categorized into marketing segments (e.g., Champions, At Risk, Lost). Summary Report: Generates a styled HTML report with a table summarizing customer segments and suggested marketing actions. Setup Instructions Connect WooCommerce: Go to the WooCommerce node. Add or select your WooCommerce API credentials. You need the Base URL, Consumer Key, and Consumer Secret. Ensure API access is enabled in your WooCommerce settings. Customize Segmentation (Optional): In the "Calculate RFM Scores" code node, you can adjust the logic that assigns segment labels based on score combinations. You can also update the marketing suggestions in the second "Code" node. Run the Workflow: Use the "Manual Start" node for testing. Enable the "Weekly Trigger" node to automate execution. View Report: The final HTML node outputs a complete styled report. You can send this via email or integrate it with other services. Requirements WooCommerce store with API access enabled. Valid API credentials (Base URL, Consumer Key, Consumer Secret). n8n instance with access to the internet.

Enhance Query Resolution with the Knowledge Base Tool! Our KB Tool - Confluence KB is crafted to seamlessly integrate into the IT Ops AI SlackBot Workflow, enhancing the IT support process by enabling sophisticated search and response capabilities via Slack. Workflow Functionality: Receive Queries**: Directly accepts user queries from the main workflow, initiating a dynamic search process. AI-Powered Query Transformation**: Utilizes OpenAI's models or local ai to refine user queries into searchable keywords that are most likely to retrieve relevant information from the Knowledge Base. Confluence Integration**: Executes searches within Confluence using the refined keywords to find the most applicable articles and information. Deliver Accurate Responses**: Gathers essential details from the Confluence results, including article titles, links, and summaries, preparing them to be sent back to the parent workflow for final user response. To view a demo video of this workflow in action, click here. Quick Setup Guide: Ensure correct configurations are set for OpenAI and Confluence API integrations. Customize query transformation logic as per your specific Knowledge Base structure to improve search accuracy. Need Help? Dive into our Documentation or get support from the Community Forum! Deploy this tool to provide precise and informative responses, significantly boosting the efficiency and reliability of your IT support workflow.

Overview This workflow leverages the LangChain code node to implement a fully customizable conversational agent. Ideal for users who need granular control over their agent's prompts while reducing unnecessary token consumption from reserved tool-calling functionality (compared to n8n's built-in Conversation Agent). Setup Instructions Configure Gemini Credentials: Set up your Google Gemini API key (Get API key here if needed). Alternatively, you may use other AI provider nodes. Interaction Methods: Test directly in the workflow editor using the "Chat" button Activate the workflow and access the chat interface via the URL provided by the When Chat Message Received node Customization Options Interface Settings: Configure chat UI elements (e.g., title) in the When Chat Message Received node Prompt Engineering: Define agent personality and conversation structure in the Construct & Execute LLM Prompt node's template variable ⚠️ Template must preserve {chat_history} and {input} placeholders for proper LangChain operation Model Selection: Swap language models through the language model input field in Construct & Execute LLM Prompt Memory Control: Adjust conversation history length in the Store Conversation History node Requirements: ⚠️ This workflow uses the LangChain Code node, which only works on self-hosted n8n. (Refer to LangChain Code node docs)

This workflow contains community nodes that are only compatible with the self-hosted version of n8n. This workflow provides a complete, ready-to-use template for a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) system. It allows you to build a powerful AI chatbot that can answer questions based on the content of PDF documents you provide, using a modern and powerful stack for optimal performance. Good to know Costs:** This workflow uses paid services (OpenAI, Pinecone, Cohere). Costs will be incurred based on your usage. Please review the pricing pages for each service to understand the potential expenses. Video Tutorial (Bahasa Indonesia):** For a step-by-step guide on how this workflow functions, you can watch the accompanying video tutorial here: N8N Tutorial: Membangun Chatbot RAG dengan Pinecone, OpenAI, & Cohere How it works This workflow operates in two distinct stages: 1. Data Ingestion & Indexing: It begins when a .pdf file is uploaded via the n8n Form Trigger. The Default Data Loader node processes the PDF, and the Recursive Character Text Splitter breaks down the content into smaller, manageable chunks. The Embeddings OpenAI node converts these text chunks into vector embeddings (numerical representations). Finally, the Pinecone Vector Store node takes these embeddings and stores (upserts) them into your specified Pinecone index, creating a searchable knowledge base. 2. Conversational AI Agent: A user sends a message through the Chat Trigger. The AI Agent receives the message and uses its VectorDB tool to search the Pinecone index for relevant information. The Reranker Cohere node refines these search results, ensuring only the most relevant context is selected. The user's original question and the refined context are sent to the OpenAI Chat Model (gpt-4.1), which generates a helpful, context-aware answer. The Simple Memory node maintains conversation history, allowing for natural, multi-turn dialogues. How to use Using this workflow is a two-step process: Populate the Knowledge Base: First, you need to add documents. Trigger the workflow by using the Form Trigger and uploading a PDF file. Wait for the execution to complete. You can do this for multiple documents. Start Chatting: Once your data has been ingested, open the Chat Trigger's interface and start asking questions related to the content of your uploaded documents. The Form Trigger is just an example. Feel free to replace it with other triggers, such as a node that watches a Google Drive or Dropbox folder for new files. Requirements To run this workflow, you will need active accounts and API keys for the following services. OpenAI Account & API Key:** Function: Powers text embedding and the final chat generation. Required for the Embeddings OpenAI and OpenAI Chat Model nodes. Pinecone Account & API Key:** Function: Used to store and retrieve your vector knowledge base. Required for the Pinecone Vector Store and VectorDB nodes. You also need to provide your Pinecone Environment. Cohere Account & API Key:** Function: Improves the accuracy of your chatbot by re-ranking search results for relevance. Required for the Reranker Cohere node. Customising this workflow This template is a great starting point. Here are a few ways you can customize it: Change the AI Personality:* Edit the *System Message** in the AI Agent node to change the bot's behavior, tone, or instructions. Use Different Models:** You can easily swap the OpenAI model for another one (e.g., gpt-3.5-turbo for lower costs) in the OpenAI Chat Model node. Adjust Retrieval:** In the VectorDB tool node, you can modify the Top K parameter to retrieve more or fewer document chunks to use as context. Automate Ingestion:** Replace the manual Form Trigger with an automated one, like a node that triggers whenever a new file is added to a specific cloud storage folder.

Automated YouTube Video Promotion Workflow Automate the promotion of new YouTube videos on X (formerly Twitter) with minimal effort. This workflow is perfect for content creators, marketers, and social media managers who want to keep their audience updated with fresh content consistently. How it works This workflow triggers every 30 minutes to check for new YouTube videos from a specified channel. If a new video is found, it utilizes OpenAI's ChatGPT to craft an engaging, promotional message for X. Finally, the workflow posts the generated message to Twitter, ensuring your latest content is shared with your audience promptly. Set up steps Schedule the workflow to run at your desired frequency. Connect to your YouTube account and set up the node to fetch new videos based on your Channel ID. Integrate with OpenAI to generate promotional messages using GPT-3.5 turbo. Link to your X account and set up the node to post the generated content. Please note, you'll need API keys and credentials for YouTube, OpenAI, and X. Check out this quick video tutorial to make the setup process a breeze. Additional Tips Customize the workflow to match your branding and messaging tone. Test each step to ensure your workflow runs smoothly before going live.

This workflow contains community nodes that are only compatible with the self-hosted version of n8n. What this workflow does Monitors Google Drive for new driver license image uploads Downloads and processes images using VLM Run AI OCR Extracts key information including license number, name, DOB, and dates Saves structured data to Google Sheets for instant access Setup Prerequisites: Google Drive account, VLM Run API credentials, Google Sheets access, self-hosted n8n. You need to install VLM Run community node Quick Setup: Configure Google Drive OAuth2 and create license upload folder Add VLM Run API credentials Set up Google Sheets integration for data storage Update folder/sheet IDs in workflow nodes Test with sample license images and activate Perfect for Customer onboarding and identity verification KYC compliance and document processing HR employee verification and record keeping Insurance claim processing and validation Any business requiring license data extraction Key Benefits Asynchronous processing** handles high-resolution images without timeouts Multi-format support** for JPG, PNG, PDF, HEIC, WebP formats Structured data output** ready for databases and integrations Eliminates manual entry** saving hours of data input time High accuracy OCR** with multi-state license support How to customize Extend by adding: Address and additional field extraction Data validation and error checking Integration with CRM or customer databases Email notifications for processing completion Audit trails and compliance reporting Duplicate detection and data deduplication This workflow transforms manual license data entry into an automated, accurate, and compliant process, making identity verification seamless and reliable for your business operations.

Use Case When tracking your contacts and leads in Hubspot CRM, every new contact might be a potential customer. To guarantee that you're keeping the overview you'd normally need to look at every new lead that is coming in manually to identify high-quality leads to prioritize their engagement and optimize the sales process. This workflow saves the work and does it for you. What this workflow does The workflow runs every 5 minutes. On every run, it checks the Hubspot CRM for contacts that were added since the last check. It then checks if they meet certain criteria (in this case if they are making +5m annual revenue) and alerts you in Slack for every match. Setup Add Hubspot, and Slack credentials. Click on Test workflow. How to adjust this workflow to your needs Change the schedule interval Adjust the criteria to send alerts