Workflow Design Best Practices

Follow these best practices to create efficient, reliable workflows that maximize AutoSeq's automation capabilities while minimizing errors.

General Principles

One Workflow, One Purpose

Each workflow should have a single, clear purpose:

  • ✅ "Enroll demo requests in follow-up sequence"
  • ✅ "Re-engage trial users who haven't logged in"
  • ❌ "Handle all inbound leads" (too broad)

Use Descriptive Names

Name workflows clearly so anyone can understand them:

  • ✅ "[AutoSeq] Demo Request → Product Demo Sequence"
  • ✅ "[AutoSeq] Trial Day 7 → Nurture Sequence"
  • ❌ "Workflow 1" or "Test"
Pro Tip
Prefix AutoSeq workflows with "[AutoSeq]" to easily identify them in HubSpot.

Enrollment Triggers

Be Specific with Triggers

Use precise enrollment criteria to avoid unwanted enrollments:

Good triggers:

  • Form submission = "Demo Request Form"
  • Lifecycle stage changes to "Sales Qualified Lead"
  • Deal stage = "Demo Scheduled"

Avoid overly broad triggers:

  • ❌ "Any form submission"
  • ❌ "Contact created"
  • ❌ "Any property changes"

Set Appropriate Timing

  • Immediate: For time-sensitive follow-ups (demo requests)
  • Delayed: For nurture campaigns (wait 24 hours after trial signup)
  • Scheduled: For specific times (send at 9 AM next business day)

Filters & Suppression

Essential Filters to Always Include

  1. Email is known - Prevent failures from missing emails
  2. Not currently in sequence - Avoid duplicate enrollments
  3. Lifecycle stage filters - Don't enroll customers or closed deals
  4. Unsubscribe status - Respect opt-outs
Important
Always add "Contact is not currently in [sequence name]" to prevent duplicate enrollments.

Common Suppression Rules

  • Lifecycle stage is any of: Customer, Evangelist, Other
  • Email hard bounce = true
  • Contact owner is known (if you only want assigned leads)
  • Deal stage is any of: Closed Won, Closed Lost

AutoSeq Action Configuration

Always Verify These Fields

Before activating a workflow, double-check:

  1. Workspace ID - Matches your AutoSeq workspace
  2. Email field - Usually "Email" property
  3. Sequence - Correct sequence selected
  4. Mailbox/Rotation - Active mailbox or rotation strategy

Add Error Handling

After the AutoSeq action, add a branch:

  • If succeeded: Continue workflow or mark as complete
  • If failed: Send internal notification, create task, or retry

Testing Workflows

Always Test Before Activating

  1. Create workflow in HubSpot
  2. Configure AutoSeq action with your own email as test
  3. Manually enroll yourself
  4. Verify you appear in AutoSeq execution history
  5. Check you were enrolled in HubSpot sequence
  6. Only then change to real sequence and activate

Test Checklist

  • ✅ Workflow triggers correctly
  • ✅ Filters work as expected
  • ✅ AutoSeq enrollment succeeds
  • ✅ Correct sequence is used
  • ✅ Correct mailbox/rotation is used
  • ✅ Error handling works

Performance Optimization

Use Batch Re-enrollment Wisely

If re-enrolling existing contacts:

  • Start with small batch (10-20 contacts)
  • Verify executions succeed
  • Then process larger batches
  • Monitor execution count against plan limit

Space Out Actions

If workflow has multiple AutoSeq actions:

  • Add 1-2 minute delays between actions
  • Prevents overwhelming the API
  • Improves success rate

Monitoring & Maintenance

Weekly Workflow Checks

Every week, review:

  1. Workflow enrollment counts (are they running?)
  2. AutoSeq execution success rates
  3. Any error notifications
  4. Workflows that haven't triggered recently

Monthly Workflow Audits

Once per month:

  • Review all active workflows
  • Turn off unused or low-performing workflows
  • Update filters if business logic changed
  • Archive old test workflows

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Forgetting Suppression Filters

Problem: Enrolling customers, closed deals, or unsubscribed contacts

Fix: Always add lifecycle stage and sequence status filters

Wrong Workspace ID

Problem: All enrollments fail with "workspace not found"

Fix: Copy workspace ID directly from AutoSeq dashboard

Leaving in Test Mode

Problem: Workflow enrolls to test sequence instead of production

Fix: Update action after testing, before activation

Not Monitoring After Launch

Problem: Workflow breaks and no one notices for days

Fix: Set calendar reminders to check weekly