Stop Deals Slipping: How to Automatically Update Close Dates in HubSpot

Keeping your HubSpot deal close dates accurate is crucial for forecasting and pipeline management. But what happens when a deal stalls and the close date passes? Manually updating each deal is time-consuming and prone to errors. In a recent HubSpot Community discussion, users explored ways to automate this process.

The Challenge: Dynamic Date Updates in HubSpot

The original poster wanted to automatically update deal close dates that had already passed, pushing them out 30 days into the future. They ran into a common problem: HubSpot's native workflow actions don't easily allow for dynamic date calculations like "today + 30 days" or "close date + 30 days." The standard "Edit property value" action only lets you set a static date or copy a value from another property.

Solutions and Workarounds

Several community members offered solutions, each with its own pros and cons:

1. Calculation Properties

One suggestion involved creating a calculation property that adds 30 days to the close date. Then, the workflow would set the close date to the value of that calculation property. This is a viable option, but it requires creating an additional property.

2. Data Hub's "Format Data" Action

If you have HubSpot's Data Hub Professional or Enterprise, you can use the "Format data" action within a workflow. This action includes an "Add an amount of time" option for date properties, allowing you to directly adjust the close date within the workflow. Here’s how it looks:

3. Custom Code Action (Operations Hub Pro/Enterprise)

Several respondents highlighted the use of Custom Code actions (available in Operations Hub Pro/Enterprise). This is generally considered the most flexible approach. Here’s an example of code to push the close date 30 days into the future:

const newDate = new Date();
newDate.setDate(newDate.getDate() + 30);

return {
  outputFields: {
    close_date: newDate.getTime()
  }
};

Remember to allow re-enrollment in your workflow so deals continue to be updated if they keep slipping.

4. External Automation Tools

If you don't have Operations Hub, you can use external tools like Zapier or Make to calculate the future date and update the close date property via the HubSpot API.

5. Notifications and Tasks

A simpler, though less automated, approach is to use workflows to notify the deal owner when the close date has passed, prompting them to update it manually. This keeps reps accountable and prevents a pipeline full of stale dates.

ESHOPMAN Team Comment

We at ESHOPMAN believe that while full automation is ideal, the notification approach offers a crucial balance. It's easy to set up and ensures sales reps stay engaged with their deals, which is vital for accurate forecasting. If you're running an e-commerce store integrated with HubSpot, consider how product delivery timelines or seasonal sales might influence your deal close dates and tailor your automation accordingly. Don't set it and forget it; monitor the effectiveness of your chosen method.

Ultimately, the best solution depends on your HubSpot subscription and technical expertise. If you have Operations Hub, custom code actions offer the most flexibility. Otherwise, explore the "Format data" action or consider using external automation tools. No matter which method you choose, automating close date updates can save you time and improve the accuracy of your sales pipeline.