Automating Renewals via Deals

[SThatcroos]

Hi,

We are in the process of automating our renewals by using Deals and Workflows.

We have come to a stop due to a current problem and I am wondering if you can help with any ideas.

We have a workflow that will autocreate deal if marked as "closed won" & another property called "auto-renew" which is basically a trigger to recreate that exact deal and treat it as a renewal.

The first instance we do this, the deal is recreated exactly where we want it to go, however, when we try to mirror the same process with the second deal that was created, we have an error from workflow saying this action was not taken to prevent an infinite loop, which I get as the naming convention is the same, triggers are the same. How do we get around this so we can create a fluid renewal deal  year on year? 

[JohnMaret]

I would agree that this could be due to a delay in updates.

Just to provide some diversity here, it's also possible to automate renewals via deals using apps.

There are 2-3 on the market, and one of them is CloneNer, which we built. This app has a simple 'if this, then that' rule (automation) that clones deals.

Also, this video from Kyle Jepson HubSpot Evangelist tells more..

thanks

[SThatcroos]

Hi @matthew-aire, thank you for your response.

Just for clarity, we have a new business pipeline at the forefront, when a new business pipeline deal has been marked as won closed, an entry is created in our renewals pipeline which gets assigned to the 9-12 months deal stage as shown below. The deal will work its way down the deal stages based on how many days away from our customers renewal date which is a custom property. 

Assuming we have won the contract again, we will move that deal into "Won Closed" and a 2nd year renewal is created in the 9-12 months deal stage. My issue is on the 3rd year, it is not being created on the basis that there is a potential for infinite loop. I am currently experimenting with the 31 minute delay, and will try the other responses that others have kindly wrote. If you have any additional suggestions, i'd be very interested in hearing.

If you have any questions please do ask

[YTsang]

Hey SThatcroos - we're in exactly the same boat, did the 31 minute delay work for you?

[YTsang]

Actually just found this on another thread which I will try: 

‎Oct 28, 2022 10:40 AM

 

I found a workaround to this that suited our use case, only needing two workflows and a new field.

Create a new text field at the deal level, which your workflows will update to store the name of the Workflow which created the deal, such as "Workflow Origin".

Clone your original workflow, and have them named as workflow A and workflow B.

Update your entry requirements for Workflow A, to only include deals where Workflow Origin is unknown, or equals "Workflow B".

Update your entry requirement for Workflow B, to ONLY include deals where Workflow Origin = "Workflow A"

The flow would then look like this:

1. Deal 1 is closed Won, enters Workflow A to generate a renewal.
2. Workflow A creates Deal 2, and writes that Deal 2 was created by Workflow A.
3. In the future, Deal 2 is closed won. 
4. Deal 2 is then eligible to enter Workflow B, which creates a new renewal; Deal 3. Which has an entry to say it was created by Workflow B.
5. Deal 3 is then closed won. Because it wasn't created by workflow A, it is able to enter Workflow A to create Deal 4.

This continues and all renewals are generated when needed, without having to create a new quarterly workflow.

[LouiseHare · Accepted solution]

Hi @SThatcroos,

I actually had this same issue last week and spoke to HubSpot Support on it. This was the response that I received -

"I am checking our resources and it seems that if the newly created object is created more than 30mins ago, it will not run into this same error.A workaround is to insert a 31minute delay in the workflow before proceeding to the "Create a record" branch to fully ensure that it is spaced out and will not run into the unintended infinite loop."

I tested this and it seemed to work for me, I hope it does for you too.

Thanks,

Louise Hare she/her

Freelance HubSpot Expert

If my reply helped to answer your question please mark it as a solution to make it easier for others to find!

[Enochbabs01]

To avoid the infinite loop issue, you can use a combination of deal properties and conditions to differentiate between initial and renewal deals. Here's a straightforward solution:

1. Add a Custom Property: Create a custom property called “Renewal Stage” or similar.

2. Update Workflows:

   • Initial Deal Workflow: When a deal is marked as “closed won” and “auto-renew” is true, create the renewal deal and set the “Renewal Stage” property of the new deal to “Renewal 1”.
   • Renewal Deal Workflow: Adjust the workflow to check the “Renewal Stage” property before creating a new deal. For example, if “Renewal Stage” is “Renewal 1”, create a new deal and set its “Renewal Stage” to “Renewal 2”.

3. Prevent Loop: Ensure the workflow conditions are set to only trigger when the “Renewal Stage” property is at the appropriate value (e.g., “Renewal 1” for the first renewal, “Renewal 2” for the second, etc.).

This approach allows you to manage renewals year-on-year without causing an infinite loop.

[matthew-aire]

Hi @SThatcroos ,

Happy to help. For clarity, is the second deal that is being created (the renewal) also going into a Closed Won pipeline stage? Also is it going into a new pipeline or the same one? From here I will be able to advise further.

However my initial thoughts are the Renewal Deals should go into a separate pipeline and into a stage that is not 'closed won' until the renewal date is true/passed - otherwise you will indeed have the infinite loop issue if it goes into the same pipeline and/or a closed-won deal stage. Deals can then be moved along the Renewals pipeline automatically using workflows this by looking at the Deal closed date, at which another workflow will then trigger the next renewal deal.

Please let me know your full process & set-up so I can assist further.

Many thanks,

Matt Aire HubSpot Freelancer | Founder @ pocketpros Let's chat HubSpot - book a meeting

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