Updating Fields Using Workflow Rules

Managing records during the sales process often involves updating the same fields many times. Manually managing these updates can be time-consuming, error-prone, and inconsistent as sales activity scales.
Workflow Rules simplify this process by automating field updates. When specific events occur such as record creation, modification, or scheduled dates, the system updates fields automatically based on predefined rules. This ensures data remains accurate and consistent while helping sales teams move deals forward efficiently.
This article explains common situations where automated field updates are useful and shows how to set up a workflow rule to update fields.

Use cases

Auto‑updating deal stage after record creation

When a sales rep creates a new deal record, a workflow rule can automatically set the Stage field to Qualification right after the record is created, removing the need for the rep to choose the initial stage manually.

Updating priority based on deal value

When a deal amount exceeds a certain threshold, a workflow rule automatically updates the Priority field to High. This helps sales managers focus on high‑value opportunities

Update expected closing date based on deal stage

When a deal moves to a specific stage (for example, Negotiation), a workflow rule can automatically update the Closing date to a predefined number of days in the future. This keeps forecasts accurate without manual updates.

Auto-updating deal stage after sending a sales document

When you send a quote to a customer, the deal record is moved to the Proposal sent stage automatically.

Setting up a workflow rule to update fields

Access workflow rules

1. Go to Setup from the left sidebar.
2. In the Setup drawer, navigate to Process Management > Workflow Rules, or Automation > Workflow Rules. Alternatively, use the search bar in the drawer and type Workflow Rules.
   
3. Click button.

Set triggers

Triggers define the exact point at which the workflow rule should run and initiate an automatic field update. Setting the right trigger ensures that fields are updated at the correct moment during the record’s lifecycle, whether at creation, modification, or a scheduled date and time.

In the Set Trigger & Conditions tab,

1. Select the Trigger module, with supported modules including Contacts, Companies, Pipelines, Tasks, and Sales Documents.

Under the Trigger type,

2. Choose Record created to update fields immediately after a record is created and saved, which is useful for setting default values and minimizing data entry before saving.

3. Choose Record created/edited or Record edited to update fields when records are modified and set the Occurrence to run either Only the first time the record is updated or Every time it is edited.

4. Choose Date/time trigger to update fields based on a specific date/time field and define when the update should occur using date/time operators.

Add conditions (Optional)

Conditions help narrow down which records should have their fields updated automatically. By defining conditions, you ensure that field updates occur only when records meet specific criteria that match your business logic.

While conditions are optional, once added, they become mandatory for the workflow to execute. This means the field update (action) will only occur if both the triggers and the conditions are met.

To add conditions,

1. Click Add Condition.
2. Select a field and define the conditional criteria.
3. To add more conditions, click Add condition, select another field then define the criteria. You can define up to a maximum of 10 conditions.
4. Choose whether all/any of the specified conditions must be met before the system executes the field update.
5. Click Add Group to create another set of conditions. Define the conditions within the group.
6. Use And / Or logic to decide whether all groups must be met, or at least one group must be met for the field update.

For more details on triggers and conditions, visit Understanding triggers and conditions

Define actions

Actions are the tasks to be executed when the triggers and conditions (if added) are met.

Workflow Rules support two types of actions: Instant Actions, which are executed immediately when the rule matches, and Delayed Actions, which are executed after a specified delay ranging from 30 minutes to 3 hours.
Navigate to the Define Actions tab to begin configuring actions.

Configure instant actions

Instant actions allow the workflow to update fields immediately once the rule matches the defined trigger and conditions. These updates run without delay, ensuring that important field values stay accurate and consistent at the exact moment a record is created or modified.

1. Under Instant Actions, click Select action dropdown and choose Update field.
2. Select where the field update should occur based on the module.
   • For Contacts, fields can be updated In current record or In primary company.
   • For Companies, Tasks, and Sales Documents, fields can be updated only In current record.
   • For Pipelines, fields can be updated In current record, In primary contact, In associated company or In linked pipeline records. When updating fields In linked pipeline records, you must first select the pipeline whose linked records should be updated. You can optionally click Add condition to apply additional criteria, ensuring that only linked records from the selected pipeline that meet those conditions are automatically updated.

3. In the Field section, select the field that should be updated. The table below lists the available fields per module.

4. In the Value source section, the available update methods are determined by the field you are updating. Some fields only allow updates using a Fixed value, meaning you must select an existing option or manually enter a value when no options are defined. For other fields, an additional option is available to use Another field’s value, which lets you populate the field dynamically based on the value stored in a different field.
   
5. Use the + icon to add additional fields to be updated and configure them using the same steps.

Configure delayed actions

Delayed Actions allow the workflow to update fields after a set delay period.
Delayed actions are available depending on the trigger type:

• When the trigger type is Record created, field updates can be delayed.
• When the trigger type is Record created/edited or Record edited, delayed actions are supported only when the Occurrence is set to Only the first time and are not supported when the occurrence is set to Every time.
• When using the Date/time trigger type, delayed actions are not available because the execution time is already determined by the selected date and time criteria.

To a delay field updates,

1. Click Set delay under Delayed Actions and set the delay period.
2. Select Update field as the action, choose where the update should occur, and choose the fields to be updated using the same steps as mentioned in Instant Actions.

Instant Actions can be converted to Delayed Actions and vice versa,

• To convert an instant action into a delayed action, click the more actions menu for the instant action, select Set delay, and set the delay period (30 minutes to 3 hours). The action is converted and listed under Delayed Actions.
• To convert a delayed action into an instant action, click its more actions menu and select Convert to instant action. The action is immediately converted and listed under Instant Actions.

For more details, refer to Instant actions and delayed actions

Review and finalize

• Carefully review the triggers, conditions (if added) and actions configured.
• Click Create to activate the workflow rule

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Why can’t I see the option to configure a delayed action?

Delayed Actions are not available for every trigger type. For example, when using the Date/time trigger, the execution time is already defined.

Can I update multiple fields with one workflow rule?

Yes. Use the + icon when configuring field updates to add more fields.