Partial Automation Case Study
Introduction
Not every process can—or should—be automated end-to-end. But most teams can achieve major time savings and cost reductions by automating the repetitive, rule-based parts of their workflows.
This is called partial automation.
It’s the middle ground between manual effort and full AI autonomy. In this case study, we'll walk through how a marketing team identified a high-friction process and automated just enough of it to unlock efficiency—without introducing risk or complexity.
The Scenario: Lead Routing & Follow-Up
A SaaS company had the following process:
Lead fills out a form on the website
SDR checks if it's a qualified lead (based on firmographic rules)
SDR manually assigns lead to the right rep
Rep writes intro email using templates
SDR logs the lead in the CRM
Each step took a few minutes—but added up to hours per week across the team. The SDR team was stretched thin, and leads were waiting hours (sometimes days) for a response.
Pain Points
The team didn’t want to risk losing control over messaging or lead quality—but they needed relief.
Automation Strategy
They focused on rule-based steps and left human judgment in place for sensitive touchpoints.
The rep still reviewed the email before sending—but no longer had to start from scratch.
Resulting Workflow (Partial Automation)
Lead fills form → AI enriches & scores → Auto-assigned → Draft email → Rep reviews & sends → CRM auto-updated
Outcomes (30-Day Impact)
Lessons Learned
Don’t wait for perfect AI: Start by automating what’s rule-based and boring.
Maintain human touch where nuance or tone matters (emails, client calls).
Design review points: Let reps edit AI drafts. It keeps them in control.
Use low-code tools first: Make.com, HubSpot workflows, and Airtable worked well.
Track your baseline metrics before launching—so you can measure ROI.
Ideal Candidates for Partial Automation
Free Template:
Download the Marketing Automation Blueprint Template
Includes step-by-step automation design canvas, tool selectors, and metrics to track.
Discovery Question to Ask Teams:
“What’s one routine marketing task you’d be glad to automate this week?”