If you’re tired of chasing after missed follow-ups and digging through old emails, you’re not alone. Manual reminders and sticky notes just don’t cut it. This guide is for anyone who actually wants to stop dropping the ball—sales teams, customer success folks, founders, assistants—really, anyone who deals with follow-up tasks that easily slip through the cracks. Let’s get straight to it: here’s how to take control using Opnbx workflow tools.
Why Automate Follow Ups in the First Place?
Let’s be real: nobody likes nagging themselves (or others) to remember things. Automating follow-ups means:
- Less human error (no more “I forgot…”)
- Less time spent on repetitive admin
- More consistency in your process
- Less stress, more focus on work that actually matters
But—and this is important—not every follow-up should be automated. We’ll talk about what works, what doesn’t, and how to keep things simple.
Step 1: Identify What to Automate (and What Not To)
Before you start building anything in Opnbx, figure out what actually should be automated. Here’s how to sort it out:
Good Candidates for Automation
- Routine reminders: “Check in with client 7 days after demo.”
- Task handoffs: “Assign contract review to legal after deal closes.”
- Pipeline nudges: “Remind me to follow up if no reply in 3 days.”
- Recurring tasks: “Monthly report due.”
What to Avoid Automating
- Personal, one-off asks: If it’s a delicate conversation or a big deal, do it yourself.
- Super complex logic: If you need a flowchart to explain the process, start simple.
- Anything you’re not ready to test: Don’t automate chaos. Clean up your process first.
Pro tip: If you find yourself editing the same calendar event 10 times, that’s a sign it should be automated. If you’re writing a custom note every time, it probably shouldn’t.
Step 2: Map Out Your Follow Up Workflow
Don’t just dive into the tool—sketch your process first. This can be a napkin drawing or a quick bullet list.
Ask yourself: - What event should trigger the follow up? (e.g., deal moves to “Demo Complete”) - What’s the action? (e.g., create new task, send reminder, assign to a teammate) - Does it need a delay? (e.g., “Wait 2 days, then…”) - Who needs to be notified?
For example: 1. Demo completed (trigger) 2. Wait 3 days 3. If no response from client, create a follow-up task for salesperson 4. Send Slack notification to manager
Keep it simple. You can always add complexity later.
Step 3: Build Your Workflow in Opnbx
Now, open up Opnbx and get ready to turn your sketch into an actual workflow. Here’s a straightforward way to do it:
3.1: Access the Workflow Builder
- From your Opnbx dashboard, find the “Workflows” tab (sometimes called “Automations”).
- Click “Create Workflow” or whatever the big, obvious button is.
3.2: Set Your Trigger
- Choose what starts the workflow: Is it when a task is completed, a deal stage changes, or a specific date?
- Don’t overthink it—pick the earliest moment it makes sense to start the follow-up.
3.3: Add Actions
- Add steps like “Create Task,” “Send Email,” “Assign to User.”
- Most workflows let you add a time delay (“Wait 2 days”).
- You can usually add conditions (“If status is still open, then…”).
3.4: Assign Ownership
- Always make sure someone’s responsible for the follow-up task.
- Assign it to a specific user, a role, or even yourself.
3.5: Notifications
- Decide who should be notified, and how (email, Slack, etc.).
- Don’t spam your team—pick the notification methods people actually use.
Pro tip: Start with a single trigger and a single action. If it works, layer in more steps.
Step 4: Test It (Don’t Skip This)
Automation is only as good as your testing. Before you unleash your workflow on real clients:
- Run it yourself: Trigger the workflow and see what happens.
- Check for errors: Did the right task get created? Did the right person get notified?
- Watch for loops: Make sure you’re not accidentally creating infinite reminders.
- Get feedback: Ask one or two team members to try it and share what’s confusing or annoying.
Things to watch out for: - Double notifications (nobody likes spam) - Tasks assigned to the wrong person - Follow-ups triggering too soon or too late
Pro tip: Always use test data, not real customer info, when you’re trying out new workflows.
Step 5: Review, Refine, and (Sometimes) Delete
After running your workflow for a week or two, take a look at what’s actually happening:
- Are people closing follow-up tasks, or just ignoring them?
- Is the timing right, or do you need to adjust delays?
- Is your inbox getting cluttered with unnecessary notifications?
Here’s what doesn’t work: - Setting up a million automated follow-ups and never checking if anyone does them - Over-automating—making your process so rigid nobody can use it - Ignoring feedback from your team
Don’t be afraid to: - Pause or delete workflows that aren’t helping - Make small tweaks based on real-world use - Ask your team if the follow-ups are actually useful
What About Integrations?
Opnbx usually plays nicely with email, calendars, and chat tools like Slack or Teams. But integrations aren’t magic.
What Works:
- Email reminders that automatically include context from your CRM
- Calendar events that sync with your preferred app
- Slack notifications for time-sensitive follow-ups
What Usually Doesn’t:
- Super-complex, multi-tool automations (unless you love debugging)
- Relying on integrations for mission-critical alerts (there’s always a chance something breaks)
- Assuming everyone checks every tool—pick the ones people actually use
If you need something more custom, look for Zapier or native API connections, but realize that means more things that can go wrong.
Common Pitfalls (And How to Dodge Them)
- Too many reminders: Annoying your team is the fastest way to make them ignore everything.
- No clear owner: If everyone owns a follow-up, nobody does.
- Over-engineering: Fancy automations are fun to build but a pain to maintain. Simple beats clever every time.
- Forgetting to update: As your process changes, your automations should too. Set a calendar reminder to review them every couple months.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Automating follow up tasks with Opnbx can give you hours back and save your sanity—but only if you keep it practical. Start small, focus on the follow-ups that matter most, and don’t be afraid to tweak or delete what isn’t working. Real productivity comes from tools that help you, not just more notifications.
Remember: the goal is to stop dropping the ball, not to build a Rube Goldberg machine. Keep it simple. Test, iterate, and reclaim your time.