Ever spent more time chasing leads than actually talking to them? If you’re sick of endless reminders, sticky notes, and spreadsheet chaos, this guide’s for you. I’ll walk you through real-life ways to use Topo to automate follow-up tasks, so you can close deals faster and keep your pipeline humming—without turning into a robot yourself.
Whether you’re in sales, run a small team, or just want to stop dropping the ball, these steps will help you set up automation that actually works (and show you what’s not worth bothering with).
Why Automate Follow-Ups in Topo?
Let’s be honest: most leads go cold because someone forgot to follow up. Manual tracking is a pain, and even expensive CRMs don’t always make it easy. Topo’s automation tools can:
- Create follow-up tasks automatically after a call, email, or meeting.
- Assign tasks to the right person (not just dump them in a generic “to-do” pile).
- Nudge you (and your team) when it’s time to act, so things don’t slip through the cracks.
But automation isn’t a magic bullet. If you overdo it, you end up with a mess of reminders you’ll just ignore. The trick is to keep it simple and focused.
Step 1: Map Your Real-World Follow-Up Workflow
Before you start dragging automation blocks around, figure out exactly what you want to automate. Most teams get bogged down by trying to automate everything—don’t fall into that trap.
Ask yourself: - After a new lead comes in, what’s the next action? (Call, email, send info, etc.) - What’s the minimum you need to do to keep a lead moving? - Where do follow-ups usually fall through the cracks?
Pro tip: Sketch this out on paper or in a notes app. Keep it to 3–5 key steps; anything more, and you’re likely making busywork.
Step 2: Set Up Trigger Events in Topo
Topo can automate tasks based on “triggers.” These are things like:
- A new lead gets added.
- Someone replies to an email.
- A meeting gets completed.
- A deal moves to a new stage.
To set up a trigger: 1. Go to your Topo dashboard. 2. Head to the “Automation” or “Workflows” section (Topo sometimes calls it different things depending on your plan). 3. Click “Create New Automation” (or similar). 4. Select your trigger—say, “When a new lead is added.”
What works: Simple, clear triggers. For example, “Every time a new lead comes in, create a follow-up task for the assigned rep.”
What to ignore: Overly complex triggers like “If a lead replies to an email AND it’s a Tuesday AND they’re in California.” You’ll spend more time troubleshooting than selling.
Step 3: Define Your Follow-Up Actions
Now decide what Topo will actually do when the trigger fires. Usually, this means:
- Creating a new follow-up task (call, email, LinkedIn message, etc.).
- Assigning it to a specific rep or team.
- Setting a due date (e.g., “within 1 business day”).
How to do it: - In your automation builder, add an “Action” after your trigger. - Choose “Create Task” or “Assign Task.” - Fill in the details: what kind of follow-up, who’s responsible, and when it’s due.
Honest take: Don’t try to automate the content of your follow-ups at first. Sending generic, automated emails is a fast way to get ignored. Automation should tee up the task for a human, not replace your actual conversation.
Step 4: Add Smart Reminders (But Don’t Go Overboard)
Topo lets you add reminders or notifications so nothing gets missed. Good idea—up to a point.
- Set a reminder for the due date. One nudge is enough for most people.
- Avoid duplicate notifications. If Topo is already sending you a daily digest, you don’t need three more pings about the same task.
- Consider escalation rules. If a task goes overdue, have Topo notify a manager—but only if it’s truly important.
What works: A single, clear reminder right before a task is due.
What doesn’t: Notification overload. If everyone on the team gets every reminder, they’ll just tune them out.
Step 5: Use Templates for Common Follow-Up Tasks
If you find yourself creating the same follow-up tasks over and over, save time with templates.
How: 1. In Topo, go to “Task Templates” or “Follow-Up Templates.” 2. Create a template with the usual task details (e.g., “Call lead about demo”). 3. When building automations, select your template instead of retyping everything.
Why bother? - You get consistency across your team. - New reps know exactly what to do. - You can tweak one template instead of dozens of separate automations.
Pro tip: Don’t template everything. Only use templates for tasks you do at least weekly. Otherwise, you’re just adding clutter.
Step 6: Test Your Automation—Then Watch It Like a Hawk
Don’t trust that your automation is working just because you set it up. Test it:
- Add a fake lead and see if the right follow-up task pops up.
- Check if tasks get assigned to the right person, with the right due date.
- Make sure notifications go to the right spot (not someone’s spam folder).
For the first week: - Keep an eye on your pipeline. Is anything getting missed? - Ask your team for feedback. Are the tasks actually useful, or just noise?
What to watch for: - Tasks piling up without action (bad sign). - Reps marking tasks done just to clear them (means your automation isn’t matching real-world needs). - Missed follow-ups—maybe your triggers aren’t firing as expected.
Step 7: Tweak or Kill What Isn’t Working
Automation isn’t “set it and forget it.” If something’s not working, fix it—or just turn it off.
- Are people ignoring automated tasks? Ask why, then adjust.
- Too many reminders? Cut back.
- Not enough? Add one, but ask the team first.
What works: Small, regular tweaks. Review your automations every month or so.
What doesn’t: Trying to automate away every problem. Some things (like building real relationships) can’t be automated.
What to Skip (Common Traps)
- Automated emails disguised as personal follow-ups. People can spot these a mile away.
- Automation for edge cases. If something happens once a year, don’t bother.
- “AI” features that promise to write your messages for you. Maybe someday, but right now they’re mostly generic and easy to spot.
Real-World Examples
Here are a few tried-and-true automations that actually save time:
- New Lead, New Task: When a lead fills out your website form, Topo creates a “Call within 1 day” task for the right rep.
- Post-Meeting Follow-Up: When a sales call is logged, Topo creates a task: “Send recap email by tomorrow.”
- No Response Nudge: If you haven’t heard back in 3 days, Topo creates a “Follow up on proposal” task.
- Handoff Reminders: When a deal moves to “Closed Won,” Topo creates an onboarding task for the customer success team.
Notice what’s missing? No automated “Hey, just checking in!” emails. Those are more likely to get you blocked than get a reply.
Keep It Simple (and Human)
Automating follow-ups in Topo can save you hours and help you move leads faster—but only if you keep it simple and useful. Start with the basics, get your team’s feedback, and don’t be afraid to scrap what isn’t working.
Remember: the point of automation is to free you up to actually talk to people, not to drown in a sea of reminders. Set up your core automations, check in regularly, and keep tweaking until it works for your business—not someone else’s idea of “best practice.”