Problem
Disconnected Systems, Manual Chaos
A fast-scaling marketing operations firm was struggling to manage complex, high-volume workflows across client campaigns. Their previous system involved three separate solutions: a CMS, a workshop solution, and a social media management tool. These were held together by a patchwork of manual updates and unreliable automations, leading to:
- Duplicate work and data mismatches
- Critical automations shutting off unexpectedly
- Lookup fields overriding client content without warning
- Team members toggling between tools just to update a caption
As one team member described: “If a client edited a caption, it might blank out entirely in the CMS due to a lookup firing first.” The margin for error was unacceptably high.
Q1
Solution
A SmartSuite Operating System with Bidirectional Intelligence
To solve this, the founder re-engineered the entire architecture around SmartSuite:
- Centralization: CMS became the single source of truth.
- Two-Way Syncs: SmartSuite automations were configured to ensure seamless data flow between CMS, Social, and Workshop apps.
- Modular Automations: Custom automations were created per client, each with trigger conditions, filters, and update steps.
- Error Mitigation: All lookup fields were replaced with direct matching fields and formulas to avoid null overwrites.
- Bulk Updates: SmartSuite handled over 24,000 automations in a weekend to bring legacy records into sync.
“We built an operating system for clients,” the founder shared. “Everything’s connected. If a client updates a caption, it reflects everywhere. No more patching data across apps.”
Q2
Result
Enterprise-Grade Efficiency at Startup Speed
With the new SmartSuite system:
- Automation Stability: The team now runs 100+ daily automations without interruptions.
- Rapid Client Onboarding: Entire solutions, including workflows, records, and permissions, can be duplicated and deployed in under an hour.
- Zero Data Loss: Eliminating lookup triggers means client content is preserved accurately.
- Scalability Ready: The system is now being prepped for white-label use with marketing partners and franchise operations.
The emotional payoff? Confidence. "We’re not just managing tasks—we’re building client systems. SmartSuite gives us full control, clarity, and speed.”
Q3