Working smarter, not harder - with Workflows! | Share your Workflows optimization tips

[PamCotton]

Hey Community

After an insightful exploration of optimizing the middle column of CRM records in our last challenge, it's time to dive deeper into the realm of workflows. Whether you're a pro or just getting started, there's always room for improvement when it comes to streamlining your processes.

Workflows are the backbone of efficiency in any organization, but sometimes they can become confusing and complex with too many branches or unclear steps. That's where our community comes in! We're here to share ideas, experiences, and solutions to help you fine-tune your workflows for maximum effectiveness.

Do you find yourself scratching your head over the complexity of your workflow? 

Are you unsure if your current setup is the most efficient it can be? 

Don't worry, you're not alone. Drop your questions, concerns, or areas of confusion in the comments below, and let's collaborate to find solutions together.

Whether you're looking to simplify your workflow, automate repetitive tasks, or optimize for better outcomes, this is the perfect opportunity to tap into the collective wisdom of our HubSpot Community.

You can go from this:

To this: 

1. Share an optimized workflow that you are proud of, and what you did to improve it.
   
   
2. Share a screenshot of your workflow (Make sure no private information is shared), and we will help you optimize with ideas from our experts.

Let's work smarter, not harder! Start the conversation now and let's unlock the full potential of our workflows together.

Please be advised that these are user-generated use cases and may not follow HubSpot best practices or guidelines - use your own discretion.

[hkhan496]

Thanks for sharing this

[Z_Rahman]

Are you tired of juggling tasks and feeling overwhelmed? Share your workflow tips and tricks to help others streamline their processes. Let's learn from each other and work smarter, not harder. Post your workflow diagrams and best practices below

[DavidClark08]

Thanks for replying your SEO agancy is very good bro

[SJ61]

Great Idea

[jna38]

Great post! Workflows can really be a game-changer, especially when they’re set up to run smoothly. One tip that’s worked well for me is grouping similar tasks  into a single automated action to reduce branching. This keeps the workflow cleaner and easier to troubleshoot. Looking forward to hearing everyone else’s tips—let’s keep sharing and refining!

[FaithCherotich]

One way to improve my content creation process is by establishing a pre-production checklist. This would ensure that every piece of content is planned with clear goals, a target audience, and key performance indicators. Before diving in, I could outline essential details such as research, potential visuals, timelines, and collaboration points. Reviewing and refining this checklist periodically would help streamline the process and align my work more closely with my objectives and collaborators' needs.

[Harry678]

Great post! Workflows can really be a game-changer, especially when they’re set up to run smoothly. One tip that’s worked well for me is grouping similar tasks into a single automated action to reduce branching. This keeps the workflow cleaner and easier to troubleshoot. Looking forward to hearing everyone else’s tips—let’s keep sharing and refining!

[insideau786]

very good

[TBanga]

Hey @PamCotton ,

The idea of simplifying complex workflows and automating tasks to boost efficiency resonates with me. I’ll definitely be implementing some of these tips in my own workflow setup.

Thanks for sharing these insights

[MDanish3]

valuable information, Thank you for sharing

[Vishesh2716]

How about this lead nurturing workflow. Accomplishes most tasks within a single flow

[Zobb00]

One effective way to optimize workflow is by automating repetitive tasks with tools such as Zapier or Integromat. This minimizes manual effort and errors, enabling you to concentrate on higher-value activities. Additionally, regularly reviewing and refining your processes can help identify bottlenecks and enhance efficiency.

[Mattheus]

Visually map your workflows. That's a great tip to understand as a team what happens, or should happen, on a macro level. Not everybody is able to understand all the workflows or have the time to go through all workflows.

Having a process mapping of the way of working in your portal helps to align your teams and organisation. Makes the full process more clear, but also the impact. If sales knows that their deals will be automatically closed lost if they don't update close dates or that a certain property will help the sign off to another team, then you will see an improvement in adoption because of the collective understanding.

You could even link from the process mapping in Lucidchart, Miro or Figma to your HubSpot workflows.

[JMartin1094]

I've had fun learning about workflows through different courses and of course, through trial and error. So far we haven't done a ton of complicated 'flows, but this is one that I've been toying with for a while before turning it on. 

We have multiple brands in our portfolio, under the parent company's central HubSpot account domain, with email aliases and addresses set up in the CRM. We also use Lead Forensics as a visitor ID tool, and have the paid two-way integration with Hubspot, allowing me to create company records from the LF side within Hubspot with a click. 

So, depending on the creation criteria for a company record ( record source: integration) and its industry description, companies get routed to one or another branch. From there, it checks the number of associated contacts and creates a time-bound task to populate those contacts, with another reminder if not done, and then assigns the company owner and notifies company owner that the record has associated contacts.

I had tried to link some of the actions previously, but I think they were superfluous. It's not sleek, per se, but I think it's also not too bloated for the number of properties involved. Haven't had anyone to run it by, though, so I'd love to hear if there's a better way to do this!

[mickhence]

One effective workflow optimization tip is to automate repetitive tasks using tools like Zapier or Integromat. This reduces manual effort and errors, allowing you to focus on higher-value activities. Additionally, regular review and refinement of your processes can identify bottlenecks and improve efficiency.

[whitesmaverick]

Great tips! Automating repetitive tasks with tools like Zapier and Integromat can save time and reduce errors. Regularly reviewing processes is also crucial for identifying bottlenecks and boosting efficiency.

[hkhan11]

Thank you for sharing this.

[Anton]

Love it!

An example I've "developed" a while ago:

The honeypot

What is it?

Technically speaking a honeypot is a extra layer of spam prevention. 

How does it work?

Adding a hidden field to the form you'd like to protect against spam/bots. If the field is empty on form submission it means that the sender was a human since he/she did not see this field. If it's not empty it's a bot. Super simple

Requirements:

A new text property called honeypot (you can call it how you want) and add it to your desired/all form(s) as a hidden field.

Workflow build/logic:

Check if this field is unknown. If it's unknown proceed to the next action/workflow. If it's known -> do nothing. 

Screenshot of the workflow:

Tipp: You could create a list like "bots" and put all of the submission with a "known value" into it.

p.s.:  Here's my "steal this workflow" post I've posted on LinkedIn describing it a bit more in detail

cheers,

Anton

[JMartin1094]

That's so sick. Really clever. 

[Coolananth]

Nice