--- title: "A buddy selection form that triggers a flow" description: "In about 40 minutes: build a form with a Buddy field, send it to the manager in Slack a week before a start date, write the buddy onto the new starter's record, thank the manager through a form-triggered flow, and brief the buddy the moment they are chosen." sidebar: order: 1 area: flows feature: forms appPath: /flows/home lastVerified: 2026-10-22 version: "2026-10-16" audience: admin video: flows-forms-tutorial-buddy related: - flows/forms/build-a-form - flows/forms/embed-a-form-in-a-message - flows/automations/tutorial-buddy-programme - flows/automations/configure-a-team-change-trigger intercom: - id: "16304943" title: Set up a buddy automation (Pyn 2) url: https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/16304943-set-up-a-buddy-automation-pyn-2 note: draws on --- **Goal:** a manager names a buddy with two clicks in Slack, the new starter's record is updated, the manager hears back, and the buddy is briefed, with nobody in HR in the loop. **Time:** about 40 minutes. **You will end up with:** a published `Buddy selection` form; a nomination step in your pre-boarding automation; a small `Thanks for choosing a buddy` automation on the **Form Submission** trigger; and a `Buddy briefing` automation on the **Buddy Assigned** trigger. The [buddy programme tutorial](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/automations/tutorial-buddy-programme/) extends this with check-ins through the first month. ## Before you start - Slack is connected, so the buddy picker renders inside the manager's message. - A pre-boarding or first-day automation exists and is published. - A short buddy guide is published in **Library**, **Content**. [Video: Build a buddy selection form and embed it in the manager's message.](https://support.pynhq.com/media/flows/forms/flows-forms-tutorial-buddy.mp4) ## 1. Build the form 1. In Pyn, open **Flows** in the left navigation, select **Forms**, then **Add Form**. 2. Name it `Buddy selection`. 3. Select **Add Field**, then **Employee Fields**, **Buddy**. Set **Label** to `Buddy`, **Description** to `Someone on or near the team, a year or more in, who enjoys showing people round`, tick **Required**, and **Save**. 4. Select **Add Field**, then **Common**, **Text**. Label it `Anything the buddy should know?` with the description `Optional: working pattern, first project, a shared interest`. Leave **Required** unticked and **Save**. 5. Select **Preview** to read it, then **Publish**. The Buddy field is the one that matters: when the form is submitted inside an enrollment, Pyn writes the chosen person as the buddy of that enrollment's principal, the new starter. ## 2. Ask the manager, in Slack, a week out 1. Select **Automations** and open your pre-boarding automation. 2. Select **Add a step**, then **Send Direct Message**. Title it `Choose a buddy`. 3. Under **Schedule**, choose **1 week before**, **at** 09:00, **in** the **Recipient Time Zone**. Under **From**, choose **Pyn Bot**. Under **To**, choose **Manager**. 4. Write the message: > Hi @recipient.preferredName. @principal.preferredName joins your team on @principal.startDate as @principal.jobTitle. Please pick an onboarding buddy below. Pyn will brief them and introduce them on day one. 5. On a new line, select **Insert widget**, **Embed Form**, choose **Buddy selection** under **Form**, keep **Track Action** ticked, and **Save**. 6. Select the **Reminders** tab and **Add reminder**, set to **2 days after send**. Scroll to **Escalations**, select **Add escalation**, and set it to 4 days, **Skip-level Manager**. 7. Select **Preview**, pick an upcoming joiner under **Preview for principal**, and check the recipient shown is their manager. Select **Send a test to yourself**, then **Publish**. > **Note:** In this step the manager is the recipient and the new starter is the principal, so `@recipient` is the manager and `@principal` the starter. The form follows the same rule: the manager submits, the starter gets the buddy. ## 3. Thank the manager through a form-triggered flow This is the flow the form itself starts. Its principal is the submitter, the manager, which is exactly who you want to thank. 1. On **Automations**, select **Create New**, then **Form Submission**, choose **Buddy selection** from the list, then **Done**. Title the automation `Thanks for choosing a buddy`. 2. Select **Add a step**, then **Send Direct Message**. Under **Schedule**, choose **on the day of**; under **To**, **Employee** (the submitter). 3. Write it: > Thanks @recipient.preferredName, that's done. We'll brief the buddy today and introduce them on day one. If you'd like to change the choice, reply here and the People team will sort it. 4. Select **Publish**, then **Use This**, and choose **Automated**. There is nothing to verify: it sends once per submission. ## 4. Brief the buddy the moment they are chosen The buddy relationship exists only after the form is submitted, and it belongs to the new starter. The **Buddy Assigned** trigger fires for the starter when the relationship appears, so a step addressed to **Buddy** reaches the right person however the buddy was set. 1. On **Automations**, select **Create New**, then **Buddy Assigned** under **Team and Org Changes**, then **Done**. Title it `Buddy briefing`. 2. Select the trigger card, open **Audience**, and under **Lifecycle** keep **Current** and add **Joiner**: the principal is the starter, who is a joiner until their first day. 3. Select **Add a step**, then **Send Direct Message**. Under **Schedule**, **on the day of**, 09:00, **Recipient Time Zone**; under **To**, **Buddy**. 4. Write it: > Hi @recipient.preferredName. @principal.managerPreferredName has asked you to be the onboarding buddy for @principal.preferredName, who starts on @principal.startDate. It's about an hour a week for the first month: a hello on day one, a coffee in week one, and being the person for the small questions. Here's our short guide. 5. Select **Insert widget**, **Link To Library Content**, choose the buddy guide, label it `Read the buddy guide`, and **Save**. 6. Select **Publish**, then **Use This** and **Automated**. ## What you should see A week before each start date, the manager gets the Slack message with a user picker under it. When they choose and submit: the starter's profile in [Directory](https://support.pynhq.com/directory/employees/) shows the buddy; the submission appears in the form's **Activity** drawer; the manager's step reads **Actioned** and its reminder and escalation are cancelled; `Thanks for choosing a buddy` enrols the manager and sends; and `Buddy briefing` enrols the starter and messages the buddy within the hour. A manager who does not respond is reminded after two days and their skip-level manager hears after four. ## Next steps - Follow the [buddy programme tutorial](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/automations/tutorial-buddy-programme/) to add the day-one introduction and the two-week and one-month check-ins. - Add a **Mentor** field and a **Mentor** recipient the same way for a mentoring scheme. - If your HRIS carries a buddy field, `Buddy briefing` fires when HR sets it there too. ## Related - [Build a form](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/forms/build-a-form/) and [Embed a form in a message](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/forms/embed-a-form-in-a-message/) for chapters 1 and 2 in detail. - [Trigger a flow from a form submission](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/automations/trigger-a-flow-from-a-form-submission/) for chapter 3's trigger. - [Configure a team change trigger](https://support.pynhq.com/flows/automations/configure-a-team-change-trigger/) for Buddy Assigned. ## Related Intercom articles - [Set up a buddy automation (Pyn 2)](https://intercom.help/pyn/en/articles/16304943-set-up-a-buddy-automation-pyn-2) — draws on