If you work in customer success, you know that missing a renewal date is a rookie mistake—one that can cost your company real money and make you look bad in front of a customer. But remembering every contract end date? Nobody has time for that, and sticky notes only get you so far. If your team uses Totango, the good news is you can automate renewal reminders and take one more thing off your mental checklist.
This guide is for customer success managers, team leads, and anyone who’s tired of chasing spreadsheets to track renewals. I’ll walk you through how to set up automated reminders in Totango, what actually works (and what’s likely to break), and how to avoid common pitfalls. Let’s keep it practical.
Why automate renewal reminders in the first place?
You probably already know the answer, but here’s the real talk:
- Manual tracking is a time sink. Even the best spreadsheet will eventually get out of sync with reality.
- Human memory is overrated. People forget. Software doesn’t.
- It’s too easy to drop the ball. No one wants to explain a surprise churn to their boss.
Automating reminders means your team gets notified when it matters—without the busywork.
Step 1: Make sure your renewal data is actually in Totango
Automation is only as good as the data behind it. Before you start, double-check that your customer records in Totango include:
- Renewal date (sometimes called “contract end date” or “renewal due date”)
- Customer owner (who’s responsible for the account)
- Renewal status (optional, but great for filtering)
If your renewal dates aren’t in Totango, stop here and get that fixed. Automation can’t remind you about what it doesn’t know exists.
Pro tip: If your CRM (like Salesforce or HubSpot) already has accurate renewal dates, set up a data integration to keep Totango in sync. Otherwise, you’ll spend more time fixing mistakes than saving with automation.
Step 2: Build a Smart Segment for upcoming renewals
Totango’s “Smart Segments” let you filter accounts by just about any field. You’ll use these to find accounts with renewals coming up soon.
How to do it:
- Go to the Segments module in Totango.
- Create a new segment, and filter for accounts where “renewal date” is within the next X days (I recommend 30 or 60 days, depending on your sales cycle).
- Add filters for “renewal status” if you want to exclude accounts already marked as renewed, lost, or in negotiation.
- Save your segment with a clear name, like “Renewals Due in 30 Days”.
What works: - Dynamic date filters (“in the next 30 days”) update automatically, so you don’t have to rebuild the list every week.
What doesn’t: - If your team’s not diligent about updating renewal dates, this whole segment falls apart.
Step 3: Set up automated reminders with SuccessPlays
Smart Segments are just lists—they don’t actually notify anyone. That’s where Totango’s “SuccessPlays” come in. Think of them as automated workflows that trigger when certain conditions are met.
How to do it:
- Go to the SuccessPlays module.
- Click Create SuccessPlay.
- Set the trigger: accounts enter the “Renewals Due in 30 Days” segment.
- Assign the play to the account owner (or a specific person/team).
- Add tasks, like:
- “Reach out to customer about renewal”
- “Schedule renewal review call”
- “Update renewal forecast in CRM”
- Set automatic due dates (e.g., 7 days after entry to segment).
- Add email notifications or in-app alerts so no one misses the assignment.
What works: - Assigning tasks to the account owner ensures the right person is on the hook. - You can create multiple SuccessPlays for different timeframes (e.g., 90, 60, 30 days out).
What to ignore: - Over-complicating with too many tasks or notifications. If your team ignores alerts, you’ve lost the game.
Pro tip: Keep your SuccessPlay simple—one or two clear tasks. If you need more, add them after you see what’s actually useful.
Step 4: Test your automation (don’t skip this!)
Before you roll this out to your whole team, test it with a dummy account or a small pilot group.
- Verify: Does the segment pick up accounts at the right time?
- Check: Are tasks assigned correctly? Do notifications actually go out?
- Watch out: Sometimes, integrations lag or fields don’t update as expected. Make sure your automation isn’t skipping anyone or creating duplicate tasks.
Honest take: Most “automation” headaches come from mismatched field names or half-updated records. Don’t trust it until you’ve seen it work for yourself.
Step 5: Communicate the new process to your team
Nothing kills an automation faster than people not knowing it exists. Let your team know:
- What reminders they’ll get, and when
- Where to find tasks and notifications
- Who to ask if something looks wrong
You don’t need a giant training session. A quick walk-through or short video usually does the trick.
Step 6: Review and improve (because something will break)
No setup is perfect out of the gate. After a few weeks, check in:
- Are renewals still slipping through the cracks?
- Are tasks being completed on time?
- Is anyone getting too many (or too few) reminders?
Adjust your segments, SuccessPlays, or task assignments as needed. Don’t be afraid to kill off reminders that just create noise.
Pro tip: Ask your team what’s working and what’s just getting ignored. The best automations are the ones people actually use.
What to skip (unless you really need it)
Totango can do a lot, but don’t get sucked into the weeds:
- Custom email templates: Nice to have, but don’t spend hours tweaking copy unless it drives results.
- Complex branching logic: Keep your triggers simple. More rules = more things to break.
- Reporting on every metric: Focus on “Did we miss any renewals?” and “Did we follow up?”—not vanity stats.
Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them)
- Garbage in, garbage out: If your renewal dates aren’t updated, no automation can save you.
- Notification fatigue: If people get too many alerts, they’ll tune them out. Less is more.
- Forgetting to review: Set a reminder to review your automations every quarter. Otherwise, you’ll end up with stale reminders that nobody trusts.
Wrapping up: Keep it simple, and iterate
Automating renewal reminders in Totango isn’t rocket science—but it does take a little setup and discipline. Start with the basics: clean data, a clear segment, and a simple SuccessPlay. Test it, get feedback, and don’t be afraid to tweak or trim as you go. The goal isn’t to automate everything—it’s to make sure you never miss the big stuff.
Remember, automation should make your life easier, not busier. If something’s not working, simplify. You can always add more later.