Auto-Tasks & Stage Automation

One of the most common reasons deals stall in a sales pipeline is forgotten follow-ups. A salesperson moves a deal from one stage to the next but never schedules the action that the new stage demands — the discovery call is never booked, the proposal is never sent, or the follow-up email never goes out. AccuArk's auto-task feature solves this problem by automatically creating a follow-up task whenever a deal transitions into a stage that has automation enabled. The task is created instantly, assigned to the deal owner, and given a due date based on a configurable number of days. No manual effort is required.

This article explains how auto-tasks work behind the scenes, walks you through the default configuration, shows you how to customize auto-task settings for each pipeline stage, and provides real-world examples and best practices for getting the most out of this automation.

How Auto-Tasks Work

Auto-task creation is triggered by a deal stage transition. Every time a deal moves from one pipeline stage to another — whether through the Deal dialog, the Move to Next Stage button, or the Mark Won / Mark Lost quick actions — the system checks whether the destination stage has auto-task automation enabled. If it does, a new task is created automatically.

The entire process follows these steps:

1. A user changes a deal's stage (for example, from Lead to Qualified).
2. The deal update is saved to the database, including the stage history entry.
3. After the deal update transaction commits, the system checks the destination stage's auto-task settings.
4. If the destination stage has Auto-Task Enabled checked, the system creates a new task with the following properties:
   • Title — Set to the stage's configured Auto-Task Title (for example, "Schedule discovery call").
   • Due Date — Set to today's date plus the stage's configured Auto-Task Due Days (for example, if Due Days is 2, the task is due two days from now).
   • Assigned To — Set to the deal's assigned user (the deal owner).
   • Client — Linked to the customer associated with the deal.
   • Deal — Linked to the deal that triggered the stage change.
   • Priority — Set to Medium (the default for all auto-tasks).
   • Status — Set to Pending.
5. A notification is sent to the assigned user, alerting them that a new task has been created.

Fire-and-Forget Design

The auto-task creation happens after the deal update transaction has already committed. This is an important design decision. It means that the stage change itself is never blocked or rolled back if something goes wrong with task creation. The deal will always move to the new stage successfully. If task creation fails for any reason (for example, a temporary database issue), the stage change is still recorded correctly. This fire-and-forget approach ensures that auto-task automation enhances your workflow without ever interfering with it.

Auto-Task Settings on Pipeline Stages

Each pipeline stage has three auto-task configuration fields. These fields are managed in the Pipeline Settings area and determine whether auto-task creation is active for that stage and what the generated task looks like.

Auto-Task Enabled (Checkbox)

When this checkbox is checked, moving a deal into this stage will trigger automatic task creation. When unchecked, no task is created when a deal enters this stage.

Note that the trigger is based on entering the stage, not leaving it. If the Qualified stage has auto-task enabled, the task is created when a deal moves to Qualified (regardless of which stage it came from), not when it moves away from Qualified.

Auto-Task Title (Text Field)

This field defines the title of the automatically created task. The title should clearly describe the follow-up action required at this stage. Good auto-task titles are action-oriented and specific:

• "Schedule discovery call" (not "Discovery")
• "Send proposal" (not "Proposal stage")
• "Follow up on proposal" (not "Check in")
• "Send thank-you email" (not "Post-sale")

The title appears in the task grid on the customer's Tasks tab and in the notification sent to the assigned user, so clarity is important.

Auto-Task Due Days (Number Field)

This field specifies how many days from the stage transition date the task should be due. For example:

• A value of 1 means the task is due tomorrow (the day after the deal enters the stage).
• A value of 2 means the task is due two days from the stage transition.
• A value of 5 means the task is due five days later (note: AccuArk uses calendar days, not business days, so weekends are included in the count).

Choose a due-days value that gives the assigned user enough time to complete the action without letting the deal sit idle for too long.

Default Auto-Task Configuration

When you first set up AccuArk's CRM, the pipeline stages come with the following default auto-task settings:

These defaults represent a common sales workflow:

• When a lead is qualified, the salesperson has 2 days to schedule a discovery call.
• When a deal reaches the proposal stage, the salesperson has 3 days to send the proposal.
• When a deal enters negotiation, the salesperson has 5 days to follow up on the proposal that was sent.
• No auto-tasks are created for the Lead stage (initial entry), Won (deal is closed), or Lost (deal is dead).

These are starting points. You should customize them to match your actual sales process and timelines.

Configuring Auto-Tasks

To configure or modify auto-task settings for a pipeline stage:

1. Navigate to CRM in the main menu.
2. Click Pipeline Settings.
3. The Pipeline Settings form displays all pipeline stages in a grid. Select the stage you want to configure.
4. In the stage details area, locate the auto-task section.
5. Check or uncheck the Auto-Task Enabled checkbox.
6. If enabled, enter the Auto-Task Title — the title that will be used for the automatically created task.
7. Set the Auto-Task Due Days — the number of calendar days from the stage transition for the task's due date.
8. Click Save to apply the changes.

Changes take effect immediately. The next time a deal moves into this stage, the new auto-task settings will be used.

Real-World Examples

The following scenarios demonstrate how auto-tasks work in practice and illustrate the value they provide to your sales workflow.

Example 1: New Lead Qualified

Sarah, a sales representative, receives a phone call from a potential customer who expresses interest in a bulk supply order. She creates a new deal called "Q3 Bulk Supply Order" on the customer's Deals tab and sets the stage to Lead. Later that day, after reviewing the customer's history and confirming the opportunity is genuine, she moves the deal from Lead to Qualified.

Because the Qualified stage has auto-task enabled with the title "Schedule discovery call" and due days of 2, the system automatically:

• Creates a task titled "Schedule discovery call" on the customer's Tasks tab.
• Sets the due date to 2 days from now.
• Assigns the task to Sarah (the deal owner).
• Links the task to the "Q3 Bulk Supply Order" deal.
• Sends Sarah a notification about the new task.

Sarah sees the notification and opens her Tasks tab. The task is listed under upcoming tasks (it is not due until the day after tomorrow). She plans her schedule accordingly and makes the discovery call on time.

Example 2: Proposal Stage

After a successful discovery call, Sarah moves the deal from Qualified to Proposal. The Proposal stage has auto-task enabled with the title "Send proposal" and due days of 3.

The system creates a task titled "Send proposal," due in 3 days, assigned to Sarah, and linked to the deal. Sarah receives a notification. She prepares the proposal over the next two days and sends it on day three, marking the task as complete.

Example 3: Custom Stage with Auto-Task

AccuArk's pipeline is fully customizable. Suppose your business adds a "Contract Review" stage between Negotiation and Won. You configure this stage with auto-task enabled, title "Send contract for signature," and due days of 1.

Now, whenever a deal enters the Contract Review stage, a task is created reminding the deal owner to send the contract within one day. This ensures that the final step before closing is never delayed.

Example 4: Skipping Stages

If a deal skips directly from Lead to Proposal (perhaps the customer already knows what they want), only the Proposal stage's auto-task is triggered. The Qualified stage's auto-task is not created because the deal never entered the Qualified stage. Auto-tasks are triggered by entering a stage, so only the destination stage matters.

How Auto-Tasks Appear on the Tasks Tab

Auto-generated tasks appear on the customer's Tasks tab alongside manually created tasks. There is no visual distinction between an auto-task and a manual task — they look and behave identically in the grid. The only way to tell that a task was auto-generated is by its title (which matches the stage's auto-task title) and its link to a deal.

This design is intentional. Auto-tasks should be treated with the same importance as any other task. They can be edited, reassigned, completed, or cancelled just like manual tasks.

Auto-Tasks and the CRM Dashboard

Auto-generated tasks also appear on the CRM Dashboard under the My Tasks panel. If the auto-task is overdue, it appears in the red Overdue section. If it is due today, it appears in the amber Due Today section. If it is upcoming, it appears normally. The dashboard does not distinguish between auto-tasks and manual tasks, reinforcing that all tasks should be treated with equal priority.

Notifications

When an auto-task is created, a notification is sent to the assigned user (the deal owner). The notification includes:

• The task title
• The due date
• The customer name
• The deal name

This notification ensures that the deal owner is immediately aware of the new follow-up requirement, even if they are not currently looking at the customer's Tasks tab.

If the auto-task becomes overdue (the due date passes without the task being completed), the standard overdue monitoring system kicks in. Every 15 minutes, the system checks for overdue tasks and sends reminder notifications to the assigned user.

Tips and Best Practices

• Enable auto-tasks for action-oriented stages — Stages that require a specific follow-up action (like scheduling a call or sending a proposal) are ideal candidates for auto-tasks. Stages that represent outcomes (like Won or Lost) generally do not need them.
• Keep titles action-oriented — Use verb-first titles like "Schedule discovery call" or "Send proposal." This makes it immediately clear what the assigned user needs to do.
• Set realistic due days — Consider how long the action actually takes. A discovery call can usually be scheduled within 2 days, but preparing a detailed proposal might need 5 days. Setting due days too short leads to a flood of overdue tasks, which reduces the effectiveness of the overdue highlighting.
• Review and adjust regularly — As your team refines its sales process, revisit the auto-task settings. If you notice that "Send proposal" tasks are always completed in 1 day instead of 3, you might tighten the due days. If "Follow up on proposal" tasks are always overdue at 5 days, consider extending to 7.
• Do not over-automate — Not every stage needs an auto-task. If a stage transition does not require a specific follow-up action, leave auto-task disabled. Too many automatic tasks can overwhelm users and dilute the impact of the system.
• Combine with manual tasks — Auto-tasks handle the standard follow-ups, but every deal is unique. Encourage your team to create additional manual tasks for deal-specific actions that fall outside the standard workflow.
• Use auto-tasks for onboarding — Auto-task automation is especially valuable for new team members who may not yet have internalized the sales process. The automatically generated tasks guide them through the expected actions at each stage.

What to Read Next

• Configuring Pipeline Stages — Full guide to customizing pipeline stages, including colors, probabilities, ordering, and auto-task settings
• Task Management & Follow-ups — Detailed reference for the Tasks tab, task dialog, priority levels, and permissions