Adding Notes Using Workflow Rules

Automating note creation helps you maintain consistent record keeping and capture important context at the right time. Records such as contacts and pipelines often require timely documentation, and manually adding notes can be easy to forget.

Workflow rules help you automatically create notes when key events occur so that important details are always recorded.

Use cases

• Automatically create welcome or onboarding notes when a new contact is added.
• Create stage-based notes when a pipeline moves to an advanced stage to summarize required actions, risks, or approvals.

Set up a workflow rule to add notes

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 when the workflow rule runs and when notes are created.

1. Open the Set Trigger & Conditions tab.

2. Select a Trigger module such as Contacts, Companies, Pipelines, Tasks, Events, Sales Documents, or Email.

3. Choose a Trigger type from following options:

   • Record created: Generates notes when a new record is saved.
   • Record created/edited: Generates notes when a record is created or edited.
   • Record edited: Generates notes when a record is edited.

   Note: Select Only the first time to create a note only once or Every time to create a note each time the record is updated.

   • Date/time: Generates notes based on a selected date or time field.
   • For Emails, choose Inbound email or Outbound email, depending on when the note should be created.

Add conditions (Optional)

Conditions ensure notes are created only when specific criteria are met.

1. Click Add Condition.
2. Select a field and define the criteria.
3. Click Add condition to include more conditions.
4. Choose whether All or Any conditions must be met.
5. Click Add Group to create another condition group.

You can use And or Or logic to determine how groups relate.

You can add up to 10 conditions. Once added, conditions must be met for the workflow to run.

For more information on triggers and conditions, refer to Understanding triggers and conditions

Define actions

Actions determine what occurs when the workflow rule criteria are satisfied. You can configure Instant Actions or Delayed Actions based on your requirements.

Configure instant actions

Instant actions create notes immediately when workflow criteria are met.

1. After setting triggers, go to the Define Actions tab.

2. Under Instant Actions, open the Select action dropdown and choose Add note.

3. Choose where the note must be added: For Contacts, you can add a note To current record or To primary company. For Pipelines, you can add a note To current record, To primary contact or To associated company. For Companies and Tasks, you can add a note To current record only.

4. In the Configure Note Content drawer:

   • Enter a Title or click Insert field to use placeholders such as Contact Name or Stage.
   • Enter the note body.

5. Click Save to confirm the template.

The following image shows the Configure Note Content drawer:

6. Click Edit note content to modify the template if needed.
   

Configure delayed actions

Delayed actions create notes after a defined time period.

1. Click Set delay under Delayed Actions and choose the delay period.
2. Select Add note as the action.
3. Choose the note location and configure the note template.

Note: An action can be added only once. This means that if you choose to add a note to the primary record, you cannot add another note to that same primary record within the same workflow rule.

The same rule applies when switching between instant and delayed actions.

You can convert action types as follows:

• Instant to Delayed: Click more actions on the instant action and select Set delay.
• Delayed to Instant: Click more actions on the delayed action and select Convert to instant action.

Review and finalize

1. Review the triggers, conditions, and actions.
2. Click Create at the top‑right to activate the workflow rule.