Introduction
Workflows in Sana Agents are designed to help you work smarter, not harder. By creating workflows, you can automate recurring multi-step processes, make your instructions clear and consistent, and save valuable time. This article walks through what workflows are, how to design them, and shares practical examples, tips, and tricks to help you get the most from this powerful feature.
Key information
Workflows allow you to:
Run complex, multi-step processes in a repeatable way.
Standardize how information is requested, processed, and delivered.
Pre-select sources that should always be referenced for specific workflows.
Define what inputs are required, how each step should behave, and what the final output should look like.
When you create a workflow, you can include instructions, define the expected output, add variables, and select the sources that should be referenced every time the workflow runs. This ensures consistency and accuracy in your results, even when different people run the same workflow.
How-to / guidance
Use variables and source references
You can design workflows with special syntax to guide users and ensure the right information is provided each time.
[[Source A]]
Purpose: Acts as a placeholder for one or more sources that the user can select, such as documents, collections, or meeting recordings.
Behavior: The user needs to select at least one source for each reference point to run the workflow successfully.
Naming:
If [[Source A]] appears multiple times, users only need to select the relevant source(s) once and Sana will reuse them.
If you want different sources referenced in different parts of the workflow, use different names such as [[Source B]], [[Source C]], and so on.
{{Input A}}
Purpose: Creates an editable input field the user can fill in when they run the workflow (for example, a company name, date range, or product name).
Naming:
The label inside the curly brackets (for example, {{company X}}) becomes the name of the input field.
If the user does not override it, Sana uses the standard input value or treats it as a placeholder, depending on your configuration.
Tip: Special syntax makes workflows more flexible and reusable, but you do not need to use it for every workflow. Start simple and add variables and source references where they clearly help.
Example workflows
Sales and Business Development
Business Model Understanding
Goal: Analyze a company’s business model, competition, and investment case.
Workflow instructions (core prompt):
Please summarize the information we have available on {{company X}}. Include:
- Where is their revenue coming from? What is their business model?
- Who are the main competitors?
- What were their financial figures for the past 5 years?
- What are the merits of investing in this company?
- What are the main risks of investing in this company?
Use [[Source A]] as your primary reference.
Industry Trends
Goal: Understand key trends and dynamics in a specific sector.
I am looking to understand the industry trends for {{sector X}}. Please answer the following questions:
- What are the top 5 industry trends?
- What are the industry tailwinds and headwinds?
- What is the market growth rate?
- Who are the biggest players in the market?
- How fragmented is the market?
- What is the market share of the top 5 competitors?
- What is the consumer sentiment about each of the top 5 competitors?
Use [[Source A]] for internal research and add web sources when needed.
Competitor Overview
Goal: Create a structured competitor profile.
Please create a full profile for {{company}} to analyze their tool, their value proposition, and how they compare to the rest of their industry.
Use information from:
- [[Source A]] (internal docs)
- [[Source B]] (their website, reviews from G2, and other online sources)
Structure the output with these headings:
- Introduction
- Value proposition
- Tools they offer
- Integrations
- Comparison to industry
- Limitations
- Pricing
- Conclusion
Summarize Prospect Meeting
Goal: Turn a meeting recording into a standardized prospect summary.
Instructions:
- Use the following meeting: [[Select meeting]].
- Base your answer only on the meeting that I select.
Please fill in the template below and remove the square brackets [] when responding:
Date:
[Date of meeting] – Virtual meeting with [company name of non-[your company] participant]
Attendees:
[Name of non-[your company] participant] [title or role, if available]
[Your company]: [only include the names of [your company] participants, separated by commas].
TL;DR
[List in bullet points a short summary of the meeting.]
Challenges/Goals:
[Summarize the key challenges, pain points, and goals.]
What is important to [name of non-[your company] participant]:
[List in 3–5 bullet points the top things that are important to them.]
Next steps:
[List in bullet points any next steps and who is responsible for each.]
BANCT Analysis
Goal: Summarize a meeting using the BANCT sales framework.
Act as the best Account Executive in the world. Use the meeting [[Select meeting]] with {{name}} and summarize all the BANCT criteria. Also add any other information relevant to deal movement, including tools they are currently using and their tech stack for storing internal knowledge.
BANCT:
- B for Budget: Understand the prospect’s budget beyond the dollar amount.
- A for Authority: Identify stakeholders in the decision-making process.
- N for Need: Determine the importance of the prospect’s problem, objectives, and relevant use cases for {{company}}.
- C for Competitors: Identify what other vendors we are up against and that the prospect is exploring.
- T for Timeline: What is the prospect's timeline for making a decision and implementing the tool?
Competitor Comparison
Goal: Compare two companies side by side.
Provide a comprehensive competitive analysis between {{company X}} and {{company Y}}.
First, give a company summary and an estimate of their global sales.
Then, break down their go-to-market strategies globally over the last 5 years. Cover:
- Market positioning
- Product offerings
- Innovative sales and marketing tactics
Where it makes sense, structure your outputs in tables.
Use [[Source A]] for internal content and add vetted external sources where appropriate.
Fill Out RFPs
Goal: Help fill out RFPs based on existing documentation.
I want your help to fill this [[document]] or vendor checklist for buying {{product}} based on the answers from existing documents:
- A risk assessment template with up-to-date answers on the most common questions
- A security whitepaper describing [product]'s functionality
- A filled-out RFP from {anonymized}
- A filled-out RFP from {anonymized}
Detailed instructions:
- Follow the exact questions listed in the document. Do not add any questions.
- Focus on technical and product feature questions, plus any required company information.
- If the questions are numbered, use the exact same numbers and subnumbers in your answer.
- Extract all the questions verbatim from the RFP and provide answers to each one using the information from the provided documents.
- Answer all questions in detail and format the output in tables where appropriate.
Use [[Source A]], [[Source B]], [[Source C]], and [[Source D]] for the supporting documents.
Legal & Compliance
Legal Document Summarization
Help me understand the main points of this legal document: [[source document]].
Please:
- Avoid industry jargon.
- Provide your answer in clear bullet points.
Comparison of Purchase Agreements
Please compare the purchase agreements on {{company X}} and {{company Y}} in a table format on at least the following points:
- Sellers
- Buyers
- Purchase price
- Closing date
- Buyer indemnification
- Escrow agent
- Environmental matters
Use [[Source A]] and [[Source B]] as your purchase agreement documents.
Answering Security Questions
Please respond to questions that I will share in the subsequent message on information security, privacy, ZDR agreement with OpenAI, GDPR, AI Act, and cross-border data transfer using only the source content.
Detailed instructions:
- Your initial response to the user should be: "Hi, your InfoSec guru is ready to assist. How can I help you?"
- If you cannot find the answer, do not make something up; ask the user to check with our DPO, [name].
- Keep responses concise, using bullet lists where appropriate.
- Use only information that pertains to the company [name], not any other company.
- Use information sparingly and only when it is directly relevant to the question.
- Avoid heavy industry jargon and keep responses clear.
The user’s questions will always be in the next message after the initial greeting.
NDA Checklist Comparison
You have an NDA checklist as source material in [[NDA checklist]]. The checklist contains information that should be present in all NDAs.
Please:
- Review whether my NDA [[NDA]] fulfills all of the requirements of the NDA checklist.
- For each requirement category, ensure all subpoints are met.
- If the requirement is met, summarize the details.
- If it is not met, suggest verbatim additions for the paragraphs that need changes under each checklist point to be compliant.
Be comprehensive in your answers and suggestions, ensuring all checklist points are covered.
Recruiting - Interview Summary
Use the following meeting: [[Select meeting]].
Instructions:
- Respond only based on the meeting I share; do not add other sources.
- Below is a numbered list of questions. Each has bracketed text that explains what we are assessing.
- After I share the meeting, paste the questions in your response and replace the text in brackets with your evaluation based on the meeting.
- After responding to the last question, add 3 bullet points on what we should further assess the candidate on and why.
- Keep responses concise and use bullet points.
- If you do not find an answer in the meeting, leave that question unanswered and do not make something up.
1. Question 1
[Criteria 1]
2. Question 2
[Criteria 2]
3. Question 3
[Criteria 3]
4. Question 4
[Criteria 4]
Writing Follow-Up Emails
Write a follow-up email based on the following meeting: [[source meeting]]. Please include:
- Date of meeting
- Key points discussed
- Next steps
Keep the tone clear, professional, and concise.
Recap of Previous Meetings
Please provide a recap of the meetings we had in the past 2 months with {{company/person name}}.
Include:
- A short summary for each meeting
- Key decisions
- Open questions
- Any pending next steps
Use [[Source A]] for meeting recordings and notes.
Feedback on Communication
Use the following meeting: [[source meeting]].
Provide feedback on my communication skills, considering:
- Clarity
- Active listening
- Filler words
- Storytelling skills
- Confidence
For each point, provide:
- One or two observations
- One concrete recommendation
Tips and tricks for better workflows
Start with your real-world process: Write down how you actually do the work today, then turn those steps into workflow instructions.
Use variables for anything that changes: Names, dates, companies, and products should almost always be {{inputs}}.
Keep instructions plain and direct: Focus on what you want done and what the output should look like, not on complex “prompt engineering.”
Standardize templates across your team: Once a pattern works (for example, meeting summaries or RFP responses), reuse and adapt it for similar workflows.
Test with real examples: Run your workflow on a recent meeting, RFP, or document and tweak the wording until the results are consistently strong.
FAQ
Q. Can I customize workflows for my team’s specific needs?
A. Yes. You can fully customize workflows, including the questions they ask, the structure of the output, the variables used, and the sources referenced.
Q. Do I need to use special syntax for every workflow?
A. No. Special syntax like {{inputs}} and [[sources]] is optional. Use it when you want to add flexibility, require specific user input, or make the workflow easier for others to reuse.
Q. Can I update or refine workflows after creating them?
A. Absolutely. Workflows are meant to evolve as your needs change. Edit and improve them anytime based on feedback, new sources, or updated processes.
For further questions or information about Sana Agents, please contact [email protected] via email or directly in the helpcenter chat.