Saving Valuable Time With HubSpot Workflows 

Workflows in HubSpot are automated systems designed to handle repetitive, manual tasks, especially those involving large volumes of data, like contact lists. Instead of updating records one at a time, Workflows let you set automated triggers when specific enrollment criteria are met, based on contact behavior or CRM filters. They’re commonly used for lead nurturing, advancing lifecycle stages, sending internal notifications, and launching targeted email campaigns.

Workflows are like mini digital assembly lines: once a contact or object qualifies, HubSpot automatically processes it through your defined steps—updating properties, sending emails, creating tasks, and more. 

Workflows help teams streamline processes, reduce human error, and scale their efforts without relying on manual input.

How to Build a HubSpot Workflow From Scratch

Under the Automations tab, navigate to Workflows. HubSpot offers a variety of workflow templates to explore what they can accomplish, as well as the option to start from scratch based on your specific business needs. 

The number of workflows you are allowed to build depends on your subscription tier:

  • Marketing, Sales, or Service Hub Professional: up to 300 workflows
  • Marketing, Sales, or Service Hub Enterprise: up to 1000 workflows 
  • Operations Hub Professional: up to 400 workflows 
  • Operations Hub Enterprise: up to 1100 workflows 
  • Brands add-on: additional 100 workflows

Before actually building anything in HubSpot, you should first draw out what actions you need a workflow to accomplish. Will this be used for a mass email marketing campaign? Will it create sales orders when tickets come through HubSpot? Consider what specific objects your workflow will handle, and why (such as contacts, companies, deals, tickets, custom properties, and so on).

What Should Trigger a HubSpot Workflow?

Not only do workflows automate actions, they also automatically enroll objects into these actions based on enrollment criteria. These are called enrollment triggers. 

The user tells the workflow what to look for in an object record, and if the criteria is met that particular record is automatically enrolled in the workflow steps.

There are three types of enrollment triggers that can be set:

  1. Filter-based
  2. Event-based
  3. Based on a schedule

Filter-based enrollment uses the criteria from defined list segmentation in HubSpot to automatically enroll records.

Event-based enrollment triggers workflow actions for a record when that record takes a particular action, such as filling out a form on a web page.

Enrollment triggers based on a schedule center workflow actions around defined calendar dates or using a date property.

Define Workflow Actions

Once you’ve created your workflow and set your enrollment triggers, decide the actions the workflow should take. This is how workflows actually prevent wasting time on manual tasks, and here are a variety of workflow action categories to help automate these tasks:

Delay Actions

Pause workflow steps for a set time, until a specific date, or until an event occurs.

Branching Actions

Route contacts through different paths based on logic, properties, or random distribution.

Workflow Navigation

Jump to another step or enroll the record into a different workflow.

Communication Actions

Send automated emails, internal notifications, Slack messages, or in-app alerts.

CRM Actions

Create or edit CRM records, assign owners, or generate tasks to streamline follow-ups.

Data Management Actions

Update, copy, or clear property values to keep data organized and accurate.

Subscription Management

Adjust marketing status or email subscription preferences for enrolled contacts.

Integration Actions

Trigger webhooks or run custom code to connect workflows with other tools.

Action Sets

Group multiple actions into reusable sets to simplify workflow design.

How Are Workflows Different From Lists in HubSpot?

Lists and workflows in HubSpot are completely different processes, but the two work hand-in-hand. Generally speaking: lists manage data, workflows manage tasks.

Lists segment contact data based on criteria defined by the user.

  • Common segmentation includes demographic information, contact behavior, and tracked engagement. 
  • This is used for things like sending targeted emails to specific groups, and including/excluding contacts from reports based on the defined criteria.
  • Active lists dynamically update record data, while static lists need manual maintenance.

Workflows automate actions to be taken based on enrollment criteria. This criteria can actually be determined by list segmentation.

  • Automates tasks for deals, contacts, companies, or other HubSpot records.
  • Workflows trigger actions to be taken on objects, while lists define the qualities of these objects.

How Many Workflows in HubSpot Is Too Many?

As convenient as they seem, having too many workflows can easily become overwhelming—ruining the whole point of having them in the first place.

Workflows are designed to continuously work on their own, so if something goes wrong it can be difficult to track and diagnose the error. The more you have, the more difficult it becomes to diagnose errors, avoid redundancies, or keep your automations clean and intentional.

So how many is too many? It depends on your team size, business complexity, and how well your workflows are documented. But here are some signs you might be hitting the limit:

  • You’re duplicating workflows for similar actions instead of branching logic within one workflow.
  • You can’t easily describe what each workflow does or why each workflow needed to be created.
  • You’re experiencing enrollment conflicts where multiple workflows are acting on the same object at the same time.
  • You haven’t taken the time to review your workflows and don’t have a clear audit process. Overall audits should happen once or twice a year, and workflows should be checked generally weekly or monthly.
  • Team members don’t feel confident building new workflows because it’s too hard to tell what current workflows are already active.

Rather than aiming for a specific quantity, aim for clarity of your workflows. Every workflow should have a clear purpose, a documented reason for existing, and a naming convention that helps others quickly understand what it’s doing. Fewer, smarter workflows are easier to manage, and far more effective.

How Do I Stop a Contact From Entering a Workflow Again?

By default, contacts can re-enroll in a workflow if the enrollment criteria are met again. This is helpful for some use cases, like recurring reminders or ongoing campaigns, but it’s not always what you want.

To prevent a contact from re-entering a workflow, you have a few options:

1. Turn Off Re-enrollment Triggers

When setting up your enrollment criteria, HubSpot allows you to control whether re-enrollment is allowed. To turn it off:

  • Open the workflow.
  • Click Edit enrollment triggers.
  • Uncheck the box that says "Allow re-enrollment when any of these criteria are met."

This stops contacts from entering again if they’ve already been through the workflow and the same condition happens again.

2. Use Workflow Suppression Lists

You can prevent specific contacts from enrolling in a workflow by using a suppression list:

  • Create a list of contacts who have already completed the workflow or taken the desired action.
  • In the workflow settings, add that list under "Do not enroll contacts who meet the following conditions."

This gives you more control, especially if your enrollment criteria are broader or behavior-based.

3. Set a Workflow Completion Property

If you want a custom way to track who has already been through a workflow, you can:

  • Add a step at the end of your workflow to set a custom property (e.g., "Has completed [Workflow Name]" = True).
  • Use that property in your enrollment criteria or suppression rules to exclude future enrollments.

This method is helpful for tracking workflow completion over time and can also be used across workflows as a way to segment.

Need a Hand Building HubSpot Workflows?

FMK Agency can help you manage your HubSpot account to make sure you get exactly what you need. From building and managing workflows, to setting up marketing campaigns and managing tickets, we make the process simple and approachable.

Let’s build your systems so you start to see real progress.

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