Automated Lead Follow-Up System – Validate, Email & Message New Leads from Follow Up Boss

This n8n workflow template delivers a fully automated, multi-channel lead follow-up system that integrates Follow Up Boss (FUB), Gmail, and Twilio (SMS and WhatsApp). It is designed for automation professionals and sales operations teams who require reliable, scalable, and auditable lead engagement across channels.

Overview of the Workflow Architecture

The workflow implements a scheduled polling pattern against Follow Up Boss, validates contact data, then orchestrates conditional messaging via email, SMS, and WhatsApp. It also maintains state by tracking the last successful run, which ensures only newly created leads are processed in each cycle.

The core building blocks are:

• Trigger & data retrieval using a Schedule Trigger and Follow Up Boss API access
• State management via a “last run” timestamp
• Lead validation and filtering for both email and phone numbers
• Smart branching logic based on available and valid contact data
• Multi-channel messaging using Gmail and Twilio (SMS/WhatsApp)
• Logging and run timestamp updates for observability and reliability

Triggering & Lead Retrieval from Follow Up Boss

Scheduled Trigger

The workflow is initiated by an n8n Schedule Trigger node that runs at a defined interval. This can be configured to match your operational cadence, for example every few minutes for high-volume inbound leads or hourly for lower traffic environments.

Last Run Timestamp Management

To avoid reprocessing historical leads, the workflow uses a Get Last Time Run step that retrieves the timestamp of the previous successful execution. This value is used as a boundary for incremental data fetches.

Incremental Lead Fetch from FUB

Using the stored timestamp, the Get Last Lead (FUB) node queries Follow Up Boss for all leads created after the last run. Only these new records are pulled into the workflow. This approach:

• Prevents duplicate follow-ups
• Improves performance by reducing unnecessary API calls
• Ensures deterministic, incremental processing

A Wait node is included to introduce a brief pause where needed for smooth data handling or to respect rate limits, depending on your environment and API constraints.

Itemization of Leads

Once leads are retrieved, the workflow uses a Divide Each Lead step to split the collection into individual items. Each lead is then processed independently, which simplifies downstream validation and routing logic and aligns with n8n best practices for item-based processing.

Lead Validation & Data Quality Control

Before any communication is sent, each lead is subjected to validation checks to ensure that only contacts with usable data are messaged. This quality control step helps maintain sender reputation and reduces wasted communication attempts.

Email and Phone Validation Logic

• The workflow checks whether the email status is marked as “Valid”.
• It also checks whether the phone status is marked as “Valid”.
• Leads that do not meet these criteria are routed down alternative paths, preventing email bounces and undeliverable SMS or WhatsApp messages.

Only leads that pass the relevant validation checks are allowed to proceed to the messaging stage. This filtering step is critical for maintaining high deliverability rates and improving engagement metrics.

Conditional Routing & Smart Follow-Up Logic

After validation, the workflow applies a structured decision tree that determines which communication channels to use for each lead. The branching logic is based on the presence and validity of email and phone data.

Branching Scenarios

• Valid email and valid phone
  The lead receives both an email and an SMS or WhatsApp message. This dual-channel approach increases the likelihood of contact and is often ideal for high-intent leads.
• Valid email, missing or invalid phone
  The workflow sends an email only. SMS and WhatsApp are skipped to avoid failed or misdirected messages.
• Valid phone, missing or invalid email
  The workflow sends an SMS or WhatsApp message only. This ensures that leads who primarily use mobile channels are still reached.

This conditional routing ensures that every lead is contacted via the most appropriate and technically viable channel set, while minimizing errors and noise.

Personalized Messaging via Gmail & Twilio

Data-Driven Personalization

For each lead, the workflow extracts relevant fields from the Follow Up Boss record and injects them into message templates. Typical personalization includes:

• Lead name and other contact attributes
• Contextual information based on how or where the lead was captured

This personalization is applied consistently across email, SMS, and WhatsApp messages, which improves response rates and creates a more tailored experience for each prospect.

Email Delivery with Gmail

All email communication is handled through a Gmail integration. The workflow uses predefined templates that can be customized to match your brand tone, signature, and messaging strategy. Key advantages include:

• Centralized control over email content
• Use of existing Gmail infrastructure and authentication
• Ability to track and audit outbound communication from a single system

SMS & WhatsApp Delivery with Twilio

For mobile messaging, the workflow integrates with Twilio to send both SMS and WhatsApp messages. This enables:

• Fast, direct communication with leads on their preferred devices
• Support for international messaging (subject to your Twilio configuration)
• Consistent templates across SMS and WhatsApp channels

By relying on Twilio, the workflow leverages a robust and widely adopted messaging platform that fits seamlessly into enterprise automation stacks.

Logging, Observability & Run State Updates

Every outbound message and decision path is logged to provide transparency and traceability. This is essential for teams that require clear audit trails and the ability to troubleshoot or refine their follow-up strategy.

At the end of each successful cycle, the workflow updates the latest run timestamp. This value is then used in the next scheduled execution to ensure that only new leads are processed. The result is a self-maintaining loop that:

• Prevents reprocessing of leads already contacted
• Keeps the workflow aligned with real-time lead generation activity
• Supports continuous, uninterrupted operation

Key Benefits for Sales and Marketing Operations

• Complete coverage of new leads
  Every new lead from Follow Up Boss is evaluated and contacted via the most appropriate channel or combination of channels.
• Improved data quality and deliverability
  Validation steps reduce bounces, invalid numbers, and failed delivery attempts.
• Personalized communication at scale
  Dynamic templates allow for tailored messages without manual intervention, even across thousands of leads.
• Scalable and resilient design
  The workflow can handle anything from low-volume pipelines to high-throughput environments with frequent scheduled runs.
• Consistent, always-on follow-up
  Automation ensures that no hot lead is missed due to human error or workload constraints.

Ideal Use Cases

This workflow template is particularly suited for:

• Sales agents and account executives who need systematic, timely follow-ups
• Marketing teams running inbound or lead generation campaigns integrated with Follow Up Boss
• Organizations standardizing on Gmail for email and Twilio for SMS/WhatsApp messaging
• CRM administrators and automation specialists looking to operationalize lead nurturing without custom code

Implementation Guidelines & Setup Steps

To deploy this template in your own n8n environment, follow these steps:

• Configure credentials
  Replace the placeholder credentials with your own:
  • Follow Up Boss API key
  • Gmail account or OAuth configuration
  • Twilio credentials for SMS and WhatsApp
• Customize message templates
  Edit the email and SMS/WhatsApp content to reflect your brand voice, compliance requirements, and call-to-action language.
• Set the schedule interval
  Define how frequently the Schedule Trigger should run, for example every 3 minutes for fast lead response or hourly for lower volume scenarios.
• Run controlled tests
  Test the workflow with a small batch of leads to verify:
  • Correct retrieval from Follow Up Boss
  • Accurate validation logic
  • Proper branching between email, SMS, and WhatsApp
  • Correct logging and timestamp updates
• Monitor and iterate
  Review logs, monitor deliverability and engagement metrics, then refine templates or logic as your processes evolve.

Start Automating Your Lead Follow-Up

By combining Follow Up Boss, Gmail, Twilio, and n8n, this workflow template delivers a robust, production-ready framework for automated lead follow-up across email, SMS, and WhatsApp. It aligns with automation best practices, provides clear observability, and scales with your lead volume.

Implement this n8n template to operationalize consistent, multi-channel lead engagement and ensure that no high-intent prospect slips through the cracks.