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kmcclung86
Member

Best practices for workflow triggers - Built in vs. Active lists

SOLVE

Our HubSpot partner has messed a lot up. So now I question everything they have said/done. Below is a scenario with thier proposed solution that I need to validate.

 

Scenario: Sending traffic to a landing page for a free e-book with an email opt-in form.

 

HubSpot Partners solution:
Create a Contacts > Active List with a filter of form submission being used on landing page.
Create a workflow that triggers on being a member of that list and then distributes the emails.

 

Questions:
Is there a reason to use a list in association with this?

What would the benifit be to using a list vs using a form opt-in trigger?

Are thier any negative consqeunces to using a form opt-in trigger in place of this?

 

Higher level issue:

Our partner used active lists as the trigger for a massive amount of the structure and segmenting our contacts. But I've found contless discrepencies with the List filters. Before I go in and start fixing or making changes, I really need to understand why an active list would be used vs. building the same filters in to the workflow itself. Logically, I've seen no limitations in the workflow arguments/steps. And the lists are not used for anything else other than triggering the workflows.

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2 Accepted solutions
karstenkoehler
Solution
Hall of Famer | Partner
Hall of Famer | Partner

Best practices for workflow triggers - Built in vs. Active lists

SOLVE

Hi @kmcclung86,

 

Without knowing all moving parts, there is a chance that there were more considerations going into this decision. Generally, from what you've shared: It's best practice to include the form submission trigger directly in the workflow.

 

There is a simple reason for this: While they're, broadly speaking, functionally the same, a list might take a moment to populate. This short delay can sometimes cause issues in certain workflows, especially if the lists are used for exclusion or if/then branches.

 

Using lists can however make sense if you're working with a large number of workflows that reference the same list. Updating the list is faster than updating a large number of workflows. It's a way of bulk editing workflows, if you want.

 

As a rule of thumb, it's better to use criteria directly within workflows until you notice using the same criteria again and again. At that point, using a list is a way of making a template of workflow enrollment criteria and keep their criteria up to date across multiple workflows.

 

Best regards!

Karsten Köhler
HubSpot Freelancer | RevOps & CRM Consultant | Community Hall of Famer

Beratungstermin mit Karsten vereinbaren

 

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JMastersonDCS
Solution
Participant

Best practices for workflow triggers - Built in vs. Active lists

SOLVE

I too am looking for best practices for workflow triggers. I'm beginning to think form-based workflows are best, but I'm considering pipeline stage too.

The challenge with form-based workflows happens forms get swapped out. This happens when other admins swap out forms on landing pages. This breaks workflows. You may not know something's broken if there are multiple triggers, and workflow users don't notice the change in traffic volume through the workflow.

But you DO notice when reviewing the workflow, because a clear notification appears at the first step.

Using list membership triggers might not fix the problem. In fact, it may hide the issue more. If the trigger is list membership, and the form that builds the list is retired, how would you know when checking the workflow? You'd have to check the list.

Our solution at the moment is workflow review. It's easy to see problems right off the bat when form-fills are the triggers.


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2 Replies 2
JMastersonDCS
Solution
Participant

Best practices for workflow triggers - Built in vs. Active lists

SOLVE

I too am looking for best practices for workflow triggers. I'm beginning to think form-based workflows are best, but I'm considering pipeline stage too.

The challenge with form-based workflows happens forms get swapped out. This happens when other admins swap out forms on landing pages. This breaks workflows. You may not know something's broken if there are multiple triggers, and workflow users don't notice the change in traffic volume through the workflow.

But you DO notice when reviewing the workflow, because a clear notification appears at the first step.

Using list membership triggers might not fix the problem. In fact, it may hide the issue more. If the trigger is list membership, and the form that builds the list is retired, how would you know when checking the workflow? You'd have to check the list.

Our solution at the moment is workflow review. It's easy to see problems right off the bat when form-fills are the triggers.


karstenkoehler
Solution
Hall of Famer | Partner
Hall of Famer | Partner

Best practices for workflow triggers - Built in vs. Active lists

SOLVE

Hi @kmcclung86,

 

Without knowing all moving parts, there is a chance that there were more considerations going into this decision. Generally, from what you've shared: It's best practice to include the form submission trigger directly in the workflow.

 

There is a simple reason for this: While they're, broadly speaking, functionally the same, a list might take a moment to populate. This short delay can sometimes cause issues in certain workflows, especially if the lists are used for exclusion or if/then branches.

 

Using lists can however make sense if you're working with a large number of workflows that reference the same list. Updating the list is faster than updating a large number of workflows. It's a way of bulk editing workflows, if you want.

 

As a rule of thumb, it's better to use criteria directly within workflows until you notice using the same criteria again and again. At that point, using a list is a way of making a template of workflow enrollment criteria and keep their criteria up to date across multiple workflows.

 

Best regards!

Karsten Köhler
HubSpot Freelancer | RevOps & CRM Consultant | Community Hall of Famer

Beratungstermin mit Karsten vereinbaren

 

Did my post help answer your query? Help the community by marking it as a solution.