Ever feel like all your time goes into reminding people to do stuff they said they’d do? Or maybe you’re stuck chasing down the same updates, week after week. If your daily grind includes a lot of “Just following up on this…” messages, it’s time to get some of that time back.
This guide is for anyone who wants to put follow-ups on autopilot—project managers, freelancers, or anyone who’s tired of nagging. I’ll walk you through getting started with Getlancey’s workflow builder, step by step. I’ll also tell you what actually works, where to not bother, and how to avoid common rookie mistakes.
Let’s get you out of the follow-up hamster wheel.
1. Know What (and Why) You Want to Automate
Before you even log in, figure out what’s eating up your time. Not all follow-ups are created equal. Here’s how to spot the good candidates for automation:
- Repeat offenders: Stuff you chase every week, like status updates or overdue tasks.
- Simple “nudge” emails: If all you’re doing is reminding (“Hey, just checking in…”), that’s perfect for automation.
- Deadline-driven tasks: Anything that needs a poke when a deadline is missed.
What not to automate:
Don’t try to automate nuanced conversations, apologies, or anything that’s likely to go sideways without a human touch. If you’d cringe at a robot sending it, don’t automate it.
2. Set Up Your Getlancey Account
If you’re not already set up, get that sorted first. No shame in skipping this if you’re already using Getlancey.
- Sign up and verify your email.
- Connect whatever tools you use—email, project management, calendars, etc. The more connected, the more stuff you can automate.
- Poke around the dashboard so you’re not lost later.
Pro tip:
Don’t connect everything “just because.” Start with the tools where your follow-ups actually live (email and your main task tracker, for most people).
3. Map Out Your Follow-Up Workflow
Think about your ideal follow-up process before you start clicking buttons. Automation is useless if it just sends bad reminders faster.
Try this:
- Write down your current steps: Who needs reminding? When? About what?
- Decide on timing: How long after a missed task or an unanswered email should the follow-up go out?
- Pick your message: Keep it short and human, even if it’s a bot sending it.
Example:
You want to remind clients to upload files for a project, 2 days after the initial request, with a polite nudge.
4. Build Your First Workflow in Getlancey
Now the fun part. Here’s how to actually build a follow-up workflow:
Step 1: Create a New Workflow
- In Getlancey, look for “Workflows” or “Automation.”
- Click “Create New Workflow” (or whatever the button says—sometimes they change the label, but you’ll find it).
Step 2: Set the Trigger
- Choose your trigger: This is the event that kicks things off. Common triggers:
- A task is overdue in your project tracker.
- An email goes unanswered for X days.
- A form (like a feedback request) isn’t submitted.
- Getlancey tries to make this easy, but sometimes you’ll need to fiddle with integrations to get the right trigger.
What works well:
Triggers based on clear events (like “X days after due date”) are reliable.
What to skip:
“Soft” triggers—like “no response to a Slack message”—are hit-or-miss. They often miss stuff if your tools aren’t tightly integrated.
Step 3: Add Conditions (If Needed)
- Want to only follow up with certain people? Or skip weekends?
- Set conditions like “If assignee is in Marketing” or “Only send on weekdays.”
- Don’t overcomplicate—start simple and layer on logic later if you really need it.
Step 4: Define Your Action
- Action = what actually happens. Usually, it’s sending a reminder email, message, or notification.
- Draft your message. Don’t make it sound like a robot unless you want people to ignore it.
- Use fields like {{FirstName}} to personalize.
- Double-check that your variables actually work—nothing says “I care” like “Hi {{FirstName}},” when it’s blank.
Sample message:
Hi {{FirstName}},
Just a quick reminder to upload your files for the project. Let me know if you have any questions!
Thanks, [Your Name]
Step 5: Set Timing
- Decide when the action should happen—immediately, after a delay, or at a specific time.
- For follow-ups, a short delay (1-3 days) is usually best. Any longer, and people forget what you’re talking about.
Step 6: Test Your Workflow
- Before you set it loose, run a test.
- Send reminders to yourself or a willing coworker. Check for typos, broken variables, and awkward timing.
Pro tip:
Testing is not optional. You don’t want to spam your clients because you set up a loop by accident. (It happens more than you think.)
5. Activate and Monitor
Once you’re happy with your workflow:
- Turn it on. There’s usually a toggle or “activate” button.
- Watch it for the first week. Most issues show up right away—wrong people getting emails, reminders going out too early or too late, etc.
- If something’s not working, turn the workflow off, tweak, and try again. Don’t be afraid to start over.
What works:
- Clear, single-purpose workflows.
- Short, personalized reminders.
- Monitoring for mistakes early on.
What doesn’t:
- Overloading one workflow with too many steps/branches.
- Letting it run on autopilot forever. Automation is not “set and forget.”
6. Make It Smarter (But Only If You Need To)
Once your basic follow-up is humming along, you might want to get fancy. Here’s where to focus, and what to ignore:
Worth doing:
- Escalations: If someone doesn’t respond after two nudges, escalate to a manager or send a different message.
- Multi-channel reminders: Start with email, then try chat or SMS if that fits your workflow.
- Dynamic messages: Use information from your project tracker to include task names, deadlines, etc.
Not worth it (for most people):
- Endless branching logic: If you’re drawing a flowchart with more than 5 branches, you’re probably overthinking it.
- Heavy AI “personalization”: Most AI-generated messages are still pretty generic. If you want it to sound human, write it yourself.
7. Keep It Legal and Respectful
Automated follow-ups can be powerful, but don’t be that person who spams everyone. A few quick reminders:
- Make sure you’re not breaking any privacy or email laws (CAN-SPAM, GDPR, etc.).
- Give people a way out—let them opt out of reminders, especially for clients or external folks.
- Keep the volume reasonable. No one likes a robot pestering them five times a day.
8. Tips for Real-World Success
Here’s what I’ve learned after seeing a lot of automations crash and burn:
- Start with one workflow. Don’t automate everything at once.
- Review your messages every few months. What worked last quarter might sound stale now.
- Get feedback. People will tell you if your reminders are annoying (or if they saved the day).
- Don’t chase “perfect.” Good enough beats nothing, every time.
Wrapping Up
Automating follow-up tasks with Getlancey saves you time, but only if you keep it simple and focused. Start with the basics, make sure it works, and only get fancier if you actually need to. The best automations are the ones you barely notice—because they just work.
Get your first workflow running, fix what breaks, and don’t stress about making it perfect. You’ll have more time for real work—and fewer “just checking in” emails to send.