Salesforce Workflow Triggers: Automate Your Sales Process

Overview

Salesforce workflow triggers help you automate your sales processes by monitoring changes in your Salesforce workspace. These powerful tools automatically start workflows when important events happen—such as creating a new account or updating an existing opportunity. By setting up triggers, your sales team can react faster, stay organized, and focus on building stronger customer relationships.

Setting Up Your Salesforce Trigger

Getting Started

To begin using this trigger, you'll need to create a new workflow. Every effective workflow starts with a trigger, so click the "Start with Trigger" button when opening your workflow. This will present you with various trigger categories to choose from.

Understanding Trigger Types: Created vs. Updated

Salesforce workflow triggers are grouped into two main types:

Created Triggers

• Purpose: Activate whenever a new record is created in Salesforce—such as an account, opportunity, or contact.
• How it works: As soon as a new entry appears, the workflow begins.
• Configuration: No additional setup is needed; simply selecting the trigger is enough.
• Outputs: The trigger provides specific variables as outputs, such as record IDs, names, and other key details.

Updated Triggers

• Purpose: Monitor existing records for changes. Trigger the workflow when a specific property or field within a record is updated.
• How it works: You choose which property the trigger should watch (for example, opportunity stage or account value). The workflow runs when that property changes.
• Configuration: Requires you to select one property or field to monitor.
• Outputs: Outputs include record details plus the property name and the new property value.

Once selected, you'll see the trigger interface on the right side of your screen, which includes:

• A basic description of the trigger's functionality
• Configuration options for customizing the trigger name
• Two main tabs: Configuration and Outputs

About Outputs

Each trigger produces outputs—these are variables that the workflow creates automatically. You can use these variables later in your workflow to power automated actions, notifications, or updates based on real Salesforce data.

Account Triggers

Account Created Trigger

• Activates: When a new account is created.
• Configuration: None required.
• Available outputs:
• Company variable
• Salesforce account ID
• Account name
• Account domain

Account Updated Trigger

• Activates: When a selected property of an existing account is updated.
• Configuration: Choose which account property to watch.
• Available outputs:
• Company variable
• Salesforce account ID
• Account name
• Account domain
• Property name
• Property value

Opportunity Triggers

Opportunity Created Trigger

• Activates: When a new opportunity is created.
• Configuration: None required.
• Available outputs:
• Company variable
• Opportunity ID
• Opportunity name
• Stage name

Opportunity Updated Trigger

• Activates: When a selected property of an existing opportunity is updated.
• Configuration: Choose which opportunity property to watch.
• Available outputs:
• Company variable
• Opportunity ID
• Opportunity name
• Stage name
• Property name
• Property value

Contact Triggers

Contact Created Trigger

• Activates: When a new contact is added.
• Configuration: None required.
• Available outputs:
• Contact variable
• Salesforce contact ID
• First name
• Last name
• Email address

Contact Updated Trigger

• Activates: When a specific contact property is updated.
• Configuration: Choose which contact property to watch.
• Available outputs:
• Contact variable
• Salesforce contact ID
• First name
• Last name
• Email address
• Property name
• Property value

Managing Your Triggers

• Renaming: Click the pencil icon next to the trigger name.
• Deleting: Click the three dots on the right side of the trigger node and select "Delete."

Business Impact

Using Salesforce triggers can help your team:

• Identify when contacts become blockers or champions
• Track changes in deal size or opportunity progress
• Monitor relationships at every stage
• React instantly to important account and contact updates

Next Steps

Salesforce triggers elevate your workflow automation by linking real-time Salesforce activity directly to your sales and customer management strategies. With these triggers, you can proactively monitor important changes—like new opportunities, updates to key accounts, or changes in contact details. This empowers your team to act quickly on new developments, nurture critical relationships, and drive more consistent outcomes across the sales cycle.

To get started, create a new workflow in AskElephant, select “Start with a trigger,” then choose Salesforce from the available categories. Pick the trigger that aligns best with your team’s goals—whether that’s tracking new records being created or monitoring important updates to existing ones. Each trigger’s outputs become variables that you can use to build powerful, automated follow-ups or alerts.