7 Examples of Great CRM Workflows

Great customer relationship management (CRM) workflows help you automate steps to complete sales processes, such as deal management, lead scoring, and email automation. Workflows create automated actions triggered by certain events such as field entries, customer actions, or inactivity. When certain criteria are met, actions like automatically sending email alerts to customers or task reminders to your colleagues take place.

In this article, we’ll share seven examples of great workflows you can use as a reference in creating your own. You’ll also find a quick guide on how to create your own CRM workflow to lessen manual tasks and make your business processes more streamlined and organized.

1. Deal Management Workflow

Deal management is the process of monitoring and tracking the progress of potential deals in your CRM software. It covers various stages in the deal-making process. Furthermore, it includes other crucial steps, such as conducting lead outreach through cold calling, setting up a presentation, drafting a proposal, and closing a deal with a customer.

A deal management workflow ensures your sales agents are on top of succeeding action points needed to close a deal promptly. You can set routing conditions in your deal management workflow, including the value of a deal and the required time needed to close it. It could also include notifications for deals stuck in a particular pipeline stage.

Below are some samples of CRM workflow conditions for deal management you can set up using the “if-then” principle:

• If a new deal is entered into your CRM, then have the system direct the deal to the right agent based on its value. For example, deals can be segmented into the following values: below $5,000, between $5,001 and $10,000, and $10,000 and above.
• If a new deal gets stuck in a particular stage for more than five days, then trigger a reminder or notification to the agent assigned to it.

HubSpot provides tools to design deal management workflows based on certain criteria, such as deal amount. (Source: HubSpot)

2. Email Marketing Automation Workflow

Email marketing automation is the process of setting up a series of automated marketing emails meant to be sent to the right people, with the right message, at the right time. Email marketing automation keeps leads and existing customers engaged and informed through relevant content based on where they are in your sales funnel.

An email marketing automation workflow is crucial to sending the right email at the right time. It triggers the sending of emails based on specific actions—or the lack thereof. The forthcoming emails you send to your leads and contacts depend on how they interacted with your previous emails. These actions can include email opens, clicking of links, or offers stated in the email.

Below are some samples of CRM workflow conditions for email automation you can set up using the “if-then” principle:

• If a new customer buys a product or service for the first time, then send a thank-you email with a promo code for their second purchase.
• If a contact opens a marketing email but does not take any action, such as clicking a link or signing up for an offer, then send a re-engagement email after five days.

Agile CRM has a simple workflow creator that lets users set triggers and parameters for their email automation tasks. (Source: Agile CRM)

​​Aritic’s workflow automation for email marketing triggers activities based on a contact’s action, such as opening or ignoring marketing emails. (Source: Aritic)

3. Lead Scoring Workflow

Lead scoring is a CRM feature that lets users rank the value of leads based on their profiles and actions. These could be their job title or previous interactions with your team, such as attending a past event or requesting a quote. Lead scoring helps you see which leads are most likely to convert, allowing you to prioritize the needs of the highest-scoring ones.

You can set conditions for your lead scoring workflow, like directing high-profile leads to your most experienced or highest-performing agents. It could also include labeling and tagging inactive leads as low priority so your agents won’t spend too much time engaging or following up with leads who are less likely to convert.

Below are some samples of CRM workflow conditions for lead scoring you can set up using the “if-then” principle:

• If a lead clicks on a link in your marketing email and signs up for a webinar, then add 20 points to their lead score.
• If a new lead’s job title is Chief Financial Officer, then add 30 points to their lead score.

HubSpot’s lead scoring automation enables users to determine qualified leads based on their score, giving them an idea of which leads to prioritize. (Source: HubSpot)

4. Lead Management Workflow

Lead management is the process of capturing leads through various channels, such as email, chat, phone, web forms, and social media. It entails continuous engagement with different methods, such as follow-up calls or sending nurture emails—until your leads decide to either purchase or decline your products or services.

One of the triggers and parameters you should identify when creating a workflow in your lead management system is the source of lead. They also include the types of interaction with your communication channels like answering calls or requesting price quotes. Other factors must also be considered, such as the type of products or services the lead is interested in or the business industry they belong to.

Below are some samples of CRM workflow conditions for lead management you can set up using the “if-then” principle:

• If a contact sends an inquiry using your “Contact Us” page, then direct them to the right agent based on the topic of their query. Topics can cover pricing, product, and general queries.
• If the quotation requested by a lead is left unopened in their inbox for five days, then trigger a notification to the appropriate agent to make a follow-up call.

Salesforce’s lead management workflow allows users to identify the type of follow-up activity appropriate for a lead based on their status. (Source: Salesforce)

Bitrix24’s workflow automation lets users trigger activities based on the source of the lead, such as a website form or through an email inquiry. (Source: Bitrix24)

5. Lead Assignment & Distribution Workflow

Lead assignment is the process of distributing or designating incoming leads to sales reps. Triggers you can set in your lead assignment workflow can include auto-routing a new lead to any available agent or assigning leads based on specific factors. Some of these factors include business industry or job title. For example, you can assign a lead to an agent who specializes in a specific business sector. You can also assign a high-profile lead, such as a CEO, to a supervisor-level agent.

Below are some samples of CRM workflow conditions for lead assignment you can set up using the “if-then” principle:

• If a new lead comes in, then assign it to the agent who is managing the least amount of leads.
• If a new lead comes in from New York, then assign them to an agent who is working during Eastern Standard Time.

HubSpot’s lead management workflow allows users to easily assign leads based on their location. (Source: HubSpot)

6. Customer Support Feedback Workflow

Customer support is an integral part of any business because how you manage your customers’ queries has a significant impact on your customer reviews and reputation. Hence, responding to their requests in a proper and timely manner is one of the things you should prioritize.

Conditions you can set in your customer support feedback workflow can include triggering notifications based on how long a query goes unanswered. You can also auto-assign queries to agents based on the topic of the request.

Below are some samples of CRM workflow conditions for customer support you can set up using the “if-then” principle:

• If a new query comes in, then assign it to the right agent based on the topic of inquiry, such as product questions or refund and exchange requests.
• If a customer query sits on the ticketing queue for 36 hours, then send a notification to the customer service supervisor so it can be assigned to an agent as soon as possible.

Agile CRM allows you to auto-route new tickets to specific agents based on predetermined criteria. (Source: Agile CRM)

It allows you to trigger tasks based on the priority level of each ticket. (Source: Agile CRM)

It also sends reminders when open cases exceed the allocated time of resolving tickets. (Source: Agile CRM)

7. Lifecycle Stage Workflow

Lifecycle stages let you segment customers, contacts, and leads into different groups depending on where they are in the buying process. This will guide your agents in customizing and personalizing the type of tasks they need to perform when engaging with customers.

For example, you can separate new customers from old ones by sending them emails that provide more information about your products and services. You can also send re-engagement emails to customers who have not made a purchase in the last six months or those who have canceled their subscription renewal after being a customer for a few years.

Below are some samples of CRM workflow conditions for customer lifecycle stages you can set up using the “if-then” principle:

• If a customer renews a subscription and upgrades to a more extensive plan, then have your agent call them to schedule a product refresher session.
• If a customer inquired about your service and requested a meeting, but suddenly stopped responding to emails, then trigger a notification to the respective sales agent to make a follow-up call.

​​HubSpot lets you update your contact’s lifecycle stage if they have reached a specific stage in their consumer journey. (Source: HubSpot)

Setting Up Your CRM Workflow

Workflow automations are governed by the principle of the “if-this-then-that” (IFTTT) or “if-then” rule. It means that the input determines the output, or that a specific action needs to happen in order to trigger an equally specific reaction. Steps in creating a CRM workflow vary based on your own business processes, but in general consist of going to your tool’s workflow builder, adding triggers like those we’ve featured in our examples, and setting up user routing.

Bottom Line

CRM workflows are meant to streamline various processes, and they are one of the most effective tools to convert new customers and strengthen your relationship with old ones. They enable you to be constantly on top of your various business processes. Be sure to set the right triggers and identify the correct parameters for the various tasks that you create a workflow for so you’ll always be on top of your sales processes and no tasks are missed.