The Final Countdown: Migrate to Salesforce® Flow Automation

The clock is ticking: Support for Salesforce Workflow Rules and Process Builder automation tools will end on Dec. 31, 2025, so the question isn’t whether to migrate to Flow automation but how quickly organizations can make the move without disrupting business. Migrating to Flow automation isn’t a box to check. It’s a strategic investment in how business runs today and how it can continue to lead tomorrow.

What’s changing and why does it matter?

Salesforce is retiring its legacy Workflow Rules and Process Builder automation tools in favor of a single, more modern platform. The consolidation is part of Salesforce’s long-term strategy to simplify automation, remove redundant tools, and empower businesses to manage all processes in a powerful solution: Flow automation.

Organizations that don’t migrate to Flow automation will expose themselves to risks, inefficiencies, and unsupported automations. Existing automations built into these tools will continue to run, but Salesforce teams will no longer fix bugs, address issues, or provide support after Dec. 31. In other words, if something breaks, users will be on their own.

The risks of waiting

Putting off migration to Flow automation might seem easier in the short term, but doing so could create significant problems down the road. Rushed migrations often lead to costly errors and avoidable downtime. More importantly, waiting to migrate means missing the chance to streamline and optimize processes, which many organizations see as a major advantage of moving to Flow automation.

The opportunities of migrating now

Migrating is about more than staying updated. It’s also about staying competitive. Businesses that take a proactive approach to migration can keep pace with Salesforce innovation. Migrating sooner rather than later is an excellent opportunity to replace outdated tools with a modern, scalable automation framework that supports efficiency and unlocks new possibilities, such as:

• Streamlining automations
  Over time, organizations accumulate layers of automations – some overlapping, some outdated, and some never fully documented. Migrating to Flow automation is an opportune moment to conduct a cleanup. Instead of carrying over redundant or conflicting logic, organizations can restructure processes to be easier to manage, monitor, and modify. The payoff: fewer errors, less time wasted, and greater confidence in the system.
• Unlocking advanced capabilities
  Flow automation isn’t just a one-for-one replacement. It’s a leap forward that offers measurable business value through features such as:
  • Bulkification for better handling of large data volumes
  • Fault-handling to reduce risk when processes fail
  • Debugging and testing tools that give administrators more visibility into automation behavior
  • Advanced screen flows that transform user interactions into engaging, intuitive experiences

With these tools, organizations can gain more confidence in the performance of their automations.

• Delivering better experiences for teams and customers
  Unlike legacy tools, Flow automation integrates better with modern Salesforce features. For example, enhanced email actions allow for better communication directly within processes, and Flow Orchestrator helps coordinate complex, multistep workflows across teams. The results: technical efficiency, smoother employee experience, and faster, more reliable customer outcomes.
• Future-proofing your business
  Companies that migrate now can position themselves to take full advantage of future releases without the scramble of last-minute catch-up. The platform will continue to evolve with new features and expanded functionality. Early adopters can be better prepared to integrate these updates without major rework.

Best practices for a smooth transition

A clear strategy can guide a successful migration. The goal is to move automations safely and build a stronger, more efficient framework that supports the business long term. Following are proactive steps that can help organizations approach migration with confidence.

1. Assess and prioritize what matters most
   The first step is to take a full inventory of current automations. Identify which are most critical to day-to-day operations and prioritize them for early migration. This approach helps minimize business disruption while allowing teams to build confidence before tackling more complex scenarios.
2. Match the migration approach to the process
   Salesforce offers a migration tool that can handle simpler automations with relatively little effort. However, not all logic translates directly. For complex or customized processes, it’s better to rebuild in Flow automation using its more advanced functionality to help avoid lifting and shifting technical debt into the new platform.
3. Establish governance that scales
   Consistency is essential for long-term maintainability. Develop naming conventions, documentation practices, and design standards for Flow tools. Governance helps reduce confusion, especially in large organizations in which multiple administrators and developers might work in the same environment.
4. Roll out in phases for maximum control
   Instead of migrating everything at once, it’s a good idea to employ a phased rollout. Begin with low-risk processes, then gradually move to higher-impact automations. This approach allows for adjustments along the way and reduces the chance of unexpected disruptions.
5. Test, validate, and monitor constantly
   Thorough testing is nonnegotiable. Validate functionality in a sandbox before activation and involve end users in the testing process to confirm that automations work as intended. After go-live, monitor performance closely and refine as necessary.
6. Train and empower your team
   Flow automation offers a different user experience than Workflow Rules or Process Builder tools. Providing training and resources for administrators and business users helps maximize adoption and confidence. Consider establishing Flow champions on teams to help with knowledge-sharing and support during the transition.

By taking intentional steps, organizations can reduce risk, avoid unnecessary rework, and create a foundation for long-term success.

How the team at Crowe can help

Our professionals have guided many organizations through Salesforce migrations, including complex transitions from Workflow Rules and Process Builder tools to Flow automation. Not every process has a one-to-one translation, like converting between two languages, and some differences can create gaps if not carefully managed.

The good news is that the Crowe team is fluent in these languages. We can work alongside your team to identify and resolve issues so your automations migrate successfully and align with Salesforce best practices for error handling, naming conventions, and long-term maintainability. With the 2025 deadline quickly approaching, it is critical to act now and not to wait to migrate until the last minute.

Let us help you make the move smooth and efficient and get your business future-ready. Contact us today to start planning your migration to Flow automation and strengthen the foundation of your Salesforce environment.