Follow-up Reminders – Create follow-up tasks in Trello or Google Tasks

Managing customer relationships efficiently is vital for any business using HubSpot. ⏰ Follow-up reminders help teams never miss a crucial touchpoint with prospects or clients. In this guide, you will learn how to automate follow-up reminders by creating follow-up tasks in Trello or Google Tasks directly from HubSpot data using powerful automation platforms such as n8n, Make, and Zapier.

This article is packed with practical, step-by-step instructions catered to startup CTOs, automation engineers, and operations specialists eager to streamline processes and improve team productivity. We’ll explore how to leverage integrations with Gmail, Google Sheets, Slack, and HubSpot to build robust workflows that trigger, process, and assign follow-up tasks seamlessly.

Why Automate Follow-Up Reminders? The Problem and Who Benefits

In a fast-paced sales and marketing environment, it is easy to lose track of the many follow-ups needed to close deals or nurture leads. Manual task management introduces delays and human error, risking revenue opportunities and customer satisfaction. Automating follow-up reminders solves these pain points by:

• Ensuring no lead or client slips through the cracks
• Automatically assigning tasks to the right team member
• Maintaining clear communication with notifications in Slack or email
• Reducing repetitive manual work and increasing operational efficiency

Primary beneficiaries include sales teams, customer success managers, and operations specialists working with HubSpot CRM who want to maintain high-touch interactions without administrative overhead.

Overview of the Automation Workflow

To create effective follow-up reminders integrated with Trello or Google Tasks, the typical automation flow will involve:

1. Trigger: An event like a HubSpot deal stage change, form submission, or a scheduled date fetched from Google Sheets.
2. Data processing: Extract necessary details such as client information, follow-up date/time, and user assignment.
3. Task creation: Automatically create a task in Trello or Google Tasks with all relevant details and due date.
4. Notification: Optionally send alert messages via Slack or Gmail to notify assignees about the newly created task.

These steps ensure continuous, hands-free task management supporting follow-up reminders aligned with HubSpot CRM activities.

Step-by-Step Automation Tutorial Using n8n

Tools and Integrations Involved

• HubSpot: Source data and trigger pipeline events.
• Trello or Google Tasks API: Target platform to create follow-up tasks.
• Slack and Gmail: Optional communication channels for notifications.
• Automation Platform: n8n to orchestrate the workflow.

1. Setting up the Trigger – HubSpot Webhook

To start, configure a webhook in HubSpot that fires when a specific event happens (e.g., a deal enters a “Follow-Up” stage). In n8n:

• Add the Webhook node.
• Set the HTTP method to POST and copy the webhook URL.
• Configure HubSpot to send event payloads to this URL.

Example payload fields to extract: dealId, contact email, follow-up date.

2. Fetch Deal and Contact Details

Add a HTTP Request node to query HubSpot’s API with the dealId from the webhook:

• Method: GET
• URL: https://api.hubapi.com/deals/v1/deal/{{dealId}}
• Authentication: OAuth2 API Key or private app token

Extract necessary properties like customer name, next contact date, and assigned owner.

3. Condition Check – Validate Follow-Up Date

Use the If node to ensure the follow-up date is valid and due soon (e.g., within 24 hours), avoiding premature or outdated tasks.

4. Creating the Task in Trello 📝

Connect to Trello via its API:

• Add HTTP Request node with POST method to create a card.
• Endpoint: https://api.trello.com/1/cards
• Body parameters:

{
  "name": "Follow-up with {{contactName}}",
  "desc": "Follow up regarding deal {{dealName}}.",
  "due": "{{followUpDate}}T09:00:00.000Z",
  "idList": "your-trello-list-id",
  "idMembers": ["assignee-trello-id"]
}

Ensure you have set your Trello API key and token in the node credentials.

Alternatively, Creating a Task in Google Tasks ✔️

• Add Google Tasks node (or HTTP node) to insert a new task.
• Set the task title, notes, and due date from the HubSpot data.
• Authenticate with OAuth2 linking your Google account with permission scope `https://www.googleapis.com/auth/tasks`.

5. Sending Notifications via Slack or Gmail

After task creation, add a Slack node to send a message to the relevant channel or user:

• Format: “New follow-up task created for {{contactName}} on {{followUpDate}}. Check Trello/Google Tasks.”

Or use the Gmail node to email the responsible team member.

6. Error Handling and Retries 🔄

Include Error Trigger nodes to capture any node failure.

• Implement retries with exponential backoff for API calls.
• Log errors in Google Sheets or notify admins via Slack.
• Use the IF node to skip duplicate follow-up tasks by checking if a task with the same dealId already exists in Trello or Google Tasks.

7. Testing and Monitoring

Before deploying to production:

• Test with sandbox HubSpot data.
• Check run history in n8n for errors.
• Set alerts to notify if workflows fail repeatedly.

Security considerations: store API keys securely in n8n credentials; limit scopes to only necessary permissions; sanitize any PII stored in logs; comply with GDPR if applicable.

Scaling Your Workflow for Performance and Reliability

As your customer base grows, follow-up task automation must support higher volumes without failing:

• Use webhooks over polling to reduce API call overhead.
• Queue requests to avoid hitting rate limits.
• Enable concurrency controls in n8n to process multiple triggers simultaneously.
• Modularize workflows to separate data fetching, transformation, and task creation.
• Version control your automation flows and maintain backups.

Platform Comparison: n8n vs Make vs Zapier for Follow-Up Reminder Automations

Platform	Pricing	Pros	Cons
n8n	Free self-hosted; Cloud plans from $20/month	Open-source, flexible, self-host on own infrastructure, great control over workflows, rich node library	Requires some technical knowledge, user interface can be complex for beginners
Make (formerly Integromat)	Free tier with 1,000 ops/month; paid plans from $9/month	Visual builder, rich API integrations, excellent for complex data transformations, built-in error handling	API limits on free plan, some users report slower support
Zapier	Free tier with 100 tasks/month; paid plans from $19.99/month	Easy to use for non-technical users, large app ecosystem, fast setup	Limited customization, less flexible for advanced workflows, higher cost at scale

Each platform suits different team needs, whether you prioritize cost, flexibility, or ease of use. For HubSpot-centric follow-up reminders, n8n offers unparalleled flexibility, especially with custom API handling.

Don’t forget to explore the Automation Template Marketplace for ready-made workflows you can adapt quickly.

Webhook vs Polling: Choosing the Right Trigger Method ⚡

Trigger Method	Latency	API Impact	Complexity
Webhook	Near real-time	Low – only triggered when event occurs	Setup required in source system
Polling	Minutes to hours delay	High – frequent API calls	Easier to implement

Webhooks are generally preferred for efficiency and speed, while polling might be a fallback if webhooks can’t be configured.

Google Sheets vs Dedicated Databases for Tracking Follow-Ups

Storage Option	Setup Complexity	Data Volume	Use Case
Google Sheets	Low	Low to moderate	Tracking simple follow-up data, small teams
Dedicated Database (e.g., PostgreSQL)	High	High	Scalable enterprise-grade tracking and analytics

For startups and small teams, Google Sheets provides a fast and flexible way to log follow-ups during automations.

If you want to accelerate the automation process quickly, create your free RestFlow account now and build your first follow-up task automation swiftly.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

• Duplicate Task Creation: Implement checks in your workflow to verify existing tasks before creating new ones to maintain idempotency.
• API Rate Limits: Respect provider limits by queuing requests and using throttling mechanisms.
• Token Expirations: Refresh OAuth tokens automatically or handle 401 errors gracefully.
• Data Privacy: Ensure that PII is encrypted at rest and in transit. Limit data exposure in logs.
• Failed Automations: Set up alerts for failures and implement retry strategies with incremental backoffs.

Best Practices for Security and Compliance

Always:

• Store API keys in secure vaults or environment variables, never hardcode.
• Use OAuth 2.0 where possible for granular scopes and safer token management.
• Limit personal data shared between systems and consider compliance regulations like GDPR.
• Audit logs periodically to trace automation activities safely.

Summary

Creating effective follow-up reminders by automating task creation in Trello or Google Tasks integrated with HubSpot is crucial for driving sales and customer engagement. With platforms like n8n, Make, and Zapier, building scalable and reliable workflows is achievable even for startups and growing teams.

This guide covered everything from setting up triggers and processing HubSpot data, to handling errors and security, including detailed comparison tables to help you choose the right tools and design patterns.

Ready to jump in? Explore pre-built automation templates or create your free RestFlow account and accelerate your productivity.

FAQ

Implementing follow-up reminders automation not only helps your HubSpot team stay organized but also enhances customer relationship management holistically. Start your automation journey today!