Creating Follow Tasks for Automations

Follow tasks automatically subscribe users to record feeds, ensuring they receive notifications about record activity and updates when an Automation's criteria are met. This task type is essential for stakeholder visibility into critical records, change awareness workflows, and ensuring the right people stay informed about important business events without requiring manual follow actions.

Requirements

To create and configure Follow tasks for Automations, users must be assigned a Security Role with the following permissions:

Administrator System Role

Only administrators can access Automations, create Follow tasks, configure follower selections, and manage task settings. Standard users, partner users, and customer portal users cannot configure Automation tasks.

Before You Begin

Before creating Follow tasks, ensure you have:

• Feed-Enabled Entity: Follow tasks require Automations created on entities with feed tracking enabled. Verify the entity supports feeds by checking entity configuration or attempting to view the record feed in the user interface.
• Follower Identification: Identify who should follow records (specific users, security roles, record owners, or formula-calculated users). For formula-based followers, prepare merge field syntax and test formulas before configuring tasks.
• Feed Notification Settings: Understand that followers receive notifications based on their individual user notification preferences. Follow tasks subscribe users to feeds but do not override user-level notification settings.

System Limitations

Creating Follow Tasks

Accessing the Task Creation Interface

1. Navigate to Setup → Create → Automations
2. Click the Automation (on a feed-enabled entity) to which you want to add a Follow task
3. In the Automation Tasks section, click New
4. Select New Follow from the task type options
5. Click Next

The Follow task configuration page displays two primary sections: Detail Information and Follower Sources.

Configuring Detail Information

The Detail Information section defines basic task properties and execution order within the Automation.

Automation (Read-Only)

Displays the parent Automation this task belongs to. This field is system-populated and cannot be modified. The link opens the Automation detail page.

Name (Required)

Enter a descriptive name for the Follow task that clearly identifies its purpose and target followers.

Examples of effective task names:

• "Add Account Manager as Follower"
• "Subscribe Sales Team to High-Value Opportunities"
• "Follow Deal Registration - Partner Manager"
• "Auto-Follow Case - Support Team Role"

Clear task names help administrators understand Automation workflows when reviewing or troubleshooting multi-task sequences.

Sequence (Required)

Enter a numeric value defining when this task executes relative to other tasks in the Automation. Lower sequence numbers execute first.

Description (Optional)

Enter notes explaining the task's purpose, business justification, or special considerations. Use this field to document:

• Why specific users or roles should follow these records
• What business process requires stakeholder visibility
• Which scenarios trigger automatic following
• Any dependencies on other tasks or notification strategies

Comprehensive descriptions help future administrators maintain and troubleshoot Follow tasks.

Configuring Follower Sources

The Follower Sources section defines who will follow the record. Administrators can add multiple follower entries, each specifying a different follower type.

Adding Followers

1. In the Follower Sources section, click Add Follower
2. Select a Follower Type from the dropdown
3. Click Next
4. Configure the follower based on the selected type (detailed below)
5. Click Add to include the follower in the task
6. Repeat steps 1-5 to add additional followers (up to 50 total per task execution)

Each follower entry appears in a table showing Follower Type, Value, and Action (remove option).

Follower Type: User

Subscribe a specific individual user to the record's feed.

Configuration:

1. Select User as Follower Type
2. Click Next
3. Use the user lookup field to search for and select the target user
4. Click Add

Use Cases:

• Subscribing specific executives or stakeholders to high-priority records
• Ensuring dedicated account managers follow all their assigned accounts
• Adding support specialists to escalated cases
• Subscribing product managers to records involving their product lines

Considerations:

• Selected users must be active in the system
• Users must have permissions to view the record to receive meaningful notifications
• If the user is deactivated, they will not receive feed notifications
• Users can manually unfollow records even if added through Automation

Follower Type: Role

Subscribe all users assigned to a specific Security Role to the record's feed.

Configuration:

1. Select Role as Follower Type
2. Click Next
3. Search for and select the target Security Role
4. Click Add

Use Cases:

• Subscribing entire sales teams to opportunities in their territory
• Adding all support managers to high-severity cases
• Ensuring finance team visibility into approval requests
• Subscribing regional managers to deals in their regions

Benefits:

• Follower lists scale automatically as role membership changes
• No need to update Automations when users join or leave roles
• Ensures consistent visibility coverage across organizational changes
• Simplifies administration by targeting roles rather than individuals

Considerations:

• All active users in the role become followers
• Follower count grows as role membership increases
• Stay aware of the 50-follower limit per task execution
• Large roles may consume significant portions of the follower limit

Follower Type: Record Owner

Subscribe the current owner of the record to its feed.

Configuration:

1. Select Record Owner as Follower Type
2. Click Next
3. Confirm the selection (no additional configuration required)
4. Click Add

Use Cases:

• Ensuring account owners automatically follow their assigned accounts
• Subscribing opportunity owners to deal updates and activities
• Adding case owners to case feeds for notification of updates
• Guaranteeing record owners maintain visibility into their responsibilities

Considerations:

• Record owner must be an active user
• If ownership changes after the Automation triggers, only the owner at trigger time becomes a follower
• Not all entities have owners; verify entity configuration supports ownership
• Owner changes do not automatically update follower lists

Follower Type: Formula

Calculate followers dynamically using formula expressions based on record data, user information, or conditional logic.

Configuration:

1. Select Formula as Follower Type
2. Click Next
3. Enter a formula expression that resolves to a valid User ID
4. Click Add

Formula Tools:

• Insert Field: Add merge fields referencing record data or related entities
• Functions: Use formula functions for conditional logic, lookups, or calculations

Example Formulas:

Follow by record owner:

{!OwnerId}

Follow by related account's account manager:

{!Account.OwnerId}

Follow by record creator:

{!CreatedById}

Conditional follower based on priority field:

{!IF(Equal(Priority,"High"),Account.Manager.Id,OwnerId)}

Follow by partner manager from related account:

{!Account.PartnerManager.Id}

Follow by current user's manager:

{!Owner.Manager.Id}

Use Cases:

• Dynamic follower selection based on record field values
• Following users related through lookup relationships
• Conditional notification routing based on business rules
• Escalation workflows where followers change based on priority or severity

Considerations:

• Formulas must resolve to valid User ID format
• Invalid formulas prevent task creation and display validation errors
• Test formulas with sample records before activating to ensure correct user resolution
• Formula followers must reference accessible fields at execution time
• Null formula results do not add followers but do not cause task failures

See Formulas documentation for complete syntax reference and available functions.

Managing the Follower List

After adding followers, they appear in the Follower Sources table showing Follower Type, Value, and Action options.

Reviewing Followers

Review the follower list carefully before saving to ensure:

• All required stakeholders are included
• Formula followers will resolve to valid User IDs
• Total follower count stays within the 50-follower limit per execution
• Follower selections align with business visibility requirements

Removing Followers

To remove a follower from the list:

1. Locate the follower in the Follower Sources table
2. Click the Remove or Delete action in the Action column
3. The follower is immediately removed from the configuration

Removed followers will not be subscribed to record feeds when the Automation triggers.

Modifying Followers

To change a follower's type or configuration:

1. Remove the existing follower entry
2. Add a new follower with updated configuration

There is no direct edit option for follower entries; modifications require removal and re-addition.

Saving the Follow Task

After configuring all settings and followers:

1. Review all configuration for accuracy
2. Verify the follower count is within the 50-follower limit
3. Confirm formula syntax for formula-based followers
4. Click Save

The Follow task is added to the Automation's task list and will execute according to its sequence number when the Automation triggers.

If validation errors occur:

• Check that Name is provided
• Verify Sequence is a valid number
• Validate formula syntax for formula-based followers
• Ensure at least one follower is configured
• Confirm total followers do not exceed 50

Understanding Follow Task Behavior

Task Execution

When the Automation criteria are met and the Follow task's sequence is reached:

1. The system identifies all configured followers (users, roles expanded to individual users, formulas calculated)
2. The system checks each user's current following status for the record
3. Users not already following the record are subscribed
4. Users already following are not affected (no duplicate subscriptions created)
5. Follower relationships are established immediately

Feed Notification Delivery

After users are subscribed as followers, they receive feed notifications according to their individual user notification preferences:

• User Notification Settings: Each user controls their own notification preferences for feed activity (email, in-app, frequency)
• Activity Types: Notifications may be triggered by feed posts, comments, record updates, file attachments, or other feed events
• Notification Timing: Notification delivery depends on user preferences (immediate, digest, or disabled)

Follower Visibility and Management

After being added as followers through Automation:

• Users can view the record in their "Following" lists or feeds
• Users receive notifications about record activity based on their preferences
• Users can manually unfollow records at any time
• Administrators can view follower lists on record detail pages
• Follower counts appear on record feeds

Users added as followers through Automation have the same capabilities and controls as users who follow records manually.

Bulk Operation Behavior

Failed Follow Tasks

Follow subscriptions may fail if:

• The entity does not support feed tracking
• Follower users are inactive or suspended
• Formula-based followers resolve to invalid or null User IDs
• Users do not have permissions to view the record
• The 50-follower limit is exceeded
• The Automation triggers during a bulk operation affecting more than 200 records

Integration with Feed and Social Collaboration

Follow tasks integrate with the Mingle social collaboration features to provide comprehensive stakeholder engagement:

Feed Activity Types

Followers receive notifications about various feed activities depending on entity configuration:

• Record Updates: Field changes, status updates, ownership transfers
• Feed Posts: Messages posted to the record feed by users or other Automation tasks
• Comments: Replies to existing feed posts or discussions
• @Mentions: Direct mentions of the follower in feed content
• File Attachments: Documents or files attached to the record
• Related Activity: Activity on related records depending on configuration

Follow and Feed/Message Task Coordination

Follow tasks work synergistically with Feed/Message tasks within the same Automation:

1. Follow task subscribes stakeholders to the record (lower sequence number)
2. Feed/Message task posts a message to the record feed (higher sequence number)
3. Newly subscribed followers immediately receive notifications about the posted message

This coordination ensures stakeholders are notified of important record events without requiring manual follow actions.

User Notification Preferences

Followers control their notification experience through personal settings:

• Notification Channels: Email, in-app notifications, or both
• Notification Frequency: Immediate, daily digest, weekly digest, or disabled
• Activity Filters: All activity or only @mentions

Follow tasks establish follower relationships but respect individual user preferences for notification delivery. Administrators cannot force notification settings through Follow tasks.

See Mingle documentation for detailed information about feed features, notification settings, and social collaboration capabilities.

Common Use Cases

High-Value Opportunity Tracking: When an opportunity amount exceeds a threshold (e.g., $100,000), automatically add the sales VP and regional manager as followers using formula-based selection. This ensures executive visibility into large deals without requiring manual follow-up or reporting.

Case Escalation Visibility: When a support case priority changes to "Critical," automatically subscribe the support manager role and the customer success manager (via formula referencing the account relationship) as followers. This guarantees immediate awareness of escalated issues requiring urgent attention.

Deal Registration Oversight: When a new deal registration is submitted, automatically add the record owner, the partner manager from the related account, and the channel operations role as followers. This provides multi-stakeholder visibility throughout the approval and fulfillment process.

Account Management Coverage: When a new account is created, automatically subscribe the account owner and their manager as followers. This ensures management stays informed about new customer activity and can provide guidance during the onboarding phase.

Project Milestone Notifications: When a project record reaches a specific milestone status, automatically add the project sponsor (via formula) and the executive steering committee role as followers. This triggers automatic notifications about project progress to key stakeholders.

Compliance Record Monitoring: When an audit or compliance record is created, automatically subscribe the compliance team role and the legal department role as followers. This ensures regulatory oversight staff maintain visibility into all compliance-related records.

Best Practices

Stay Within Follower Limits: Monitor total follower counts when using role-based followers or multiple follower entries. Each Follow task can add up to 50 followers per execution. If more followers are required, create multiple Follow tasks within the same Automation or use more targeted role selection.

Use Role-Based Followers for Scalability: Configure followers by Security Role rather than individual users whenever appropriate. Role-based followers scale automatically as team membership changes, reducing administrative maintenance and ensuring consistent coverage as organizations evolve.

Test Formula Followers Thoroughly: Validate formula-based follower configurations with diverse record scenarios before activating Automations. Verify formulas resolve to valid User IDs for records with different field values, null values, and edge cases. Invalid formulas prevent proper follower subscription without clear error messages.

Coordinate with Feed/Message Tasks: Sequence Follow tasks before Feed/Message tasks so newly subscribed followers receive notifications about automated feed posts. Use lower sequence numbers for Follow tasks and higher sequence numbers for Feed/Message tasks to ensure proper notification timing.

Consider Bulk Operation Impact: Remember that Follow tasks do not execute during bulk operations affecting more than 200 records. Plan alternative follower assignment strategies for data imports, mass updates, or migrations. Consider running Automations in smaller batches or using manual follow operations for large-scale scenarios.

Document Follower Logic: Use the Description field extensively to explain why specific users or roles follow these records automatically, what business visibility requirements drive the configuration, and any conditional logic in formula-based followers. Clear documentation helps administrators maintain follower strategies over time.

Respect User Notification Preferences: Remember that Follow tasks subscribe users but cannot override their notification preferences. Communicate to users that they control notification frequency and channels through their personal settings. Design follower strategies that provide visibility without assuming notification delivery.

Monitor Follower Growth Patterns: Regularly review feed follower counts and notification patterns resulting from Automations. Unexpectedly high follower counts may indicate overly broad criteria, while low counts may signal restrictive rules. Adjust Automation configurations to achieve desired stakeholder visibility.

Plan for Manual Unfollowing: Design follower strategies recognizing that users can manually unfollow records even if added through Automation. Avoid creating workflows that depend on maintaining follower status permanently. Focus on establishing initial visibility that users can customize based on their needs.

Troubleshooting

Followers Not Being Added: If users do not become followers when Automations trigger, verify the Automation is active, rule criteria match the triggering record, the entity supports feed tracking (TrackFeeds = true), follower users exist and are active, formula-based followers resolve to valid User IDs, the 50-follower limit is not exceeded, and the operation is not a bulk operation affecting more than 200 records.

Followers Not Receiving Notifications: If users are added as followers but do not receive notifications, verify users have not disabled feed notifications in their personal preferences, users have permissions to view the record, feed activity is actually occurring on the record, user email addresses are valid and current, and external email services are functioning properly. Remember that Follow tasks do not override user notification preferences.

Formula Followers Not Resolving: If formula-based followers fail to subscribe users, verify formula syntax is correct and returns User ID values (not email addresses or names), referenced fields exist on the triggering entity, lookup relationships use correct notation (standard fields without suffix), formulas handle null values appropriately, and test formulas with sample records to ensure they resolve to valid User IDs.

Too Many Followers Error: If Follow tasks fail with too many followers errors, calculate actual follower count including role expansions (role-based followers expand to all users in that role), reduce the number of follower entries in the task, split followers across multiple Follow tasks within the same Automation, or use more targeted role selection to reduce follower counts below the 50-follower limit.

Bulk Operation Followers Missing: If followers are not added during data imports or mass updates, remember that Follow tasks do not execute for bulk operations affecting more than 200 records. This is a system limitation for performance protection. Consider running smaller batches, using manual follow operations, or accepting that bulk operations do not trigger follower assignments.

Wrong Users Following Records: If incorrect users become followers, verify follower type configurations (User vs. Role vs. Formula), test formula logic with sample records to ensure correct user resolution, check that role membership includes only intended users, confirm Record Owner follower type is appropriate for the entity, and review all active Automations to identify potential conflicts or overlapping follower logic.

Duplicate Follower Subscriptions: The system automatically prevents duplicate follower relationships, so duplicate subscriptions should not occur. If users report being added multiple times, the issue likely involves user perception of multiple notifications from the same record rather than actual duplicate follower entries. Review notification settings and feed activity patterns rather than Follow task configuration.

See Troubleshooting Automations documentation for additional problem resolution guidance.

Related Documentation

Supporting Resources:

• Mingle (Feed and Messaging)

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