101 Workflows to Automate

A practical field guide from Automation Ace.

101 simple workflows worth automating

The easiest automation wins usually come from repetitive handoffs: copying data between apps, sending reminders, creating tasks, routing requests, saving files, and notifying the right person at the right time. Use this list as a menu of common workflows to automate with Zapier, Make, Airtable, APIs, webhooks, AI, or lightweight custom code.

Each idea below is intentionally small. A good first version should have only a few steps: a trigger, one or two checks or transformations, and a clear action that saves time or prevents a dropped ball.

1. New lead to CRM.
   • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “new lead to crm” stops being manual.
2. Contact form auto-reply.
   • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “contact form auto-reply” stops being manual.
3. Website form to spreadsheet.
   • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “website form to spreadsheet” stops being manual.
4. Lead source tagging.
   • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “lead source tagging” stops being manual.
5. Qualified lead Slack alert.
   • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “qualified lead slack alert” stops being manual.
6. Missed call follow-up.
   • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “missed call follow-up” stops being manual.
7. Voicemail to support ticket.
   • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “voicemail to support ticket” stops being manual.
8. Calendar booking to CRM activity.
   • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “calendar booking to crm activity” stops being manual.
9. Pre-meeting reminder.
   • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “pre-meeting reminder” stops being manual.
10. Post-meeting follow-up.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “post-meeting follow-up” stops being manual.
11. New customer onboarding checklist.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “new customer onboarding checklist” stops being manual.
12. Signed proposal to project setup.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “signed proposal to project setup” stops being manual.
13. Invoice created to client reminder.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “invoice created to client reminder” stops being manual.
14. Overdue invoice reminder.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “overdue invoice reminder” stops being manual.
15. Paid invoice to receipt folder.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “paid invoice to receipt folder” stops being manual.
16. Payment received to fulfillment.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “payment received to fulfillment” stops being manual.
17. Refund to finance log.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “refund to finance log” stops being manual.
18. New Stripe customer to CRM.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “new stripe customer to crm” stops being manual.
19. Subscription renewal reminder.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “subscription renewal reminder” stops being manual.
20. Failed payment recovery.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “failed payment recovery” stops being manual.
21. New support ticket triage.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “new support ticket triage” stops being manual.
22. VIP customer ticket alert.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “vip customer ticket alert” stops being manual.
23. Ticket status change notification.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “ticket status change notification” stops being manual.
24. Resolved ticket to satisfaction survey.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “resolved ticket to satisfaction survey” stops being manual.
25. Bug report to engineering backlog.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “bug report to engineering backlog” stops being manual.
26. Feature request tracker.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “feature request tracker” stops being manual.
27. Customer cancellation alert.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “customer cancellation alert” stops being manual.
28. Renewal risk flag.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “renewal risk flag” stops being manual.
29. New app user welcome email.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “new app user welcome email” stops being manual.
30. Trial signup to sales task.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “trial signup to sales task” stops being manual.
31. Demo request routing.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “demo request routing” stops being manual.
32. Round-robin lead assignment.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “round-robin lead assignment” stops being manual.
33. Lead enrichment.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “lead enrichment” stops being manual.
34. Duplicate contact cleanup.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “duplicate contact cleanup” stops being manual.
35. CRM stage change to Slack.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “crm stage change to slack” stops being manual.
36. Deal won to finance.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “deal won to finance” stops being manual.
37. Deal lost reason logging.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “deal lost reason logging” stops being manual.
38. Sales call recording archive.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “sales call recording archive” stops being manual.
39. Email reply to CRM note.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “email reply to crm note” stops being manual.
40. Proposal follow-up sequence.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “proposal follow-up sequence” stops being manual.
41. Abandoned cart follow-up.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “abandoned cart follow-up” stops being manual.
42. New ecommerce order to fulfillment.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “new ecommerce order to fulfillment” stops being manual.
43. Order shipped notification.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “order shipped notification” stops being manual.
44. Low inventory alert.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “low inventory alert” stops being manual.
45. Product review request.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “product review request” stops being manual.
46. Return request intake.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “return request intake” stops being manual.
47. Customer segment tagging.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “customer segment tagging” stops being manual.
48. New subscriber welcome sequence.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “new subscriber welcome sequence” stops being manual.
49. Newsletter signup to CRM.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “newsletter signup to crm” stops being manual.
50. Webinar registration reminder.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “webinar registration reminder” stops being manual.
51. Webinar attendee follow-up.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “webinar attendee follow-up” stops being manual.
52. Content download delivery.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “content download delivery” stops being manual.
53. Event attendee check-in.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “event attendee check-in” stops being manual.
54. Social media mention alert.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “social media mention alert” stops being manual.
55. New blog post promotion.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “new blog post promotion” stops being manual.
56. Campaign performance report.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “campaign performance report” stops being manual.
57. UTM link builder log.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “utm link builder log” stops being manual.
58. New file upload routing.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “new file upload routing” stops being manual.
59. Folder creation for new clients.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “folder creation for new clients” stops being manual.
60. Shared link creation.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “shared link creation” stops being manual.
61. Document approval reminder.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “document approval reminder” stops being manual.
62. Signed document archive.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “signed document archive” stops being manual.
63. Form response to PDF.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “form response to pdf” stops being manual.
64. Google Sheet row cleanup.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “google sheet row cleanup” stops being manual.
65. Spreadsheet row to task.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “spreadsheet row to task” stops being manual.
66. Airtable record status change.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “airtable record status change” stops being manual.
67. Database backup.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “database backup” stops being manual.
68. Daily digest email.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “daily digest email” stops being manual.
69. Weekly KPI snapshot.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “weekly kpi snapshot” stops being manual.
70. Slack request intake.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “slack request intake” stops being manual.
71. Team standup reminder.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “team standup reminder” stops being manual.
72. Task due soon alert.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “task due soon alert” stops being manual.
73. Overdue task escalation.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “overdue task escalation” stops being manual.
74. New hire onboarding.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “new hire onboarding” stops being manual.
75. Employee offboarding.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “employee offboarding” stops being manual.
76. PTO request approval.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “pto request approval” stops being manual.
77. Expense submission routing.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “expense submission routing” stops being manual.
78. Purchase request approval.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “purchase request approval” stops being manual.
79. Vendor onboarding.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “vendor onboarding” stops being manual.
80. Contract renewal alert.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “contract renewal alert” stops being manual.
81. Compliance checklist reminder.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “compliance checklist reminder” stops being manual.
82. Security access review.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “security access review” stops being manual.
83. Password vault item request.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “password vault item request” stops being manual.
84. API error alert.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “api error alert” stops being manual.
85. Automation error logging.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “automation error logging” stops being manual.
86. Heartbeat monitor.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “heartbeat monitor” stops being manual.
87. Task usage alert.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “task usage alert” stops being manual.
88. Webhook relay.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “webhook relay” stops being manual.
89. Webhook payload archive.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “webhook payload archive” stops being manual.
90. Data format validation.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “data format validation” stops being manual.
91. Default value assignment.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “default value assignment” stops being manual.
92. Lookup table mapping.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “lookup table mapping” stops being manual.
93. AI email classification.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “ai email classification” stops being manual.
94. AI lead qualification.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “ai lead qualification” stops being manual.
95. AI support summary.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “ai support summary” stops being manual.
96. AI meeting notes.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “ai meeting notes” stops being manual.
97. AI content repurposing.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “ai content repurposing” stops being manual.
98. AI data extraction.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “ai data extraction” stops being manual.
99. Approval before AI output.
    • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “approval before ai output” stops being manual.
100. Personal task capture.
     • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “personal task capture” stops being manual.
101. Personal CRM follow-up.
     • Use a simple trigger, a quick rule or data cleanup step, and one clear action so “personal crm follow-up” stops being manual.

How to choose what to automate first

Start with workflows that are frequent, rules-based, and annoying enough that people already avoid doing them consistently. The best first automations have clear owners, predictable data, and an obvious way to verify that the result is correct.

If you want help turning this list into a prioritized automation roadmap, share your tools and process with Automation Ace.