If you’re tired of wrangling endless email threads and chasing down approvals for RFPs, you’re not alone. Reviewing and signing off on RFP responses is a hassle—especially when you’re stuck cobbling together feedback from a dozen different people. This guide is for anyone who needs to streamline RFP response reviews using workflow automation in Loopio, whether you’re a proposal manager, sales ops, or just the unlucky soul drafted into “herding cats” on your team.
Let’s get into how to actually make response reviews suck less—and what to skip if you want to keep things moving.
Why Bother With Workflow Automation in Loopio?
Before we jump into the how-to, quick reality check: Workflow automation in Loopio isn’t magic. It won’t fix broken processes or make unresponsive reviewers suddenly care. But, if you set it up right, it does:
- Keep things moving with assigned tasks and reminders
- Give you an audit trail (who did what, and when)
- Cut down on manual tracking and status checks
It’s not going to write the RFP for you, and it can’t force busy execs to approve on time—but it can get the mess out of your inbox and into a system people actually use.
Step 1: Set Up Your RFP Project in Loopio
First, get your RFP responses into Loopio. If you’re already using it, skip ahead.
- Import the RFP: Use Loopio’s import tools to pull in the questions. Don’t worry about perfection—just get the bulk in.
- Assign sections: Break the RFP into manageable chunks (by section, topic, or complexity). Assign each chunk to the right people.
- Clean up placeholders: Make sure each section has a clear owner. Too many cooks = delays.
Pro tip: Don’t assign everything to everyone “just in case.” If you’re not sure who owns an answer, ask now, not later.
Step 2: Build Your Workflow—Don’t Overcomplicate It
Here’s where most teams trip up: trying to automate everything. Keep it simple.
- Map your real process: Who actually needs to review each section? Who has sign-off? Don’t add steps for the sake of it.
- Create workflow stages: In Loopio, set up stages like “Drafting,” “Review,” “Approval,” and “Complete.”
- Assign responsibilities: Attach each stage to specific people or roles. Make it clear who’s on the hook.
What to ignore: Don’t bother with fancy branching unless you truly have parallel approvals. Most teams just need a linear flow: draft → review → approve.
Step 3: Assign Reviewers and Approvers
Now, get granular.
- Reviewer: The subject matter expert (SME) who checks for accuracy, completeness, and jargon.
- Approver: The person who has final say (usually a manager, legal, or exec).
In Loopio, you can assign reviewers and approvers per section or per question. This is helpful for big RFPs with lots of moving parts.
- Set deadlines that actually make sense. Don’t just use the RFP due date—build in buffer for last-minute drama.
- Add backup reviewers if you know someone’s likely to disappear.
Reality check: Loopio sends reminders, but it can’t make people care. If you know someone’s a bottleneck, call them out early (nicely).
Step 4: Automate Task Notifications and Reminders
Here’s where automation helps.
- Automated notifications: Loopio will ping reviewers and approvers when it’s their turn. No more “did you see my email?” follow-ups.
- Escalations: If someone misses a deadline, you can set up escalation rules (e.g., notify their manager or another team member).
- Dashboard tracking: Use Loopio’s dashboards to see who’s behind. Don’t rely on memory or spreadsheets.
Heads-up: Some folks tune out automated reminders. For chronic offenders, pick up the phone. Automation helps, but it’s not a panacea.
Step 5: Collect and Address Feedback
You’ll get feedback, edits, and questions—some useful, some... less so.
- Centralized comments: Reviewers can leave comments in Loopio right on the response. No more tracked changes chaos in Word docs.
- Revision tracking: See what changed, when, and why. Rollback if needed.
- Resolve comments: Mark items as resolved so nothing slips through the cracks.
Pro tip: If someone leaves vague feedback (“needs work”), push for specifics. Loopio tracks comments, but it can’t decode cryptic notes.
Step 6: Approve and Lock Down Final Responses
Once reviewers are happy and everything’s polished, it’s time for sign-off.
- Final approval: Approvers give their official OK in Loopio. This locks the response to prevent last-minute edits.
- Audit trail: Loopio logs who approved what, and when. This is handy if anyone questions what got sent.
- Export final responses: Download the finished doc or export directly to the format the client wants.
What to watch out for: Don’t skip the final review. Automation speeds things up, but it’s still easy to miss typos or copy-paste errors if you rush.
Step 7: Iterate and Improve Your Workflow
After the RFP is done (and you’ve recovered), take five minutes to see what worked and what didn’t.
- Check the logs: Did any steps stall? Who needed more reminders?
- Trim the fat: Remove unnecessary steps or reviewers for next time.
- Update templates: Tweak your Loopio workflow templates so you’re not reinventing the wheel every time.
Honest take: Most teams over-engineer their first workflow. That’s fine. Just keep it simple next round.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Skip
Works: - Clear, simple workflows mapped to how your team actually operates - Real deadlines with buffer time - Automated reminders plus human nudges
Doesn’t work: - Trying to automate away accountability (people still need to show up) - Overcomplicating with too many stages or parallel reviewers - Ignoring the process after launch—review and adjust
Skip: - Fancy add-ons unless you’ve nailed the basics - Assigning everyone as a reviewer “just in case” - Relying solely on automation to fix cultural problems
Keep It Simple. Iterate as You Go.
Workflow automation in Loopio can make RFP reviews less painful, but only if you keep things manageable. Start with the basics, don’t try to automate every edge case, and don’t be afraid to tweak your setup as you learn what works for your team. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s getting good responses out the door with as little chaos as possible.
Now, go set up that workflow—and get out of your own inbox for once.