Implementation Checklist for Workflow Management

Implementation Checklist for Workflow Management

Summary

  • Workflow Management helps you to automate your sales, marketing and support processes. It includes the following:
    • Workflow Rules - A set of rules that are executed when certain specified conditions are met.
    • Workflow Alerts - Automated email notifications are sent upon triggering a workflow rule.
    • Workflow Tasks - Tasks that are assigned to the users when workflow rules are triggered.
    • Workflow Field Updates - Automatically updating specified field values when workflow rules are triggered.
    • Functions -  Develop a set of Deluge Scripts to receive response from other applications and update CRM modules when the workflow criteria is fulfilled.
  • While creating a workflow rule, specify the following details:
    • Basic Details - Details on the record type for which the rule applies, rule name, description, and option to activate the rule.
    • Execution Criteria - Criteria that specifies what type of records the rule should be triggered. i.e. records that are created, modified, created & modified, or records for which certain fields are updated.
    • Rule Criteria -Criteria that a record must satisfy to trigger the rule.
    • Instant Actions - Alerts, tasks and field updates that will be triggered immediately when the rule is executed.
    • Time Based Actions - Alerts, tasks and field updates that will be triggered based on a defined time.
  • An Action in a workflow rule can include workflow alerts, workflow tasks and workflow field updates, all for a particular record type such as Leads, Contacts, and Potentials.
  • There are two types of Actions in a workflow rule:
    • Instant Actions - Alerts, tasks and field updates that will be triggered immediately when the rule is executed.
    • Time Based Actions - Alerts, tasks and field updates that will be triggered based on an Execution Time that is defined.
  • Workflow Alerts are email notifications that can be sent to:
    • Customers - Using the Emails fields in the Module
    • Users within the CRM account - By selecting the Groups, Roles, Roles & Subordinates
    • Record Owners and Record Creators - By selecting the respective checkboxes
    • Other recipients - By specifying the email address in the Additional Recipients box.
  • Workflow Tasks can be assigned to the user in your organization. You can use the Remind Assignee to prompt the record owner (through email or pop-up) of the task.
  • Workflow Field Updates can be used if you want to update certain field values in the records when the associated rule is triggered.

Checklist

Before using workflow rules, please review the following checklist:

Important Notes:

  • When using workflow rules, all alerts and tasks will not necessarily be listed. If the rule is for Leads, then only the field updates, tasks and alerts created for Leads will be available for association.
  • You can create a maximum of 5 time based actions for a workflow rule.
  • You may experience some time delay in the execution of instant and scheduled actions due to queuing to executions. It will usually take up to 10 minutes for an action to occur. 
  • Each Time Based Action can have a maximum of 5 alerts, 5 tasks and 3 field updates.
  • If the Email Opt Out option is enabled, emails will not be sent to the customers.
  • For the Workflow Management feature, the Organization's Time Zone will be considered for calculating a day. In the absence of the time zone being defined, the Super Administrator's Time Zone will be considered
  • Time Based Actions are not minute based. There can be a delay of few minutes for the time based actions to be triggered.
  • When the email alerts reach the limit for the day, any remaining emails for that day will not be sent.
  • If the Execution Time that is calculated is a time in the past, then the action will be triggered immediately. There can be a delay of few minutes for the time based actions to be triggered.
  • CRM users with Manage Automation permission can create and update workflow automation for any modules, even if they don't posses the profile-level permission to access specific modules or fields.

Notes on Per Day Limits:

  • (No. of Users * 100) or 5000, whichever is lower will be taken as the maximum limit per day for emails to be sent using workflow alerts.
  • (No. of Users * 50) or 1000, whichever is lower will be taken as the maximum limit per day for the execution of time based actions (that includeds alerts, tasks, and field updates).
  • A maximum of 300 actions will be triggered every hour. If there are more than 300 actions per hour, the remaining actions will be executed in the next hour.
  • The Super Administrator of your CRM account will be notified if the workflow email alerts limit exceeds for the day.
  • The per day limits (for e.g.: email limit) is calculated based on PST.

Instances when the Time Based actions will be rescheduled:

  • The Execution Criteria for the Rule is either Edit or Create or Edit . When the rule criteria is satisfied for a record, the instant actions are triggered and time based actions are scheduled for the record.
    If a user edits the record and the rule criteria is not fulfilled, then the time based actions scheduled earlier will be deleted. If the record is edited again and the criteria is satisfied, then the time based actions will be rescheduled.
  • For Time Based Actions, the Execution Time can also be based on the custom Date & Time field. When a rule criteria is satisfied for a record, the instant actions are triggered and time based actions are scheduled for the record.
    If a user edits the record to change the value of the date & time field, the time based actions will be rescheduled as per the new date & time value.

Instances when the Time Based actions will not be rescheduled or deleted:

  1. The Execution Criteria for the Rule is either Edit or Create or Edit . When the rule criteria is satisfied for a record, the instant actions are triggered and time based actions are scheduled for the record.
    If a user edits the record but the rule criteria is not fulfilled, then the time based actions will not be scheduled again.
  2. When a lead is converted, all the time based actions that are scheduled for the record will be deleted.
  3. When the Enterprise Edition is downgraded to the Free Edition, all the time based actions that are scheduled for the record will be deleted.
  4. When records are deleted, all the time based actions scheduled to the record will also be deleted. If the deleted records are restored, the time based actions will not be rescheduled.
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