Pipedrive Automations
Eliminate repetitive tasks. Every minute saved on admin is another minute to close deals.
⏱️ TL;DR: Pipedrive offers native automations (Workflow Automation) for simple actions. For complex workflows, use Make.com or Zapier. Start by automating: activity creation, Slack notifications, and follow-up emails.
Why Automate?
A sales rep spends on average 30% of their time on administrative tasks: creating reminders, sending follow-up emails, updating fields... Time wasted that could be spent selling.
Automation allows you to:
- Save time — Repetitive tasks run automatically
- Reduce oversights — No more leads falling through the cracks
- Standardize processes — Everyone follows the same workflow
- Improve data — Fields filled automatically
Workflow Automation: Native Automations
Pipedrive includes an automation tool called Workflow Automation. It's simple, no-code, and sufficient for 80% of needs.
Accessing Automations
Main menu → Automations → View existing workflows and create new ones.
Automation Structure
Each automation follows the Trigger → Condition → Action logic:
| Element | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | The triggering event | Deal created, Deal moved, Email received |
| Condition | Optional filter | If value > $10,000, If source = Inbound |
| Action | What happens | Create activity, Send email, Notify |
The 10 Essential Automations
Here are the workflows I systematically install for my clients:
1. Create an activity when a deal is created
Trigger: Deal created
Action: Create activity "First call" in 1 hour
Why: No deal stays without a planned action
2. Notify manager on big deals
Trigger: Deal created
Condition: Value > $20,000
Action: Send notification to manager
Why: Immediate visibility on strategic opportunities
3. Auto-follow-up after demo
Trigger: Deal moved to "Proposal sent"
Action: Create activity "Follow-up" in 3 days
Why: Never forget to follow up on a proposal
4. Automatic welcome email
Trigger: Deal moved to "Won"
Action: Send email template "Welcome client"
Why: Immediate onboarding without human intervention
5. Alert on rotting deals
Trigger: Deal without activity for 7 days
Action: Notify the deal owner
Why: Reactivate deals before they die
6. Auto-update a field
Trigger: Deal moved to "Negotiation"
Action: Set field "Advanced phase" = Yes
Why: Data always up-to-date for reporting
7. Auto-assign by territory
Trigger: Deal created
Condition: Country = USA
Action: Assign to USA team
Why: Lead distribution without manual intervention
8. Slack notification on deal won
Trigger: Deal marked Won
Action: Send Slack message to #victories
Why: Celebrate wins as a team
9. Create onboarding task for CS
Trigger: Deal marked Won
Action: Create activity "Onboarding call" assigned to CS team
Why: Automatic Sales → Customer Success handoff
10. Archive old lost deals
Trigger: Deal lost for 90 days
Action: Add label "Archive"
Why: Keep the CRM clean
💡 Start Simple
Implement 3-4 automations maximum at first. Test, adjust, then add more progressively.
Creating Your First Automation
-
Access automations
Menu → Automations → "+ Create automation"
-
Choose a template or start from scratch
Pipedrive offers pre-configured templates. Start from a template close to your need.
-
Define the trigger
Select the triggering event: creation, modification, movement...
-
Add conditions (optional)
Filter so the automation only runs in certain cases.
-
Configure the action
Choose what should happen: create activity, send email, notify...
-
Test before activating
Create a test deal to verify everything works correctly.
Native Automation Limitations
Workflow Automation is powerful but has limits:
- ❌ No connection with external tools (except Slack/email)
- ❌ No complex conditional logic (nested if/else)
- ❌ No data transformation
- ❌ No loops or iterations
- ❌ Limited to Pipedrive entities (deals, contacts, activities)
To go further, you need external automation tools.
Make.com and Zapier: Advanced Automation
For complex workflows, use Make.com (formerly Integromat) or Zapier.
| Criteria | Make.com | Zapier |
|---|---|---|
| Complexity | More powerful, more technical | Simpler, less flexible |
| Pricing | Cheaper at volume | More expensive, but free to start |
| Pipedrive connectors | Very complete | Complete |
| Recommendation | For power users and agencies | For beginners |
What You Can Do with Make/Zapier:
- Sync Pipedrive with your billing tool
- Auto-enrich contacts (via Clearbit, Apollo...)
- Create deals from a Typeform or Calendly
- Send data to Google Sheets for advanced reporting
- Trigger email sequences in Lemlist or Smartlead
- Update your project management tool (Notion, Asana...)
📊 My Choice
I use Make.com for all my clients. More flexible, cheaper, and the visual interface allows building complex workflows without coding.
The Pipedrive API: For Developers
If you have very specific needs, Pipedrive offers a complete REST API. You can:
- Create, read, update, delete all entities
- Listen to webhooks (real-time events)
- Build custom integrations
Documentation: developers.pipedrive.com
⚠️ Watch API Quotas
Pipedrive limits API calls per second (rate limiting). Design your integrations to respect these limits.
Automation Best Practices
1. Document your automations
Name each workflow clearly: "Deal created → Create first call activity" rather than "Automation 1".
2. Test before activating
Create a test deal with dummy data. Verify everything works before deploying.
3. Monitor errors
Regularly check automation history to detect failures.
4. Don't over-automate
Too many automations = chaos. Each workflow should have a clear purpose.
5. Plan for edge cases
What happens if a field is empty? If the deal is created via import? Anticipate.
Automations Checklist
- ☑️ Activity automatically created for each new deal
- ☑️ Notifications configured for important deals
- ☑️ Alerts on deals without activity
- ☑️ Automatic welcome email for clients
- ☑️ Automations documented and clearly named
- ☑️ Tests performed before activation