CRM
Automation
When sales, marketing and operations use the CRM differently, automation spreads bad data faster. We agree the process and ownership first, then automate routing, follow-up, record quality and reporting inside the system you already use.
Capture the activity
Check the record
Create the next task
The CRM stays current without repeated data entry.
Routed
LEADS WITH NAMED OWNERS
Current
RECORDS CHECKED AND MAINTAINED
Tracked
FOLLOW-UP AND SUPPRESSION
CRM automation should keep work moving
A lead arrives through a form, but nobody owns the next step. Call notes stay in an inbox and the same company appears in several records. These gaps make follow-up harder to manage.
We connect capture, assignment and follow-up to the CRM, with visible queues for exceptions. Call summaries and draft replies can help where your team can check them.
The first workflow is measured against your current response times, manual work and record quality.
YOUR CRM TODAY
- New leads sit in a tab nobody watches
- Same company entered three times, three ways
- Reps copy-pasting follow-ups from a Google Doc
- Half the fields blank, half out of date
- Forecast with inconsistent stage definitions
WORKING CRM
- Leads assigned against an agreed response target
- One record per company, deduped on write
- Sequences drafted by AI, sent by the rep
- Fields enriched on create, refreshed quarterly
- Forecast tied to agreed stage criteria
What a working CRM should do
These five workflow areas are worth checking across HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Attio and similar CRMs. The build order depends on lead volume, data quality and the commercial owner.
Capture & route
Connect agreed lead sources, check for duplicates and assign an owner by territory or customer type. Alerts track the response target your team can support.
Enrich & clean
Check company details and contact fields against approved sources. Flag uncertain matches for review and retain opt-outs when merging duplicates.
Sequence & nudge
Lifecycle email, SMS, LinkedIn touches, internal Slack pings. Drafted by AI from the call notes and the ideal customer profile, sent by the rep, suppressed when they reply.
Listen & summarise
Gong, Fireflies or your own recorder. Transcript and summary pushed onto the record, next steps surfaced as tasks, objections tagged for the playbook.
Score & report
Documented lead scoring, reminders for stale deals and reporting tied to agreed stage definitions. Sales and operations can trace the figures back to the records.
How we take it into live use
The audit identifies one workflow with a commercial owner and usable baseline. A first build covers its data, rules and connected systems before further CRM work is approved.
We assess HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Attio, Folk, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Zoho and specialist CRMs against the process rather than assuming a migration is required.
BOOK A CRM AUDITCRM audit
We inspect the CRM and connected tools with read-only access where possible. The report records stale data, duplicate records, workflow ownership and a ranked first set of changes.
Clean the database
We agree merge rules, normalise company records and identify gaps that approved sources can fill. Suppression and subscriber classifications remain attached to the contact.
Launch the first automation
The first automation might cover inbound capture and routing, with an agreed response target, logging and an off-switch the team can use.
Wire in the AI
Call summaries onto the record. Drafted follow-ups in the rep's outbox. A weekly "what's gone stale" digest. Lead scoring you can read. Built on Agentforce or Breeze when it fits, on our own loops when it doesn't.
Hand it over
Written runbook, named owner, a dashboard that says what's running and what isn't, and a quarterly review slot if you want one. You don't need us in the building to keep it working.
CRM platforms we work with
We assess the CRM you already use before recommending a move. Its permissions, supported integrations and current licence affect what we can build.
HubSpot
A common choice for marketing-led businesses. The review covers workflows, custom objects, permissions, data quality and where native Breeze features fit.
Salesforce
We assess the existing data model, permissions and workflows, then check which native automation features are available in your edition.
Pipedrive
We review pipeline stages, supported automations and external connections against the process your team needs.
Attio & Folk
We assess the records, permissions and API access needed for your workflow, alongside the cost of maintaining custom connections.
Microsoft Dynamics 365
For teams using Microsoft systems, we review how the CRM connects to email, meetings and the rest of the operational process.
Zoho with Zia
We review native automation and AI features against your edition, data quality and required controls before adding custom work.
The outreach layer
Apollo, Cognism, Outreach, Salesloft, Close, Smartlead. Sequenced sending, suppression lists, deliverability monitoring. UK PECR-aware setup.
The listening layer
Gong, Chorus, Fireflies, Avoma. Transcripts and summaries written back to the deal, objections tagged, next steps as tasks.
PECR and UK GDPR controls
Consent, lawful basis and suppression need to be part of the data model before automated marketing starts.
We map which channels you use, who receives messages and which checks must run before each send.
Corporate vs individual subscribers
Under PECR, limited companies, PLCs, LLPs and public bodies are corporate subscribers and can be emailed without prior consent, but the message still needs to identify the sender and make opting out easy. Sole traders and some partnerships are individual subscribers and need consent or soft opt-in. We tag accordingly on create.
Lawful basis & LIAs
UK GDPR still bites on B2B personal data. We record the lawful basis (usually legitimate interests) per contact, with a Legitimate Interests Assessment on file. The right to object to direct marketing is absolute, so opt-out is honoured everywhere it lands.
Suppression that sticks
One global suppression list runs before every send across the connected tools. It records the source and time, and re-imports cannot restore a contact who opted out.
The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025
We document the implemented controls and work with your legal adviser on the rules that apply to your contacts and channels.
We work with specialist CRMs rather than replacing them
AM2PM needed candidate assessments, e-sign and bulk record work to feed back into its recruitment CRM. Crystal pulls deals from its existing CRM, applies compliance rules and returns a standard audit record.
When this is worth discussing
We work best when there is a real operating problem, enough volume to measure and people from the affected teams who can make decisions.
Usually a good fit
- An established UK business, usually with annual revenue above £10m
- A repeated process with a known cost, delay, error rate or capacity problem
- A senior sponsor and a day-to-day owner who understand the work
- Access to the relevant staff, systems, sample records and security requirements
We may point you elsewhere
- A standard product already covers the process well
- The requirement is a one-off small build with no wider operating case
- There is no owner or access to the people and data needed to test the result
- The plan relies on AI making high-impact decisions with nobody responsible for review
Questions before connecting the systems
We've already got HubSpot / Salesforce. Are you saying we got it wrong?
We test that before recommending a move. If the current CRM can support the data model, permissions and workflows, improving it is usually less disruptive. When a platform constraint is the real issue, we compare migration cost and risk with the cost of working around it.
Can't Agentforce or Breeze just do all this?
Native features may cover part of the workflow. We check your edition, usage costs, permissions and data quality, then identify any gaps requiring custom work.
How long until we see something working?
The first phase establishes definitions, ownership and data quality before automating a contained workflow such as inbound routing. Wider cleanup and follow-up follow once sales trusts the first result.
What about our existing workflows?
We audit them first and leave the working automations alone. Dead or risky workflows, including sends to suppressed contacts and loops, are flagged before we add anything new.
We don't have a RevOps lead. Is that a problem?
You need someone in the business to own the process and approve changes. We can document the workflow, train that owner and agree ongoing support separately.
How do you price it?
The audit is fixed-fee. Cleanup and the first automation are priced against its findings, with running costs and support listed separately.
Will you do the cold outbound for us?
We can build the infrastructure, suppression checks, monitoring and draft review process for your team. Campaign operation, targeting and message approval need named owners and a separately agreed scope.
Talk to us about your CRM
Give us the pipeline definitions, recent examples and read-only access where possible. We will identify the leakage, ownership gaps and first automation that can be measured without disrupting the sales team.