How to Suggest a Workflow When a To-Do Is Completed
Why This Matters
Some processes can't run from start to finish on their own, because a person has to do something in the middle. You make a call, review paperwork or meet with a client, and only then is it time for the next part.
A To-Do can suggest a Workflow for exactly this. When someone marks that To-Do complete, the system asks whether to start the Workflow for that contact. Click Yes and it starts right away. Click No Thanks and nothing starts. It's always a question, so a suggested Workflow never starts until a person says yes.
The most common use is a handoff between two Workflows. Your first Workflow ends by assigning a To-Do like "Call to review paperwork," and that To-Do suggests your second Workflow. Finishing the call is what starts the next part.
Before You Begin
You need at least one Workflow to suggest. If you haven't built one yet, start with Workflows Overview.
If you're on a team, anyone who can add or edit To-Dos can set a suggestion. The question goes to whoever completes the To-Do.
Watch & Learn
🎥 Video: Suggest a Workflow from a To-Do
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Choose the Workflow to Suggest
Open a contact and click the To-Do List tab. Click Add To-Do, or click a To-Do that's already there to edit it. Fill in the To-Do as you normally would.
Click Workflow to suggest when completed. In the Choose Workflow box, click a Workflow from the list, or use Search to find one. Click Save.
This links the To-Do to the Workflow, so the system knows what to ask when the To-Do is done.
Time: Less than a minute
2. Check the Lightning Bolt
To-Dos that suggest a Workflow show a small gray lightning bolt in front of the summary, on your To-Do List and on the contact's To-Do List tab. Point to the bolt to see where things stand:
- "Offers [Workflow] when completed" means nobody has answered yet.
- "Started [Workflow]" means someone clicked Yes.
- "[Workflow] declined" means someone said no.
The bolt stays after the To-Do is complete, so you can always see which Workflow it was tied to.
Time: Less than a minute
3. Complete the To-Do
Click Mark Complete. A Workflow Suggestion box opens and asks whether to start the Workflow for that contact. The Workflow's steps are listed below the buttons, so you can see what it does before you decide.
The To-Do is already complete at this point. Your answer only decides the Workflow.
Click Yes, Start Workflow to start it at step 1 right away. It then shows under Active Workflows on the contact's Workflows tab. Click No Thanks or the X and nothing starts. Clicking outside the box does nothing, so your answer is always on purpose.
Time: Less than a minute
Hand Off Between Two Workflows
To have one Workflow lead to another, add the suggestion to an Assign Single To-Do step.
Open your first Workflow. Add an Assign Single To-Do step, or click the pencil on one that's already there. Fill in the To-Do, click Workflow to suggest when completed, and choose your second Workflow. Click Save. The step now reads something like "Assign Call to review paperwork due in 0 day and suggest Client Onboarding when completed."
Every contact who reaches that step gets a To-Do with the bolt. When someone completes it and clicks Yes, the second Workflow starts from step 1.
The first Workflow doesn't stop and wait for the To-Do. Any steps after the To-Do keep running on their own schedule, so make the To-Do the last step if the next part should wait for you.
Other Places You Can Set a Suggestion
Workflow to suggest when completed is on every form where you set up a To-Do:
- Appointments: on the Daily With To-Dos tab, click Add To-Do.
- Group Actions: click Assign a To-Do. Every To-Do it creates carries the suggestion.
- To-Do Plans: add or edit a step. Every To-Do the plan creates carries the suggestion.
- The mobile version: add or edit a To-Do. Tap Save & Complete and you'll get the same question.
If the Workflow Is Already Running
If the Workflow is already running for that contact, you won't get the question. A short message appears at the bottom left of the page instead, such as "To-Do complete. Client Onboarding is already running for Henry Wallace."
The suggestion isn't used up. If the To-Do is reopened and completed again after the Workflow finishes, you'll get the question then.
Completing Several To-Dos at Once
Checking several To-Dos and clicking Mark Complete at the top of the list never starts a Workflow. If any checked To-Do suggests one, the system shows you which ones first, and you choose what to do:
- Go Back leaves everything as it was, with your boxes still checked.
- Complete Only the Other [number] completes just the To-Dos without a suggestion. The ones that suggest a Workflow stay open.
- Complete All [number] Without Applying Workflows completes everything you checked, and the suggestions are marked declined.
To be asked about a Workflow, use that To-Do's own Mark Complete button.
Sending several Email To-Dos with Send Emails works the same way.
Email To-Dos and Automatic Sending
If you've set up Email To-Dos to send automatically, an Email To-Do that suggests a Workflow is not sent on its own. It stays open until someone sends it by hand, because that's when the question can be asked.
Email To-Dos without a suggestion send as usual. If you'd rather have one go out automatically, set its Workflow to suggest when completed back to (none), and it goes out on the next automatic run.
💡 When automatic sending is on, a short note under the field reminds you of this on Email To-Dos.
Questions and Answers
Q: Can a To-Do start a Workflow without asking?
A: No. A person always has to click Yes.
Q: Why didn't the Workflow start?
A: It only starts when someone clicks Yes, Start Workflow. Point to the bolt: if it says declined, someone clicked No Thanks or the X, or the To-Do was completed along with others. To-Dos completed several at a time, sent automatically or completed through the API never start a Workflow.
Q: Why wasn't I asked?
A: Each To-Do asks once. You also won't be asked if the Workflow is already running for that contact (a short message shows instead), if the Workflow was deleted, or if the To-Do has no contact.
Q: How do I get asked again?
A: Edit the To-Do, change the suggestion to a different Workflow, and click Save. You can also set it to (none), save, and set it back. Saving without changing the Workflow doesn't reset anything.
Q: Can a To-Do suggest more than one Workflow?
A: No. Each To-Do suggests one Workflow.
Q: What happens if I delete the Workflow?
A: The bolt disappears, the field shows (none), and the To-Do completes normally.
Q: Why don't I see Workflow to suggest when completed?
A: Your plan doesn't include Workflows.
Q: Why can't a team member complete the To-Do?
A: They need permission to edit To-Dos.
Guide Type: How-To Guide
Estimated Time: 5 minutes