It is a common sight: eighty percent of all HubSpot workflows are abandoned within three months. They are created, proudly shown off, and then forgotten. Companies build 47 workflows on average, but only 3 are in active use. What happens to the rest? Often they get stuck in complexity, overly ambitious flow charts and a mistaken belief that "more" equals "better". In reality, it is usually the opposite. At Purasu we see it daily: the workflow that wins is not the most advanced one, but the one someone actually understands and uses. We focus on four critical automations that really increase the number of leads, shorten sales cycles and reduce the administrative burden. Here you get the tools to make your CRM data-driven, not just dusty and over-engineered, but driven by relevance.
Why 'fancy' workflows fail
It is tempting to build workflows that look like a brilliant idea from a Silicon Valley presentation. Companies invest time, money and commitment, but the result is something nobody on the team dares to touch. The average marketing manager spends 120 hours a year trying to maintain automations that are not even used. Think about that: three whole weeks a year, wasted! This is not about the technology being bad. It is a question of company culture, priorities and lack of focus.
Take Hikki as an example. They came to us with an outdated website, manual marketing routines and a feeling that they should "automate more". Three agencies had offered solutions with over 20 workflows for email segmentation, lead scoring, AI-driven recommendations and everything in between. But none of them had asked: Who is going to use this? We did the opposite. We implemented three simple but effective automations: an integration between Shopify and HubSpot for real-time order handling, personal welcome messages based on purchase history, and automation of social media campaigns at product launches. No advanced features, no AI chatbots, but everything works. Everything is easy to understand and everything is used. Today Hikki sells more thanks to more efficient workflows, not more button clicks.
The problem with "fancy" workflows is that they are often designed for HubSpot-certified consultants, not for salespeople, customer service staff or marketers who have other important tasks. They become technically impressive but practically pointless. And when nobody understands the logic behind a workflow, nobody uses it. It becomes a digital graveyard for good ideas.
The 4 essential automations
It is not about automating everything, but about automating the right things. Based on over 200 implementations at Nordic B2B companies, we can state that four types of automation are decisive for growth. They are not complicated, and they are not "smarter" than human logic. But they are consistent, measurable and useful.
First: lead routing with behavioural analysis. Kasthall had long had a low email open rate, only 12%. Data was scattered across web forms, PDF downloads and visitor statistics. We built a workflow that analyses visit patterns: if a visitor looks at the same collection three times in a week, the system triggers a personal email with inspiration, contact details for a salesperson and a link to book a meeting. The result? A twenty percent higher open rate and more relevant conversations.
Second: automated order handling, especially important for companies with ecommerce. Hikki lacked a connection between Shopify and HubSpot, which meant duplicate work, delayed delivery updates and customers who did not know what was happening with their order. The integration cut manual work by 70% and improved the customer experience. The conversion rate rose by 30%. Not because the technology was advanced, but because it worked every day.
Third: a daily customer journey update. Arevo wanted to improve engagement from business customers looking for digital solutions. Instead of sending out a lot of content at random, we built a workflow that sends a daily update based on which pages they have visited, which documents they have downloaded and how long they have spent on the website. The personalisation resulted in 25% longer visit times and a noticeable increase in the number of sales calls.
Last: training reminders. Nordic BIM could not keep track of which customers had gone through their onboarding programme. Via HubSpot, automated reminders are now sent, both to the customer and to the contact person in the sales team, before and after each training step. The result? Eighteen percent higher customer satisfaction and fewer "forgotten" customers in the onboarding phase.
User adoption > complexity
A workflow nobody uses is a cost, not an investment. It is something I often say, but it is just as true every time. Stena Recycling had 47 different workflows in HubSpot. Forty-seven! They handled lead scoring, email follow-up, webinar attendees, CRM updates and everything in between. But nobody knew where they led, who was responsible for them or how they affected the sales process. It was chaos, and it cost money. We reduced the number to eight focused workflows, all tied to clear goals: better lead qualification, reduced response time and improved documentation. Within six months they saw twice as many qualified leads. Less was more, but more relevant, more useful and more effective.
Many people think growth requires scaling, but in reality it requires simplification. The more workflows you have, the greater the risk of overloading the team. Salespeople do not look at flows, they want to sell. Marketers want to create campaigns, not debug trigger conditions. Do not put technical complexity on people who have results to deliver. Ask them what they need instead. Build it, test it and improve it. Kaizen, small steps, big effects.
Case study: Kasthall, from unorganised to data-driven
Problem: Kasthall had a digital presence that lacked context. The website was a static catalogue, data from sales, marketing and customer service sat in different systems, and marketing efforts had a low response. The email open rate was 12%, a clear sign that the messages were not reaching the right people, with the right tone and at the right time. They were already "automating", but it was ineffective.
Solution: We built two simple but powerful workflows. First: a payment reminder with behavioural analysis. If a customer opens an invoice but does not pay within five days, an automatic reminder is triggered with a personal tone, not threatening but supportive. Second: automated personalisation of the customer journey. When someone downloads a certain product sheet, they are enrolled in a series of emails that follow up with related content, example projects and the option to book a call with a salesperson. No AI, no chatbots, just logic that follows the customer's behaviour.
Result: The open rate rose by 20%. The conversion rate increased by 30%. And most important of all: they now have zero unnecessary workflows to maintain. No time-consuming maintenance, no misunderstandings in the team. Instead, focus on what really counts: building relationships and selling value.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know which workflows actually work?
Measure their impact on the sales cycle, not how many you have. If a workflow reduces response time, increases conversion or cuts manual work, it is worth keeping.
Can simple workflows deliver measurable results?
Absolutely. Kasthall doubled its email engagement using only two workflows. Simplicity, relevance and usefulness are the key.
Should we automate the whole customer journey?
Not from the start. Begin with one part, for example lead follow-up or order handling. Scale up when it works.
How long does it take to implement a working workflow?
It depends on integration and needs, but often less than two weeks for an important, focused automation.
Take this with you:
Do not improve something because it looks good. Improve it because it works. Automation is not a technology question, it is a business question.
Want to know which of your workflows actually drive revenue? Download our free workflow audit template and take the first step towards a leaner, data-driven CRM.