> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.trig.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Behaviours > Capture milestone moments in customer activity Behaviours are defined patterns of customer activity that you want to track and potentially act upon. They capture the moment when a customer exhibits a specific combination of attributes or events that matters to your business. ## What are behaviours? Think of behaviours as tripwires. You define the conditions, and when a customer crosses that threshold, Trig records it, can fire actions, and creates permanent metadata about when it happened. **Key characteristic:** Behaviours are **one and done**. Once a customer enters a behaviour and either completes it or exits, they cannot re-enter that same behaviour again. This makes behaviours ideal for tracking milestone moments—things that happen once and carry significance. ## Behaviours vs cohorts Understanding this distinction is critical: | Behaviours | Cohorts | | --------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | | One and done—once you leave, you can never re-enter | Dynamic—you can enter and leave multiple times | | Track milestone moments that happen once | Track current state based on criteria | | Create permanent historical record | Membership changes as attributes change | | "First time they did X" | "Currently active" | **Example comparison:** A **"Super User" behaviour** captures the moment someone first becomes a super user. Once achieved, it's recorded permanently—even if usage later declines. A **"Super User" cohort** tracks who currently meets super user criteria. If usage declines, they leave. If it rises, they rejoin. Both have value. Behaviours give you historical milestones. Cohorts give you current state. ## Why behaviours matter ### Capturing milestone moments Some customer actions are significant precisely because they happen once: * First time creating a project * Reaching a usage threshold (100+ actions) * Completing a critical setup step * Achieving "power user" criteria ### Triggering actions at the right time When a customer exhibits a behaviour, you can immediately: * Notify your team via Slack or webhook * Update an attribute in your system * Send a follow-up communication * Route them into a job ### Building customer context Every behaviour creates metadata: ``` last_entered_[behaviour] — When they entered last_completed_[behaviour] — When they completed last_exited_[behaviour] — When they exited without completing currently_member_of_[behaviour] — Whether they're currently in it ``` This metadata is available for targeting, filtering, and analysis throughout the platform. ### Qualifying audiences for jobs Behaviours are often used as qualification criteria: ``` Target everyone who has completed "Setup Complete" behaviour but has NOT completed "First Project Created" behaviour ``` ## How behaviours work ### Entry criteria (audience) Entry criteria define who qualifies to enter: ``` Behaviour: First Strike Moment Audience: - License type = commercial - First session date within last 7 days ``` When someone matches these criteria and hasn't previously entered, they enter the behaviour. ### Completion criteria Completion criteria define success: ``` Completion criteria: - Projects created >= 1 OR - Boards joined >= 1 OR - Project link clicked >= 1 ``` When someone in the behaviour meets these criteria, they complete. Completion is the positive outcome. ### Exit without completion If someone is in a behaviour and no longer matches entry criteria (or a time limit passes) without completing, they exit. Exit is the negative outcome. ### The one-and-done rule Once a customer has entered a behaviour—regardless of completion or exit—they cannot enter again. This serves important purposes: * Preserves integrity of "first time" tracking * Prevents double-counting * Creates clean historical records If you need to track something that can happen repeatedly, use a cohort instead, or create multiple behaviours with different criteria. ## Configuring behaviours ### Anatomy of a behaviour | Field | Description | Example | | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | | **Name** | Descriptive name | "Setup Moment Reached" | | **Audience** | Who qualifies to enter | License = commercial, first session within 7 days | | **Completion Criteria** | What indicates success | Created project >= 1 | | **Entry Actions** | What happens on entry | Notify team, update attribute | | **Completion Actions** | What happens on completion | Send webhook, update CRM | | **Exit Actions** | What happens on exit without completion | Notify team of drop-off | ### Building entry criteria Entry criteria use filter logic: **Attribute-based:** ``` attribute = value attribute >= X attribute has any value ``` **Trig metadata:** ``` currently_member_of_[stage/behaviour/job] last_completed_[stage/behaviour/job] has any value ``` **Important:** Attributes are evaluated historically—existing values are checked. Events are evaluated forward—only new events trigger. ### Entry, completion, and exit actions **Notify team:** * Send Slack message to a channel * Include customer context **Fire webhook:** * Call an external endpoint * Pass customer data **Update attribute:** * Set an internal attribute * Flag status changes ## Common behaviour patterns ### Milestone behaviours Track significant first-time achievements: ``` Behaviour: First Project Created Audience: All customers Completion: projects_created >= 1 Behaviour: Power User Threshold Reached Audience: All customers Completion: - sessions_per_week >= 5 AND - features_used >= 7 AND - team_members >= 3 ``` ### Funnel stage behaviours Track progression through a conversion funnel: ``` Behaviour: Setup Moment Audience: License = trial Completion: setup_completed = true Behaviour: Aha Moment Audience: completed Setup Moment Completion: first_value_action = true Behaviour: Habit Moment Audience: completed Aha Moment Completion: return_visits >= 3 ``` Each behaviour's audience can depend on completing the previous one. ### Alert behaviours Track conditions that should trigger notification: ``` Behaviour: Ultra Superstar User Audience: All customers Completion: - projects_created >= 10 AND - boards_created >= 10 AND - users_invited >= 100 Entry Action: Notify sales team in Slack ``` ### Negative behaviours Track concerning patterns: ``` Behaviour: Dropped Off During Onboarding Audience: - In onboarding stage - Days since first session >= 14 Completion: - Last login > 7 days ago - Onboarding objectives completed < 2 Entry Action: Alert CSM ``` ## Behaviours as objectives Within stages, objectives are actually behaviours under the hood: ``` Stage: Onboarding ├── Objective: Created First Invoice (behaviour) ├── Objective: Connected Gateway (behaviour) ├── Objective: Invited Team Member (behaviour) ``` The mechanics are identical—entry criteria, completion criteria, actions. Within a stage context, they're called "objectives" and contribute to stage progression tracking. ## Automatic metadata When you create a behaviour, Trig generates attributes automatically: | Attribute | Type | | --------------------------------- | --------- | | `currently_member_of_[behaviour]` | Boolean | | `last_entered_[behaviour]` | Timestamp | | `last_exited_[behaviour]` | Timestamp | | `last_completed_[behaviour]` | Timestamp | You don't need to create these manually. ### Using behaviour metadata ``` Job Audience: - last_completed_Setup_Moment has any value - last_completed_Aha_Moment has no value ``` This targets everyone who completed setup but hasn't reached their aha moment. ## Best practices ### Name behaviours clearly | Good | Bad | | ----------------------- | ------------- | | "First Invoice Created" | "Behaviour 1" | | "Setup Moment Reached" | "Test" | | "Power User Threshold" | "PU" | ### Keep behaviours focused Each behaviour should track one meaningful milestone. **Too complex:** ``` Completion: - invoices >= 3 AND - payments >= 1 AND - team_members >= 2 AND - integrations >= 1 ``` **Better as separate behaviours:** * "First 3 Invoices Created" * "First Payment Received" * "Team Collaboration Started" * "Integration Connected" ### Use behaviours for "first time" tracking The one-and-done nature makes behaviours perfect for first-time events. ### Plan sequences carefully Because behaviours can't be re-entered, plan thoughtfully: 1. Define each stage as a separate behaviour 2. Use completion of previous as entry criteria for next 3. Consider what happens to people who skip stages ### Don't duplicate Trig metadata You don't need to create "entered\_X = true" attributes manually—Trig creates them automatically. ## Common questions You can, but changing criteria affects historical interpretation. Better to create a new behaviour with updated criteria. The one-and-done design preserves milestone tracking integrity. Use cohorts for repeated entry. Use threshold behaviours: "First time", "5+ times", "10+ times" as separate behaviours. Or use cohorts for current state. Objectives are behaviours within stages. Same mechanics, but objectives carry additional meaning for stage progression. Yes. Entry, completion, and exit actions fire as soon as the condition is met. Events are forward-only. Attributes are historical. ## Summary Behaviours capture milestone moments in the customer journey: 1. **One and done** — Customers can only enter each behaviour once 2. **Trigger actions** — Notify teams, fire webhooks, update attributes 3. **Build context** — Every behaviour creates permanent metadata 4. **Qualify audiences** — Use behaviour history for downstream targeting 5. **Sequence thoughtfully** — Plan behaviour dependencies carefully Used well, behaviours create a rich tapestry of customer context that powers intelligent, timely interventions.