How fast does Trigger Flow sync changes?

Speed is the defining differentiator of Trigger Flow. Unlike scheduled polling tools that check for changes every 5, 10, or even 15 minutes, Trigger Flow leverages Smartsheet's native Webhook infrastructure for event-driven, near-real-time synchronization.

End-to-End Latency Breakdown

Understanding the sync pipeline helps set accurate expectations for your operational SLAs:

• Phase 1: Cell Edit to Webhook (0–15 seconds): Smartsheet batches recent changes and dispatches the webhook payload. This interval is controlled entirely by Smartsheet's internal queuing system.
• Phase 2: Webhook to SmartSyncApp (1–3 seconds): Our servers receive the notification, decrypt and validate the payload, and evaluate any configured condition logic.
• Phase 3: Reference Lookup & Update (2–5 seconds): SmartSyncApp queries the destination sheet for the matching reference row and writes the updated value via the Smartsheet API.

Typical Total: 15–30 seconds from source edit to destination update. Under peak Smartsheet API load, this may extend to 60 seconds.

Factors That Affect Speed

While SmartSyncApp processes changes in milliseconds, external factors can influence the overall latency:

• Smartsheet API Health: During peak hours or scheduled maintenance, webhook delivery may be delayed.
• Destination Sheet Size: Reference lookups against sheets with 10,000+ rows may add 1–2 seconds compared to smaller sheets.
• Concurrent Edits: Multiple simultaneous changes to the same source sheet are batched by Smartsheet, which can slightly delay the webhook for the last edit in the batch.

Comparison: Trigger Flow vs. Polling

A traditional polling-based tool checking every 15 minutes introduces an average latency of 7.5 minutes. Trigger Flow's webhook architecture reduces this to an average of 20 seconds — a 22x improvement in data freshness.