How to Configure an Automated Workflow

About

When planning a workflow, you may skip or repeat some of the following steps, depending on the automated process you are building. Additionally, you can clone an existing workflow to set up another automated workflow that will use the same criteria. This will only apply to criteria - actions will not be cloned.

For each workflow, Admins can review logs of executed workflow runs for each individual workflow. Each workflow log displays the last 100 entries for that specific Workflow Process, with the latest execution at the top (descending order). Admins can review successful log entries that have occurred in the last 90 days.

You can only create 50 workflows per object type. For example, you can only have 50 workflows for Opportunity records.

In this Article

• How to Create a New Workflow Process
• Add the Criteria that will Trigger your Process
• Choose a Time when Specific Actions will Occur
• Define the Actions to Take When the Process is Triggered
• How to use Criteria and Actions efficiently
• Cloning Existing Workflow Automation
• How to Clone Existing Workflow Criteria

How to Create a New Workflow Process

1. Go to System Settings > Workflow Automation.
2. Click New Workflow Process.
3. Enter a name for the process.
4. Enter a description for the process. This should briefly outline your criteria and the automated actions. 
5. Choose the object that will trigger this process.
6. Tick the Active box to disable this trigger. You can come back and edit and enable it later, after setting it up completely.
7. Select an option to tell Insightly when to monitor the record. When a record is created, it's triggered or not triggered, but won't be checked again. When a record is created and edited (repeat check), it's triggered each time the record is created or updated, repeating the actions every time your criteria is met. When a record is created or edited (stop after process is triggered), if it's not triggered when record is created, Insightly will check each time the record is edited. Once the process is triggered, Insightly won't check it again.
8. Click Save.

Now you're taken to the Workflow Process edit page, where you'll enter your criteria and actions. You can repeat the following sections multiple times if you have many different groups of criteria and actions.

Add the Criteria that will Trigger your Process

1. Click Add Criteria.

2. Enter a name for this set of criteria.

3. Select the field and an operator, then enter a value for the criteria that will trigger the process. Note that you cannot use Calculated fields. If there's more than one part to your triggering rule, click Add Filter Row and select the AND or OR operator. Use AND to narrow the number of matching records, and use OR to broaden the list of matches. Use the search box on the Filter by dropdown to find filters quickly. 

4. When you have more than two filters use both AND and OR Boolean operators, you'll need to organize them using the Filter Logic field to correctly match your trigger. This works very much like the filter logic for Lead Assignment Rules. If you're not mixing AND and OR operators, you can skip this step.

5. Click Save Criteria.

At this point, you've told Insightly what kind of records to keep an eye on and what to match them to. Now, you'll define when actions should occur, and which actions Insightly should take when a record matches your process and criteria.

You can repeat the following two sections as many times as you need to for creating all your workflow actions. Let's first look at setting up a time trigger. 

Choose a Time when Specific Actions will Occur

1. Click Add New Time Trigger.

2. Enter a number and select the date and time parameters for triggering actions.

3. Select the date field to queue your time trigger. The date fields will vary depending on the type of object you've selected. Tasks will include due dates, opportunities will include close dates, etc. The Workflow Criteria Trigger Date is when the record is created or edited to match the criteria you've entered.

4. Click Save Time Trigger.

5. The new time trigger will be displayed with the rest of the information you've entered so far. The Actions buttons on the right allow you to modify the time trigger, as well as add the actions to the Workflow Process, which is what we'll do in the next section.

Define the Actions to Take When the Process is Triggered

1. Click the Actions dropdown in the Immediate Actions section or in the section for time triggers you've set up, according to when you'd like the action to take place.

2. Click on the action you'd like to occur when a record matches your criteria.

   • Add A Task - Creates a new task linked to the trigger record.

     • Users can create an additional task field and set the Owner field to any user lookup field value on the object in addition to the record owner. Users can also select a queue user from the Queue category from this dropdown.

     • Users can set additional standard and custom field values to the tasks created through the workflow to capture more data.

   • Send An Email - Sends an email linked to the trigger record. Attachments for workflow emails cannot be larger than 9MB.

     • When creating a workflow automation, the CC and BCC fields within the email editor can now appear tokenized, which was previously only available in the To field. This will allow users to store email addresses they would like to include in the CC and BCC fields without exposing those email addresses to other users. Administrators will still be able to enter email addresses into the fields manually. 

   • Add New Record - Creates a new record linked to the trigger record.

     • Users can create an additional task field and set the Owner field to any user lookup field value on the object in addition to the record owner. Users can also select a queue user from the Queue category from this dropdown.

   • Add New Webhook - Sets up a webhook to send information to an external application.

   • Run Lambda Function - Triggers a Lambda function to check, monitor, and update Insightly and other systems.

   • Update This Record - Updates the selected fields in the trigger record.

     • Users can create an additional task field and set the Owner field to any user lookup field value on the object in addition to the record owner. Users can also select a queue user from the Queue category from this dropdown.

   • Add To Marketing List - Adds a Prospect that is linked to Contact or Lead onto a Static marketing List. If a linked Marketing Prospect does not exist for the Lead or Contact, a new Prospect will be created first and will be added to the list.

     • Select any lead, contact or other linked field available for the object, including custom lookup fields. Then select a static marketing list. 

     • Users can select any standard Contact or Lead lookup field or custom lookup field. If the Workflow Automation Record Type is Lead or Contact then that record itself. If it's a Lead or Contact record, select Current Record from the dropdown. 

     • If the Lead or Contact records have other Lead or Contact lookup fields on them, (for example, if you have a Lead with a custom Contact lookup field) the Lead or Contact To Add and the Current Record fields will appear in the dropdown. 

     • If the chosen field has a NULL value for the record being executed in the workflow action, the workflow action will be logged and skipped.

     • This action is only available if your account has both an Insightly CRM subscription and an Insightly Marketing subscription. Emails sent through workflows count towards your mass email sending limits, and they will be saved to Insightly as records and count towards your record limits.

3. Complete the information required for the action you've selected.

4. When you're all done, click the Save button.

How to use Criteria and Actions efficiently

1. Criteria and Actions are executed sequentially. Once a Criteria meets the filtering rule, it triggers the Action and stops progression to the next criteria. 
2. An "Always Criteria" is a Criteria without any filter, and it is always evaluated. It functions as a breakpoint; Simply put, criteria following an "Always Criteria" will not evaluate. 
3. A Criteria without an action operates similarly to an "Always Criteria." This means that the Criteria meets the filtering rule, and with no associated action, automation stops the evaluation of other criteria. 

Cloning Existing Workflow Automation

Clone an existing Workflow Automation to boost productivity and save time when setting up a new workflow with the same criteria as an existing one. The cloning process duplicates the entire workflow, including its process, criteria, and actions. By default, the cloned workflow is saved as inactive and retains the original workflow’s name. It can be modified independently without impacting the original.

To Clone an existing Workflow Automation: 

1. Go to System Settings > Workflow Automation.
2. Select an existing process.
3. Under Actions, click the three-dot menu on the right of a process you want to clone.
4. You will be directed to the Cloned Workflow Automation page. It will be automatically populated with the name, criteria and actions that is being cloned.
5. Edit the new Workflow details like the Process Name, Description, Runs etc. by selecting the edit icon. Please note that the Record Type field is not editable. 
6. Activate the cloned WFA by enabling the Active checkbox which is disabled by default.
7. Click the Save button.
8. You can add new criteria to the cloned WFA by selecting Add Criteria, which consists of the criteria’s filters and filter logic.
9. You can also edit, delete or clone the existing criteria by selecting the three dot action menu.

How to Clone Existing Workflow Criteria

Clone existing workflow criteria to increase productivity and cut down on the time it would take to setup a new workflow that uses the same criteria as an existing workflow. Cloning criteria will not clone the actions associated with the criteria.

When you click on the Clone Criteria button, you will be directed to a new page, which is automatically populated with the evaluation criteria, filters, filter logic, and the name from the criteria being cloned.

1. Go to System Settings > Workflow Automation.

2. Select an existing process.

3. Under Criteria and Actions, click the three-dot menu on the right of a criteria listed. Select Clone Criteria.

4. You will be directed to the Clone Workflow Criteria page. It will be automatically populated with the name, filters, and filter logic of the criteria that is being cloned.

5. Edit the Criteria Name if needed.

6. Edit the Evaluation Criteria, which consists of the criteria’s filters and filter logic.

7. Click Save Criteria. On the next page, you will be able to add Immediate Actions and Time Triggers.
   The new criteria will be added to the list of existing criteria in the Workflow.