Let’s talk about one of the sneakiest productivity killers inside HighLevel…
🚫 Misconfigured settings.
Yep, not bugs. Not AI hallucinations. Not even Twilio. Just… simple stuff like the wrong From Email or forgetting to set user roles properly.
If you’ve ever thought, “Why the heck did that contract go out from my admin’s personal email?”—you’re not alone. I see it all the time inside client accounts.
So let’s fix that with a few automation best practices that’ll save your sanity and keep things running like a well-oiled SaaS machine.
Why Automation Breaks (Even When You Think It’s Right)
Here’s what I’ve learned after working in dozens of messy HighLevel accounts:
👉 Most “automation problems” aren’t automation problems.
They’re setup problems.
You’ve got:
- Workflows sending from the wrong inbox
- Proposals linked to unverified emails
- Invoices bouncing because they’re coming from random domains
And it’s all because the system defaults weren’t set up correctly.
Fix These First: The Setup Staples
Here’s a quick checklist I use every time I set up a new account (or rescue a broken one):
✅ 1. Set Your System Defaults
HighLevel lets you define default “From” emails, sender names, calendar behavior, and document delivery addresses.
Why it matters: You don’t want your assistant’s Gmail showing up on a $5K invoice.
Go to Settings → Business Profile and double-check everything.
✅ 2. Lock Down User Roles
Every user needs a clearly defined role. Not everyone should have Admin access.
Use Settings → Team → User Permissions to:
- Prevent random staff from editing workflows
- Make sure only the right people get system notifications
- Assign emails to the correct sender accounts
🔒 This step saves you from so many “Why did this go out?” moments.
✅ 3. Link the Right Emails for Docs & Contracts
This one’s sneaky. If you don’t tell HighLevel what email to use for sending contracts or forms, it just guesses… and sometimes it guesses wrong.
Pro tip: Head to Settings → Documents and Contracts, and set your default sender there.
Bonus: Automate Smarter, Not Just Harder
Automation isn’t just about speed—it’s about control.
Once your settings are dialed in, you’ll want to build workflows that:
✨ Use conditional logic to personalize journeys
🧠 Trigger based on real behavior (not just form fills)
🛑 Exit gracefully if a lead becomes unqualified
Need help? That’s where we come in (scroll to the bottom for that 😉).
TL;DR – Don’t Skip These:
- ⚙️ Set global “From Email” defaults
- 👥 Assign the right user roles & permissions
- 📄 Connect the proper sender for documents and invoices
- 🔁 Build smarter, behavior-based automations
- 🧼 Clean up messy accounts before launching campaigns
These tweaks sound simple, but they save hours of confusion, missed leads, and awkward client emails.
Cool Free Thing
Before you can help businesses with your service, you need to establish trust.
The quickest way to earn trust? ⭐️ Testimonials.
In the spirit of free stuff… I want to give you my team’s Testimonial Workflow.
This plug-and-play process makes it stupid simple to gather, edit, and organize testimonials without nagging your clients for weeks.
It’s one of our favorite automations—steal it and make it yours.
Want Pro Help Setting This Up?
We do this stuff every day. If you’re ready to actually use HighLevel like a pro (instead of fighting it), check out gohighlevele.com.
Done-for-you support, white-label tech help, and all the nerdy backend fixes you don’t wanna deal with.