How to create advanced workflows

Workflows allow you to design and customize the CRM process to meet your specific business needs. You can breakdown your business processes into steps/stages and define specific tasks and emails to go out  corresponding to each stage. You can complete the tasks to  advance to the next stage or automate the process. This allow CRM users to automatically know the “To Do’s” for a specific stage minimizing the need for training. It helps to standardize successful processes in your business and optimize poorly performing processes to be successful in the long run.

For this article we will show how to create a Accounts workflow.

How to create a workflow ?

1.  Click on Workflow under Settings / Customization.
2.  Under the below List view click on Accounts workflow.

3.   The next screen shows where you can customize your workflow.

• Table : The table for which you are setting up the workflow in this case Accounts. ( you cannot edit this field when you are editing an existing workflow, you can select a field when you are creating a new workflow)
• Name:  You can change the name field to what suits your business better.
• Status:  Set the status as Active. Inactive workflow will not be used by the system.
•  Stages:  Stages are the different phases of your sales process.
  • You can add stage names as needed by clicking on the  icon.
  • You can also move your stages back and forth to fit your workflow by dragging and dropping.
  • Each stage names can be edited by clicking on the pencil icon .
  • You can remove any stage by clicking on the  icon.

4. For every stage you can add several tasks, emails and Escalation, these are the different steps within a stage that you need to complete to move to the next stage. Click on the —Add— dropdown to select from the list.

Add a Task 

1. Select new task from the —Add— drop-down list.
2. Fill in Task details:

• Task Name :  Add a task name, which reflects the task you need to complete. Such as Follow up, call customer etc.
• Owner: Select owner from the drop down list, the owner is responsible to complete the task.
• Due By: the number of days or hours within which the task has to be completed.
• After: Due date is related to After. That is the due by is counted when the after criteria is fulfilled. There are several options to select from:
  • Created date: The due by days or hours are counted after the create date of the task.
  • Current date: The due by days or hours are counted after today’s date.
  • Previous task is Created: The due by days or hours are counted after the previous task was created. ( if there is a previous task)
  • Previous Task is Completed: The due by days or hours are counted after the previous task is completed. (if there is a previous task)
  • Previous Email is Sent: The due by days or hours are counted after the previous email has been sent out. ( if there is a previous email)

3. Click on Add to Add the task to the list or cancel if you don’t want to add the task.

Add a Email

1. Select New Email from the —Add— drop-down list.
2. Fill in New Email details:

• Subject :  Add a subject line to your email then click on the personalize dropdown to add Accounts first name to the subject line as shown in the image above.
• Select a template:  You can create an email in Sales template and set it up to go out as a part of the workflow. Select the sales template from the dropdown list.
• Send : Number of days after which the email will be sent out.
• Days After: Send is related to days after. That is the send days will be counted when days after criteria is fulfilled.
  • Created Date: Send days are counted after the create date of the email step in the workflow.
  • Current Date: Send days are counted after today’s date.
  • Previous Task is Completed: Send days are counted after the previous task is completed in the workflow.( if there is a previous task)
• Use the edit toolbar to make change to the email template.

3. Click on Save to add the email to the  workflow or cancel if you don’t want to add it.

Add an SMS

1. You need to have SMS Integration enabled in your CRM.

2. Now user can go to any stage and choose the ‘New Text Message’ option from the workflow actions drop-down.

3. Now Users can also configure their SMS messages.

Text Message Setup Form

• From: Here you can select the phone number from which the SMS will be sent out from CRM.
• Send: Here you can type the number of days after which the SMS will be sent out from CRM.
• After: Here you can select from the option when the task will be executed. The task can be executed after the Previous task is done or it can be executed on the day you create it.
• Insert Field: Here user can add mail merge feature where it fetches Contact’s details (first & last name, email, etc.) automatically from the database and add it in text msg,

4) Once you setup your text message, click on Add and Save the workflow.

.

How to Edit Delete or Copy Tasks, Emails, and SMS within a workflow?

You can move each Task, Email or SMS up and down to fit your workflow by dragging and dropping.

• Click on the pencil icon beside each task, email or SMS to edit it.
• Click on the  icon to delete
• Click on  icon to create a copy of an existing task, email or SMS.

4. Once the tasks, email and SMS are created you will find two new options

• Manually: When Manually radio button is selected, you have to manually change your accounts from one stage to the next once all the tasks are completed.
• Automatically once all the task are done: The system will automatically move the account from one stage to the next once all the tasks are completed.

5.   Once you have your workflow set up, click the Save button.

Where does the workflow show Up?

You can see the workflow reflected in the detail view of an Account. The top bar shows all the stages in the workflow. The current stage is marked in dark blue, All the tasks from the current stage shows up under Tasks and Appointments.