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How to monitor technology changes with Signals

Updated today

Use the Technology change signal to get notified when companies in your target segment adopt or replace tools in their stack. This is a strong buying signal because stack changes often trigger vendor reviews, workflow updates, and new purchasing decisions.

Billing for this signal is 100 credits per identified signal.


Learning objective

By the end of this tutorial, you’ll know how to create a Technology change watchlist, define which technologies and companies to monitor, choose when alerts should trigger, and prepare your team to act on those signals quickly.


Why this matters

When a company adds or swaps a tool, it usually means the team is actively rethinking processes, integrations, and budget. That makes it an ideal time to reach out with a relevant message that shows how your solution fits into their evolving setup.


Prerequisites

  • You should already know how to access the Signals area in lemlist.

  • You should already have a clear idea of the technologies and company segment you want to monitor.

  • You should already know who on your team should review or act on identified signals.


Core lesson — step-by-step workflow

Phase 1: Start a new watchlist

  1. Go to Signals, then click New watchlist. This opens the watchlist builder where you can choose the type of buying signal you want to track.

    Signals page with the New watchlist button highlighted
  2. Select Technology change as the signal to monitor. This option is designed for tracking when companies adopt or drop technologies, helping you engage while their stack is in motion.

    New watchlist modal with Technology change selected

Phase 2: Configure the technology change signal

  1. Enter a clear watchlist name, then add the technologies to monitor in the technology field. The picker uses the same autocomplete logic as the People Database technology field, so you can search and select tools quickly.

    Configure your signal step showing the watchlist name and technology search field
  2. Choose when the signal should trigger. You can either trigger the signal when a new technology is detected, or set it to trigger X months before the anniversary date if you want to time outreach around likely contract renewal windows.

    This is an important decision:

    • When new technologies are detected is best if you want to react immediately to change.

    • X months before the anniversary date is best if you want to get ahead of renewal conversations and competitive evaluations.

    Configure your signal step showing technology selected and when-to-check options

Phase 3: Define the segment to monitor

  1. Select the audience scope for the watchlist. You can monitor All segments, a Company list, or a Specific segment uploaded or defined for tighter targeting. This lets you align signals with your ICP instead of tracking the entire market.

    Segment to monitor step showing All segments, Company list, and Specific segment options
  2. Refine the segment with filters such as name exclusions, location, industry, and company size, then set your maximum number of signals identified per day. This limit helps you control volume and budget while keeping the signal flow actionable.

    Billing for this signal is 100 credits per identified signal, so setting a daily cap is a good best practice when you are testing a new watchlist.

    Segment configuration showing identification limit and daily signal cap

Phase 4: Decide how signals should be processed

  1. Choose what should happen after a signal is identified. You can manually process signals or create a task for your team automatically. If your workflow depends on sales reps reviewing each opportunity, task creation is usually the best option because it keeps follow-up structured and visible.

    Signals processing step showing manual processing and create-a-task options

Phase 5: Review and launch the watchlist

  1. Review the summary to confirm the signal type, technologies selected, timing logic, billing, processing method, and segment settings. Once everything looks right, continue to finalize the watchlist.

    lemlist processes these signals daily, so once the watchlist is live, identified companies will start appearing as new opportunities to review and contact.

    Summary step showing technology change watchlist configuration details

What signal details you’ll see

Each identified Technology change signal includes the key company context your team needs to act fast:

  • Company

  • Location

  • Company size

  • Industry

  • Technology detection date


Practical application

Technology-change signals are most useful when you pair them with timely, relevant outreach. Instead of sending a generic prospecting message, reference the new tool and explain how your product complements the company’s new setup.

Real-life examples

  • A SaaS company installs HubSpot after relying on spreadsheets.

  • A sales team replaces Outreach with another outbound tool.

  • A startup adds a new enrichment platform or CRM to its stack.

What this usually means: the company is changing priorities and improving workflows. That’s often the moment when teams are most open to discovering complementary tools, better integrations, or smarter processes.

Email example

Here’s a simple outreach template you can adapt:

Subject: Noticed {{companyName}} recently added {{newTool}}

Hey {{firstName}},

Noticed {{companyName}} recently started using {{newTool}}. Usually when teams adopt {{newTool}}, they’re reworking how they handle {{processArea}}.

{{referenceCompany}} went through the same transition and managed to {{impactMetric}} after improving their {{relatedProcess}}.

Want me to show you how they approached it?

Try it yourself

  • Reference the newly detected technology in the first line.

  • Tie that technology to a business process the buyer cares about.

  • Use a relevant customer example or proof point.

  • Keep the CTA light and consultative.


Troubleshooting & pitfalls

Issue: You’re getting too many signals

Root cause: Your segment is too broad or your daily identification limit is too high.

  • Narrow the segment with filters like industry, location, and company size.

  • Add name exclusions if there are companies you never want to monitor.

  • Lower the daily signal cap to control both volume and credit usage.

Issue: The signals aren’t relevant to your ICP

Root cause: The selected segment or technologies are too generic.

  • Choose only technologies that strongly correlate with your best-fit customers.

  • Use a company list or specific segment instead of monitoring all companies.

  • Review whether your filters reflect your actual target market.

Issue: Sales reps don’t act on the signals quickly

Root cause: Signals are identified, but no follow-up workflow is assigned.

  • Use Create a task for the identified signals instead of relying only on manual review.

  • Assign the right owner or fallback owner.

  • Add clear instructions so the next step is obvious for the team.

Issue: Credit usage is higher than expected

Root cause: Each identified signal costs 100 credits, and the watchlist may be finding more companies than planned.

  • Start with a lower daily cap while testing.

  • Tighten the segment before scaling up.

  • Monitor how many signals are identified each day and adjust limits as needed.


Best practices

  • Start small with one or two high-intent technologies before expanding.

  • Use specific segments instead of broad monitoring when testing signal quality.

  • Match your outreach message to the detected technology and likely workflow change.

  • Review signals daily so you can contact companies while the stack change is still fresh.

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