Automate Sales Follow-ups with Calendly, Pipedrive, and Slack

Opening Problem Statement

Meet Sarah, a busy sales manager juggling multiple client meetings every day. After each call, she struggles to keep track of follow-ups and timely feedback requests. Important details get lost, and reminders slip through the cracks, costing her team hours of inefficient manual work and sometimes even lost deals. Sarah’s sales pipeline in Pipedrive often lacks timely updates, and the team’s Slack channel misses consistent prompts to submit call notes. If only there was a way to automate her post-meeting workflows seamlessly.

What This Automation Does ⚙️

This n8n workflow bridges Calendly, Pipedrive, and Slack to automate sales follow-ups efficiently. When a Calendly invitee creates a new event (like a meeting), the workflow fires and carries out the following actions:

• Automatically logs a call activity in Pipedrive with relevant details about the meeting, including subject and time.
• Calculates an exact post-meeting feedback reminder time by adding 15 minutes to the meeting end time.
• Waits until this calculated feedback time before proceeding, ensuring timely follow-up without premature notifications.
• Sends a tailored Slack message to the assigned sales rep, prompting them to submit call notes and mark completion.

By automating these steps, sales teams can save multiple hours each week, eliminate human error in logging activities, and ensure a disciplined follow-up culture without manual hassle.

Prerequisites ⚙️

• 📅 Calendly account with API access and an active event type
• 🔑 Pipedrive API credentials for activity (call) logging
• 💬 Slack workspace and bot token with permission to post messages
• 🔌 n8n automation platform account (self-hosting recommended for full control, e.g., Hostinger guide)

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Set Up the Calendly Trigger Node

Navigate to the node panel → drag the Calendly Trigger node → Configure it:

• Select the credential linked to your Calendly API (must have “invitee.created” event subscribed).
• You should see the webhook URL generated; copy it and add it to your Calendly webhook settings.
• This node listens for any newly created Calendly invitee events.
• Common Mistake: Forgetting to configure Calendly webhook or missing the event subscription, so no trigger fires.

Step 2: Configure the Pipedrive Node to Log Calls

Drag the Pipedrive node → Choose resource as activity and type as call.

Fill subject field using expressions: {{ $json["payload"]["event_type"]["name"] }} with {{ $json["payload"]["invitee"]["name"] }} on {{ $json["payload"]["event"]["invitee_start_time"] }}.

This creates an activity automatically when a meeting is booked.

Expected Outcome: Call logged in Pipedrive pipeline with meeting details.

Common Mistake: Incorrect credential setup, causing API errors.

Step 3: Calculate Feedback Reminder Time with Date & Time Node

Drag the Date & Time node → Set action to calculate.

Pass the meeting end time from JSON {{$json["payload"]["event"]["end_time"]}}.

Add 15 minutes to this time to schedule the feedback prompt.

You should see a new data property called feedback_time created.

Step 4: Add a Wait Node to Pause Until Feedback Time

Drag Wait node → Configure to resume at specific time using feedback_time.

This node halts the workflow until 15 minutes after the meeting ends ensuring reminders are timely.

Step 5: Send a Slack Reminder to the Sales Team

Drag Slack node → Set channel to your sales team channel (e.g., #salesteam).

Compose message using expressions: {{$json["payload"]["event"]["assigned_to"][0]}}, today you had a {{$json["payload"]["event_type"]["name"]}} {{$json["payload"]["event_type"]["kind"]}} meeting with {{$json["payload"]["invitee"]["name"]}}. Please write your notes from the call here [link] and mark this message with ✅ when you're done.

Expected Outcome: Slack message appears prompting note-taking.

Common Mistake: Missing Slack API permissions will block posting.

Customizations ✏️

• Change Reminder Delay: In the Date & Time node, adjust the duration from 15 minutes to your preferred time span—for example, 30 minutes—to give more prep time before feedback is requested.
• Add More Pipedrive Activity Fields: Enrich the Pipedrive node by mapping additional fields like participants or link to contacts to get more detailed activity logging.
• Personalize Slack Message: Modify the message content in the Slack node to include direct links to the meeting recording or calendar event for faster access.
• Multi-Channel Notifications: Add extra messaging nodes like email or Microsoft Teams to broaden reminder reach beyond Slack.
• Handle Multiple Assigned Reps: If meetings are assigned to multiple people, update Slack node to loop through and message each participant individually.

Troubleshooting 🔧

Problem: “No trigger received from Calendly”

Cause: Webhook not configured properly in Calendly or missing event subscription.

Solution: Recheck Calendly webhook URL and ensure “invitee.created” event is subscribed. Resave and retest.

Problem: “Pipedrive API error on call creation”

Cause: Incorrect API credentials or missing required fields.

Solution: Verify API key, and test call creation manually. Ensure subject field uses correct expression syntax.

Problem: “Slack message not posting”

Cause: Slack token lacks permissions or channel name is incorrect.

Solution: Check bot token scopes and channel setup in Slack workspace.

Pre-Production Checklist ✅

• Verify Calendly webhook setup and test event triggers from Calendly dashboard.
• Check Pipedrive API credentials and test manual activity creation.
• Confirm Date & Time node is calculating feedback_time as expected.
• Ensure Wait node resumes workflow at the right timestamp.
• Send test Slack message to sales channel to confirm posting permissions.
• Run the entire workflow with sample data to identify any disruptions.

Deployment Guide

Activate your n8n workflow once all nodes are configured and tested.

Keep monitoring the executions via n8n’s execution log to catch errors early.

Consider setting up alerts for failed workflow runs via additional nodes or third-party monitoring tools.

FAQs

Can I use another calendar tool instead of Calendly?

This specific workflow relies on Calendly’s invitee.created webhook event, so switching requires rebuilding triggers and adapting data fields.

Does this consume API credits?

Pipedrive and Slack have API rate limits; for typical sales volumes, this workflow’s usage is minimal but watch for spikes with large teams.

Is my data secure?

Your API credentials are stored in n8n encrypted. Ensure your n8n instance is secured and access-controlled to maintain data privacy.

Can this scale for multiple sales reps simultaneously?

Yes, as long as you handle concurrency in n8n and API limits, this workflow efficiently manages multiple simultaneous meetings.

Conclusion

By implementing this tailored n8n automation, Sarah and her sales team can focus on selling, confident that meeting activities are logged, feedback is requested on time, and communication is clear.

She saves hours weekly, reduces administrative errors, and boosts team accountability.

Next, consider automating follow-up emails, integrating CRM deal status updates, or adding voice transcription notes post-call for even more productivity.

Ready to streamline your sales process? Let’s set it up and start saving time today!