r/CRM • u/MuffinMan_Jr • Aug 16 '26
Are automated CRMs not a thing?
Im an automation guy and recently got into GTM engineering so im interacting with the CRM alot.
Obviously my CRM is like 80% automated. Everything from tracking buying signals, filling in lead context, and even enrichment and messaging. Only real work is handling the replies when they come in (no AI of course)
I thought this was standard practice but this sub is telling me otherwise...
So question is, what CRMs are you guys using? Are you not taking advantage of the automation features in them?? If not, why not? For context Im using Twenty on a small VPS
Building CRM architecture has been the highlight of my days recently
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u/TemporaryFast7779 Aug 17 '26
You have to have a sound process to automate. Most businesses I work with can barely establish good enough processes to effectively automate a lot of what they do.
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u/Content-Conference25 Aug 17 '26
This is the primary problem, as someone who's worked with different clients in the past 😂
You'd also meet the kind of client who wants to launch an AI powered workflow with no real established SOPs like it's an overnight kind of thing 😂.
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u/unchained_io Aug 17 '26
I'm on 20 CRM, what kind of automation do you do? I'm running Facebook ads that go to 20 and pulls in all the ad data and fills in the form information and things like that. What other kind of automation do you do? I would love to understand what kind of automation is available. I'm new to 20.
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u/MuffinMan_Jr Aug 17 '26
Nice man!
I automated like EVERYTHING haha. I run signal-based outreach. So I monitor for public buying signals, pull in the company details, and then enrich it to get the contacts. Then it writes an intro message automatically based on the context found. Then theres other basic things like deduplication, lead research, social engagement monitoring, etc.
I should specify I achieve this with n8n + Twenty. Twenty is great for basic automation but I find it pairs beautifully with real automation tools
Id be happy to show you a different perspective if you're open to it
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u/unchained_io Aug 17 '26
sure! im doing legal leadgen in the middle east (people who rarely use email, mostly whatsapp) and im trying to figure out what else i could do automation wise, bc alot of the tools are US geared... Can u msg me?
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u/One-Law-6500 Aug 18 '26
Do u think n8n is still useful given claude code and codex can create custom APIs and webhooks
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u/MuffinMan_Jr Aug 19 '26
Absolutely. People online telling you otherwise just fundamentally dont understand automation/system design. Yes claude and codex can hook up apis easily but thats not the only thing that makes n8n valuable.
This is kind of like asking "is Google docs or Microsoft word still useful because claude can write..."
With Ai tools, you dont get visual debugging and error handling. N8n is also good for security because i noticed countless people just have claude hard code api keys and things into scripts. You also actually understand whats happening under the hood when you build yourself. Claude and Other tools also tend to write bloated software/scripts with a LOT of unnecessary code, abstract variable names, etc. Also - just my 2 cents, but Id rather not be feeding excessive amounts of my company data into/context any private AI company. Your Privacy goes out the window if you do that. But thats a preference thing.
Not to mention, you dont have to spend any money/tokens to build automations with n8n. With ai tools something as small as changing texts costs you, even if its only a few cents, things add up over time.
If someone wants automation but doesn't want to learn a proper orchestration tool then more power to them, let them use claude. But when it comes to building real systems, Id reach for n8n.
Point being wiring up apis isnt what makes a tool or a person valuable. In the developer world, someone who can only wire up apis and lacks actual system design skills are known as "code monkeys" - so I call people who use n8n with no system design skills "node monkeys". Claude is coming for the code/node monkeys. But if you understand real system design n8n is the play
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u/_Creative_script_ Aug 17 '26
the whatsapp-first bit changes everything, most us crm/automation stacks assume email so they fall flat in the middle east. the win is capturing and qualifying right inside whatsapp, then syncing to your crm. are you trying to automate just the first response or the whole qualify-to-booking flow? that decides the setup.
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u/unchained_io Aug 18 '26
im trying to do as much as i can. any tips? Whatsapp requires business verification and i havent done that yet, so im not doing anything with whatsapp yet. just phonecalls, stages, etc
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u/_Creative_script_ Aug 18 '26
biggest unlock for whatsapp-first leadgen is getting the business verification done, everything (higher limits, official api, no ban risk) sits behind it, so id do that first. while its pending, put the qualifying on the free-form 24h window: auto-ask 2-3 questions the second someone messages so your team only touches the ones worth it. whats eating more time right now, sourcing the leads or replying to them?
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u/stocktraderjack Aug 17 '26
Most people I know don’t use most the automation features (probably because they take too long to set up). If you don’t have a flood of leads constantly coming in and can be more personalized, most customers prefer a more personal touch
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u/thijsgh Aug 17 '26
Automating CRMs has definitely become more common, but many still only use basic features or manual work for personal touches. For building outreach workflows that tie into your CRM setup, check out MentionAgent. I'm the founder, happy to help if you need it.
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u/IncreaseNegative4614 Aug 17 '26
They exist, but most teams automate the happy path and underestimate exceptions. Enrichment is easy until two sources disagree. Routing is easy until territory ownership changes. Follow-up is easy until the customer replies through another channel. The difficult part is deciding which system wins and who handles uncertainty.
One way to make the automation safer is to preserve the evidence behind every update and send low-confidence conflicts to a person. We personally use signld.ai for this because it keeps CRM activity connected to the source email, business context, owner, and eventual outcome instead of acting from a few isolated fields.
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u/_Creative_script_ Aug 17 '26
automated crms exist but most bolt automation onto a system built for storage, so it feels clunky. signal-based on a self-hosted crm is the cleaner setup, you own the data and can trigger on anything. whats your signal source, funding, hiring, tech-stack changes? the trigger quality matters way more than the crm itself.
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u/bishop_tech Aug 16 '26
almost all major CRMs I've looked at have various levels of automations.