The Most Common Workflow Mistakes in Dubsado
I've had the chance to look into many Dubsado accounts, and I've noticed some common workflow mistakes that many users - including myself - tend to make.
To help you build or update your workflows efficiently, I've compiled a list of these common Dubsado workflow mistakes to help you avoid them:
The 7 most common Dubsado workflow mistakes
#1. Sending an Email Instead of a Form or Scheduler
I often catch myself doing this. In Gmail, it's natural to attach something to an email, but Dubsado works differently.
You need to select ‘Send Form’ or ‘Send Appointment Scheduler’ instead of ‘Send Email’, otherwise your client will receive an email that does not have a link to the form or appointment scheduler you wanted to send them.
Dubsado workflow action - select ‘Send form’ to send a form or ‘Send appointment scheduler’ to send a scheduler, NOT ‘Send email’
#2. Missing the Form or Scheduler Link in an Email
Even when you do select the right workflow action - you still have to make sure that you include the correct smart field so that the button to your form or scheduler appears in the email.
If sending a form, make sure your email contains this Smart field {{form | formLink}}
If sending an appointment scheduler, make sure your email contains this Smart field {{scheduler | schedulerLink}}
Based on the scheduler or form you select in the workflow action, Dubsado will know what to send to your clients and it will replace the smart field in the email with a button to that scheduler or form.
#3. Adding payment plans to the proposal AND the workflow
This is another common mistake in Dubsado. By selecting a payment plan in both your proposal settings and in your workflow - you end up cancelling them both out.
Dubsado recommends adding the payment plan only to the workflow. This allows you to use workflow triggers like ‘after invoice installment is paid’ and choose the appropriate payment for each step.
#4. Not using the right triggers in a workflow
There are different types of triggers when setting up a workflow action as seen below
Dubsado workflow action triggers
One of the biggest mistakes is using ‘after all previous actions complete’ which is the default trigger when building a workflow.
This trigger might not suit every step in your workflow. Instead, tie actions to specific events such as an appointment being scheduled, a form being completed, or a contract being signed.
#5. Trying to send a form AND a scheduler in the same email
I wish this was possible, but somehow it’s STILL not an option - you cannot send a form and a scheduler in the same email.
There are different options you can use as a work around in this scenario:
Send the scheduler after the form is completed.
Send the form after they book an appointment.
Send the form and add the scheduler to their portal - and tell them in the email to book their appointment via the portal
Send the scheduler and add the form to their portal - and tell them in the email to complete the form via the portal
Use an external scheduler - like Calendly or Acuity - and send the form via Dubsado and add the link to the external scheduler in the same email.
📌 Note: Adding a Dubsado scheduler link to the same email where you send a form will not work. Why? Because Dubsado won’t understand that the scheduler is tied to the clients project.
#6. Not tying the lead capture form to a workflow
If your lead capture form is supposed to kick off a workflow - you have to make sure to add that workflow to the lead capture form settings.
In your lead capture form go to ‘Form Settings’ → Select ‘Default workflow’ and choose the workflow that applies.
Adding a workflow to a lead capture form
Once done, any new lead that fills out your lead capture form will automatically start the workflow you selected.
#7. Trying to tie an external scheduler to a workflow
If your leads are booking calls directly on your site using an embedded scheduler - this scheduler cannot be tied to a workflow.
The work around for this scenario is to do the following:
Embed the lead capture form on your site (do not embed the scheduler, only the form)
Connect your lead capture form to a workflow in the form settings
Have the first action in your workflow be ‘send appointment scheduler’ after the workflow has started (NOT after form is completed)
Once they fill out your form, they will receive an email directing them to book a call with you.
This way you can have actions in your workflow tie to triggers that are linked to the scheduler, such as:
After an appointment is scheduled
Before an appointment start time
After an appointment has ended
Need help with your Dubsado workflows?
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