Go with the (Salesforce) Flow

December 31, 2025. That’s when Salesforce officially ends support for Workflow Rules and Process Builder. No more updates. No more fixes. No more “we’ll patch it in the next release.” 

Technically, your old automations might still function after that date… but let’s be honest—so did your old flip phone, until it didn’t. Legacy automations will become increasingly brittle, slower, and less secure over time. But here's the thing: this isn’t just a shutdown. It's an upgrade opportunity. 

Salesforce Flow—and its next-level cousin, Flow Orchestration—aren’t just replacements. They're the new backbone of automation in Salesforce, giving teams the power, flexibility, and visibility they’ve been craving. 

What's happening with Workflow Rules and Process Builder?

Let’s break down Salesforce’s announcement without the corporate jargon: 

Workflow Rules and Process Builder will no longer be supported after December 31, 2025. 

They’ll still run… until something breaks. Then you're on your own. Salesforce won't fix bugs, enhance features, or guarantee compatibility with future releases. 

Also, Admins and Developers fluent in these tools are disappearing faster than a donut in the break room. Legacy automations are harder to audit, harder to manage, and nearly impossible to explain when things go sideways. Having nobody on staff who knows “why” or “how” something was built is going to be a problem. Not if it’s a problem—when it’s a problem. 

In short, the technology still “exists,” but the support ecosystem won’t. And that’s a risk you don’t want at the heart of your business logic. 

Photo Credit: Salesforce Ben

Why move to Salesforce Flow?

Flow isn’t here to do what Workflow and Process Builder did. It’s here to do more—and do it better.  Let’s highlight the improvements: 

• Visual Clarity: The Flow Builder is modern and intuitive. If you can follow a flowchart, you can build a Flow. 
• Unified Automation: No more bouncing between tools. Flow handles everything from field updates to complex decision trees, logic loops, and notifications. 
• Modular Design: With Subflows, you can build reusable logic like a pro. 
• Speed: Before-save Flows are up to 10x faster. (Yes, really.) 
• User interactions: Screen Flows guide users through data entry like mini-apps. Imagine having the ability to ensure the data your users are entering is accurate and complete before they click Save. (No really, imagine it. It’s a real thing now.) 
• Flow Trigger Explorer: Understand “what runs when” at a glance—no more Setup scavenger hunts. 
• Error Handling: Better tools to track, test, debug, and breathe easier. 
• Developer-Friendly: Call Apex, make API requests, trigger external services. Flow isn’t just admin-friendly, it’s developer-approved. 
• TPA Support: All of your favorite third-party installed package apps are already making the move to a Flow-based architecture. Dropping their components into your process will give it a little extra Flow-power.  

This isn’t just modernization. It’s optimization. 

Flow Orchestration 

For organizations with complex, multi-step workflows that involve multiple people (and possibly a few too many email chains), Flow Orchestration is your best friend. 

It’s like a project manager for your automations—minus the passive-aggressive calendar invites. 

Here’s what you’re going to love: 

• Multi-User Coordination: Assign steps to different users, roles, or teams. 
• Work Items & Approvals: Handle human involvement with built-in tracking and follow-up. 
• End-to-End Visibility: See exactly where things are in the process—no more email follow-up starting with “Hey, did you…”. 
• Governance Baked In: Enforce your process and document it along the way. 

Perfect for onboarding, case resolution, service escalations, and anywhere humans still (occasionally) need to make decisions. 

Here's the Breakdown

Why You Don't Want to Wait

Still holding out hope that your 42 Workflow Rules and 27 Process Builders will peacefully ride off into the sunset? Here’s why that’s risky: 

• Performance Drag: Old tools don’t get faster. In fact, they add drag to your processes as the technology around them improves. Like, noticeably. 
• Over-Migration Chaos: Salesforce’s migration tool can explode your Flows if not managed correctly. Converting old rules is like building the same old birdhouse with new tools.  
• Shrinking Talent Pool: The people who understand those old automations? They’re either moving on or learning how to be more effective with Flows. (See the irony there?) 
• Compliance & Audit Headaches: Legacy automation is notoriously hard to trace or explain to auditors, stakeholders… or yourself six months from now. 

Think of it this way: the longer you wait, the more effort it takes to untangle the mess later. You don’t want to be at the top of the office pool for being the first to say, “We should have done this months ago.” 

The retirement of Workflow Rules and Process Builder isn’t just a technical deadline—it’s a moment to redefine your automation strategy. 

With Salesforce Flow and Flow Orchestration, you get: 

• More power 
• More visibility  
• More control 

All with less technical debt. 

Recommendation Strategy

The good news? You don’t have to untangle this on your own. At Ascend Technologies, we offer a structured path from “legacy chaos” to “Flow-forward future.” (Don’t you love alliteration?) 

Our 4-Step Approach: 

1. Automation Audit: We map your current Workflow Rules, Process Builders, Flows, and Apex. Nothing gets missed. 
2. Org Assessment: We assess automation risk, licensing implications, and integration impact, so you’re not caught off guard mid-migration. 
3. Flow Mapping: We help you choose the right type of Flow for each automation based on ROI, business impact, and complexity. 
4. Migration Roadmap: We phase migration steps to deliver quick wins while building toward long-term success. 

Bonus: We’ll train your team so you can maintain and extend these Flows confidently.

Let’s Flow!  

…before you’re forced to. This isn't just about keeping the lights on; it’s about turning your automation into a competitive advantage. Let’s build automations that scale with you, not ones you constantly patch. We’re ready when you are. 

Here’s what you can do next: 

• Schedule your free Automation Health Check.   
• Ask us about Flow Training & Support Packages.
• Explore training options via our Trailmix: Go with the Flow. 

Don't wait for a crisis. Let’s get proactive, get strategic—and most of all, Let’s Flow! 

Written by David Telford (Salesforce Consultant) and Jennie Kennedy (Solution Architect Lead)