As Marketing Manager at Manao Software, I often look for ways to make our work more efficient and focused. Earlier this year, our CEO introduced me to n8n automation, suggesting that it might help simplify some of the repetitive tasks my team faces every day. I was curious—and a little skeptical—but I knew it was worth trying.
Looking back now, I’m glad we took that step. What began as an internal experiment has become a real improvement in how we handle leads, manage information, and keep our marketing qualified leads (MQLs) process sharp and reliable.
The Challenge: Manual Lead Handling
Like most marketing teams, we deal with a constant stream of inbound emails: new leads, job applications, partnership requests, HR inquiries, and yes, plenty of spam.
Before automation, every email had to be reviewed and classified manually. That meant:
- Sorting leads by language and territory and passing them to the right sales rep
- Forwarding HR-related emails to the HR team
- Logging leads into our CRM
- Filtering out spam
It was tedious, time-consuming, and easy to get wrong. Most importantly, it slowed down response times to potential clients—something no business can afford.
How the CEO’s Idea Became Our Workflow
When the CEO suggested we try n8n workflow automation, I thought immediately about how it could apply to our inbox. Together with our development team—who have deep expertise in automation—we set up a pilot workflow. My role was to explain our daily process clearly, step by step, so the developers could build something that matched reality.
By introducing n8n workflows into our process, we turned what used to be a manual headache into a smooth, reliable system. Here’s how it works now:
- Classification with AI: Every new email is classified automatically by a large language model (LLM) and key data such as company name, location, and services requested are extracted.
- Lead Assignment Rules: Leads are automatically routed to the right sales representative based on language and territory, ensuring prospects are handled by someone who can engage with them effectively.
- CRM Integration: Leads are created in HubSpot and automatically assigned. If a lead already has an owner, the workflow simply adds a note to the record.
- Real-Time Notifications: The assigned sales rep gets an instant message in Microsoft Teams.
- Data Transformation: HR emails are sent directly to HR, and spam is filtered out before it reaches us.
The result? Lead assignments now happen in under one minute, and my team has reclaimed hours of valuable time. Before we introduced n8n, it could take us up to 1-2 hours to process a single lead—from reviewing the email, checking details, classifying, and then forwarding to the right person. Now that process is almost instant, freeing us to focus on higher-value marketing work.
And because our marketing strategy is focused on generating and nurturing marketing qualified leads (MQLs), this automation matters even more. Filtering, assigning, and monitoring leads with precision helps us ensure quality at every step. With n8n, we can track MQLs more consistently, reduce the noise from irrelevant emails, and make sure that sales only receives leads that truly fit our criteria.
My First Experience with n8n
When I first heard about this n8n-based solution, I immediately thought it was worth trying in our team. Our work relies on information from many sources, and much of it had to be processed manually every single day and every month. I wanted to see if n8n workflow automation could really change that.
What made it possible was the strong support from our CEO and the expertise of our development team. They guided us in designing the workflows, while I explained our day-to-day processes so they could build the automation correctly. After a month of running it, I could already see the results: less repetitive work, greater accuracy, and faster response times.
For me, one key learning stands out: the people who own the process must explain it clearly to the developers. That collaboration is what turns automation from an idea into reality.
Why I Believe in “Learning by Doing”
At the beginning, our CEO and development team encouraged us in Marketing to test the workflow before making it part of our daily process. We started with a “dry run,” where the system classified emails but nothing was updated in HubSpot automatically. Instead, our performance marketer double-checked every classification to see if the workflow’s decision matched her own.
Our target was 95% accuracy. In other words, the system had to be almost as reliable as the way we had always done things manually.
It took a few weeks of testing, feedback, and adjustments from the dev team. Once we reached that milestone, we felt confident enough to go live. Now, new leads are sorted, logged, and assigned almost instantly.
This whole process reminded me of how important collaboration is. The CEO gave us the push to try, the dev team brought their expertise to fine-tune the system, and the Marketing team provided the practical feedback. That mix turned an idea into something real that supports us every day.
Why This Matters for Business Leaders
For me, the value of workflow automation isn’t just in saving time—it’s in strengthening the business. Here’s what I’ve seen:
- Faster response times – Leads get to the right person instantly.
- Consistency – Every lead and request is handled the same way.
- Reduced costs – Less manual admin frees up resources.
- Better focus – My team can spend time on strategy, campaigns, and growth instead of inbox management.
This isn’t just about marketing. The same approach can be applied across HR, finance, operations, and customer support. If your business has repetitive processes, n8n automation can transform them.
When the CEO first introduced n8n to me, I wasn’t sure how much difference it would make. But after trying it in my own team, I can say confidently: it works.
We’ve already proven inside our organization that n8n automation doesn’t replace people—it supports them. It frees us from repetitive tasks so we can focus on higher-value work. And because we’ve gone through this journey ourselves, I know our team is well-prepared to help clients do the same.
If you’re wondering how n8n and workflow automation could fit into your business, I’d be glad to share more about what we’ve learned.
Written by: Tapanee J. | Marketing Manager
