50 Workflow Automation Examples Your Business Can Deploy Today

How to Use This List

These 50 examples are drawn from PURIST's production deployments across SMBs in the UK and Europe. Every example on this list is running in a real business today. They are organised by department to make it easy to identify quick wins in the area of your business where you feel the most manual drag.

For each example, the tools column shows the typical stack. Most of these workflows can be built on n8n, Make, or Zapier the choice of platform is secondary to the process design. Complexity ratings (Low/Medium/High) reflect implementation time: Low is half a day, Medium is 1-3 days, High is 3+ days of build time.

Start with 2-3 automations in the area where you spend the most time on repetitive manual work. Prove the ROI, then expand.

Sales Automation Examples

1. New Lead Instant Notification

When a new lead submits a form or enters your CRM, an instant Slack or SMS notification fires to the responsible sales rep with the lead's name, company, and the page they submitted from. Tools: n8n or Zapier + CRM + Slack. Complexity: Low. Impact: Reduces lead response time from hours to seconds.

2. Lead Scoring on Entry

New CRM leads are automatically scored based on company size, industry, role, and intent signals from their form submission. Scores route leads to the correct pipeline stage. Tools: n8n + Claude API + CRM. Complexity: Medium. Impact: Sales team focuses only on qualified leads.

3. Meeting Booked Confirmation Sequence

When a prospect books a sales call via Calendly, an automated sequence sends a calendar invite, a pre-call prep document, and a reminder 24 hours and 1 hour before the meeting. Tools: Calendly + n8n + email provider. Complexity: Low.

4. Post-Demo Follow-Up Automation

When a demo meeting is marked complete in the CRM, a personalised follow-up email generates automatically, referencing the prospect's company name and the specific product area discussed (using a field set by the rep during the call). Tools: n8n + CRM + email provider. Complexity: Medium.

5. Deal Stage Change Notifications

When a deal moves to a new pipeline stage in the CRM, stakeholders receive automatic notifications. A deal moving to Proposal triggers a notification to the finance team. A deal moving to Closed Won triggers the onboarding workflow. Tools: CRM webhook + n8n + Slack. Complexity: Low.

6. Proposal Sent Follow-Up Sequence

When a proposal document is sent via PandaDoc or DocuSign, a follow-up sequence triggers automatically: an email 3 days after sending if no response, a second email 7 days after, and a Slack alert to the sales manager at day 10 if still no engagement. Tools: PandaDoc webhook + n8n + email + Slack. Complexity: Medium.

7. Contract Signed to Onboarding Trigger

When a contract is signed via DocuSign or HelloSign, the workflow automatically creates the client onboarding task list in the project management system, notifies the account manager, and sends the new client a welcome email with next steps. Tools: DocuSign + n8n + ClickUp + email. Complexity: Medium.

8. CRM Data Enrichment

New contact records trigger an automatic enrichment lookup via Clearbit or Apollo, adding company size, industry, LinkedIn URL, technology stack, and employee count without manual research. Tools: n8n + CRM + Clearbit or Apollo API. Complexity: Medium.

9. Lost Deal Analysis

When a deal is marked Closed Lost, the workflow logs the reason (from the CRM loss reason field) to a central analysis dashboard, sends a brief survey to the sales rep asking for a qualitative reason, and after 30 days sends a re-engagement email to the prospect. Tools: CRM + n8n + Google Sheets + email. Complexity: Medium.

10. Revenue Dashboard Auto-Update

At the end of each day, the workflow pulls closed deal data from the CRM and updates a live Google Sheets dashboard with daily revenue, pipeline by stage, and close rate emailing the summary to the sales leadership team. Tools: n8n + CRM API + Google Sheets + email. Complexity: Low.

Marketing Automation Examples

11. New Blog Post Multi-Channel Distribution

When a new blog post publishes (WordPress webhook or CMS trigger), the workflow automatically creates a LinkedIn post draft, a Twitter/X thread, an email newsletter section, and a Slack message to the team. Tools: n8n + Claude API + Buffer + email. Complexity: Medium.

12. Webinar Registration to Nurture Sequence

When someone registers for a webinar, they enter a 5-email nurture sequence: confirmation, preparation resources, reminder 24 hours before, post-webinar replay link, and a 7-day follow-up with a CTA. Tools: n8n + email provider + webinar platform API. Complexity: Medium.

13. Ad Spend Alert Automation

When daily ad spend on Google Ads or Meta Ads exceeds the defined threshold (or ROAS drops below the alert level), an immediate notification fires to the marketing manager via Slack and email. Tools: n8n + Google Ads API + Meta Ads API + Slack. Complexity: Medium.

14. Competitor Mention Monitoring

The workflow monitors Twitter, Reddit, and review sites for mentions of your competitors, aggregating them into a weekly digest with sentiment classification. New mentions that include pricing comparisons or dissatisfied customer signals trigger an immediate alert. Tools: n8n + social APIs + Claude API + email. Complexity: High.

15. Form Abandonment Recovery

When a user starts filling out a multi-step form but does not complete it (tracked via session data), a recovery email fires 1 hour later with a direct link back to the partially completed form and a brief explanation of the value. Tools: n8n + email provider + form platform API. Complexity: Medium.

16. Review Request Automation

Three days after an order is delivered or a project is marked complete, a personalised review request email sends automatically with a direct link to Google Reviews or Trustpilot. Positive responses get a thank-you; negative responses alert the account manager. Tools: n8n + email + e-commerce or CRM API. Complexity: Low.

17. UTM Link Generator and Tracker

When a new campaign is created in the CRM or project management system, the workflow auto-generates UTM-tagged links for each channel, stores them in a link tracking sheet, and posts them to the campaign Slack channel. Tools: n8n + Google Sheets + Slack. Complexity: Low.

18. Event Registration to Follow-Up

When someone registers for an event (live or virtual), the workflow sends a confirmation, a pre-event resource email, post-event follow-up with slides and recording, and adds the contact to the relevant nurture sequence based on their registration source. Tools: n8n + email provider + Eventbrite or Luma API. Complexity: Medium.

19. Content Performance Alert

Weekly workflow pulls content performance data from Google Analytics and Search Console, identifies the top 5 and bottom 5 performing posts, and emails the content team with the data and recommended actions (update, republish, promote). Tools: n8n + GA4 API + Search Console API + email. Complexity: Medium.

20. Influencer Outreach Tracking

When an influencer contact is added to the CRM with a status of Outreach, the workflow adds them to a follow-up sequence, tracks email opens and replies, and escalates to the partnerships manager after 10 days with no response. Tools: n8n + CRM + email provider + Slack. Complexity: Medium.

Operations Automation Examples

21. Daily Standup Digest

Each morning at 8:45am, the workflow queries the project management system for tasks due today across the team, summarises them by team member, and posts a structured standup digest to the team Slack channel. Tools: n8n + ClickUp or Linear API + Slack. Complexity: Low.

22. SLA Breach Alert

The workflow monitors open tasks and support tickets against their SLA deadlines. When a ticket is 2 hours from breaching its SLA with no update, an alert fires to the responsible team member and their manager. Tools: n8n + helpdesk API + Slack. Complexity: Medium.

23. Supplier Order Confirmation

When a purchase order is approved in the accounting system, the workflow sends an automatic order confirmation to the supplier via email, logs the expected delivery date in the operations tracker, and creates a delivery follow-up task 2 days before the expected date. Tools: n8n + Xero or QuickBooks API + email + Google Sheets. Complexity: Medium.

24. Document Expiry Reminder

The workflow monitors a register of documents with expiry dates (insurance certificates, compliance documents, contracts, licences) and sends reminder emails 60 days, 30 days, and 7 days before each expiry. Tools: n8n + Google Sheets or Airtable + email. Complexity: Low.

25. Office Supply Reorder Trigger

When inventory levels for tracked supplies drop below the reorder threshold (tracked in a simple Google Sheet or Airtable base), the workflow generates a reorder email or purchase order to the supplier automatically. Tools: n8n + Google Sheets + email. Complexity: Low.

26. Meeting Room Booking Confirmation

When a meeting is booked via Calendly or Google Calendar in a shared meeting room, an automatic confirmation email goes to all attendees with the room details, AV setup instructions, and a Slack reminder 15 minutes before the meeting. Tools: Google Calendar API + n8n + Slack + email. Complexity: Low.

27. Incident Report Distribution

When an incident report is submitted via a form, the workflow routes it to the appropriate team lead based on the incident category, creates a tracked response task, and sends an acknowledgement to the reporter. Critical incidents (severity 1) trigger an immediate call or SMS to the on-call manager. Tools: n8n + form provider + Slack + SMS provider. Complexity: Medium.

28. Vendor Invoice Routing

Incoming invoices from vendors are automatically categorised by supplier and cost centre, matched against purchase orders, and routed to the appropriate budget holder for approval via Slack with one-click approve/reject. Tools: n8n + email monitoring + Xero API + Slack. Complexity: High.

29. KPI Dashboard Weekly Update

Every Monday morning, the workflow pulls the previous week's KPIs from all connected data sources (CRM, analytics, finance), compiles the data into a formatted dashboard report, and emails it to the leadership team. Tools: n8n + CRM + GA4 + Xero APIs + Google Sheets + email. Complexity: High.

30. Workspace Access Provisioning

When a new employee record is created in the HRIS, the workflow automatically creates accounts in Google Workspace, Slack, the project management tool, and any other systems defined in the provisioning template, and sends the new employee their login details. Tools: n8n + BambooHR + Google Admin API + Slack API. Complexity: High.

Finance Automation Examples

31. Invoice Creation on Project Completion

When a project is marked complete in the project management system, the workflow automatically creates a draft invoice in Xero or QuickBooks using the project value, client details, and payment terms from the CRM record. The draft routes to the account manager for review before sending. Tools: n8n + ClickUp + Xero API. Complexity: Medium.

32. Overdue Invoice Follow-Up Sequence

The workflow monitors unpaid invoices in Xero or QuickBooks daily. At 7 days overdue, a polite reminder email sends. At 14 days, a firmer reminder. At 30 days, a formal overdue notice generates and routes to the finance manager. Tools: n8n + Xero API + email. Complexity: Low.

33. Expense Report Submission Reminder

On the last working day of each month, the workflow checks for team members who have not submitted expense reports for the month and sends them a personalised reminder with the submission deadline and the expense portal link. Tools: n8n + HRIS API + expense platform API + email. Complexity: Low.

34. Cash Flow Forecast Update

Weekly workflow pulls confirmed receivables (sent invoices), payables (outstanding bills), and bank balance from the accounting system and updates the cash flow forecast model in Google Sheets, flagging any weeks where the forecast shows a cash deficit. Tools: n8n + Xero API + Google Sheets. Complexity: Medium.

35. Subscription Renewal Alert

The workflow monitors SaaS subscriptions and annual contract renewals, alerting the finance team 90, 60, and 30 days before each renewal with the annual cost, the renewal decision required, and the cancellation deadline. Tools: n8n + Google Sheets or Airtable + email + Slack. Complexity: Low.

36. Budget vs Actual Alert

At the end of each month, the workflow compares actual spend by cost centre against budget. Cost centres that are more than 10% over budget trigger an alert to the budget owner with the variance figure and the largest individual spend items driving the overage. Tools: n8n + Xero or QuickBooks API + Google Sheets + email. Complexity: Medium.

37. Payroll Data Collection

In the week before payroll processing, the workflow collects timesheets, overtime approvals, and expense claims from each team member, aggregates them into a formatted payroll input file, and routes it to the finance team with a completion status report. Tools: n8n + HRIS + timesheet tool API + email. Complexity: Medium.

38. Financial Report Compilation

Monthly workflow pulls P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow data from the accounting system, formats it into a management accounts template, and emails it to the board with a variance commentary generated by Claude. Tools: n8n + Xero API + Claude API + Google Docs + email. Complexity: High.

39. Payment Received Notification

When a payment is received and reconciled in the accounting system, the workflow sends an automatic payment confirmation to the client and a notification to the account manager, and updates the CRM deal to Invoiced and Paid status. Tools: n8n + Xero webhook + email + CRM API. Complexity: Low.

40. VAT Return Data Preparation

At the end of each VAT quarter, the workflow extracts the relevant transaction data from the accounting system, validates it against the expected format, flags any transactions requiring manual review (unusual tax codes, transactions without VAT), and compiles a VAT return preparation report. Tools: n8n + Xero API + email. Complexity: Medium.

HR Automation Examples

41. Job Application Acknowledgement

When a job application is received via email or the ATS, an automatic acknowledgement email sends within 5 minutes, confirming receipt, setting expectations for the timeline, and including a brief overview of the hiring process. Tools: n8n + ATS API or email monitoring + email. Complexity: Low.

42. Interview Scheduling Automation

When a candidate is moved to the interview stage in the ATS, the workflow sends them a Calendly link for the first interview slot, creates a calendar block for the interviewer, and sends both parties a confirmation with the interview brief and any preparation materials. Tools: n8n + ATS API + Calendly + email. Complexity: Medium.

43. Offer Letter Generation

When a candidate is moved to the Offer stage in the ATS with the relevant fields populated (salary, start date, role, manager), the workflow generates a personalised offer letter via Docupilot, routes it to the HR lead for review, and sends it via DocuSign for signature when approved. Tools: n8n + ATS + Docupilot + DocuSign + email. Complexity: Medium.

44. Probation Review Reminder

The workflow monitors employee start dates and creates calendar reminders for line managers at 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and the week before the 3-month probation review date, with a reminder of the review criteria and the HR process for probation outcomes. Tools: n8n + HRIS API + Google Calendar + email. Complexity: Low.

45. Training Completion Tracker

When an employee completes a required training module in the LMS, the completion is logged automatically in the HR compliance tracker, the employee receives a completion certificate via email, and their training record in the HRIS updates. Tools: n8n + LMS webhook + Google Sheets + email + HRIS API. Complexity: Medium.

Customer Support Automation Examples

46. Support Ticket Auto-Triage

Incoming support tickets are automatically classified by category (billing, technical, feature request, account), urgency (P1-P4), and routed to the correct team queue. P1 tickets trigger an immediate Slack alert to the on-call engineer. Tools: n8n + Claude API + helpdesk API + Slack. Complexity: Medium.

47. Knowledge Base Article Suggestion

When a new ticket arrives, the workflow searches the knowledge base for relevant articles and adds them as a suggested resolution note on the ticket before a human opens it. Agents resolve simple queries faster; articles that successfully resolve tickets are logged for knowledge base quality improvement. Tools: n8n + Claude API + Intercom or Zendesk API + Notion API. Complexity: High.

48. Customer Satisfaction Survey Trigger

When a support ticket is closed, a 3-question CSAT survey sends automatically 2 hours after closure. Scores of 1-2 trigger an immediate alert to the support manager. Scores of 4-5 trigger a review invitation. All scores feed a weekly CSAT dashboard. Tools: n8n + helpdesk API + email + Google Sheets. Complexity: Low.

49. Renewal at Risk Alert

When a customer submits a support ticket using language that signals dissatisfaction (detected by Claude sentiment analysis) or logs their third support ticket in 14 days, the customer success manager receives an alert flagging the account as renewal-at-risk with a summary of recent interactions. Tools: n8n + Claude API + helpdesk API + CRM API + Slack. Complexity: High.

50. Product Feedback Aggregation

Weekly workflow aggregates all product feedback from support tickets, NPS surveys, and app store reviews, clusters the feedback by theme using Claude, and produces a prioritised feedback report for the product team, sorted by frequency and sentiment. Tools: n8n + Claude API + helpdesk API + survey platform API + email. Complexity: High.