Update Associated Record in Automations

Overview

The Update Associated Record action lets you modify specific fields in a custom object linked to a parent or family record. This keeps your enrollment data accurate and current without manual updates.

Use this when you need to update information like application status, waitlist position, or enrollment details as families move through your process.

Action Name

Update Associated Record for Parent/Family

What This Action Does

This action updates existing custom object records that are connected to a parent or family. You can update one record or multiple records at once, depending on the association label you select.

Requirements

Before using this action, you need to:

• Create custom objects in your client account
• Set up an association label between at least one of those objects and your parent/family records

How to Configure

When setting up this action in your automation, you'll specify:

Object to Update

Choose which custom object you want to modify (for example: Application, Tour Request, Enrollment).

Association Label

Select which associated records to update:

• Choose a specific association label (like "Submitted Application" or "Scheduled Tour")
• Or select "All associated records" to update every linked record at once

Fields to Update

Pick which fields you want to change and set their new values. You can use:

• Static values (like "Approved" or "Completed")
• Custom values from the automation trigger
• Custom fields and merge fields to pull data from the parent/family record

Example: Tracking Waitlist Position

Let's say you manage a waitlist for your infant room using a custom Waitlist object. Each waitlist entry tracks:

• Date Added
• Current Position
• Status (Active, Enrolled, Withdrawn)
• Last Contact Date

The Scenario

When you reach out to a family on the waitlist, you want to automatically update their Last Contact Date and keep notes about the conversation.

Setup

Create an automation that triggers when a staff member completes a waitlist follow-up task:

1. Object to Update: Waitlist
2. Association Label: Active Waitlist Entry
3. Fields to Update:
   • Last Contact Date → Set to today's date
   • Contact Notes → Append the follow-up details
   • Status → Keep as "Active" (or update if they're enrolling)

How It Works

When a parent is first added to the waitlist, the Date Added is set using a Create Associated Record action.

Each time your team follows up with that family, the automation triggers and:

• Updates the Last Contact Date to today
• Adds notes from the conversation to Contact Notes
• Maintains accurate records without staff having to manually update fields

This ensures your waitlist tracking stays current and you can easily see when each family was last contacted.

Pro Tip: Use this action after tour completions to automatically update application status, or after enrollment to update a family's enrollment start date and assigned classroom.

Related Actions

• Create an Associated Record — to add new custom object records
• Clear Fields of Associated Record — to remove data from custom object fields