HubSpot Ideas

bellawu

IF branches reconnection

IF statements is a nice addition, but it is useless if the 2 branches created cannot be reconnected to continue a workflow. Otherwise it just forces us to duplicate all the common events in two branches, once the IF exception is passed...

http://ideas.hubspot.com/forums/76407-general-hubspot-ideas/suggestions/6490155-if-branches-reconnec...

 
HubSpot Updates
November 07, 2019 09:08 AM

Sorry @SarahN! Can you try again?

November 07, 2019 09:02 AM

This feature (Go To Action for Contact Workflows) is currently in private beta! This feature will be available as part of a broader under-the-hood renovation: moving contact workflows to our new workflows system.

 

Fill out this form to request earliest available access for your account, which will happen when we begin public beta, over the course of the next few weeks: https://forms.gle/oUkexNjHvqoKV4Bt7

 

When access is given, your most recent contact workflows (those created after August 5th) will be moved to the new workflows system, which gives access to this feature and more. To move an older contact workflow to the new system, you can do so by cloning it: every newly created workflow in your account will then live in the new system.

 

Please note that once you are opted into the new system, you cannot be opted back out. Read about all of the changes the new workflows system will bring, here: A New Engine for your Workflows 

August 26, 2019 12:11 PM

Hello everyone! Thanks for your questions and feedback. We hear you - we're currently, actively (as we speak!) working hard on bringing this feature (among others!) to Contact based workflows. We can update this thread again, once that's complete, for those following along.

 

To stay in the loop on all major HubSpot product updates, you can also follow our Product Updates blog: https://www.hubspot.com/product-updates

Delivered
August 22, 2019 04:32 AM

We've introduced the ability to reconnect workflow branches using a new “Go to” action. At the end of a branch, “Go to” lets you reconnect to other parts of the workflow. This new action is now live for deal, ticket, company, and quote-based workflows, and will come soon to contact-based workflows.

 

Navigate to any deal, ticket, company, or quote-based workflow and add an action. You’ll see a new option available called “Go to.” Once you select that action, you’ll have the ability to select where you’d like to connect in the workflow. You cannot create loops using the “Go to” action, and can only connect to actions later in the workflow.

 

https://knowledge.hubspot.com/articles/kcs_article/workflows/connect-workflow-branches-using-go-to-action-beta

August 07, 2019 06:39 AM

thanks for catching that @Kriszti! I just updated the link and it should work now.  

In Beta
August 07, 2019 06:33 AM

Hi all! I'm excited to announce we've put this feature in beta as of yesterday. It's currently only available in deal, ticket, company, and quote-based workflows, but will be coming soon to contact-based workflows. If you're interested in testing it as part of the beta, please fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd-lUVTFBcCtepksiwiOYPBzakwkYPrZzShGBrcjYZo3fpFdQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

 

Screen Shot 2019-08-05 at 4.54.17 PM.png

June 12, 2019 08:51 AM

Hi all, this is solidly on our radar and we hope to tackle it in coming months. We're currently focusing primarily on reliability and core infrastructure work but this is one of our top priorities after that. We will keep this idea updated as anything changes. Appreciate your feedback here! 

Re: IF branches reconnection - changed to: In Planning
April 03, 2018 12:53 PM

92 Replies
jonlewis3
Member

I agree. I have workflows that are really long and I have to duplicate the work up to 6 times now all the way down because of an if/then branch that happens early on. Everything else is the same all the way down the workflow, so it would be great to merge them back together.

troelsfeodor
Top Contributor

When designing nurture workflows I am really missing a way to skip a step if the given contact already has done a certain action.

 

An example would be we send out a number of nurture emails with our best performing blog posts and downloads, but we cannot avoid sending the email to someone who has already viewed the post or submitted the form to download the content.

 

We need a "skip this step if...", e.g. viewed page, submitted form, list member

troelsfeodor
Top Contributor

I came across https://community.hubspot.com/t5/HubSpot-Ideas/IF-branches-reconnection/idi-p/11322
and it looks like it's trying to achieve the same thing.

troelsfeodor
Top Contributor

I have suggested another solution to achieve the same thing (correct me if I'm wrong): https://community.hubspot.com/t5/HubSpot-Ideas/Skip-workflow-step/idc-p/14238#M1995
Basically, a way to skip a step if a certain criteria is met.

roisinkirby
HubSpot Product Team

Hello @troelsfeodor have you tried using IF/THEN branching logic in your workflows? It sounds like this existing branching tool might help you meet your goals. 

 

IF/THEN branches allow you to create two flows in one workflow based on a contact meeting a certain criteria. E.g. IF a contact viewed page X then enroll then in STEP Y / IF NOT then enroll them in STEP Z.

 

Check out this Knowledge Base Article on how you can use IF/THEN logic and steps in workflows and let me know if this tool meets your needs. If not, can you provide more detail (and examples if possible) of how you would like the workflow tool to perform. 

 

You might also find using Workflow Recipes helpful when building your nurture emails. . These recipes include pre-built with lists, emails, and automation, so you don’t have to worry about setting this up on your own. They are designed to not only help first-time workflow users, but also provide time-saving templates to veteran workflow masters. Once you have installed a recipe, all that is left to do is to customize the assets (e.g. adding IF/THEN branching) and then activate your workflow.

 

If you have any follow up questions for me / the Product team then just post in your reply.

Best,

troelsfeodor
Top Contributor

Hi @roisinkirby

Yes I'm fully aware of the IF/THEN logic and am using it a lot. But to use that for every step in a long nurture flow would require me to replicate the same actions in each new branch, which would make it completely unmanageable.

 

Imagine a workflow with just 5 steps. For each step I would need an IF/THEN condition breaking it into 2. But I want to continue with the same steps for each new branch. I would end up with 16 branches for step 5 which is crazy. Then imagine wanting to change what happens in step 5, I'd need to do that 16 times. And it only get's A LOT worse if you have 10-15 steps like we do in some workflows.

 

That's why I think we need to either be able to skip or as suggested in the link I shared, to reconnect the branches.

 

Does it make sense?

roisinkirby
HubSpot Product Team

Hey @troelsfeodor thank you for following up with these details, and yes I can certainly see your use case / goals here.

 

I am going to merge this thread with the Idea you linked above, this will be beneficial for several reasons:

 

1. Product Managers will be able to review requests/commentary/context all in one place 

2. The votes for both ideas will be combined, and moving forward votes will not be split between similar threads

 

 

WaqasT
Participant

@roisinkirby Can you please also combine my topic with this as I posted before I found this one. Here:  https://community.hubspot.com/t5/HubSpot-Ideas/Workflows-need-to-have-a-Goto/idi-p/14854

Marko
Member

A simple 'If contact meets X criteria, skip this step' would accomplish this.

tobiaspasma
Contributor | Diamond Partner

Much needed features. Will safe hours of work for a lot of us!

jimboc100
Member

We really need the ability to reconnect Workflows.

If not, our workflow would expand exponentially because of all the options related to our customers.

We are considering using a seperate product specifically because HubSpot has this limitation.


If yall have any idea when you will be implementing this change, I would like to know.

 

6/29/2017

AndrewRayner
Member

Regarding if/then reconnection - There is already a way of dealing with this in HubSpot by using an additional workflow.

 

Simply create a workflow with the common steps and enroll contacts automatically on completion of existing workflow branches once unique actions have been performed.

jimboc100
Member

Andrew,

 

I know about that.

But I would like it to work in one worflow,

Multiple workflows would cause a nuclear explosion of fragmentation workflows. Each of these mini flows would equal duplicated work.

This is a needed feature.

AndrewRayner
Member

It's good that you know about this but I was mentioning it so other community users would be aware.

 

Using appropriate naming I've found this to be a very effective way of dealing with the requirement, in addition, you can use the mini-workflows in multiple 'parent' workflows making it more efficient than reconnecting branches (which otherwise would contain duplicated work) for some requirements.

jimboc100
Member

If you look at the other comments, what you have said is the official HubSpot response.

The problem is not that this cannot be hacked around using other workflows.

The problem is that the official solution is a hack.

This could work in some cases--your case for instance.

But it does not work for all cases--my case and that of the others who want this feature.

 

To say "you can accomplish what you seek by X" on a "HubSpot Ideas" forum misses the point of the forum.

This is the feature request thread.

The current solutions are not sufficient. If they were, then I would have done that and I wouldn't be here hoping HubSpot would make something different.

AndrewRayner
Member

1. The point of the forum (as stated) is to 'Search, post, and collaborate on how we can improve HubSpot products'. As you've pointed out my suggestion will work, therefore it's relevant to the thread. I never suggested it would negate the need for the feature.

2. My comment is more specific than the 'official response' and doesn't involve clicking a link and having to interpret the manual. It enables someone to work around the challenge whilst the feature is not available and contrary to your statement, hack or otherwise, it will work in all cases

3. Chill ... find something constructive to add to the discussion instead of criticizing those who are

 

jimboc100
Member

 

If 'Search, post, and collaborate on how we can improve HubSpot products' is the point

and you say "the current system does what you want," you are not on topic.

😄

mt1
Member

HubSpot - take note and look at the Eloqua Campaign Canvas. I don't miss much about Eloqua but their campaign canvas was great for building complex nurture campaigns and it's a free build so you can connect paths without having to rebuild paths because contacts can only go down a single one. 

jimgoldstein
Participant

Another vote as this is a much-needed feature.  This would be a real time saver to keep workflows from becoming too unwieldy and prone to error as revisions are made.

settimio
Member

Another vote for this please!!