Eliminating Manual Work with HubSpot

About This Page

"I repeat the same tasks every day." "I often forget to enter data or miss notifications." "I want to focus on my core work."

With HubSpot's automation features, you can free yourself from these repetitive tasks.

Common "Manual Work" Frustrations

Data Entry

• Manually entering inquiries into Excel
• Registering business card contacts one by one into CRM
• Copy-pasting customer information for each order

Notifications & Communications

• Emailing team members when a new lead comes in
• Reporting deal progress to managers via chat
• Sending reminders as task deadlines approach

Follow-ups

• Sending thank-you emails after inquiries
• Following up one week after sending materials
• Sending re-engagement emails to dormant customers

What Automation Can Do

All of these manual tasks can be automated with HubSpot.

HubSpot Automation Features

HubSpot has two main types of automation features.

1. Workflows

A feature that sets rules like "If A happens, do B."

Examples:

• When a form is submitted → Send a thank-you email
• When a deal stage changes → Notify via Slack
• When 30 days pass since last activity → Send a follow-up email

2. Automated Actions

Actions that are automatically executed in connection with specific operations.

Examples:

• Automatic email after form submission
• Automatic task creation when a deal is created
• Automatic property setting when a contact is created

Learn More

We cover automation in detail across three articles.

1. Automation to Eliminate Manual Work

We've organized "what to automate first." A guide to starting with the automation that yields the most impact.

→ Automation to Eliminate Manual Work

2. Workflow Use Cases

Examples of workflows you can use in actual business. Organized by scenarios including lead response, sales support, and customer success.

→ Workflow Use Cases

3. When is API Integration Needed?

"I want to automate, but HubSpot's standard features aren't enough"—that's when API integration becomes necessary. We've organized cases where no-code is sufficient versus when API development is needed.

→ When API Integration is Needed

Automation Benefits

Time Savings

With 100 leads per month, this means saving over 20 hours monthly.

Error Prevention

• No more forgotten entries
• No more missed notifications
• No more missed follow-ups

Faster Response Time

• Thank-you email sent immediately after inquiry
• Team notified instantly when a lead comes in
• Tasks created immediately

Steps to Start Automating

Step 1: Identify Current Manual Tasks

First, list the repetitive manual tasks in your daily work.

Checklist:

• [ ] Data entry (manual entry to Excel, CRM)
• [ ] Email sending (template emails)
• [ ] Notifications (lead generation, status changes)
• [ ] Reminders (task deadlines, follow-ups)
• [ ] Report creation (weekly, monthly reports)

Step 2: Prioritize

You don't need to automate everything at once. Prioritize based on these criteria.

High-priority automation:

• High frequency (occurs daily or weekly)
• Time-consuming (10+ minutes per task)
• Error-prone (complex, many steps)

Step 3: Start Small

Begin with one automation and expand while confirming its effectiveness.

Recommended first steps:

• Thank-you email after form submission
• Slack notification when a lead comes in
• Reminder before task deadline

FAQ

Q: Is automation available on the free plan?

A: Basic automation is available on the free plan, but advanced workflows require a paid plan.

Available for free:

• Automatic email after form submission
• Basic property updates

Paid plan required:

• Complex conditional branching
• Integration with external tools
• Time-based triggers

Q: Won't automation make customers feel like they're talking to a machine?

A: With proper configuration, customer experience actually improves.

• Immediate response right after inquiry
• Personalized content (inserting name, company name)
• Follow-ups at appropriate timing

Q: Is it difficult to set up?

A: HubSpot workflows can be configured with drag and drop. No programming required.

Summary

HubSpot automation enables:

• Time savings: Freedom from repetitive tasks
• Error prevention: No more forgotten entries or missed notifications
• Speed up: Immediate response capability
• Focus on core work: Spend time on valuable tasks

Start with the easy parts and gradually expand the scope of automation.