Service · Sales Automation
Sales automation that removes the work, not the relationship
The best salespeople spend time on conversations. Pipedrive handles everything else — follow-ups, reminders, task creation, lead routing, and handovers — reliably, every time.
Pipedrive Authorised Partner
TriggerNew lead created
Instant confirmation email to prospect
High priority task → rep within 2 hrs
TriggerDeal moves to Proposal Sent
Smart Docs open tracking active
Follow-up sequence: Day 3 → 7 → 14
TriggerDeal marked Won
Onboarding tasks → delivery
Slack → #wins channel
Invoice created in Xero automatically
ConnectedXero · Slack · Mailchimp · Monday · Calendly
The problem with manual processes
Every task left to memory
is a task that will eventually be forgotten.
Sales teams lose deals not because the product was wrong or the price was too high — but because someone forgot to follow up, a proposal sat without a chase, or a warm lead went cold while the rep was focused on something else. These are not people failures. They are process failures.
Every trigger in the sales process can fire an automatic action. A task gets created. An email goes out. A notification is sent. The rep is prompted at exactly the right moment without having to keep it all in their head.
Real automation examples
Five complete workflows we build.
Trigger, sequence, and reasoning.
Abstract descriptions of automation are not useful. Here are five workflows — each showing the trigger, every timed action, and why each step is designed the way it is.
Trigger: New deal createdNew lead response sequence
A new enquiry arrives from a web form, LeadBooster, or manual entry. The response window is narrow. This automation ensures the rep is prompted immediately and the prospect receives a confirmation without the rep thinking about it.
1
Immediately: Automated confirmation email sent to the prospect acknowledging the enquiry and setting a response expectation2
Immediately: High priority task created for the assigned rep — call or email within 2 hours — flagged in their activity feed3
Day 2: If no activity logged, Slack or email notification sent to the rep's manager flagging the uncontacted lead4
Day 3: If still no contact, deal marked as rotting and re-assigned or escalated depending on business preferenceTrigger: Deal → Proposal SentProposal follow-up sequence
A proposal has been sent via Smart Docs. The prospect has gone quiet. This is where most deals are lost to silence — not rejection. This automation makes persistence effortless and keeps the rep informed without them having to remember to chase.
1
Immediately: Smart Docs tracks document opens — rep receives a real-time notification when the prospect opens the proposal2
Day 3: If no response logged, automated follow-up email sent from the rep's own email address checking in on the proposal3
Day 7: Task created for the rep to make a phone call — automated email follow-ups stop here to avoid feeling automated4
Day 14: Deal marked rotting and manager notified with a direct link if still at Proposal Sent with no activityTrigger: Deal marked WonClient onboarding handover
A deal is closed. Without automation the handover is a scramble — emails, follow-up questions, and critical details getting lost. This makes it clean and immediate every time.
1
Immediately: Contact and all notes tagged and moved to the client management pipeline2
Immediately: Onboarding task checklist created and assigned to the delivery lead — pre-populated with deal value, contact, and agreed scope3
Immediately: Slack notification sent to the delivery channel with deal summary and a direct link to the Pipedrive record4
Day 7: Welcome email sent to the client from the account manager confirming next steps and introducing the delivery contactTrigger: Renewal date approachingRetainer renewal trigger
A retainer client is 60 days from renewal. The conversation needs to happen proactively — not when the client is already considering alternatives. This ensures it happens every time without anyone watching a calendar.
1
60 days before: Task created for the account manager — review client health and prepare renewal discussion2
45 days before: If no renewal conversation logged, automated reminder sent to account manager and their manager3
30 days before: Deal moved automatically into the renewal pipeline stage — visible in the renewals forecast view4
14 days before: Escalation notification to leadership if renewal is still unconfirmed — deal flagged as at riskTrigger: Deal inactive N daysStalled deal re-engagement
A deal has had no activity for a defined number of days. It has not been lost — it has been forgotten. This catches stalled deals before they quietly die and prompts a deliberate decision about what to do next.
1
Day N (per stage): Deal marked rotting — visual indicator appears on the deal card in the pipeline view2
Same day: Task created for the deal owner — review status and decide: re-engage, mark lost, or schedule a future follow-up3
Day N+3: If task not completed, notification escalated to the manager with deal value and days since last activity4
Monthly: Automated report of all deals rotting 30+ days sent to leadership — reviewed in the pipeline meetingTypes of automation we build
Every layer of the sales process,
automated where it should be.
Stage-triggered automationsMost usedActions that fire when a deal moves between pipeline stages — the most powerful automation type in Pipedrive. Every stage transition is an opportunity to prompt the right action at the right time.
Create tasks when a deal enters a stage
Trigger email sequences on stage change
Send internal notifications to managers
Create a follow-up deal in a separate pipeline
Email sequences and cadencesFollow-upMulti-step sequences sent from the rep's own inbox on a defined schedule — tracked against the deal, appearing personal rather than mass marketing.
Post-proposal follow-up (3 to 5 touchpoints)
New lead nurture for longer sales cycles
Re-engagement for cold or stalled deals
Renewal reminder sequences for retainer clients
Lead routing and assignmentOpsAutomatic deal assignment based on source, territory, deal value, or round-robin rotation — no manual assignments needed from a manager every day.
Round-robin assignment across a team
Territory or sector-based routing
High-value deals routed to senior reps
Reassignment when a deal owner is inactive
Cross-platform via Zapier and MakeIntegrationWhen Pipedrive needs to touch a tool outside the native Marketplace — we build the connection and test every step before handover.
Create a Xero invoice when a deal is won
Add a won client to a Monday project board
Send a Slack message on stage change
Enrol a won client in a Mailchimp onboarding sequence
What not to automate
Automation should remove admin.
Never replace judgement.
Not everything should be automated. Over-automation creates a pipeline that runs on autopilot while deals fall through gaps nobody accounted for. We are deliberate about where automation adds value and where human judgement is irreplaceable.
High-value deal communicationsFor deals above a value threshold or with sensitive relationships, the follow-up should come from the rep personally. We configure value-based conditions so automations step aside when a human touch matters more.
Deal qualification decisionsMoving a deal between stages should always be a conscious decision by the rep. We configure required fields to prompt the right thinking — but the decision stays human. Automating qualification removes the accountability that makes pipeline data reliable.
Too many notificationsAn automation sending five notifications a day quickly becomes noise everyone ignores — including the important ones. We audit notification frequency and set thresholds so alerts are rare enough to actually be acted on.
Automations before the process is stableBuilding complex automation on a process that is still changing creates technical debt. We always stabilise the sales process before automating it — a well-defined manual process takes two hours to automate. An undefined one never works properly.
Key integrations
Pipedrive connected to
the rest of your stack.
EmailGmail and OutlookTwo-way sync so every email logs against the deal automatically. Sequences sent from the rep's own address.
SchedulingCalendlyBookings via Calendly create a new Pipedrive deal automatically with the prospect's contact details.
AccountingXero and QuickBooksWon deals trigger invoice creation automatically. Deal value and contact details transfer with no re-keying.
CommunicationSlackPipeline events — won deals, high-value leads, stalled deals — trigger Slack notifications to the right channel.
MarketingMailchimp and ActiveCampaignWon clients enrolled in onboarding sequences automatically. New contacts synced to the right list.
Project deliveryMonday and AsanaWon deals automatically create a project board with client details and scope pre-populated.
ProposalsPandaDoc and DocuSignSigned contracts trigger next-stage automations. Document tracking directly from the deal record.
CalendarGoogle CalendarMeetings log automatically against deals. No manual activity entry needed after a meeting.
CustomZapier and MakeFor any tool not in the native Marketplace — we build and test the connection end to end before handover.
How we work
Map the process first.
Then automate what should be.
We never start by building automations. We start by mapping your manual process and identifying where human effort is being spent on tasks that should not require it. Only then do we build.
1
Sales process auditWe map every step in your current process — identifying which manual tasks are creating friction and which are most likely to be forgotten under pressure. This is the foundation for everything we build.Week 1
2
Automation mapping and proposalWe produce a document showing every trigger, condition, and action for each workflow we recommend. You review and approve it before we build anything — no automations you did not ask for.Week 1
3
Build and test in stagingEvery automation is built in a test environment and run through every scenario before it touches live data. Email sequences are tested for deliverability. Integrations are tested end to end.Weeks 2 to 3
4
Go-live with monitoringAutomations go live with a two-week monitoring period. We watch the automation logs daily to catch any incorrect triggers, duplicate tasks, or integration misfires before they become habits.Weeks 3 to 5
5
Documentation and handoverEvery automation is documented — trigger, conditions, actions, and the business reason it exists. The admin is trained to edit and maintain each workflow independently without coming back to us.Week 5
Common questions
Questions about
Pipedrive sales automation
Which Pipedrive plan do we need for automations?▼
Automations are available from the Advanced plan. Advanced covers basic stage triggers and task creation. Professional unlocks the full automation engine including multi-step sequences, conditions, and branching logic — the plan needed for most of the workflows we build. Power and Enterprise add capacity for larger teams. As an Authorised Partner we can advise on the right tier and help with pricing.
Will automated emails look like they came from a person?▼
Yes — when configured correctly. Pipedrive sends automated emails through the rep's connected inbox using their email address and signature. The recipient sees an email from a named person, not a marketing platform. The key is writing them so they read as personal — short, plain text, first name personalisation. We write and review every template before go-live.
Can you automate Pipedrive and our accounting software?▼
Yes. Xero and QuickBooks have native Pipedrive integrations that trigger invoice creation on a won deal. For Sage or platforms without a native connector, we build via Zapier or Make. The setup maps Pipedrive deal fields to the corresponding invoice fields so nothing needs re-entering manually.
How many automations do we need?▼
For most growing teams, five to ten well-designed automations cover the majority of value. The most impactful are: new lead response, proposal follow-up, deal won handover, renewal trigger, and stalled deal alert. We add more where there is a specific identified pain point — not to hit a number. One automation that fires incorrectly undermines trust in the whole system.
What happens when an automation fires incorrectly?▼
Pipedrive keeps a detailed automation log showing every trigger, action, and error. We monitor this during the go-live period. If an automation fires incorrectly we can identify it quickly, correct affected records, and fix the underlying logic. Thorough documentation of each automation's trigger conditions makes diagnosis significantly faster.
Can we build automations ourselves after the initial setup?▼
Yes. Pipedrive's automation builder is visual and accessible for a non-technical admin. We cover how to build, edit, and test automations in the admin training session and document every existing automation so the admin understands the logic before making changes. For complex Zapier or Make workflows, we recommend consulting us before changing anything — misfires are harder to trace.
What you end up with
A sales process that runs
even when nobody is watching.
The best sales automation is invisible. The rep focuses on conversations. The system handles everything else.
Every new lead receives an immediate acknowledgement and every rep an immediate task — no enquiry waits more than two hours for a first response
Proposals are followed up on a defined schedule without the rep having to remember — chased until they respond or the rep makes a deliberate decision to stop
Won deals trigger a clean handover to delivery — no information lost between sale and start
Retainer renewals flagged 60 days in advance — the conversation happens proactively, not when the client is already reconsidering
Stalled deals caught before they die — a rotting deal triggers a task, not a post-mortem
Pipedrive talks to the rest of the stack — invoices, project boards, marketing lists, and Slack all update when a deal changes state
Want to see what this looks like for your sector?
We'll map your current setup, identify where things are breaking down, and show you what a proper system looks like.
