How CRM Admins Are Using Workflows to Save Time, Improve Adoption, and Drive Sales Follow-Through
What happens when a group of distribution CRM admins get together to talk shop?
If you were part of our second Bimonthly Brew, you already know: you walk away with a dozen new ideas, a few workflow tweaks to try, and a reminder that you’re not the only one solving messy, real-world challenges with White Cup CRM.
This session was all about workflows and automation – and the group did not disappoint.
We were thrilled to be joined by Katie Crowl from LEPCO, who led an in-depth walkthrough of the workflows she’s using today to simplify internal processes, nudge user behavior, and make sure nothing falls through the cracks.
Here’s what we learned from Katie and the rest of the community.
Start with a Sentence: The Best Way to Approach Workflow Logic
Katie shared a simple but powerful trick: before building a workflow, write out the sentence.
“When X happens, and Y is true, then Z should happen.”
This sentence-first approach helped multiple attendees reframe their thinking and get over the intimidation factor of complex automation logic. It also helped drive better planning and cleaner execution when building workflows inside White Cup CRM.
Real-World Workflow Examples from the White Cup Community
The group discussed a wide range of use cases – from simple notifications to multi-path automations that route service cases and trigger reminders.
Automating Service Case Management
Katie showed how she uses conditional logic, wait timers, and email reminders to make sure support cases don’t go stale – with automatic reassignment, deadline nudges, and status checks all built into the flow.
Split Paths for Process Variations
To avoid maintaining five separate workflows for similar processes, she uses split paths to route logic based on values like marketing issue type or sales stage.
Periodic Triggers for Renewal Timelines
One standout use case: a daily periodic trigger that checks whether a fleet expiration date is 30 or 60 days out – and if so, sends an alert to the rep. This helps ensure renewals stay on track without manual monitoring.
Workflow-Driven Emails to Improve Adoption
Multiple attendees echoed the importance of sending emails to users outside the system – especially those who don’t log into CRM daily. Pro tip: include just enough info to prompt action, but not so much that it keeps them from logging in.
Other Use Cases Shared by the Group
- ERP Quote Syncing → Follow-Up Tasks: Automatically create a task in CRM when a quote is entered in the ERP, ensuring consistent sales follow-up.
- Task Assignment Alerts: Notify users by email when they’ve been assigned a task in CRM.
- Contact/Account Updates → Sales Rep Notifications: Use workflows to alert reps when something changes in their territory – without requiring them to “check CRM just in case.”
- Automatic Opportunity Staging: When reps check certain boxes (like “quote sent”), automatically close out old stages and advance to the next.
- CRM → ERP Account Creation: One attendee built a workflow that notifies accounting when a new prospect is ready to become a customer, triggering ERP setup.
4 Pro Tips for Better Workflow Building
Katie closed with some of her top lessons learned:
- Test on yourself first. Build with a test record and send emails to yourself before deploying.
- Explore the trigger/action menus. Get to know which triggers unlock which actions – some workflows may need to be split or chained together.
- Use “Change Record” smartly. Jump between related records to access the data you need (e.g., contact → account → back to contact).
- When in doubt, phone a friend. Or post in the new Community Forum.
Why These Sessions Matter
One attendee, Angela from Relevant Industrial, summed it up best:
“This is why these meetings are so important – real-life use cases from people who are in it. White Cup has great ideas, but hearing from other users? That’s what helps us take the next step.”
Many of the ideas shared sparked new workflow concepts attendees said they never would have thought of on their own.
Distributors juggle countless priorities, and CRM is just one of many tools on their plates. That’s why workflow automation is so valuable: it helps lighten the admin load, keeps critical processes on track, and builds confidence among users who may not live in CRM every day.
Most importantly, sessions like these prove the power of community. By sharing ideas, challenges, and proven tactics, White Cup users are helping each other not just use CRM – but use it better.
👉 Stay tuned for details on our September session, and in the meantime, hop into the community forum to keep the conversation going.
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ABOUT BIMONTHLY BREW
Wondering why We Created Bimonthly Brew?
White Cup CRM is built for distributors, but how each team uses it depends on their workflows, processes, and sales culture. We consistently hear from admins who are eager to connect with peers to learn from one another. So we gave them the space.
Bimonthly Brew is our virtual roundtable series for White Cup CRM users. No slide decks. No sales pitches. Just thoughtful conversation among experienced users.
Each session focuses on a specific topic, chosen by the community, and is hosted by our team – but led by our customers. Session 1 in May 2025 was on the topic of “New User Training & Onboarding.”
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