Creating Opportunity Automation Based on Pipeline Stage Changes

You can schedule automation events to leads based on when an opportunity moves from one pipeline stage to another

Creating an Opportunity Workflow

You can create pipeline automation using a visual workflow that is based on when a stage changes. To create the stage change automation:

1. Click Automation > Visual Workflows in the left toolbar.
   
   
   
   
2. Click Create.
   
   
   
   
3. Select Opportunity Workflow from the dropdown. 
4. Enter a name for the workflow and click OK.
   
   
   
   
5. Click + Add > Trigger under Start or under an applicable branch.
   
   
   

    

6. Click has the stage under Opportunity.
   
   
   
   
7. Enter the name of the desired pipeline in the Pipeline field.
8. Enter the name of the stage the opportunity is originally in, in the Stage field. 
   
   Note: The Any stage option means any stage within the selected pipeline.
   
   
9. Select either exactly or not equal from the Comparison menu:
   
   Note: Selecting the Any stage option disables the not equal operator.
   
   
10. Select either of the following scheduling actions:
    
    • Only schedule actions to the opportunity's primary contact
    • Schedule actions to all the contacts on the opportunity
      
      
    Note: When Only schedule... is selected, the rule will be evaluated only for the primary lead on the opportunity. If Schedule actions... is selected, the rule will be evaluated for all leads on the opportunity.
    
    
11. Click OK.
    
    
    
    
12. Complete the workflow with other triggers, filters, actions, or delays, as needed.
13. When finished, set the workflow toggle to Active.
    
    

• Automation Overview
• Understanding Visual Workflow Branching
• Creating Visual Workflows

Creating Stage Change Lists

You can also create pipeline automations using a rules-based list that is based on when a stage changes. To create stage change lists, do the following:

1. Click Lists in the left toolbar.
   
   
   
   
2. Create a new list or edit an existing rules-based list.
    
   

   
   
   

3. Click Create Rule.
   
   
   

    

4. Select has the stage under Opportunity.
   
   
   
   
5. Select the desired pipeline in the Pipeline drop-down menu.
6. Select the desired stage in the Stage drop-down menu.
   
   Note: The Any stage option means any stage within the selected pipeline.
   
   
7. Optionally, click the Only evaluate this rule for the Opportunity's primary contact checkbox.
   
   Note: When the Only evaluate... checkbox is selected, the rule will be evaluated only for the primary lead on the opportunity. If the checkbox is not selected, the rule will be evaluated for all leads on the opportunity.
   
   
   
   
8. Complete the list with additional rules and rule groups as needed, then click Save.
   
   

Special Considerations

When creating opportunity automation, be aware of the following:

• Workflows will not fire if there are multiple open opportunities connected to the lead and there is no criterion to distinguish between them. For example, if a lead has two open opportunities that match the exact criteria of the workflow, the workflow will not go through with any of the opportunity actions. Lead Gen & CRM cannot choose which to act on and will therefore act on neither.
   
• Workflows will fire if they are attached to an open opportunity. Opportunity workflows will fire for contacts that are attached to any number of closed or archived opportunities, but only so long as they are attached to one open opportunity.
   
• There are certain automation time limits. When the automation is active, the automation engine will wait a period of 15 minutes before evaluating whether the new stage is different from the previously set stage value. 

Questions?